What Causes Lung Cancer?

Tobacco smoke causes 30% of the cancer deaths in the United States. Cancer caused by second-hand smoke results in several thousand more lung cancer deaths every year, according to Dimitrios Trichopoulos, M.D., director of the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention.

As early as 1915 the role of inhalants as a carcinogen was demonstrated in Tokyo. Between 1949 and 1953 Ernest Wynder of the Sloan Kettering Institute in New York City replicated those early experiments, proving not only that both condensed coal tar and tobacco smoke condensate created lung cancer, but that the risk of lung cancer rose directly in proportion to the number of cigarettes smoked and that smokers had a lung cancer risk 40 times greater than nonsmokers. While there can be other causes of lung cancer, including asbestos, radiation, radon and toxic exposure, the number of lung cancer deaths linked to these pathogens is considered minute when compared to those caused by cigarette smoke.

If you have a persistent cough or are coughing blood, particularly if you are or have been a smoker, you should see a physician. Chronic coughing can be a sign that a lung cancer tumor is obstructing or irritating the airways or lungs, even causing them to bleed. The multimodal approach I recommend -- one using alternative medicine therapies in conjunction with conventional protocols -- offers the best prognosis for controlling lung cancer. As I discuss in my video Cancer Conquest, chemotherapy and radiation can weaken the immune system, creating additional problems. Supplementing these lung cancer treatments with aggressive alternative strategies can strengthen your immune system and help your body better fight the disease. Click the blog title to visit my website and learn more about the alternative medicine therapies that have helped others fight lung cancer.