Not looking for Cancer - change your Lifestyle !

A recent report from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, estimated there were 39,200 deaths from all types of cancers in 2006. Yet, a consultancy research organisation suggests 106,000 are currently diagnosed each year.
So, where are Australians going wrong?
Aussies are renowned for a 'good lifestyle' irrespective of the rules of the game. Liberal thinking of the fifties and seventies, despite parental discipline, seem to have softened the rules of life, allowing a lifestyle open to prey.
It seemed fashionable to be seen smoking (remember Marlboro?), acceptance of drinking at an earlier age, try all the time-saving foods for those on the 'go', obesity and diet were thinly thought of, sun bake and suntan, either on the beach or ultraviolet induced, and what if a melanoma occurs, and unsafe sex.
Yeah Man . . . we were having a ball!
Then the stats started to kick in. A Doctor here, a Surgeon there, started to cry out. In the new millennium, new buzz-words took on more meanings as research results took hold; eat more green veges, wholegrains, diet, sunscreen plus, new forms of x-ray, specific cancer treatment skills, oncology came to the fore. Stat figures were now being quoted for cancer regularly as the road toll.
And Yeah! We are still living a lifestyle, but with a little more care. Sure, we are still smoking and drinking too much, but our diet is better, we are curbing the suntan, a hat has become more acceptable for the beach and bush.
Technology is fast decapitating some of the myths of cancer, with projections of 20% being made a reality for improvement by 2020.
Most monies for research are privately and publicly raised as education into cancer is now more acceptable. Governments still cannot come to grips to assist general and pharmacological research into drugs, especially when research is being conducted overseas and not tapped into here. Some patients are importing their drugs directly from overseas for their treatment; religious and political misgivings seem to stall the treatment progress in this country.
Fundamental beliefs should not be allowed to hinder such progress. Health has got to be seen as a by-product of Life, not an Add-on. Geoff. Acknowledgment Weekend Australia-Health/Pacific Strategy Partners.