Saturday, June 6, 2009

CARCINOGEN

Today, my PA put five Cancer Notification forms on my table. The MOH requires medical practitioners to notify The National Cancer Registry all new cases of cancer they diagnosed. 5 new cases a week is common in a big goverment hospital surgical depatment. But for a single surgeon like me in a 100-bed private hospital, this is a record. In the last one week I encountered 2 breast cancers, one skin cancer (BCC), one stomach cancer and an occult cancer with liver metastases.
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This is unfortunately not a suprise. The incidence of cancer generally is on the rise. Although different cancers have different causes, the upward trend is usually associated with the rampant use of chemicals that induce normal cells to change to cancer cells. These chemicals are called carcinogens.


Carcinogens are found in industries, drugs/medicines, clothings and most disturbing our foodstuff. Almost all factory-made food items contained some sorts of carcinogen. Some in traces, others full of them.
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One day, my young son bought a coloured, flavoured drink in a plastic container in the shape of 'ultraman'. There was a small note: Ingredients: Air, Pemanis, Pewarna, Perisa dan Penstabil yang dibenarkan. Basically it contains water, and four chemicals to change it colour and taste. In another words, it contains water and most probably four carcinogens to shorten our lives. In Kelantan, if you look for the traditional nasi kerabu hitam which is stained purple by daun mengkudu, you would never find it. Insteads you will get a nasi kerabu stained blue by a dye usually used to colour tikar mengkuang and this is highly carcinogenic. Your mee goreng or mee latna are usually added a big spoonful of Thailand's ajinomoto (which is also used as additive to farmer's racun lalang to make sure the lalang dies sampai ke akar).
See my point: Nak makan sedap, you may risk shortening your life.
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That is my bad news for the week. BUT the good thing is : Hari ini every junction from Kota Bharu to Kubang Kerian along Jalan Bayam is beautified with bunga manggar. Maklumlah, cuti umum Agong' Birthday bertindih dengan cuti sekolah. Ramai ambil kesempatan buat kenduri kahwin. Baguslah tu, kurang peluang syaitan nak suruh orang buat maksiat. Yang sebelumnya haram dah jadi halal, dapat pahala pulak tu!. Dalam pada tu, malam tadi ada yang datang ke hospital melahirkan anak dengan jari yang masih penuh berinai. Bila kahwin dik?. dua hari lepas doktor....
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AstaghfirLah hal azim...apa nak jadi dengan orang mim lamalif ya waw................................

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