CANCER MYTHS DEBUNKED

In today's so called 4g generation ‘Jo gol nahi hai', to every question however weird it may seem, internet is awashed with answers. But when it comes to healthcare the information is either outdated, not upto the mark or even worse misleading and far from authentic. When we talk about issues like cancer, which is one of the most dreaded word, it's important to break myths which are rooted in old theories and communication is the most important aspect to remove the cancer related stigma.
 So below are most prevalent 8 myths about cancer busted:

1. Cancer- a death sentence

Truth: Death is inevitable- don't we all know that? But hey! Cancer=death is not necessary. Today, medical science has come a long way and so has treatment of cancer. It definitely depends upon individual patient's lifestyle and other factors like stage and type of cancer but quality of life of cancer patients has improved.

2. Having sugar will worsen your cancer

Truth: Ok, let us get that straight, there is no scientific evidence that if you have cancer, eating sugar is going to harm you in anyway. Of Course, you are what you eat and it does affect your cancer risk but, eliminating all types of sugar(including natural sugars in fruits) will harm normal cells because they too require glucose to function and no, your not eating sugar will not shrink or affect your tumor anyway. So no need to ditch that sweet tooth yet! But having said above, one should reduce sugar in the diet.

3. Cancer is contagious

Truth: No! It's NOT contagious. You can't “catch” cancer from someone suffering from it by any sort of physical contact with them or breathing in the same air or sharing meals with them, except in rare cases of organ transplant wherein the donor has a history of cancer.

4. Cancer is hereditary

Truth: Research says only 5-10% of cancers can be inherited so it's not necessary if you have a family history of cancer you will suffer from it too and also it does not mean if you do not have a family history of cancer you will not suffer from it.

5. Only females suffer from breast cancer

Truth: Albeit, women are more likely to suffer from breast cancer that does not mean men can't suffer from it. Males too have breast tissue and they also suffer from breast cancer but breasts in males are not developed due to different hormones in males and females so chances are less.

6. Use of antiperspirants/deodorants causes breast cancer

Truth: According to scientific studies so far, no relation has been found between use of antiperspirants/deo and changes in cells of breast.

7. All cancers are same/cancer patients receive same kind of treatments

Truth: FALSE! There are over 100 types of cancer discovered and even if the cancer is of same type the treatments are tailored specifically for each patients depending upon location, stage and genes of individual patients. We all are different, right?

8. Cancer is extremely painful

Truth: Now that may sound true but no, not all people with cancer experience pain. It may be a side effect or symptom of cancer but it can be treated with certain medications and now a days there is a special type of care unit known as the palliative care which relieves side effects and symptoms of cancer.
So! Cancer does not necessarily have to be painful.

9. Cancer causes hair loss.

                                               

Truth: Cancer  does not causes hair loss but its treatment does . Yes, you heard it right. Chemo drugs are powerful medicines which kills rapidly growing cells which are present in our body. 
                                            

Unfortunately, they cannot differentiate between the good cells and the bad cells so in this process they end up killing the good cells too which includes the one which are responsible for our hair growth. 

These were some of the most common myths about cancer but there are many more myths which need to be taken care of!

 What to do?

First, and the foremost stop consulting Dr Google because Hey! Half knowledge is even dangerous than ignorance. There are many websites which lack credential information and are misleading. So it's better to take help from healthcare specialists and authentic sources. Lastly, stay positive and smile often!

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!



   

Author- Arundhati Sitoke

AN EARLY DIAGNOSE CAN BE AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE

A swollen feet and a bulging tummy...that’s how I remember my uncle during his last stages of cancer as. “ I am not hungry anymore, its hard to walk for a long time and I don’t know why”, my kaka (uncle) would say with a fear in his eyes and a stammer in his speech.

It was 2 years ago when my uncle passed away due to ‘ignorant cancer’ and that’s what I would love to call it as. My mother and I would tell maushi(aunty) and kaka to check out with a doctor and diagnose the problem as soon as possible.  Both would reply negatively and carry on with their lives monotonously.  Since my mother is a paramedic, she would understand certain symptoms that were giving birth on my kaka’s body. A know- it-all kaka would not bother on such “small symptoms” as he ‘feels’ active while he is not. The sudden weight deterioration would catch hold of my attention and I would try convincing on the same but stayed adamant on his decision of ignoring it.

Later, a blood vomit made it all obvious about the whole scenario of cancer and the stages. He was diagnosed with third stage liver cirrhosis and some days to live on it. A storm of confusion and fear struck the whole family even then there was hope that someone would carry the situation up and everything would be fine. Chemotherapy was out of the remedy list we had.

The hope shattered in a few weeks when he was bed ridden for a couple of days. There was very little expectation on his survival and was just a result of a late diagnose that had crawled into the dooms day. Doctors had to clean their hands off from the situation when a helpless hurricane struck in. We had to just wait for him to die and not try to get any help on his survival when early diagnose could have been an angel in disguise for him rather than letting the cancer grow on his body. I couldn’t force him much because he was the Mr. Know-it-all to me and it was hard to digest the fact that something unknown had grabbed him from me.

Early diagnose is a necessary factor as it would be a real life saver element to every cancer patient. No one knows what can kill us and being over confident over it cannot mend things up. There are certain things that are out of our box of knowledge and we should be alert enough to know what is going on in our body. Google and Quora may not be the answer to everything and it is a necessity to see a doctor in certain intervals. The cells in our body may not act the way we want and that may not be a result of drinking or eating something. It is also not necessary that an alcoholic or a drug addict falls prey to Cirrhosis. It maybe a luck in game for anyone and there are no final destination ghosts playing on us. Cells and tissues may not be in favor of us and we should accept the fact. Kaka wouldn’t have even thought of such diseases till he was a victim himself. Knowledge may not help us to such an extent because it can sometimes blindfold us to the unknown and that was exactly what had happened to my uncle. Knowing the symptoms can help us tackle the disease much faster and safer than others knowing about our diseases apart from us.

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author: Shruti Manmadhan Nair

EVERYDAY HEROES : Pranjali Pande.

The word cancer itself gives us goosebumps. But when cancer casts Its dark shadow, there are few courageous people with warrior spirits who leave everyone awestruck. 

One such warrior is  Mrs Pranjali Pande, a very simple Indian housewife and a motherly figure. She thought her life would pass off as a mediocre, like most of others. But after what she has had to endure, having contracted cancer a couple of years back, she has emerged strong. 

With a very positive attitude she considers this life as her second birth and that God has a bigger plan for her. She is now living life to the fullest, fighting, winning and relishing every moment. She no longer has the urge to ask God 'Why me? ' .

Mrs.Pande who got married at an early age was always an art enthusiast and an avid reader. Currently , pursuing her masters in Sanskrit for the love of the language, she dreams of teaching it in a professional course. 

She also counsels cancer patients and lights in them the hope of a new beginning on recovery.
She serves as an inspiration not only to cancer patients but to everyone around her.

We salute you Mrs. Pranjali , you are a true Yoddha !

Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas. 
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com 

Lastly,

Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!

Cheers!

Author - Vaibhavi Kardale, 
Yoddhas Ambassador at Yoddhas - Indians Fighting Against Cancer