Thirty Simple Methods To Protect Yourself From Cancer

With all of the advances witnessed in biomedical science in the last century, cancer still remains a persisting threat. Additionally, technological progress in other areas have actually led to an increase in the incidence of some cancers.  The following are some tips to help you in reducing your risk of getting cancer:

1. Research suggests that people may forestall cancer, or decrease the risk of it, by minimizing sun exposure, which is a primary cause. Carry a shot glass in your beach bag. Then fill it with sunscreen and rub it all over your body. A shot glass holds about 1.5 ounces, which is how much suntan lotion dermatologists estimate you need to defend yourself against the cancer-causing UV rays of the sun. Repeat each 2 hours.

2. One of the positive effects of exercise is a reduced risk for the following common sorts of cancer: colon, breast, prostate, and endometrial. Merely thirty min of moderate exercise benefits you by lowering your risk for cancers that spring from hormones. How so? Any kind of physical activity can noticeably cut back the levels of hormones in your body. And in case you don’t know, obesity, or being overweight, is a major contributor in some kinds of cancer, and exercise can help you lose excess fat, especially abdominal fat.

3. Limit alcohol intake. It’s up to you. Some professionals say there isn’t any harm in having one glass of wine or one bottle of beer a day. A daily bottle of beer might be one method of preventing cancer, particularly stomach cancer. But it’s a different matter if you’re at risk of breast cancer or you already have cancer. Drinking alcohol is a risk factor for some cancers and giving up alcohol is one of the most effective ways to prevent cancer.

4. Eat garlic and onions. Such allium vegetables have antibacterial effects. The incidence of stomach cancer has been discovered to be lower among people with a high intake of allium veggies.

5. Avoid second-hand smoke and auto exhaust. Even if you don’t smoke but you live with someone who does, the smoke you breathe is very deadly. This is referred to as “2nd-hand smoking”. If you are unlucky, you may even get cancer before the smoker does.

6. Eat sauerkraut. A Finnish report revealed the fermentation process involved in making sauerkraut produces a series of cancer-fighting compounds, including ITCs, indoles, and sulforaphane.

7. Get your exams: prostate, colon, and testicle for men; breast and colon for females.

8. Ladies should take tamoxifen or raloxifene, which are available at online pharmacies that offer discount prescription drugs. An added benefit of purchasing these medicines cheaply at an online pharmacy is that they lower the risk of osteoporotic fractures.

9. Reduce sugar intake. A paper published in the February 2004 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute points toward a robust association between a diet rich in sugar and the danger of colorectal cancer in ladies.

10. Research suggests that anti-oxidants may slow or prevent the development of cancer by protecting cells from damage due to free radicals. Foods loaded with anti-oxidants include: fruits: blueberries, kiwis, cranberries, pomegranates, and grapes; vegetables: kale, artichokes, and spinach; nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds; spices: cloves, cinnamon, and oregano.

11. Avoid polyunsaturated plant oils, margarine, plant shortening, all partially-hydrogenated oils, and all foods that might contain trans fatty acids (for example, deep-fried foods).

12. Increase omega three fatty acids in your dietary intake by eating more cold water oily fish, freshly-ground flaxseeds, and walnuts.

13. Take a calcium supplement with vitamin D. A study out of Dartmouth Medical School indicates that the supplements reduce colon polyps (a risk factor for bowel cancer) in people susceptible to the growths. Researchers have found that not getting enough vitamin D may increase your odds of getting multiple cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, and stomach cancer, as well as osteoporosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension.

14. Be careful about the meats you eat. Some research has demonstrated that frequent consumption of certain meats, particularly red and processed meats, increases the likelihood of getting certain cancers. Other studies have linked grilled and broiled meat dishes to cancer because these ways of cooking meat products produce HCAs (heterocyclic amines), cancer-causing compounds.

15. Eat shiitake, enokitake, maitake, and oyster mushrooms often.

16. Marijuana and cocaine use have been shown to increase people’s chances of developing lung cancer.

17. Excessive salt intake has been found to be associated with cancer of the stomach. All salt, including mineral-dense sea salt, should be used sparingly.

18. Many dry cleaners still employ a chemical called perc (perchloroethylene), found to cause kidney and liver damage and cancer in animals regularly exposed to it through inhalation. Buying garments that don’t need dry cleaning, or hand-washing them yourself, can cut back your exposure to this chemical. If you have to dry clean your clothes, take them out of the bag and air them out outside or in another room before wearing.

19. While the final verdict is not back yet, ginseng has been found in numerous studies to slow down the formation of cancerous tumors. This research has shown success in animals, but conclusive human studies have not yet yielded concrete results.

20. Use a condom and stick to one partner. The more sleeping partners a woman has, the greater her chance of contracting human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer. Having an unfaithful husband also increases her risk.

21. Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium, a trace mineral that causes cancerous cells to commit suicide and also helps cells repair their DNA. A Harvard study of more than one thousand men with prostate trouble found that those with the highest blood levels of selenium were forty-eight percent less likely to develop advanced illness over 13 years than men with the lowest levels. And a dramatic 5 year study out of Cornell and the University of Arizona demonstrated that 200 micrograms of selenium daily – the amount in 2 unshelled Brazil nuts – led to sixty three percent less prostate tumors, fifty-eight % fewer colorectal cancers, 46 percent less lung malignancies, and a thirty-nine percent overall decrease in cancer deaths.

22. Sleeping at least 7 hours per night may maximize the benefit of physical activity in cutting cancer risk. Scientists including James McClain, Ph.D., M.P.H., a cancer-prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute, reviewed info on almost 6,000 Maryland women. In 1998, the study participants finished surveys about how much exercise and sleep they usually get. Over the next nine years, the group had 604 new cases of cancer. Among the most physically active ladies younger than 65 – women who reported getting roughly an hour a day of moderate physical activity in – cancer was forty-seven percent rarer for women who got at least seven hours of nightly sleep. That finding held regardless of other cancer risk factors.

23. Preliminary studies have also shown that Cat’s Claw has cancer-inhibiting and immune-stimulating qualities.

24. A major study made public in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1996 demonstrated that men who drank 6 eight-ounce cups of water every day slashed their chance of getting bladder cancer in half. Another study linked the amount of water women drank to their odds of getting bowel cancer, wherein heavy water drinkers lowered their risk up to forty five %.

25. Stock up on fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society counsels five portions of fruits and vegetables a day. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been proven to reduce the risk of getting cancers like colon and lung cancer. Carotenoids, the pigments that give vegetables and fruits their dark green and yellow colors, have been shown to stop cancer. Beta-carotene, present in yellow and green veggies, helps protect against lung cancer and may help forestall cancers of the bladder, mouth, larynx, esophagus, breast, and others.

26. Avoid potato chips. A potential cancer-causing compound called acrylamide forms as a consequence of the chemical changes that occur in foods when they’re baked, fried, or roasted. As you’d guess, many foods with the greatest amounts of acrylamide are also some of the worst foods for you, for example, french fries, potato chips, and baked sweets. Although the results aren’t final yet, Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, guesses that acrylamide causes between 1,000 and 25,000 cancers a year. His group has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to set limits on the quantity of acrylamide foods can contain. The Food and Drug Administration is studying the issue.

27. Talk to your doctor about your family’s medical history. It’s important to be cognizant of your folks’s medical issues and to relay this information to your health-care provider. If your folks have a history of contracting certain cancers, your health-care provider may decide to screen you for the disease at an earlier age or more frequently than usual.

28. Eat lots of broccoli and cauliflower. These “super” veggies have a chemical constituent called indole-3-carbinol that can combat breast cancer by changing a cancer-promoting estrogen into a more protective variety. Broccoli also contains the phytochemical sulforaphane, a product of glucoraphanin, thought to aid in the prevention of some kinds of cancer, including colon cancer. Sulforaphane induces the production of certain enzymes that might deactivate free radicals and carcinogens. These enzymes have been shown to inhibit the expansion of cancers in lab animals.

29. Protect yourself from occupational hazards. If your job comprises asbestos exposure or exposure to other chemicals, be certain to strictly follow instructions and safety tips.

30. Buy organic! Buying organic meats, eggs, dairy products, fruits, and veggies means that your food doesn’t contain any deadly pesticides or hormones. While natural produce can be costlier, it’s better for your well-being and the environment.

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