Prevention is normally understood through a preventive medicine or vaccine. Unfortunately there is no preventive medicine or vaccine against cancer. It is unlikely to have one in the foreseeable future, in spite of consorted efforts by dedicated scientists with inquisitive mind all over the world. Without properly understanding cancer, it is impossible to develop an effective preventive medicine or vaccine against cancer. To understand cancer is to understand the secret of life itself. After understanding secret of life what else would be left for man to learn and understand? This may be the reason we are unable to understand cancer fully.

As far as modern medicine i.e. allopathic system of medicine is concerned, discoveries have often come from the most remote unexpected fields of sciences in the past. It may be equally true in the future. Significant progress may be made in finding a preventive medicine or vaccine against cancer perhaps unexpectedly as a result of fundamental discoveries in fields unrelated to this disease. A break through is possible only if the basic sciences, medical sciences and the underlying sciences of biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, bacteriology, pathology, parasitology, etc. are developed impartially. Unfortunately that is not happening anywhere in the world including India. Paradoxically we have benign sciences and malignant technologies.

A chain is constituted of links. Strength of a chain is equivalent to the strength of the weakest of its links. This is common sense and mathematical sense. Similarly, physical human body is constituted of cells. Each and every human cell has to remain healthy and active to make a healthy human body. Even a single unhealthy and inactive cell is enough to invite the germs and viruses to make one sick - common cold and cough to cancer, whether one believe it or not.

Real health care has to be holistic - all-inclusive physical, mental and spiritual health. Such holistic health can be achieved if one learnt to live in harmony with nature and not destroy the environment, which is so precious. Ancient Indian health sciences like Ayurveda and Yoga have holistic approach towards health. These ancient sciences gave adequate importance for body mind relationship as well as human relationship with the living environment. Biochemical activities / responses in the body vary according to body-mind-environment relationship. One has to personally experience this to believe it through close observation.

It has been observed by practice that the simple breathing techniques like “Sudarshan Kriya” taught in the Art of Living Movement propounded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are invaluable to that extant of helping achieve holistic health (physical, mental and spiritual health) and cause harmonious relationship between mind, body and environment. This is something to be personally experienced to believe it. It is worth remembering here the Chinese saying, “You read, you forget; you see, you remember; you do, you understand it.”

On close observation while practicing this breathing technique during the past two years Ramachandran personally observed that almost all cells get oxygenated to remain healthy and active with natural immunity from all sorts of germs / viruses in the atmosphere. With such inexpensive and invaluable techniques, India may be able to lead an altogether different AIDS Movement. Here, AIDS stand for Activise Immunity Dead Sleep (AIDS) and not Acquired Immunological Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). There may not be any takers for such ideas for the simple reason that this does not require billions of dollars as “AID” by way of World Bank and IMF loans. Be that as it may be, one can personally experience that even in the simple breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya great potentiality is there to prevent even dreadful degenerative diseases like cancer and help faster cure of those already affected by such diseases.

Even if there are no preventive medicine or vaccine against cancer, thanks to the findings of dedicated research scientists from all over the world, cancer causative factors like innumerable carcinogens are known to mankind. There are already 22 substances or group of substances like asbestos, PVC, etc. and technological or manufacturing processes that are known to be carcinogenic and another 95 substances or groups of substances that may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens. What is badly required is the translation of such research findings into improved means of prevention, early cancer detection and comprehensive cancer treatment. Also, the public should come forward to confront the nature of cancer and the means available to deal with it in personal and collective terms.