By Vaishnavi Shukla

A cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean that you are untouchable, that people need to be 50 feet away from you. There are many misconceptions regarding cancer. Lets clear some myths. You might have heard a lot of them. And maybe, believed them too. So here it goes. 

Cancer is not a death sentence. It does not mean death. The chances of dying from cancer have decreased considerably over the years. Many cancer patients actually survive treatment and become survivors. 

Eating sugar doesn’t cause cancer. Although cancer cells use up a lot of sugar for their growth and survival that does not mean that if you stop eating sugar, you will never get cancer or if you have it already, those cells will disappear. But of course, eating high-sugar foods do increase the risk of developing cancer. 

Cancer cannot spread from one person to another. It is not contagious. Cancer arises from our own cells. We made them. 

Consuming herbal products doesn’t cure cancer. They may help to ease some symptoms, but in general, research has not proved that herbal products consumed during treatment can be effective. In fact, they may hinder the treatment. 

It is not necessary that if someone in the family had cancer, other people may get it too. Yes, cancer is genetic but there are only 5-10% chances of passing it on. Also, it does not mean that you will never get cancer if none of your family members had it. 

Apart from these main misconceptions, there is a lot of research and discussion going on about other factors like use of plastic, cosmetics, superfoods, etc. The bottom line is, you don’t have to believe everything that has been said about cancer. Cancer is a vast subject and can be multifactorial. So, ask questions.