Cancer Prevention Tips

Cancer is probably the most dreaded  of all diseases. It is one of the leading killer overall, after heart disease. Thus cancer prevention is a goal that almost everyone would agree is worth achieving. The book, “Changing the Odds : Cancer Prevention Through Personal Choice and Public Policy,” by R. Grant Steen, gives us some tips to avoid cancer :

1. Stop smoking.
2. Learn your familial risk factors and be especially vigilant about those cancers that seem to run in your family.
3. Increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
4. Decrease your consumption of red meat.
5. Exercise at least three times per week, for at least 20 minutes each time.
6. Get vaccinated against hepatitis B virus if at all possible and avoid other viral exposures.
7. Practice moderation in all things. Overuse or abuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and fast foods takes a very high toll in the modern world, as does overexposure to sunlight.
8. Make a yearly visit to a physician if you are over 40 years old, and make a bi-annual visits if you are over 30 years old.
9. Avoid unnecessary exposure to the hormones used in estrogen-replacement therapy.
10. Learn the 10 warning signs of cancer. These include : (a) a swelling, thickening, or lump in any soft tissue, but especially the breasts; (b) persistent or unexplained coughing or hoarseness; (c) a sore that does not heal or a mole that abruptly changes in size or color; (d) unexplained fatigue; (e) abrupt weight loss or loss of appetite; (f) changes in bowel habits, including pain and bleeding on defecation, narrow stools, or constipation; (g) changes in urinary function, particularly bleeding or difficulty in discharge; (h) changes in menstrual function, especially unexpected or excessive bleeding; (i)difficulty in swallowing or a feeling of bloat or fullness; and (j) pallor or abnormal bleeding.