Cancer Offers No Immunity

I had breakfast this morning with a friend whom I had not seen in 3 months. She looked drawn and tired and had lost some weight. Concerned, I asked if everything's ok with her, and that's when she told me she had been diagnosed with colon cancer in the 3rd stage! I was frightened for her, but I didn't let that show. I told her I'll be praying for her throughout her treatment which starts tomorrow. I wished her well as we left the coffee shop.

Cancer is such a scary disease. 3 years ago, I lost one of my dearest friends to pancreatic cancer which she bravely fought for 2 years before succumbing to the deadly disease. Now a friend's nephew is fighting chondrosarcoma - a type of bone cancer of the complicated kind. Just the word itself sounds complicated! Never heard that word before until recently. In the case of Brendan (my friend's nephew), the malignant bone growth occured in the brain area which resulted in his losing his right eye. For Brendan, the fight goes on. I continue to pray for him. If you're interested in following Brendan's progress, you may drop by his blog: http://ntsocialism.blogspot.com

It's apparent that cancer of any kind has no discrimination - the young, the old, the poor, the wealthy, celebrities, red, yellow, black or white, there's no immunity. The latest celebrity cancer victim being Farrah Fawcett who succumbed to anal cancer after putting up a brave fight. She died on June 25th, the same day Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest. Unlike aids, it can strike anyone anytime. I find that so scary! So how can we protect ourselves from contracting the deadly disease? There are so many books and blogs on the various types of cancer fighting foods and supplements you can take as a defensive measure. Which is good because prevention is always better than cure.

Health Hazards from Mobile phones

There's been much talk lately about the health hazards posed by the use of mobile phones. It was discussed on the Larry King Live show a while ago, and you read about it in the newspapers, magazines and also on the internet. Apparently, the dangers to our health from the use of mobile phones are real and serious enough for us to take some precautionary measures. If you only use your mobile phone for emergency calls, then the risk is insignificant. However, if you use your mobile phone on a daily basis for business calls or chatting and gossipping for hours on end, then it is advisable to use a headset to avoid pressing your mobile phone up against your head.

Here are some points I have gathered from various sources that mobile phone users should take note of:

1. Constant exposure to electronic magnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by cell phones may create cancerous brain cells and tumours, though research is still ongoing to prove this claim. In the meantime, it is advisable to use headsets to minimize exposure to the EMFs.


2. The risk of death from brain cancer is higher for cell phone users who hold their cell phones against their heads compared to those who keep their cell phones away from their heads.

3. According to research done by American scientists, men who use their cell phones for more than 4 hours a day or for long periods at a time, may be in danger of damaging their sperm. Researchers recorded lower sperm count on test subjects who use their cell phones for long periods as compared to those who don't. Hmmm. Serious.

4. The risk to children using mobile phones are higher because their developing cells are more susceptible to damage by the EMFs emitted by mobile phones. Apparently, the effects might include deadly diseases, such as leukemia. So parents are well advised to warn their children against excessive use of their mobile phones.

Although all of the above potential health dangers from the use of mobile phones are still being widely researched and yet to be conclusive, I see no harm for us, in the meantime, to use a headset as far as possible when using our cell phones. Better be safe than sorry.