Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

[Siggie]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

The key here is early detection (especially with cancer). I bet the preventive care is poor
Just taking breast cancer as an example... Do they teach women to do regular self-exams? Are they getting regular mammograms?

Is health care widely available, especially to the poor and those outside of major cities?

[Anoush]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

First off, they must eat less khorovads and fatty meats, stop smoking and stop drinking heavily. Especially women should never drink regularly. Even a little bit of a drink every day will bring on breast cancer for women. I read this recently in a health magazine. They have to eat more vegetables and fruits and also beans, a substitute for meat, less fat and less red meat. Exercise regularly and no cirgarettes. Stress also brings on diabetese, heart desease and ulcers. There are factories in the northern part of Armenia (in Lori area or Alaverdi area) copper mining outdated hazardous for the population living nearby and contributes to the people to have cancer. It's a shame that they don't clean the air for our people and resolve to outdated mining habits. All these are contributors; the population of Armenia must be educated to start living and having healthy lifestyles. Perhaps some Armenian doctors and also nurses from Diaspora should go there and educate the public of Armenia to maintain healthy lifestyles. And the government must start cleaning the air and get rid of the hazardous mining and factories to very close proximity of neighborhoods.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

First off, they must eat less khorovads and fatty meats, stop smoking and stop drinking heavily. Especially women should never drink regularly. Even a little bit of a drink every day will bring on breast cancer for women. I read this recently in a health magazine. They have to eat more vegetables and fruits and also beans, a substitute for meat, less fat and less red meat. Exercise regularly and no cirgarettes. Stress also brings on diabetese, heart desease and ulcers. There are factories in the northern part of Armenia (in Lori area or Alaverdi area) copper mining outdated hazardous for the population living nearby and contributes to the people to have cancer. It's a shame that they don't clean the air for our people and resolve to outdated mining habits. All these are contributors; the population of Armenia must be educated to start living and having healthy lifestyles. Perhaps some Armenian doctors and also nurses from Diaspora should go there and educate the public of Armenia to maintain healthy lifestyles. And the government must start cleaning the air and get rid of the hazardous mining and factories to very close proximity of neighborhoods.

Excellent points Anoush. I found an article relating to the causes of cancer in Armenia, it can be found here http://www.onk.ns.ac.yu/archive/Vol9...l9/V9n1p29.pdf. This study was done about 10 years ago. I'll post the abstract and conclusion below.


Spreading of carcinogens and mutagens in
the environment of Armenia and possible
ways of cancer prevention

The data concerning the spreading of carcinogens and mutagens in the environment of Armenia are presented. These data show that soil, air, water and therefore some food products are polluted and dangerous for human health including carcinogens. Because of poor living standard in Armenia, most people consume food and cigarettes of low quality, whereas fresh fruits and vegetables are not available in enough quantity even on a seasonal basis. In many regions of Armenia the content of heavy metals and pesticides in agriculture food products exceed several times the hygienic limits. At present, we cannot recognize any appropriate opportunity to prevent cancer in Armenia.

Conclusion:

We suggest that tobacco, nutrition and environmental pollution
cause cancer rates in Armenia that are higher than in developed
western countries. Effective primary prevention resulting in a
reduction of cancer risk can be obtained by: (i) a reduction in the
number of carcinogens to which humans are exposed, or (ii) a
reduction of the exposure levels to carcinogens (27). In our opin-
ion, cancer prevention in Armenia can be theoretically successful
in case of tobacco related cancer. It is known that cessation of
smoking leads to a progressively lowered risk of lung cancer (1).
But unfortunately, newspapers, magazines, television and radio in
Armenia advertise the cigarettes mostly produced in the USA.
Therefore, the action against smoking is very difficult if not
impossible. As for the cancer caused by nutrition, this problem is
associated with a very low living standard in Armenia where 40%
of the population live below the line of poverty. Consequently, we
cannot recognize the method for the prevention of environmental
cancers in the Republic of Armenia at present. In future, the pre-
vention of neoplastic diseases in Armenia can only be performed
by disintegration of cancer causing environmental factors.
Therapeutic side effects and cancer complications are of sec-
ondary importance at present.

[Haykakan]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

Its pretty hopeless situation now as far as stoping the environmental pollution there since the "environmental protection agency" of Armenia is basicly funded the corporations destroying the environment there. Educating the public may have some positive results and should be a priority but then again i know many there who even having triple bipass smoke 2 packs a day, fully knowing the effects of smoking. I am sure education will make a difference for some and as much as i want to see a clean environment in Hayastan-I dont see it happening until the equivelent of the EPA starts working independently of the porporations doing the pollution.

[jgk3]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

I wonder what the rates of these health problems are in Artsakh.

[Pazooki]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

You guys gotta be joking right? The air and water in Armenia is cleaner than here.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

You guys gotta be joking right? The air and water in Armenia is cleaner than here.

Yeah, I'm not sure they were referring to North America when they said "western nations". I think North America has the world beat on cancer rates.

[Siggie]

Re: Cancer on the Rise in Armenia

Safety requirements may be more lax though and put workers at risk.