THE GLOW, SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 1989    PAGE 9 I SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 1989 THE GLOW How Can One Make Himself Phusicalig Fit? Cancer The Disease Everybody Fears Most oy Rollie Everybody knows what it means to feel fit but doctors and scientists really find it hard to define fitness. Most people would equate fitness with a feeling of physical euphoria associated with strong suggestions of exposure to fresh air. It may also be freedom from disease and a highly specific sense of fitness for athletic performance. In the case of fitness for athletics, it is no longeradequate merelyto feel fit, for the fitness may be very precisely measured in terms of the time required for running a hundred meters, lifting a weight, and so on. In considering general fitness as an aid to improvement of health one can look at the subject under the heading of do's and dont's. The do's consists of positive steps to be taken by the subject, the dont's of course feature the prohibitions. Fresh air for example has no magic effect in its own right, but the abscence of fresh air in the polluted air and the stuffy centrally heated atmosphere of an unventilated office, promotes unfitness by allowing carbon dioxide or respiratory waste to build up in the body> Diet also plays an important role in fitness though its importance is often overstressed. it is normally sufficient for a person to partake -an by: Katrina Vanessa adequate quantity of interesting mixed foods, since an adequate diet comprises sufficient vitamins for the average person • Exercise too, plays an important role in promoting fitness: repeated studies have shown that a regular, steady amount of exercise, not necessarily athletic is associated with improvement in health. Many other studies have shown that a regular exercise programme throughout life reduces the risk of heart attack and premature stroke. Further aspects of fitness and health which are of first importance are sleep and relaxation. It is important that the body gets the rest that it requires. In this context, there is no fixed general pattern of sleep, and there is consequently wide individual variation both in the amount of sleep taken and its timing, and these factors themselves will also vary in the same person from time to time. The important thing is that you get the sleep that you require now. Relaxation is important in fitness because it enables one to strike a reasonable balance between one's various activities and most people perform most happily and efficiently at their work and play if they achieve a comfortable integration of their physical, mental and sexual func tions. It is also highly d4sirable to avoid excessive indulgence in harmful activities, because these may cause states of disease or unhealth which make later fitness impossible to maintain. Smoking is one which should be avoided, certainly in any excess because there is no doubt that it leads to bronchitis. Further, work associated with smoking include cancer, particularly lung cancer, a link that has been far too conclusively proven ever tobe ignored again, and also the increased risk of heart attacks and stomach ulcers. Fitness is also certainly impaired by excessive indulgence in alcohol. The habits associated with drinking, notably smoking and incorrect eating can lead to selective malnutrition in the long run, and even in the long-term-liver damage. This having been said, we all know of centenarians who ascribe their longevity to heavy indulgence in alcohol and cigarrettes, and athletes who appear to thrive on beer, but these exceptions should not really be taken seriously. There are of course exceptions to every rule, but they are exceptions, and the majority will suffer by trying to emulate them. I I If there is anything we fear most, it is no other than cancer. But what really is cancer? Cancer is defined as a disease of multicelfular organism, characterized by the seemingly uncontrolled multiplication, and spread within the organisms cells. The definition draws attention to the three principal characteristics of cancer: first, expansion by the multiplication of cells; secondly, invasion of sorrounding normal structures of cancer cells; and thirdly, the autonomous nature of the process. However, we are more concerned not of the scientific facts and theories of cancer but rather on how we can as much as possible avoid cancer. Doctors and scientists often divide diseases into those of genetic origin and those of environmental origin. We already know of some important genetic factors associated with cancer susceptibility in man. There is a disease xeroderma pigmentosa which is associated with the inheritance of so called recessive gene from both parents. Neither of the parents suffers from the disease because each of them has a normal gene which is dominant. The double inheritance of defective gene, however, deprives the unfortunate xeroderma pigmentosa child of the ability to repair damage to the skin caused by exposure to the sun's rays. Progressive destructive and inflammatory changes occur in the skin and eventually multiple cancer appear. Another example of the influence of genetic factors on human cancer is the high incidence of cancer of the colon in familial polyposis. The underlying disease is due to the inheritance of a single defective dominant gene, and a person who has inherited this gene develops multiple polyps (benign tumours) from the lining of the large intestine and rectum. Sooner or later one or more of these polyps undergoes a secondary change with the resultant development of malignant invasive cancer. Other examples of genetic influence in man could be quoted. although in most of them the influence of genes on cancer susceptibility is marginal. For most common forms of cancer it is of the consensus view that environmental factors are more important than genetic ones. Exposure to ultraviolet light of certain wave-bands predisposes to skin cancer; certain drugs are known to have caused cancer in man; certain food additives, food contaminants and environmental pollutants are suspected of doing so; and x-irradiation from a variety of sources has been a potent cause of human cancer. In fact, there are a lot of occupations associated with high risks for cancer. For example. Occupational Group Types of cancer Benzoyl Chloride Lung manufacturers Chemists Brain Lymphatic tissues Hematopoietic tissues Pancreas Coal Miners Stomach Coke by-product plant workers Colon Pancreas Foundry Workers Lung Leather Workers Bladder Larynx Mouth Pharynx Metal Miners Lung Petrochemical Workers Brain Multiple Myeloma Stomach Leukemia Esophagus Lung Painters Leukemia Printing Workers Lung Mouth Pharynx Rubber Industry Workers Bladder Leukemia Brain Lung Prostate Stomach Textile Workers Nasal Cavity Sinuses Woodworkers Lymphatic tissue (Hodgkin's dis ease) So then my dear readers, now you know how to avoid Cancer. The Glow, September-December 1989. Official Publication of CNCHS - Cabatuan National Comprehensive High School Cabatuan, Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines