In the first part of this article, we looked at five tips that may help cut your chances of getting cancer. Here are five more things that may help:
Tip #6—Get your shots. Some kinds of cancer are caused in part by viral infections that may be prevented by getting certain immunizations. For example, Hepatitis B can increase the chance of getting liver cancer. Vaccination against this disease is recommended to everyone, starting as babies. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus that may lead to cervical cancer. A vaccine that can protect against two cancer-causing forms of HPV is suggested by the Centers for Disease Control for females ages 13 to 26 who hadn’t completed the full vaccine series at a younger age. Speak with your doctor to see if you should get one or both of these shots.
Tip #7—Just say no to risky behaviors. Some lifestyle choices have been shown to lead to infections that may be cancer-causing. For example, the more sexual partners you have, the more likely you are to contract HPV, as well as human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Drug users who share needles are also more likely to get HIV. Folks with HIV or AIDS are at increased risk to develop anal cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, lymphoma and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Chronic hepatitis B or C may increase the risk of getting liver cancer and both forms of hepatitis can be contracted by having sex with an infected person or by sharing needles.
Tip #8—Limit alcohol. Studies have shown that men who consume two alcoholic drinks a day and women who have just one a day significantly increase their chances of getting certain kinds of cancer.
Tip #9—Cut back on animal fats. Bacon and cheeseburgers may be scrumptious but ideally, they should be consumed in major moderation. Many studies have found that a diet high in animal fat increases your risk of getting many types of cancer, especially colon cancer. Red meat in particular contains a lot of fat when compared to chicken and fish to cutting back on just red meat alone can go a long way in preventing cancer. As a side note, people who eat a lot of fat also tend to be heavier, and since being at a healthy weight is associated with a reduced risk of cancer, it’s another incentive to deny your Big Mac attacks as much as you can.
Tip #10—Know what you are breathing. Did you know that chemicals in the workplace can increase your chances of getting different kinds of cancer? If you are exposed to things like dust, fumes, or chemicals at work you have a legal right to know what all you are breathing in. Things like diesel exhaust, gasoline, arsenic, vinyl chloride, coal products and more are carcinogenic and are present in some work environments. Ask your boss about limiting how much you and your co-workers have to be around these chemicals.
Cancer is definitely a scary diagnosis to hear, and it goes without saying that it’s something none of us ever want to deal with. We can take control of our health and do many things to reduce our risks of ever getting cancer. By following as many of these tips as we can, our overall health should improve and with it, our chances of getting cancer should decline.
References:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-prevention/CA00024
http://cancer.about.com/od/causes/tp/topreventcancer.htm