Stress causes cancer, expert says

CHENNAI: "I don't drink, smoke and eat non-vegetarian food. In fact my family has no history of any chronic illness. Then how can I have cancer?" - These were the very first thoughts that crossed Seetha's mind when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 17 years ago.

Despite doctors giving her a lease of three years to live, Seetha fought against the disease that sends a chill down everyone's spine and today she is a part of Apollo's cancer support group.

Apollo Hospitals in Chennai conducted a breast cancer awareness programme on Saturday on the occasion of the International Women's Day. Oncologists and cancer survivors interacted with several women and shared tips for early detection of the disease.

Dr Selvi Radhakrishnan, oncoplastic breast surgeon, said in almost 70% of the patients she diagnosed with breast cancer, the stress factor always preceded diagnosis. "I always ask my patients if there was a life-changing event in the recent past and they invariably end up telling me that they underwent a rough patch," she said.

Pointing out that a lot of stress surrounded in detection and treatment of cancer, Dr Selvi said a recent Canadian study has shown that people who were stressed were more prone to changes that result in cancer. Studies have also shown that patients who had cancer and did not worry too much about it responded to treatment, 40 times better than the others.

A video clip on how to perform a self breast examination was played for the gathering and experts insisted that women should always approach a doctor if there was any abnormality in their breasts. "But mild discolouration and discharge in women who are on medication for other medical problems is normal. There is a thin line between awareness and paranoia," said Dr Selvi.

It is advisable to do the self breast exam every month. The five minutes invested in it would go a long way in early detection, she added.

Cancer survivor Niraja Malik, who has been battling with the disease for 16 years, said that it was important to maintain reports of all the check ups. "The key is to have a positive attitude and face the disease. Diagnosis is just a detour," she said.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Stress causes cancer, expert says

Dengan url

http://pijitwajah.blogspot.com/2014/03/stress-causes-cancer-expert-says.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Stress causes cancer, expert says

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Stress causes cancer, expert says

sebagai sumbernya