In 2011 about 571,950 Americans are expected to die of cancer that number averages out to about 1,500 people a day (cancer. org). Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in today’s society. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and the spread of abnormal cells, caused by both external and internal factors (cancer. org). There is nothing a person can do to change the cells that make up the anatomy of their body; we are born with this DNA. However, there are precautions an individual can do to help prevent the risk of getting cancer.
These lifestyle changes can include having a good diet, getting an adequate amount of exercise, no smoking or drinking. Some people believe that the cause of cancer comes from polluted air and water, and in that case there is nothing that we can do to change that. As cancer grows more every year, Doctors have learned more about treating cancer, but yet to find a cure for cancer. Treatments are advancing every day, and medicines are saving more lives for people fighting cancer. At any age a person may be diagnosed with cancer, the numbers tend to increase in the older ages.
Cancer hits hard in my life as I have family battling Cancer now and also have family members who have lost their lives to Cancer. If cancer is caught in the early stages it can be treated, however many are not fortune enough and the cancer takes their life from them. Cancer is the leading cause of death, but people can take actions to prevent it like eating healthy, stopping smoking, and practicing sun safety. Having a well balanced diet can help prevent cancer, along with many other heath related illnesses. Fruits and vegetables should be a part of your daily diet intake.
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which help repair our damaged cells. Green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables are your best bet to help prevent cancer (cancer. about. com). Eating fruits and vegetables in your diet may not guarantee you to never become diagnosed with cancer, but it is a step in the right direction for you and your diet. Many studies also show that a high intake in red meats can also cause cancer. Most patients who are diagnosed with colon cancer have a high intake of red meat in their daily diet (cancer. org).
Processed foods are also good to keep out of your diet as much as possible. There are five foods to eat that is proven to prevent cancer growth and they are; Bok Choy, cooked tomatoes, flounder, strawberries, and artichokes (doctoroz. com) Taking a multivitamin daily is also good for your health because it gives the body the minerals and nutrients you do not receive through your diet. As well as staying on a well balanced diet, exercise will help you stay active. By having exercise in your life it keeps you active, and keeps your body in good shape.
Exercise helps your body, mood, circulation, weight, as well as helps get your heart rate up. Keeping your body on a well balanced diet filled with fruits and vegetables is a good step in the right direction to help prevent getting cancer. Smoking tobacco is one of the highest causes of cancer. Lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death in our society and will cause 160,340 deaths in 2012 (cancer. org). Tobacco does not only cause lung cancer but can also cause mouth, lip, throat, esophagus and many other cancers as well. Smoking tobacco is harmful to your health as well as other around you.
A person may never smoke tobacco in their life; however can still get cancer if they are inhaling second hand smoke from another individual. Smoking is responsible for 87% of all lung cancer cases and 30% of all deaths from cancer (mdanderson. org). Smoking does not only cause cancer but also is a cause to strokes, heart disease, and lung disease. The Government has tried many resources to help stop people from smoking such as; raising prices of cigarettes, banning smoking from bars and restaurants, and even put a stop to people smoking in hospital parking lots.
To help prevent any health problem it would be a wise choice for a tobacco smoker to quit. There are many hotlines and products to help a person to kick their bad habit of tobacco addiction. It will only help their health and potentially save their life. Practicing sun safety is another step to take toward preventing cancer. Skin cancer” also” known as melanoma is caused from UV rays from the sunlight in most cases. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime (skincancer. org).
When spending a long amount of time in the sunlight it is always good to wear sun screen, hats or use an umbrella to block the UV rays from damaging your skin. People who use tanning beds as a form of getting darker skin are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. Since “beauty” plays such a big role in our society, many girls are using tanning beds to have “tan” skin because that is how society portrays we look like. With the numbers of skin cancers arising many products are now making lotion to give people that “bronze” that they are looking for.
This helps keep people stay out of tanning beds, and become more alert about how bad tanning beds are for you. Just four visits a year to the tanning bed can increase their risk for melanoma by eleven percent (skincancer. org). It is impossible to avoid contact with the sunlight at all times, however in your best interest you should always have sun screen available, sunglasses, a hat, and a cover up if you are at a beach or pool. It is important to keep a close eye on any skin changes, or new moles that occur on your body.
Everyone should get skin check-ups once a year with their doctor, because skin cancer has little to no symptoms. Cancer is the leading cause of death, but people can take actions to prevent it like eating healthy, stopping smoking, and practicing sun safety. We are living in a society where we are surrounded by so much bad that it is hard to be healthy. However we need to put our health first because we all want to live a long healthy lifestyle. Cancer is something we have all dealt with one way or another, whether it is yourself a family member, a friend or someone that you know.
As for myself I deal with it every day of my life. My father, godson, and best friend are all dealing with the horrible disease of Cancer right now. Before their battles came into our lives, I lost several family members because cancer took their life from them. It is very important to me to take care of my health for the simple fact that I already know that cancer is in my genes. I always make sure that I am staying on a healthy balanced diet, and staying away from all red meat. Red meat is a factor that causes colon cancer, and my father is battling colon cancer.
Smoking is not a bad habit of mine; however I try to stay away from second hand smoke. Sun safety is a something that I need to practice more of. I enjoy spending all of my free time outdoors. I rarely ever use sun screen and my ethnicity is Native American, so I tan very easy. I have had numerous moles removed due to the fact that the Doctor was worried it was skin cancer. With as many scares as I have had I should have learned my lesson by now.
Hopefully I will continue to learn how to practice sun safety. Although we cannot change our cells in our body we can do things to help them stay healthy and prevent damaged ones. Eating healthy, stopping smoking, and practicing sun safety not only helps prevent cancer but also helps our health. It takes time to make changes in your life but the faster you can accomplish these changes the healthier you will feel. Therefore, you are helping your body in all ways possible, or you may say that you are saving your life. Hopefully one day soon there will be a cure to cancer to help save lives and ease our minds, but until then we have to do our best to prevent cancer ourselves.
I hope one day Cancer will just become a past tense disease that is talked about because researchers have beaten this horrible disease that many are losing their lives too. References Cited Cancer. about. com. Cancer Facts. August 3, 2012. Copy Right 2012. Cancer. org. American Cancer Society; Cancer prevention and Detection, Cancer facts and Statistics. Copy Right 2012. Doctoroz. com. Healthy Foods that fight Cancer Cells. August 22, 2012. Copy Right 2012. Mdanderson. org. The University of Texas studies Cancer. August 3, 2012. Copy Right 2012. Skincancer. org. The skin cancer foundation; Facts about tanning. Copy Right 2012.