Cancer Prevention & Causes

CANCER PREVENTION

Adopting healthy life style, avoiding exposure to harmful chemicals, pollutants and other carcinogenic agents, and maintaining good physical fitness is very important in cancer prevention. During our lives, we are unwittingly exposed to thousands of chemicals associated with cancer and other illnesses. Many of these are man-made including synthetic chemicals found in everyday consumer products and the environmental pollutants. They should be avoided wherever it is possible.

8 Steps to Prevent Cancer.

· Avoid tobacco use: both active and passive smoking, and chewing tobacco.

· Eat a variety of healthy foods: It is important to consume plant-based foods, rich in fruits and vegetables, and reduce the intake of fats and alcohol.

· Stay active and maintain a healthy weight: Regular exercise should be an integral part of one’s daily routine. Apart from helping to lose weight, being fit seems to have an anti-cancer effect in itself. Researchers recommend 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise – like brisk walking – once a day. And once we're fit, then 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity or 60 minutes of moderate exercise every day.

· Protect yourself from the sun: The incidences of Skin Cancer caused by sun’s radiation are very less in India.

· Get immunized: Vaccination against Hepatitis B should be regularly administered, as this infection could lead to liver cancer.

· Adopt Healthy Sexual Practices: Sexually transmitted diseases like human papilloma virus infection, hepatitis B and HIV can lead to an increased incidence of various cancers.

· Get screened: Regular screening and self-examination for certain cancers helps in early detection of cancer and improves the prognosis.

· Self Examination: Women are advised to conduct monthly breast self-examinations. Men are advised to conduct monthly testicular self-examination.

The major Cancer Causing factors

· Tobacco is the foremost cause of various cancers. In India, roughly two-thirds of all patients with lung cancer were found to be smokers, using cigarettes and/or bidis, hand-rolled tobacco. Of the total reported cancer cases 33% are due to tobacco. Chances of getting Oral Cancer are 27 times more, Laryngeal Cancer 12 times, 3 times Bladder Cancer and 2 times Pancreatic Cancer in smokers as compared with non-smokers.

· Chewing tobacco causes oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

· Obesity is major cause of cancers of the esophagus, colon and rectum, pancreas, breast, endometrium, and kidneys.

· Alcohol increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon and rectum, and breast; and also causes cirrhosis, which raises the risk of liver cancer.

· Red meat and processed meat were convincingly linked to colorectal cancer. We need to eat less of it, and instead eat mostly foods of plant origin. Legumes such as beans, lentils and soybeans contain proteins and are very healthy. Fruits protect us against several cancers.

· Harmful chemicals, industrial pollutants, synthetic materials and proved carcinogenic substances should be avoided at all cost.

In spite of adopting a better life style and taking all precautions, if one notice symptoms mentioned before, then the family doctor should be consulted immediately and all investigating tests and screening must be carried out immediately to have early detection and treatment. Modifying our lifestyle will reduce our chances of cancer by up to a third.

Kindly preserve this information and if possible distribute copies to others.