In an era when people are afraid of cancer, what IQ taxes are you paying?

I am a spokesperson for the Healthy China Action and the chief physician of the Health Management Center. I have worked in the oncology department for many years. Many people are terrified at the mention of cancer. For a long time, in the minds of Chinese people, the word "cancer" has been equated with death, and is even more terrifying than death.

Many people have heard of the "three early" principles for cancer - early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment, but people hope that cancer can be effectively prevented, and many even spend tens of thousands of yuan on "cancer prevention products." So, what are the misunderstandings and scams related to cancer prevention and treatment? Let's learn about them together...

1. People with acidic constitution are prone to cancer. Do they need health supplements to improve their acidic constitution?

In recent years, various definitions of "acid-alkaline body type" have been widely spread and have become a popular concept in some health product advertisements and health TV programs.

They even use free physical examinations to forge reports that "cancer cell counts are high" to make the elderly feel fearful, and then take the opportunity to sell nutrient solution at a high price.

I once met an old man in his 80s who spent more than 200,000 yuan on anti-cancer health products. His family said that until he was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer, there were still piles of health products in the house.

Tips:

There is no such thing as acidic or alkaline body type in science. The claim that people with acidic body types are more susceptible to cancer is pure nonsense!

2. Can dieting and losing weight rapidly “starve the tumor to death”?

The popular belief that tumor cells can be starved to death is a big misunderstanding. Tumor patients are easily deceived by this rumor, including some patients with higher education who are deceived into going to so-called health institutions for starvation therapy, which is very expensive. Some extreme patients even fast completely. But in fact, tumor cells can break down the body's muscles and fats, robbing the body of nutrients for tumor cells to survive. Tumor cells cannot be starved to death, and it is the patients who starve to death in the end.

In the field of oncology, there is indeed a "starvation therapy", but "starving the tumor to death" does not simply mean starving the patient. The growth and development of cancer cells need to be achieved through blood vessels.

But the meaning of "starvation" here is to cut off the blood vessels that supply nutrients to the tumor, and "starve" the tumor locally and precisely, rather than reducing the person's overall normal nutritional intake. So don't expect to "starve the tumor" by reducing food intake. Not only is it useless, it also harms the body.

Tips:

Hunger therapy is unreliable. The dietary principle that cancer patients should really follow is to eat as much and diverse food as possible, and not to be superstitious about the so-called anti-cancer effect of any one kind of food.

3. Can folk remedies cure cancer?

For the same cancer, the same folk remedy is used to treat it, and most patients cannot replicate the results of individual patients. On the contrary, some patients often refuse other effective treatments or even surgery because they overly trust some so-called "magic pills" with unknown ingredients, which delays the disease and loses the chance of a cure. The news that a woman died from cancer treatment with the "wish to repay a debt" therapy was a hot topic. It is not advisable to rely on folk remedies to treat cancer.

Tips:

Formulating a scientific, standardized, and individualized comprehensive treatment plan that suits the patient's actual situation based on the patient's general condition, pathological type of the tumor, clinical stage, etc. is a treatment model that must be followed in the field of tumor treatment at home and abroad.

4. The more expensive the physical examination package, the better the effect?

Some people think that "if you don't have a physical examination, you are not sick." Others think that the more expensive the physical examination package, the better the effect. Screening should be a targeted, fast and simple method.

The main types of cancer currently have their own early screening "gold standard", such as:

Lung cancer: low-dose spiral CT of the chest is required;

Breast cancer: color ultrasound combined with mammography;

Digestive tract tumors require complete gastroenteroscopy.

Tips:

It is not the case that the more expensive the "high-end" physical examination package you choose, the better the effect will be. The physical examination should also be tailored to your individual needs.

We must have the desire to prevent cancer, but we must not be afraid of cancer. It is better to prevent cancer scientifically than to be afraid of cancer. Genetics are determined by God and we cannot change it, but regular physical examinations and developing good living habits can reduce the risk of cancer!