Sugar causing cancer and bicarb killing tumours: Cancer charity appoints nurse to combat ‘fake news’ about disease
Macmillan Cancer Support has hired a nurse dedicated to answering questions from people affected by cancer online
A CANCER charity has appointed its first digital nurse to help combat the amount of “fake news” about the disease available online.
Macmillan Cancer Support is worried patients are turning to unverified websites for information on how to treat cancer that leads to them following bogus cures.
WARREN MEDIA
8
Ellen McPake, from Glasgow, will be dedicated to answering questions from people affected by cancer online on Macmillan’s social platforms.
A quick online search brings up a host of alternative treatments including how baking soda can cure breast cancer, the charity warns.
Janice Preston, head of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, said: “It's understandable that people go online to look up their diagnosis, but it's vital they get information from reliable sources.
“As well as fantastic information and support, the web is full of unverified statistics, fake news and horror stories that can cause people unnecessary worry and distress.
“It's important people have access to trusted information online and know how to separate websites that are accurate and reputable from those with incorrect or even dangerous information.”
The charity is concerned that some patients are Googling their symptoms because they are leaving appointments without all the information they need.
Ms McPake said: “As more and more people seek information about their cancer online, we want them to know that charities like Macmillan are able to offer reliable health advice.
“In my new role, I'm there to make sure people affected by cancer have a real person they can turn to online for information about their symptoms, cancer diagnosis and treatment.”
Here are six of the biggest myths surrounding cancer.
1. Sugar causes cancer
You may have heard that sugar gives you cancer, or that sugar speeds up the growth of cancer cells.
But that is a myth.
Dr Timothy Moynihan, a cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic, said: "Sugar doesn't make cancer grow faster.
"All cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
"But giving more sugar to cancer cells doesn't speed their growth.
"Likewise, depriving cancer cells of sugar doesn't slow their growth."
However, eating too much sugar can make you fat and obesity is linked to 11 different types of cancer.
Not to mention obesity causes high blood pressure and is linked to other diseases like heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
So while cutting out sugar will not help cure your cancer or slow the growth of your tumour, cutting back on it will be beneficial to your health.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
2. Bicarb soda cures breast cancer
This myth can be potentially life-threatening.
Some websites suggest that consuming bicarb soda can cure breast cancer.
The theory behind this is that is regulates the pH levels of the blood.
The body's natural pH levels should be around 7.3 and it is thought that bicarb soda can help reverse any damage caused by the pH level being altered, such as when cancer strikes.
But there is no scientific evidence to support this.
And actually, cancer patients who shun chemo and other traditional treatments are twice as likely to die, according to recent research.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
3. Mobile phones cause cancer
You've probably also heard that talking on your mobile phone all the time can cause brain tumours.
The suggestion is that the low-frequency energy released by a phone travel into the brain when we have them pressed against our ears.
But again, scientific studies of the potential health risks of mobile phones have mostly found they pose no risk to human health.
Some studies have concluded that heavy mobile phone use may pose some risk but experts say it is too early to say there is a link given the technology is relatively new.
The worry is around the non-ionising radiation used in a range of communication, electronic and other devices like mobile phones, radio and TV, according to Cancer Research UK.
RAISING AWARENESS What is a brain tumour and what are the signs and symptoms to look out for?
Most non-ionising radiation has less energy than ionising radiation, which means it doesn’t have enough energy to change our cells in the same way as ionising radiation, the charity explains on its website.
The largest study so far on possible links between mobile phones and brain tumours is part of the Million Women Study and looked at nearly 800,000 women.
It found no link between mobile phone and brain tumours and also concluded there was no increased risk of 18 other types of cancer.
And the use of mobile phones has skyrocketed over recent decades yet there has been no spike in brain tumour rates in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK statistics.
Fiona Osgun, Cancer Research UK’s senior health information officer, said: "There is no convincing evidence to show that mobile phones can increase the risk of brain tumours, or any other type of cancer.
"But because mobiles are a fairly new technology, research is continuing to check for any effects over longer periods of time."
Contrary to this, an Italian court has recently ruled that a man's brain tumour was caused by his mobile phone.
4. A coffee enema protects you
Yes, you read that right.
A coffee enema.
Despite what you might have read, there is only one thing you should be doing with coffee and that's brewing a nice hot cup to wake you up in the morning.
Coffee enemas are part of the Gerson therapy to beat cancer, which involves a very specific diet with supplements.
Gerson therapists believe that people with cancer have too much salt in their bodies compared to the amount of potassium.
They also recommend you have three to four coffee enemas a day.
THE RISK OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR CANCER TREATMENT
There are many reasons people may opt to use alternative or natural therapies.
But there is little evidence to suggest they work.
All medical treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer, have to go through vigorous testing to prove they work before they are made available to patients.
Alternative therapy is not subject to the same testing.
The lack of regulation also means some alternative therapies could be harmful or cause unwanted side effects.
And choosing alternative therapies, or shunning treatment all together, can prove fatal.
Cancer patients who opt for alternative treatments over chemotherapy are twice as likely to die, according to a recent study from the Yale School of Medicine.
Many alternative treatments, such as homeopathy, are based on the idea the body can heal itself through exposure to highly diluted substances that cause an illness.
But July NHS officials launched a consultation to scrap homeopathic medicines saying they are a “misuse of scares funds”.
Alternative therapies can, however, be used alongside traditional medicine.
For example, many people find peppermint oil or ginger to be a successful remedy for nausea which is a nasty side effect of chemo.
For those who don't know, an enema is when fluid in flushed into the lower bowel through the rectum to help relieve constipation.
Gerson therapists believe coffee enemas remove toxins from the body by stimulating the bowel, liver and bile ducts.
Again, there is no scientific evidence to suggest this therapy works as a cure for cancer.
A review in the USA by the National Cancer Institute in 2010 found no evidence that it helped people with cancer.
In fact, many people who have tried the coffee enemas have ended up dehydrated, constipated and some got infections.
Others had to deal with inflammation of the bowel.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
5. Hair dye can cause cancer
There has been some recent evidence to suggest a link between regularly dying your hair and cancer.
But there is no solid proof that definitely ties the two together.
One of the latest studies that have linked the two came from London's Princess Grace Hospital.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a breast cancer surgeon at the hospital, reviewed studies on hair dye and breast cancer and found a 14 per cent rise in the disease in women who regularly coloured their hair.
He suggests women should dye their hair only two to six times per year and opt for more natural ingredients like beetroot, henna and rose hip to reduce their risk of developing the disease.
But he noted further work is needed to confirm a link between hair dye and breast cancer.
Other studies have also noted that hairdressers who are regularly exposed to the products may have an increased risk of bladder cancer.
But the National Cancer Institute in the US suggests any link between cancer and hair dye has not been solidly proven.
