The word ‘cancer’ gives us nightmares. But we never knew that minute routine changes could prevent hundreds of cancers. So, let’s talk about 5 Precautions to avoid cancer. We will try to give it in simple words so you can read and use this information.
We have discussed why it’s so important; let’s shift gears and discuss how to prevent it. Every year, millions of people worldwide develop cancer. Here’s the good news: scientists estimate that some 4 out of every ten cancers may be preventable. Right-many cancers don’t just happen by chance. They often develop because of things we do or don’t do daily. If we want to change our lifestyle a little, then we are surely going to reduce the chances of having cancer.The worst villain behind cancer is tobacco. Inevitably, tobacco tops the chart. Generally, cigarette, bidi, and chewable tobacco are in usage in our country, but smoke in any form is not at all desirable. For every puff, more than 7000 chemicals go into a person’s lungs. Out of those, at least 70 lead to cancer. It’s like deliberately drinking poison!But what is it about tobacco that causes cancer? Such chemicals enter your blood either by smoking or chewing tobacco as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals in tobacco. These chemicals march throughout your body, kill your cells, and change the whole cellular system. Our bodies are one heck of a repair shop, but if these chemicals continue daily, year after year, some cells cannot repair themselves. Instead, they start multiplying untold, and thus, cancer has begun.Tobacco is not a poison to the lungs but causes cancer in other parts. It might result in cancers in the mouth, throat, stomach, pancreas, and so forth, bladder cancer. Now, this is clear; if you do not smoke and yet stay or work with someone who smokes, then it means you also fall under the danger bracket. This secondhand smoke has the same effect on the victim as direct smoke.On the positive side, there is no looking back here; it’s never too late to quit. This is because the body begins the process of healing immediately after tobacco use is ceased. Lung cancer risk decreases to about half that of a smoker after 10 years without smoking.Our second precaution borders on food. Most of you must have heard this phrase: “You are what you eat.” This is very accurate when it comes to preventing cancer. The food we take inside us can either serve to protect us from the dreadful disease or may add risk factors to increase our chances of getting it.Based on researchers’ studies, humans will never develop cancer if they consume fruits and vegetables because they contain phytochemicals known as antioxidants. Antioxidants are the body’s maintenance crew. They go around fixing damage that could lead to cancer.What foods should we eat more of? Vegetables and fruits of different colors are good choices. The color indicates the type of protective substance, such as orange, which contains Beta-carotene, which protects the eyes and skin well. Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli contain other protective substances.We must also consume less processed food, red meat, and sugary drinks. These foods will increase the level of inflammation in our body and might even cause cancer. This, therefore, should be replaced with trying to consume more whole grains, beans, and fish. They are the healthiest for our bodies and keep them healthy and strong.The third precaution is bodily movement, such as exercise. Exercise does not just help someone look good or build muscles, though. Regular physical activity can even help prevent cancer. But how does this work?The body does several good things, especially when we exercise. First and foremost, it helps to maintain our weight. We consider this important because the more a person exceeds their ideal weight, the greater the risk of developing many cancers. Exercise also reduces the inflammation inside our body. Remember inflammation? It’s like a fire in our cells that can lead to cancer if it continues for too long.The natural cleaning system will also work better with exercise. Every day, cells waste. Exercise makes the body clean out its wastes more effectively. In short, it’s like having a better garbage disposal in the body.One does not have to be a sporty guy or in the gym to enjoy these benefits. Simple things like walking, dancing, or playing with your children can help. The Thermal idea is that one must move his body to maintain such health benefits for at least 30 minutes daily. Indeed, these can be split into minutes of even shorter time; a 10-minute walk in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening would be enough.Our fourth precaution concerns sun protection. We get vitamin D and feel happy when we take sunlight, but when we take it in the late hours, it leads to skin cancer. This star sends out some beams of light that man cannot see with the naked eye; they are called ultraviolet rays. These can damage the DNA in our cells. DNA is like a blueprint map of how our cells are supposed to function. Once this blueprint is damaged, cells might grow uncontrollably and become cancerous.But fear not—protecting yourself from the sun is the easiest thing. Applying sunscreen on a sunny day when going out would serve as an ideal habit. It is also a critical shield to protect your skin against those burning, destructive ultraviolet rays from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To illustrate this, it would be like describing it as a branded skin umbrella. It allows the excellent time to shine while shoving the bad ones away. Other critical preventive precautions against the sun include headgear, eyewear, and protective clothes.Protective coverage against sunlight is required both during clear skies and cloudy weather. UV radiation can traverse clouds and even be reflected off water, sand, and snow. So don’t tell me that darker-skinned folk do not need to protect themselves from the sun. Yes, darker skin indeed contains more natural protection, but that, too, can be damaged by UV radiation.Our last precaution, the fifth one, addresses regular medical checkups. Of course, this is not quite prevention, but sometimes early cancer detection goes a long way in terms of how successful the subsequent treatment would be. It’s the same as catching a small fire before it becomes vast and much easier to quench.The screening tests also vary depending on the form of cancer. For example, women are expected to have mammograms often because they scan for breast cancer. For men and women, it is expected to have colonoscopies after age 45, as they might have colon cancer. Women also need to have recurrent Pap smears for the screening of cervical cancer.Don’t wait until you notice some symptoms because the moment they start to manifest, the cancer has already started and spread to very advanced stages. Many cancers have no early warning signs or symptoms. Cancer can be found before it causes any problems through regular checks. This is essential when cancerous infections are genetically inherited within families.Discuss your risk factors, age, and family medical history with your doctor so that they can make recommendations based on these factors. This is when to start screening tests and which ones to use.
Why should we care about cancer prevention?
We have discussed why it’s so important; let’s shift gears and discuss how to prevent it. Every year, millions of people worldwide develop cancer. Here’s the good news: scientists estimate that some 4 out of every ten cancers may be preventable. Right-many cancers don’t just happen by chance. They often develop because of things we do or don’t do daily. If we want to change our lifestyle a little, then we are surely going to reduce the chances of having cancer.What is the relation of tobacco with cancer, and why not use it?
The worst villain behind cancer is tobacco. Inevitably, tobacco tops the chart. Generally, cigarette, bidi, and chewable tobacco are in usage in our country, but smoke in any form is not at all desirable. For every puff, more than 7000 chemicals go into a person’s lungs. Out of those, at least 70 lead to cancer. It’s like deliberately drinking poison!But what is it about tobacco that causes cancer? Such chemicals enter your blood either by smoking or chewing tobacco as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals in tobacco. These chemicals march throughout your body, kill your cells, and change the whole cellular system. Our bodies are one heck of a repair shop, but if these chemicals continue daily, year after year, some cells cannot repair themselves. Instead, they start multiplying untold, and thus, cancer has begun.Tobacco is not a poison to the lungs but causes cancer in other parts. It might result in cancers in the mouth, throat, stomach, pancreas, and so forth, bladder cancer. Now, this is clear; if you do not smoke and yet stay or work with someone who smokes, then it means you also fall under the danger bracket. This secondhand smoke has the same effect on the victim as direct smoke.On the positive side, there is no looking back here; it’s never too late to quit. This is because the body begins the process of healing immediately after tobacco use is ceased. Lung cancer risk decreases to about half that of a smoker after 10 years without smoking.How can healthy eating help keep cancer away?
Our second precaution borders on food. Most of you must have heard this phrase: “You are what you eat.” This is very accurate when it comes to preventing cancer. The food we take inside us can either serve to protect us from the dreadful disease or may add risk factors to increase our chances of getting it.Based on researchers’ studies, humans will never develop cancer if they consume fruits and vegetables because they contain phytochemicals known as antioxidants. Antioxidants are the body’s maintenance crew. They go around fixing damage that could lead to cancer.What foods should we eat more of? Vegetables and fruits of different colors are good choices. The color indicates the type of protective substance, such as orange, which contains Beta-carotene, which protects the eyes and skin well. Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli contain other protective substances.We must also consume less processed food, red meat, and sugary drinks. These foods will increase the level of inflammation in our body and might even cause cancer. This, therefore, should be replaced with trying to consume more whole grains, beans, and fish. They are the healthiest for our bodies and keep them healthy and strong.Why is exercise important in cancer prevention?
The third precaution is bodily movement, such as exercise. Exercise does not just help someone look good or build muscles, though. Regular physical activity can even help prevent cancer. But how does this work?The body does several good things, especially when we exercise. First and foremost, it helps to maintain our weight. We consider this important because the more a person exceeds their ideal weight, the greater the risk of developing many cancers. Exercise also reduces the inflammation inside our body. Remember inflammation? It’s like a fire in our cells that can lead to cancer if it continues for too long.The natural cleaning system will also work better with exercise. Every day, cells waste. Exercise makes the body clean out its wastes more effectively. In short, it’s like having a better garbage disposal in the body.One does not have to be a sporty guy or in the gym to enjoy these benefits. Simple things like walking, dancing, or playing with your children can help. The Thermal idea is that one must move his body to maintain such health benefits for at least 30 minutes daily. Indeed, these can be split into minutes of even shorter time; a 10-minute walk in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening would be enough.Why is it that protecting our skin from the sun is considered a cancer prevention method?
Our fourth precaution concerns sun protection. We get vitamin D and feel happy when we take sunlight, but when we take it in the late hours, it leads to skin cancer. This star sends out some beams of light that man cannot see with the naked eye; they are called ultraviolet rays. These can damage the DNA in our cells. DNA is like a blueprint map of how our cells are supposed to function. Once this blueprint is damaged, cells might grow uncontrollably and become cancerous.But fear not—protecting yourself from the sun is the easiest thing. Applying sunscreen on a sunny day when going out would serve as an ideal habit. It is also a critical shield to protect your skin against those burning, destructive ultraviolet rays from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To illustrate this, it would be like describing it as a branded skin umbrella. It allows the excellent time to shine while shoving the bad ones away. Other critical preventive precautions against the sun include headgear, eyewear, and protective clothes.Protective coverage against sunlight is required both during clear skies and cloudy weather. UV radiation can traverse clouds and even be reflected off water, sand, and snow. So don’t tell me that darker-skinned folk do not need to protect themselves from the sun. Yes, darker skin indeed contains more natural protection, but that, too, can be damaged by UV radiation.What medical checkups would catch cancer early?
Our last precaution, the fifth one, addresses regular medical checkups. Of course, this is not quite prevention, but sometimes early cancer detection goes a long way in terms of how successful the subsequent treatment would be. It’s the same as catching a small fire before it becomes vast and much easier to quench.The screening tests also vary depending on the form of cancer. For example, women are expected to have mammograms often because they scan for breast cancer. For men and women, it is expected to have colonoscopies after age 45, as they might have colon cancer. Women also need to have recurrent Pap smears for the screening of cervical cancer.Don’t wait until you notice some symptoms because the moment they start to manifest, the cancer has already started and spread to very advanced stages. Many cancers have no early warning signs or symptoms. Cancer can be found before it causes any problems through regular checks. This is essential when cancerous infections are genetically inherited within families.Discuss your risk factors, age, and family medical history with your doctor so that they can make recommendations based on these factors. This is when to start screening tests and which ones to use.Summary:
Each of the five prevention tips helps with the other four: do not use tobacco, follow a balanced diet, engage in physical activities, use protection from UV radiation, and attend checkups. Think about them as a whole. When you combine them, you create the best possible protection against cancer.The transition might be difficult, especially when you are new to it, so don’t try to do everything at once. Start by adopting one change and then gradually add the others. Take every little step you can to protect yourself from having cancer.REFERENCE LINKS:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-10-commandments-of-cancer-prevention
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/can-cancer-be-prevented-0
- https://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/blog/awareness/cancer-prevention
- https://preventcancer.org/prevention-screening/ways-to-prevent-cancer/