Chemotherapy: The Cause Of Cancer

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the process of using various chemicals to treat diseases such as cancer. This process can be delivered by infusion through a catheter, by injection, or in tablet form. These chemicals target the cause of the disease and try to kill it off. In the case of cancer, toxic substances are used to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells. These substances alter cancer cell division or DNA function and synthesis (“Chemotherapy”). However, chemotherapy is very controversial as there is a lot of question about whether it’s worth going through or not. Over the course of my 15 years of life, I have known several people, some of which are family members, who have gone through chemotherapy. All of which have not survived more than
Venom affects the human body in various ways, depending on the type of snake and type of venom that the snake produces. The three types of venom (hemotoxic, cytotoxic, and neurotoxic) impact the human body differently (Hess). Hemotoxic lowers blood pressure and encourages blood clotting. It may also go for the heart muscle if its goal is immediate death. Cytotoxic venom causes tissue death, which is why amputations are common after being bitten. Cytotoxic venoms can also spread rapidly throughout the body, increasing muscle permeability, which in turn allows the venom to penetrate at a quicker rate. Finally, neurotoxic venom rapidly disrupts the function of the nervous system and brain. Paralysis, lack of muscle control, disruption of signals sent between neurons and muscles, and a disruption in the body’s supply of ATP are all potential results of neurotoxic venom in the human body
Fewer than one in 37,500 people in the United States are bitten by venomous snakes each year. The probability of dying from a venomous snake bite is one in 50 million. So, there are about 5-6 snakebite fatalities per year. To put this in perspective, someone is nine times more likely to die from being struck by lightning than to die of a venomous snakebite (Johnson). With the constant increase in medical advancements and the current trend, I can predict that the number of people who die from snakebites, in the United States, will continue to decrease. Yet, people are still deathly afraid of snakes. This is similar to the common fear of sharks. The probability of getting attacked and killed by a shark is 1 in 3,748,067 (“Marine Exhibit”). But, people are still squeamish. So, my point is that people tend to be more afraid of snakes than they need to be. A snake will only attack a human if it feels threatened; they’re just trying to survive. And even if a snake happens to bite someone, there’s almost no chance that the victim will die. Plus, snake venom has the possibility to help with cancer, which is