Cancer is a word that most people dread hearing all their lives. Many don’t even get regular check-ups for fear of this word. But by taking advantage of the latest cancer screening tests, such as mammography and colonoscopy, you will give yourself the best odds of never having to hear the dreaded “C” word!
Battling cancer can be the biggest fight of your life. You need to be informed and in control of all the options you have. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your doctors, nurses and other medical caregivers. Research your type of cancer and empower yourself with knowledge. Arming yourself for battle can help you win the war!
Open up to others with cancer. You may feel that your friends and family, who have never had cancer, may not understand what you are going through. There are many support groups for those who have cancer or have survived cancer. There are also online message boards and forums where people speak candidly.
You need to follow a workout regimen if you have been diagnosed with cancer. It is important to keep your body as strong as possible, so that it can hold up against the treatments that it is going to have to go through. Simply walking around your block a few times, can be a great start to living a healthier lifestyle.
In order to beat cancer it is important for you to stay strong and to never give up on yourself. You have to be willing to put up a fight against the cancer and not just let it win. Fighting to beat cancer means that you are emotionally strong and believe you will beat it.
There is always a chance that a mammogram won’t be able to spot any tumor, so a manual breast inspection is in order if you want thorough results. A skilled mammogram technician should also be skilled at giving a manual exam and also skilled in showing you how to give yourself a breast exam.
There are many stigmas with cancer that still exist today. People will often wonder if cancer is contagious, if those with cancer can perform as well as someone without cancer, of if cancer patients will be offended at the very mention of the disease. Try to eliminate these stigmas among your friends and family if they arise.
How you eat can help you fight against cancer, and a food like cabbage is incredibly healthy for you and very important if you’re trying to prevent getting sick. Cabbage is full of indole-3-carbinols and sulforphane (that stinky stuff), and this can help you to fight against certain types of cancer.
There are many different ways that people cope with cancer. Some of them good and some of them bad. Find a good way to cope with cancer. Some good coping methods include relaxation techniques, such as meditation, doing leisure activities or writing your feelings down in a journal.
Do not isolate yourself from friends and family if you are diagnosed with cancer. Sometimes, people will become depressed and close up if they find out they have cancer. The emotional support from others will give you strength and a renewed energy to fight. You may be able to get useful advice from others who have experienced cancer as well.
The odds are great that your hair is going to fall out when you undergo chemotherapy, so you can initiate this process instead of being a victim to it. Shave your head in advance and you will reclaim the power here. You can make the choice instead of allowing chemo to make it for you.
The sun can be a major cancer causing factor for many people. The sun releases ultraviolet rays that enter the earth’s atmosphere. When we step outside, our skin is exposed to these rays, and too much exposure can cause skin damage that can lead to skin cancer. Be sure to protect yourself with sun screen to prevent this.
There is no conceivable reason that you have to live with unbearable pain as a cancer sufferer, so make sure that you are getting the right pain medication. There are dozens of pain meds out there, and if the one you’re taking isn’t working well, make sure you tell your doctor that you need something different.
Here is a preventative cancer tip that many people may not like: You should try to limit the amount of fatty meat and high fat dairy products you consume daily. These products can contain carcinogens that often accumulate in the food chain through animal fat, such as PCB and dioxins.
Open up to others with cancer. You may feel that your friends and family, who have never had cancer, may not understand what you are going through. There are many support groups for those who have cancer or have survived cancer. There are also online message boards and forums where people speak candidly.
Prior to starting treatment, be sure to ask all questions that you have so you understand what kinds of changes your body will undergo. You will make the changes easier if you are prepared. If hair loss is a side effect of your treatment, ask other patients what they recommend when it comes to wigs or makeup. That way, you will be ready before you shed any hair.
Always work hard to gather information if someone you love has cancer. They might not be in the right frame of mind to soak up the information about what they can do to handle the disease. But you should be at full attention in order to take in and retain this information. It’s important that you gather as much as possible.
It is important that you do not keep your cancer diagnosis from your boss. Especially if you are going to be receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Your boss is going to start to wonder why you are missing so much and telling him the truth will probably make him more understanding.
The Greeks have known about it for years and now the rest of the world is starting to pick up on it eating yogurt can actually help you to prevent getting cancer. Scientists have pinpointed a culture in yogurt, Lactobacillus, which helps strengthen the body’s immune system and aids greatly in cancer prevention.
Certain types of fungus you eat can actually help you to prevent cancer, like the Maitake mushroom. According to research conducted by Dr. Well, a famous cancer physician and researcher, extract of the Maitake mushroom completely eliminated tumors in over 40% of all animals tested and shrunk tumor size in the other 60%.
Create a bucket list. For both cancer patients and non-cancer patients alike, it is helpful to have a list of the things you’d like to experience in your life. Start with small, easily doable things, and then add more involved or difficult items. Make concrete plans to achieve these things. Having this list will remind you of what is important in your life and give you things to look forward to each day.
Make sure you seal any play sets or decks purchased before 2005. A lot of these items that are built from wood have arsenic pesticide in them. When you seal these up you can minimize exposure to potential cancer-causing agents.
When it comes to preventing skin cancer, don’t forget your lips. Wear a lip balm with UVA and UVB protection daily. Reapply it often as well. The skin on your lips is especially thin and delicate. Forgetting to protect it can lead to dangerous burns that just might lead to cancer.
In an effort to prevent cancer – stay away from tobacco products! This includes smoking and chewing tobacco. These items have been shown to increase the likelihood that you will develop lung, bladder, cervical, oral, and pancreatic as well as kidney cancer. Avoiding them will not only help reduce your risk of cancer, it will help you lead a healthier lifestyle overall.
If you are given a diagnosis of cancer, you want to work with your doctor immediately to begin discussing treatment and therapy options that will work best to treat your specific cancer. Feeling despair and giving up will only defeat you and possibly cause worse implications or the need for further treatment. Working with your doctor could reduce the effects and even catch the disease before it spreads further.
If you are going through chemotherapy, you should talk to your doctor about any alcohol consumption. Your liver is already working overtime during chemo to help metabolize the toxins, so any alcohol will be an extra burden. There are also other concerns with consuming alcohol so it may be best to eliminate it.
Remain active, independent and positive during cancer treatments. Being active will help you to maintain your overall health. Remaining independent will prevent you from losing yourself to the disease. Staying positive can ensure that you have the best results in your treatment. Many have found recovery possible by following these steps.
Share information about your cancer diagnosis and feelings with your family and friends. It is important not to isolate yourself from your support network in an effort to appear strong and to avoid feeling like a burden. Likewise, your family and friends shouldn’t try to protect you from bad news or treat you like you are fragile.
As you use the tips you’ve just read here and begin to educate yourself, you will find that having the right amount of information about the topic will prepare you to deal with the situation should it ever arise. In short, you should be a student of cancer, whether you’re trying to prevent or trying to get rid of it.
