Tobacco, Alcohol and Cancer

By Yun Brown, LAc

Nearly 20% of cancer deaths are caused by tobacco and most lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Of the new cancer cases reported in the U.S., almost 13% of these cases in women and 35% in men are caused by tobacco use.
Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco contain many mutagenic carcinogens which include arsenic, cadmium, and formaldehyde. Compared with non-smokers, active smokers have lower circulating concentrations of several antioxidant micronutrients including alpha carotene, beta carotene and cryptoxanthin.
Medical research has shown that alcohol acts as a synergistic carcinogen with tobacco. The use of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of mouth, pharynx and larynx cancers. It has also been reported that premenopausal and postmenopausal women who drink more than 10 grams of ethanol per day increase the risk of breast cancer by 10 %.
Many types of cancer can be preventable and there are only a small portion of cancers that are inherited. It is time to stop tobacco and cigarette use and reduce alcohol intake in an effort to help prevent certain types of cancer.
Acupuncture therapy can be an effective method for quitting the use of tobacco products such as cigarettes.
In addition to cutting out the use of tobacco products, a person can also consume vegetables and fruits which are thought to help protect us from some cancers. The foods containing folate may protect us from pancreatic cancer; foods containing carotenoids may protect us from cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx and also lung cancer. Foods containing the carotenoid beta carotene may protect us from esophageal cancer and foods containing lycopene may help protect us from prostate cancer.
Acupuncture therapy can be very effective for quitting tobacco and cigarette use. Dr. Eugene Mak, M.D. is a board certified oncologist. In his article “Acupuncture in Cancer Treatment,” he recommended that “Acupuncture is effective for control of pain, reduction of nausea and vomiting, and it is now routinely administered before, after and in between chemotherapy treatment sessions for the control of nausea and emesis.
Our food, nutrition and physical activity all play a very important role in the prevention of cancer. The more fresh fruits and vegetables we eat and the more we avoid tobacco and reduce alcohol intake, the more likely we will be to avoid certain forms of cancer and live a long and healthy life