Health is the ultimate blessing for obvious reasons and even minor health troubles can be inconvenient for us. Whether we talk about the smaller health problems like a common cold or serious troubles like kidney infections, the fact that these issues can affect a person’s overall well being.
Why are health problems problematic?
But health problems like cancer can be more troubling than they are thought. A cancer diagnosis can be frightening for anyone but that’s just the beginning of the troubles. Followed by the diagnosis, cancer treatments are even more problematic.
Commonly used cancer treatments can be problematic and troubling for people. Whether it’s surgical tumour removal or radiation therapy treatment, you can’t avoid the side effects completely, revealed by a top radiologist in Islamabad.
Ways to Prevent Cancer
Even before we talk about the treatments, we should remember that cancer prevention measures are the first line of defence against the disease. Many known cancer prevention measures can stop the disease onset and surprisingly many of these are not more than simple lifestyle changes.
Some of these lifestyle changes that can help to prevent cancer include;
1- Healthy diet is the key
Our bodies become what we eat and that directly affects our disease development patterns as well as their prevention. Certain foods can increase a person’s risk of cancer development while many other foods can delay the cancer onset. Eating foods like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables etc. can improve your health reducing cancer development risk.
Some of the cancer-causing foods include edibles containing elements like PFOA, nitrates, nitrites, BPA etc. that are known for their carcinogenic properties and can be linked to the onset of cancer.
2- Physical activity
The discussion on the health benefits of physical activity is endless and it also takes in cancer prevention. The first and foremost reason that physical activity is important because it helps to maintain a healthy weight which counters a major cancer risk factor known as obesity. A healthy weight reduces your risk of cancer development including breast and colon cancer but for substantial health benefits, a person should include at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.
3- Sun protection
Another effective cancer prevention measure can be limiting your sunlight exposure. Sunlight exposure can increase the risk of cellular mutations, contributing to cancer risk factors, told by a renowned physician from the Firdaus family clinic in Islamabad during a seminar on cancer prevention. Some of the tips that can help to reduce sunlight exposure cancer risk include;
- Limiting the peak hours when sunlight rays are the strongest
- Keeping your sunlight exposure minimum and protecting the areas that are exposed to sun rays.
- Applying sunscreen and avoiding sunlamps or other artificial sources as their radiations are as harmful as the sunlight rays.
4- Vaccination might help you
Vaccination against certain disease-causing microorganisms is a known factor that can limit cancer development. Among these disease-causing organisms, Hepatitis B and HPV viruses are known to play their role. Getting vaccinated against these viruses can aid in cancer prevention.
5- Consider your alcohol consumption
Your alcohol consumption can significantly increase the risk of your development. Despite the common belief that red wine can help to inhibit cancer, there are not enough pieces of evidence to support this claim and consumption of alcohol can cause liver damage increasing your risk of liver cancer.
6- Self-examination is important
While cancer is becoming more manageable with passing days and owing to the recent technology advancements, self-exams remain the first in cancer diagnosis. For many different types of cancer, self-examination can help know the disease onset before it reaches severity. Self-examination in case of colon, breast and cervical cancer can save a patient’s life.
Bottom Line!
Cancer is a deadly life-threatening disease with many responsible causes. Although it is not possible to eliminate the probability of cancer onset, many lifestyle changes and habits can minimize the risk of disease development. Cancer has many preventable and non-preventable disease factors which take in genetic, behaviour and lifestyle choices.
Eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy diet, opting for the right lifestyle choices and ensuring routine health checkups can save you a lot. If you have been doing it wrong and now realizing it, it’s the high time you should go for an anti-cancer lifestyle to beat it.