5 Natural Foods That Prevent Cancer

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. According to an estimate, it is believed that one third of deaths across the world are caused by it. There is a general belief that cancer is a hereditary disease. Though external factors such as chemicals, pollution etc are also believed to cause cancer. Our lifestyle and food habits are major contributory factors of cancer.

The national cancer institute as well as world cancer research fund believes in healthy eating to prevent cancer. The five important foods to be incorporated in our daily diet for preventing cancer are as follows:

Vegetables:

Broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, spinach, beans, avocado, lettuce, asparagus are some of the vegetables to be included in our daily meal to protect ourselves from cancer. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale contains antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which help reduce the risk of prostate or any other form of cancer. Beans, spinach, lettuce, avocado contain folate which is a preventive food for pancreatic cancer. Tomatoes and sweet potatoes are rich source of beta carotene, a preventive vitamin. Vegetables should be preferably taken in raw form as they are richer in nutrients.

Fruits:

Another important food group to be included in our day to day life for avoiding cancer. Fresh, organically cultivated fruits eaten in raw form or extracted as juice prove healthy for an individual. Fruits like banana, grapefruit, orange, papaya, red grapes, strawberries, raspberries; blueberries are few important fruits which help reduce cancer. Papaya is believed to prevent the absorption of nitrosamines from processed food and cultivation soil, which are major cause of cancer. While banana is rich in potassium and red grapes are rich in bioflavonoid; the berries too are believed to possess anti cancerous nutrients.

Fish:

This white meat is rich in Omega 3s and essential fatty acids which act as a preventive measure against breast cancer. They are healthy for our heart and brain. The fish oil is believed to protect from prostate and colon cancer.

Liquids:

drinking lots of water, juice, green tea and chai is essential for keeping our body healthy. Drinking 5 liters of water everyday washes down all the toxins from our body. While vegetable and fruit juices provide essential nutrients and vitamins. Green tea is a rich source of antioxidant. It has been proven by the American institute of cancer research that green tea contains phytochemicals which are believed to stop the transformation of normal cells to cancerous cells.

Soy:

it is a rich source of protein. At the same time soy is also believed to be rich is phytochemicals responsible for prevention of breast cancer. Soy can be taken daily as soy milk, tofu, granules, pulse. Any form of soy proves beneficial except the processed form. We should avoid soy chips rich in salt as well as other processed soy snacks. In fact any form of processed food be it salami, chips, sausages or cool drinks is unhealthy and major cause of different kinds of cancer.

By: → James S. Pendergraft

16 Tips For Daily Living With Cancer

All our information comes from the daily practice of cancer patient's they have managed the life crises with the cancer disease and with that, they have become the psychic power for every day! Check it out!

1. Water, water everywhere.

Drink at least eight to ten glasses of water per day. This not only prevents constipation, but helps your kidneys to cope with the medication you may be taking.

2 Short cuts.

If you are going to have cancer chemotherapy, chances are that your hair may fall out. If you cut it short before the time - this way there will be much less hair to lose and the change will not be that remarkable, should your hair fall out.

3. Cut out the coffee.

If you have problems with diarrhoea, caffeine in any form will make this worse. Remember that there are many cola drinks that contain caffeine - look out for these.

4. Watch your temperature.

You are most susceptible to bacterial infections 7-12 days after chemotherapy. Watch out for any signs of an increasing temperature and go and see your doctor. Wash your hands frequently and avoid close contact with anyone who is ill, as you are also very susceptible to viral infections.

5. Three meals a day.

If you are on any type of cancer medication, you should not skip meals. A small meal is better than no meal at all. Nausea is often a problem, especially if you have had cancer chemotherapy. An empty stomach will worsen all symptoms that you do have. Starches such as rice and bread and potatoes are generally well tolerated. Remember fruit and vegetables are good for you too.

6. Bed knobs and broomsticks.

Delegate as much of the heavy housework as you can and let other people help you. The things that you do have to do, should be spread out over the week. Remember that fitting long handles on brooms and dusters can alleviate the bending you have to do normally. Take regular breaks and get a high chair so that you can wash dishes and iron while sitting down.

7. Be freezer wise.

If you are living by yourself, cook more than you need on the days you are feeling better. You will be very grateful on other days if you can just pop something into the microwave.

8. Put your money where your mouth is.

Spend money on decent mouthwash - cancer chemotherapy as well as other cancer treatments can play havoc with the inside of your mouth. The cells inside your mouth are rapidly dividing cells - the ones targeted by chemotherapy. You may develop mouth ulcers. A mouth wash and regular brushing with a soft toothbrush could go a long way towards preventing mouth ulcers.

9. Enjoy yourself.

Just because you have cancer doesn't mean that you have to stop doing all the things you really enjoy, whether it is seeing people, going to the movies, reading, watching sport, cooking, going to the theatre, going to the pub. You might have to make minor adjustments to make things a little easier, but it is important that you should enjoy yourself as well.

10. The magic of sleep.

Sleep gives your body a chance to regenerate and recover. Usually adults need about seven hours. Try and get an extra hour of sleep every day, if possible. The cancer medication you take can put extra stress on the body - try for an afternoon nap as well.

11. Get some fresh air.

Even if you are not well enough to exercise, an hour or two in the sunshine or somewhere outside where it is pretty can do wonders for your sense of wellbeing. If you are well enough to go for a walk, do so - walking is pleasant and very beneficial exercise.

12. Friends indeed.

This is the time when you will find out who your true friends are. When you are having a tough time, or need someone to talk to, or need to go out somewhere nice like the movies, friends are invaluable. Don't be afraid to ask - chances are you would have been there for them had the situation been reversed.

13. No pain, no pain.

With modern medical science being what it is, there is no reason why anyone should endure inordinate pain on an ongoing basis. If your painkillers do not work, or if they have nasty side effects, get something else from your doctor.

14. Bathroom blues.

Move into the bedroom closest to the bathroom, especially if you have difficulty moving. Have a handrail installed if you need it. Remember that showering is always easier than bathing. Put a panic button in the bathroom in case you fall or get stuck or injured.

15. Bring on the entertainment.

Many people who spend long periods of time in bed complain of boredom. There is much that can be done to alleviate this. The radio, magazines and books, cable TV, books on tape and videos are but a few examples of things that can be done to combat boredom. Get a book or magazine holder, so that you don't have to balance the weight of books or magazines while you are reading.

16. Life line.

Get a telephone next to your bed. This is a good idea not only in an emergency, but is also nice for social contact. A cell phone/mobile phone that you can carry around in the house with you is also great Pre-Programmed Emergency numbers.

By: → Fritz Frei

How is Ovarian Cancer Prevention?

How precautionary measure progression of ovarian cancer? Basically there are three methods of prevention of ovarian cancer, is through physical examinations, preventive medicine, and surgical prophylaxis. Let us consider the following explanation.
physical examination

For now and the foreseeable future, prevention is recommended for early detection of ovarian cancer in women who are symptomatic (without symptoms) is a physical examination every year. Overall pelvic examination can sometimes detect ovarian cancer, and is usually in an advanced stage.
Prevention with Drugs

Use of oral contraceptives was associated with a reduced risk of 50% of cases to develop into ovarian cancer. However, this can lead to the risk of developing breast cancer. Therefore, it is necessary that good counseling about the effects and consequences that can have an effect on the patient.
surgical prophylaxis

Another method that can be used in preventing ovarian cancer is with oophorectomy (surgical removal of the ovaries). In some high-risk women, fallopian tubes must also be removed. prophylaxis (prevention and health maintenance) with bilateral salphingooophorectomy (BSO) to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes should be done at the age of nonproductive or after age 35 years.

Prophylaxis with BSO in young women will lead to early menopause and dealing with the effects of vasomotor and urogenital symptoms, decreased libido, and osteoporosis. To reduce the above symptoms, will usually performed Estrogen-replacement therapy.

However, it is often less effective as expected. In the end, hoping to reduce anxiety to cancer, often even compromising the quality of life of patients.
by. deherba

7 Ways To Prevent Yourself From Ovarian Cancer

Approximately 25,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Estimates indicate that 1 in 67 women will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Ovarian cancer accounts for 4.3% of all new cases of cancer. The exact causes of ovarian cancer are not known. However, studies show that the following technique may decrease the chance of developing this cancer.

1. Check yourself carefully when this signs and symptoms that occurs. Most women with ovarian cancer may experience include:

- Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea

- Unexplained changes in bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation

- Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate

- Loss of appetite

- Unexplained weight loss or gain

- Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist Pain -during intercourse (dyspareunia)

- A persistent lack of energy

- Low back pain

2. Reducing the amount of fat in the diet may lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Fruit and vegetable consumption have generally been found in epidemiologic studies to be associated with reduced risk for ovarian cancer.

3. Some studies have shown that taking birth control pills ( oral contraceptives ) with low levels of estrogen and progestin can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Women who had used any oral contraceptive had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who had never taken the Pill.

4. A history of breast cancer increases a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer.

5. Women who have never had children are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who have had children.

6. Always exercise has the potential to reduce a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer.

7. If you have a history of ovarian cancer in your family ( especially your mother or sister ) , strongly consider seeing a doctor trained to care for ovarian cancer patients so that you can talk about screening and treatment options while you are disease-free.

By: → Paul Kanute

Early Detection Of Cervical Cancer Can Save Lives

Cervical cancer is a serious yet highly preventable illness. Having regular Pap tests and pelvic examinations are the first line of defense for the early detection of cervical cancer and prevent it from becoming worse. Pap tests and pelvic exams can also find and treat the changing cells before they turn into cancer.

An online resource defines cervical cancer as “cancer in the cervix, the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows during a woman's pregnancy. The cervix forms a canal that opens into the vagina (birth canal), which leads to the outside of the body.”

But sadly, normal Filipino women either do not have proper access to regular Pap tests or they cannot afford it because of economic constraints. In fact, Filipino women have the highest incidence of cervical cancer in East Asia because of the lack of Pap tests that can indicate cervical cancer in its earliest stage.

“Cervical cancer is among the most preventable cancers and even curable. In our experience, even a simple Pap Smear can be very helpful. If the Pap Smear is abnormal and is investigated with pre-malignant lesions, proper treatment can prevent cervical cancer,” Dr. Rey de los Reyes, associate professor of Far Eastern University’s (FEU) OB-Gyne Department and secretary of POGS, said.

To help Filipino women fight this type of cancer, the Philippine Obstetrical & Gynecological Society (POGS) is conducting lectures and seminars in different areas of the country and provide free Pap Smear.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the main causes of cervical cancer. It can be passed on from person to person via sexual intercourse.

There are several risk factors in developing cervical cancer, Dr. de los Reyes said. Among these are “women who have early sexual intercourse, women who have their first sexual intercourse in their teens (aged 15, 16 or 18), women who have multiple sexual partners, or even those who have one sexual partner but their sexual partners have multiple sexual partners in the past.”

Women who have multiple sexual partners are at risk of developing infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), he added. Women, who are in their mid-30s, late 30s up to their 60s, are also at risk of developing this kind of cancer.

Dr. de los Reyes also mentioned that symptoms of cervical cancer include abnormal discharge, bleeding after sexual contact or vaginal spotting, or actual bleeding. During the advanced stage, the patient will experience severe pain in the abdomen or gastric pains. Treatment range from surgery and radiotherapy for advanced stages; and chemotherapy for early stages.

Again, Dr. de los Reyes cannot over-emphasize it enough: getting regular Pap tests, pelvic examinations and check-ups with their trusted gynecologists can early detect cervical cancer, which eventually can save lives.
by. Mia Cabacungan

Should We Treat Cancer Or Prevent Cancer?

Cancer is one of the biggest killers around the world. In America alone, 25% of all deaths are related to cancer.

Many people think of cancer as a single problem but in fact, it is a number of problems spread throughout the body. Generally speaking, if cancer is caught in the early stages of development, it can be treated and cured.

Although there are several different types of cancer, the most common ones are Lung, Prostate, Breast, Testicular, Skin and Colon cancers.

Genes control the multiplication and growth of cells. If these genes are defective in the first place, then the cells will not be able to grow or divide properly. As a result of this abnormality, cancerous cells are born.

There are a number of factors which cause cancer. Factors which are controllable by humans are smoking, toxic elements and radiation. These can be controlled to some degree and therefore it would be wise to avoid them by changing lifestyle habits. However, there are certain elements which are outside our control.

These include mutation and inherited DNA.

As a result of studies conducted by the American Cancer Society, more than 180,000 people have died as a direct result of smoking. Another 200,000 people have died due to lack of changing lifestyle habits. Obesity, laziness and malnutrition can have an effect on the growth of cancer. Needless to say, cancer has risen by more than 50% since 1995.

Let's take a look at some of these cancer causes in more detail.

Smoking: The most prevalent and easily avoidable type of cancer is the one caused by the use of tobacco. This includes the use of cigarettes, cigars and pipes. Even though smokers are addicted to nicotine, the fact that 200,000 people die every year due to smoking caused cancer should be enough motivation to quit. Some experts say that cessation of smoking can increase lifespan by up to 20 years.

Although nothing has been proven, studies indicate that stress may also be a contributing factor to cancer. Many cancer patients are also employed in stressful jobs. Some theologians believe that stress lowers the bodies immunity to cancer.

Exercise and Healthy Eating: Healthy eating and exercise is universally known to be beneficial in many aspects. But, many people don't know that food full of nutrition can reduce the risk of cancer. Specific foods such as fruit and veg can help prevent cancer whilst fatty foods such as meat can increase the likelihood of cancer.

Skin cancer can easily be avoided by simply listening to good advice. Wear sunglasses, hats, sun cream and other sensible items of clothing to avoid the onset of this type of cancer. Although this may seem like common sense, more than one million people have been diagnosed with skin cancer in a single year.

In summary, some cancers can be avoided. New research and studies are being conducted all the time. So, rather than concentrating on how to treat cancer patients, maybe we should all be looking for more ways to prevent the cancer in the first place.

by. Troy Winters

What is Cervix Cancer and What You Can Do to Prevent It

There are a lot of women who worry about cervix cancer. However, what is cervix cancer? This is a type of cancer that grows from tissue that is in the cervix. Most of the time, it is a slow growing cancer that can have symptoms, but sometimes it does not.

However, it can be found in pap tests that you do. If you have had a pap test, they would tell you if you have cervix cancer. For those of you that do not know, the cervix is the organ that actually connects the uterus and the vagina together. The good news is that most types of cervix cancers can be prevented.

Today we are going to cover a few things that can help you to avoid getting cervix cancer. Some of these ways can be hard to understand how they can help you, but they can. So be sure to follow these guidelines that we are going to talk about.

The first thing that you need to do is to avoid HPV. These are types of sexually transmitted infections. There are a few ways that you can avoid having HPV. That includes not having sex at a very early age. Do not have a lot of sexual partners. Also, you need to make sure that your partner has not had a lot of sexual partners. You need to avoid having sex with men who are not circumcised as well.

When they are not circumcised, their penis can be a breeding ground for a lot of infections that can live in there. When having sex with these kinds of men, you have to be careful because of the way the penis works. It is made to push things out. The vagina is something that is made to take things in, thus, the infection will affect you and not the man.

Whenever you have sex with someone, you need to make sure that you wear condoms. They can protect against HPV. Condoms do not protect against getting HPV all together, but they do help a lot.

Some other things that you need to avoid in order to avoid getting cervix cancer would be smoking. People who do not smoke have a way reduced risk of getting cervix cancer. Not only that, but you will have a lower risk of getting any kind of cancer. The main thing to note here is that you need to avoid anything that can cause cancer.

This could be sun damage and other things like that. Any of these things can put you at risk for getting cervix cancer. For most women, cervix cancer is not something that you want to deal with, thus, avoid it at all costs.

If cervix cancer runs in your family, there may not be much you can do to avoid getting it. You are either going to end up with it, or you will not. If it runs in your family, it is important to get checked and to get checked often. That way if you do end up getting it, you will be able to stop it before it gets out of hand.

Remember, it is pretty slow growing, but you still want to get checked for it as much as you can. The sooner you find it, the sooner you can get rid of it.
by. James S. Pendergraft