By Dr Albert Lim Kok Hooi

MALAYSIA: It amazes me to think how old I am. I grew up in a time when notions like "wind" (angin, hong, foong to use the vernacular) and "heatiness" (panas, yeet hei) were all pervasive.

A woman who has just given birth was told not to take a cold shower or wash her hair as "wind" would enter her body and many years on she would be afflicted with painful, crippling arthritis. Any sore throat or swelling in the neck was due to "heatiness". Measles and chicken pox were every child's due.

Without them, growing up was not natural and their bodies would be harmed in strange, mysterious ways.

If a woman did not menstruate for reasons other than pregnancy, the bad blood would accumulate and cause her to be very ill.

It was a time when leukaemia was attributed to germs. Polio was rife. HIV/Aids was not even an accepted disease entity.

Things moved on with a better understanding of the human body and what causes disease. Or so I thought. Listen in today on any doctor consulting a patient in a typical Malaysian clinic. Many patients have really no idea what a human body is made up of and how it works. Knowledge of the causation of diseases is even more abysmal.

Sadly, a handful of doctors readily agree to concepts like "wind" and "heatiness" to be in step with their patients' cultural beliefs. They do not wish to alienate and upset them. To educate patients about their bodies and how and why their bodies can malfunction is surely one of the most important roles of a doctor.

Notions about the harm hair washing can do in the early post-partum can be amusing. It is a good way of fending off the amorous husband who had been abstinent for nine months!

Some health and medical myths are sadly not that benign. I recently consulted a cancer patient who had lost half his weight in a matter of three months. (from 80kg to 40kg). It was not the cancer which caused his drastic and rapid weight loss. He had starved himself with the idea that he could starve the cancer to death. He did not think much of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy as ways of treating cancer.

What was he doing in my clinic? Probably to convince me about his novel way of treating cancer.

I also have major problems with some patients who are already undergoing mainstream treatment. There was a patient who had a large, purulent (pus-producing), offensive-smelling, ulcerated breast cancer. I spent hours listening to her brand of health science and cancer treatment.

Eggs, according to her, was a "no, no" because eggs cause pus to form. This must have something to do with the fact that she was an interior designer who was much into colour coordination. Besides eggs, she also avoided all meat, most fish and sugar. No wonder she was emaciated, pale and had swollen legs due to her absurd, restrictive diet.

There are those who go vegetarian, vegan even, the moment they learn they have cancer. I strongly counsel against this. Fruit and vegetable are not well digested or absorbed even under normal circumstances. With many cases of cancer, digestion and absorption are poor. The iron from vegetable sources is poorly absorbed. Nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy worsens the situation.

Remember, cancer and its treatment are catabolic i.e. they break down our bodies' tissues. Patients undergoing cancer treatment need a high-calorie, high-protein diet to build up their bodies again and it would be near impossible to get this from fruit and vegetable alone.

In the past two months, many reports in peer-reviewed medical journals tell of the harm food supplements do to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Those not on supplements live longer.

The conclusion is that cancer patients should avoid taking high doses of potent antioxidants like vitamins A, C, E and selenium. These chemicals may be so effective in moping up free radicals that they are not enough free radicals left in the body to kill cancer cells.

What we eat is under our control. There is then no wonder that so much misconception, superstition and taboo have grown around food since our hunter-gatherer days. Some of these myths steeped in traditional beliefs may be hilarious and charming, others are downright dangerous.

The year's beginning is a good time to fantasise about how we can help to make a better world. Here is mine: if I were to plan the curriculum of schools and universities, I would make biology (especially evolutionary biology) compulsory. Perhaps, then, women who have just given birth will smell more fragrant and my patients would load up on eggs and meat to support their bodies as they fight cancer.

Dr Albert Lim Kok Hooi is a consultant oncologist.

For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The views expressed are those of the writer and readers are advised to always consult expert advice before undertaking any changes to their lifestyles. The Star and AsiaOne do not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star and AsiaOne disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.The

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This story was first published in The Star on Jan 11, 2009.