On September 10, 2022, the well-known singer Fu Song died of oral cancer at the age of 36.
He is young, why does he get oral cancer?
The truth is that he has been fond of chewing betel nut for many years and has to eat a few packs every day.
Before his death, Fu Song "appeared to preach" in the form of a video, reminding people to "stay away from betel nut and cherish life."
is only 36 years old, and life is over, which is regrettable and even more heartbreaking!
Fu Song's friend Bai Xue said that Fu Song actually recovered well after being diagnosed with oral cancer and undergoing the first operation, but he still did not quit betel nut, so his condition worsened.
Fu Song's death has once again aroused people's attention to "betel nut causes cancer", because too many people have "betel nuts" and they have suffered, and you really can't imagine the pain they have suffered.
In 2015, a young man named Liu Jun from Hunan first came into contact with betel nut through a friend. Out of curiosity, he tried to chew two or three.
When he put the first betel nut into his mouth, he suddenly felt dizzy, chest tightness , and difficulty breathing. But the magical thing is that when he continued to chew the second and third ones, he was inexplicably a little excited and felt refreshed.
That's it. Liu Jun fell in love with betel nut. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't eat it all day. No matter where he went, he would carry several packs with him.
One day in 2018, Liu Jun suddenly found that there were many white patches in his mouth. He took it for granted that it was an oral ulcer, so he didn't think much about it.
However, the symptoms became more and more serious, and it was difficult to open your mouth. Even so, Liu Jun still did not realize the seriousness of the problem and only bought some anti-inflammatory drugs to take.
It was not until a while later that it had seriously affected food, and Liu Jun went to the hospital for treatment.
"You are oral cancer!"
Liu Jun was stunned when he heard the diagnosis result given by the doctor.
Doctor asked him if he had the habit of eating betel nut, and Liu Jun realized that betel nut was the culprit of oral cancer. He couldn't accept it for a moment and fell into infinite regret for years of eating betel nut.
But what's the use of regret? What Liu Jun has to face next is a very cruel choice: to be deadly or to be shameless?
Doctor said that Liu Jun's condition is relatively complicated, and there are many parts in the oral that need to be cleaned and removed, which will have a great impact on his appearance after the operation.
This year, Liu Jun was only 29 years old. His desire for life made him choose "deathly and shameless".
After undergoing surgery, Liu Jun became a "face-cutter". The lower half of his left face and the alveolar bone were cut out, and his atrophic face was sunk into a deep pit the size of a fist. Because of the infiltration of cancer cells, the left eye is completely invisible.
The day when Liu Jun was discharged from the hospital and returned home, he happened to be caught by his neighbor. The neighbor was so scared that he screamed, and he hurried back to his room.
From then on, he never left his house again and lived a life of "no shame to see people". It is no exaggeration to say that "life is worse than death".
In fact, whether it is Fu Song or Liu Jun, it is not an isolated case. There are many similar tragedies in reality.
2013, the documentary "The Face-cutting Man in the Kingdom of Betel nut" caused a sensation, which also surprised many people at the moment "betel nut turned out to be so terrible", one of which was called Liu Sangguo.
In 2012, Liu Sangguo was 43 years old. He was diagnosed with oral cancer due to years of chewing betel nut. The lower jaw and left gum of his left face were cut off. After the operation, a deep hole the size of a fist was sunken in his left face, which looked very strange.
Soon after, the nerves in the left eye were compressed and blinded again.
What is incredible is that Liu Sangguo was lying in the ward in Xiangtan, Hunan. His wife wiped her tears and said, "It's all betel nuts!" Some betel nuts were actually prepared in the ward to entertain relatives and friends who came to visit.
Liu Sangguo has a fellow villager named Ling Jianjun. He was diagnosed with oral cancer because he liked to eat betel nut and became a "face-cutting person".
The doctor cut off his right jaw and gum, and in order to fill the missing flesh in his mouth, he also cut a 30-centimeter hole in his thigh.
After the operation, the scar on his right face extends to his chest, looking very ferocious. It was not until the third day after the operation that he had the courage to look in the mirror.
He looked at himself in the mirror, thinking about his handsome self before, without saying a word, and kept crying.
Someone was also diagnosed with tongue cancer and his tongue was cut off.
Hu Qili from Changde, Hunan was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2008 and half of his tongue was cut off, which caused his taste to disappear, and he drooled as soon as he opened his mouth, which also caused him to lose his job. This year, he was just 38 years old.
It’s terrifying to think about it. Such a thing actually happened in the world.
After the diagnosis of cancer, some people chose to become a "face-cutting person" and live like a monster. Some people also don’t have the courage to face themselves, who are about to become monsters, and choose to commit suicide.
Zhu Ze, a native of Hunan, has always liked to eat betel nuts. Sometimes he has to eat four or five packs a day. In 2013, he was diagnosed with oral cancer. The surgical plan given by the doctor is to remove part of his tongue and throat.
This means that after the operation, you can only rely on nutrient solution to maintain your life, and it will become a scary "monster".
Zhu Ze thought about it again and again, feeling that the physical pain was still acceptable, but he didn't have the courage to face himself who was about to become a monster, so he hanged himself.
Because of a small betel nut, life is ruined.
If you can start your life again, I believe they will stay away from betel nut. Unfortunately, there is no if in life.
What is betel nut that is addictive and death-making?
betel nut originated in Malaysia . Later it was spread to China and was mainly grown in Hainan, Yunnan and other places. Hunan has the most people eating betel nuts. Among the more than 60 million betel nut consumers across the country, more than 20 million are in Hunan.
In the streets and alleys of Hunan, small shops selling betel nuts and people chewing betel nuts everywhere. Here, if you want to advise a person not to eat betel nuts, the other party will probably say, "Everyone eats it!"
Eating betel nuts is a custom and culture in Hunan. In 2016, the "betel nut customs" was even included in the fourth batch of intangible cultural heritage list in Hunan Province.
There is also a saying among the people in Hunan that is "chewing betel nut, be energetic". Many people have become heavily dependent on betel nut in order to refresh themselves, especially those working night shifts.
But the truth is, betel nut can cause cancer.
As early as 1860, cases of cancer caused by betel nuts appeared in the world.
In 2003, International Cancer Research Institute also listed betel nut as a first-class carcinogen, which is the same level as arsenic.
In this regard, some people joked: "Add betel nut and smoke have endless magic power; adolescent betel nut and wine will last forever."
Regarding why betel nut causes cancer, the medical community has given a clear explanation:
The fibers of betel nut are very rough. When people chew betel nut, they will damage the mucosa in the oral cavity.
At the same time, betel nut will release cytotoxin-containing arecaline after being chewed. In the long run, it will cause to fibrillate in the mucosa of the mouth and make people feel dry mouth and tongue. Eating slightly irritating foods will be very painful. If
continues to develop, it will become oral cancer.
In my country, the incidence of oral cancer in Hunan Province is much higher than the national average, which is directly related to the love of Hunan people to eat betel nut.
Studies have shown that people who eat betel nut for a long time are 25 times more likely to suffer from oral cancer than ordinary people.
An academic journal has counted the data of five hospitals in Changsha, Hunan. Since 2006, in just 10 years, the proportion of oral cancer patients caused by betel nut in Changsha has soared from 23.94% to 85.53%, and the number of patients has increased by nearly 20 times.
However, this amazing number is not known to many people. Countless people who like to eat betel nut still eat with relish.
In April 2018, Hunan Xiangtan Hospital also published an article that among the 45 confirmed cancer patients in the dental department of the hospital, 44 people have the habit of chewing betel nut.
The news from abroad also confirms the harm of betel nut.
WHO survey found that India ranks first in the world in the incidence of oral cancer, and India is also the country with the largest consumption of betel nut in the world.
Faced with these "evidence", what should those who have objections to "betel nut causes cancer" explain it?
Betel nut causes cancer, which is a recognized fact, but the shouts of a few people are not enough to wake up many people who "pretend to sleep".
What’s more terrifying is that oral cancer is different from other cancers. Once oral cancer is diagnosed, if the surgery is not performed, it will not last for 2 years.
If you have surgery, you have to endure the double torture of your body and mind. Moreover, the damage to oral function will seriously affect the quality of life in the future, and in the end more than 50% of patients will die due to recurrence of oral cancer.
Since betel nut is so terrible, why do many people still go further and further on the road to eating betel nut? The reasons behind
are both personal and environmental.
A netizen from Hunan said that almost everyone around him eats betel nut, so he learned to eat betel nut since he was a child and thought it was a kind of snack.
It was not until later that his cousin was diagnosed with oral cancer due to eating betel nut. He witnessed his cousin's pain and regret, and realized the serious harm of betel nut.
Then, this netizen decisively quit betel nut. The process was very painful, but he did not give himself a chance to repeat the same mistake.
It must be admitted that eating betel nut is addictive, and it is not easy to quit unless you have strong willpower.
In Changsha, Hunan, there is a man named Cheng Hao. After eating betel nut for many years, he suddenly found that his mouth could not be opened and it hurts when he talked too much. He knew that it was because he had eaten betel nut too much, so he started to "quit".
But as long as he doesn't eat for a day, he will feel uncomfortable all over and over again, and he will make up his mind many times, but he can't quit.
There is also the "face-cutting man" Liu Sangguo, who also tried to quit betel nut. At that time, he quit with his wife who also likes betel nut. The two agreed that if anyone proposes to buy betel nut, they will submit a fine of 20 yuan.
But neither of them persisted until Liu Sangguo was diagnosed with oral cancer, and it was too late to regret everything.
Liu Sangguo's wife later said: " Xiangtan is the trend. People will give you betel nuts everywhere. If you eat other people's, you have to buy some for others."
An environment where betel nuts are sold everywhere and everyone is eating betel nuts is also an important reason why many people cannot quit betel nuts.
, if no one grows or produces betel nut, wouldn’t everything be fine?
But the problem is that the industrial chain behind it cannot be moved just by saying that.
The planting of betel nut is mainly distributed in Yunnan and Hainan, but the main processing area is in Hunan. This means that many farmers and workers make a living by betel nut.
According to authoritative media statistics, in 2018, my country's betel nut industry reached 78.1 billion yuan. By 2020, the scale of the betel nut industry in Hunan Province alone reached 40 billion yuan, and it is still growing at an average annual rate of 30%.
is related to people's livelihood and also to GDP's betel nut industry. How easy is it to be removed from the shelves?
In 2013, CCTV's "News 30 points" reported that betel nut causes cancer, which caused a lot of sensation at that time. Many people began to throw away betel nuts in their hands and no longer bought them.
But at the same time, Hunan, Hainan and other places have experienced problems such as unsalable betel nut sales, reduced income for farmers, and layoffs of employees, with direct economic losses exceeding 3 billion yuan.
Some workers even claimed that they wanted to unite and ask CCTV for an explanation.
is a fatal cancer on one side, and a livelihood issue related to millions of people. For a time, CCTV may not know what to do. Two months later, CCTV 2's "Economic News Broadcast" created another program, titled "The price of betel nut plummeted, and millions of farmers in Hainan suffered heavy losses."
A storm of banning betel nut ended inexplicably. The operation of
also allows us to see how complicated the interests behind betel nuts are.
must be admitted that people's livelihood issues involved in betel nut need to be handled with caution, but some companies and TV programs do not need to show mercy to "promote" betel nut.
On the streets of Hunan, advertisements promoting betel nuts can be seen everywhere. These advertisements never mention the harm of betel nuts, but also exaggerate the nutritional value of betel nuts, calling them green and healthy food, and even saying that they can make people "rejuvenate".
What an outrageous advertisement, and this outrageousness reflects the indifference of some companies to life on the road to pursuing economic interests.
The operators of these companies are not unaware of the harm of betel nut. Faced with doubts, some companies' operators defended: "You have cancer because you are not self-disciplined."
While promoting the benefits of betel nut, they also blame consumers for "who asked you to eat so much". What is the logic?
The promotion of major TV programs has also played a role in fueling the fire.
In 2004, the talent show " Super Girl " endorsed the "Youwen Betel nut". The advertising slogan "I know your taste", which was later widely circulated.
Later in " Daily Upward ", Wang Han was once again endorsed, helping Hunan betel nut to become popular with a century-old brand " new ".
and the program "This! "It's Street Dance 4", a certain brand of betel nut frequently appears in the show. While dancing street dance , the contestants said that the betel nut is really "fried". You must prepare more next time.
" Anti-Black Storm ", Lin Hao, played by Zhang Yixing , also has a large number of scenes of chewing betel nuts. Later, people complained and reported, and a large number of scenes about Zhang Yixing chewing betel nuts were deleted.
With these TV advertisements being widely promoted, many people are even more addicted to betel nuts.
In March 2019, Hunan Province issued a document saying that betel nut companies will no longer be allowed to advertise, but the result is regrettable.
Since then, many betel nut companies no longer advertise directly, but instead change to "naming".
In October 2020, Hunan's "King of Taste" betel nut exclusively named "This! It's Slam Dunk 3".
On January 31, 2021, the fifth season of "Tucao Conference" was launched. Hunan betel nut "Xiangtan Shop" became a sponsor, and it just packaged betel nut into a health product like wolfberry.
For the sake of interests, enterprises also have policies from the top and countermeasures from the bottom.
And these named programs also fell to their knees in front of interests, completely ignoring such publicity that it would tempt many people to "go astray".
This time, the news that 36-year-old singer Fu Song died of cancer caused by betel nut has finally awakened people's attention to betel nut issue. The entry "It's time to make up your mind to ban betel nuts in a complete ban" has once taken the top spot in the hot search list.
This month, Yiwu, Zhejiang, Yingshan, Sichuan, Nanchong and other places successively issued notices of "banning the sale of betel nuts".
However, some relevant personnel emphasized that it is not that betel nut is banned, but that betel nut is banned in the name of "food", that is, the word "food" cannot appear on the packaging bags of betel nut.
Although not all betel nut products are removed from the shelves, it at least made many people see that "betel nut cannot be chewed as food every day."
However, at the same time, the betel nut association of Hainan Province, a major betel nut production province, urgently issued the "Notice on the Development of Hainan Betel nut Industry in Recent Years", calling for the protection of the betel nut industry chain.
It is obvious that the dilemma of many years ago is still there, one side is life and the other side is livelihood, which is destined to be a difficult choice.
When the external environment cannot be completely changed for a while, as individuals, the only thing we can do is to stop buying and cherish our own lives. Don’t regret it when we are diagnosed with oral cancer and will become a terrifying "face-cutting person".
Many people sell betel nuts, and no one sells regret medicine.
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Author: Xinhai
Editor: Liu Ye Taotao
