Of all the diseases in the world, cancer must surely be one of the worst, affecting countless millions globally each year. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2020 alone, some 10 million people around the world died from cancer, which is equivalent to one-sixth of all deaths.
While cancer treatments and knowledge of the disease are improving day by day, most health experts agree that prevention is always the best cure and taking some sensible steps and making small changes could go a long way to saving you from getting the disease.
If you’re worried your lifestyle is perhaps putting you at greater risk, below are some tips you should follow.
Quit Smoking
The link between cancer and smoking has been well-known for years. However, the addictive qualities of nicotine are unbearably hard to break for many. Nonetheless, if you smoke, you are putting yourself at considerably higher risk, plus possibly endangering those around you too.
Smoking has been attributed to causing many different forms of cancer, including in the lungs, pancreas, throat, mouth, cervix, bladder, kidney, and cervix. While it might be a difficult habit to break, quitting now will dramatically decrease the danger.
Eat Healthily
A healthy diet has often been linked with a reduced risk of getting cancer. As a rule, you should go for a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables and avoid high-calorie or fatty foods. The Mediterranean diet is also thought to be good at helping prevent the disease.
Get Regular Check-Ups with Your Doctor
While it’s true some signs of cancer can be noticeable or detectable just by you, there’s no substitute for visiting your doctor regularly to check for any problems. A doctor has skills and knowledge you simply don’t possess, plus access to cutting-edge machines and tools (like those available at medical-supermarket.com), which can help detect problems in their early stages.
Again, this is very much a case of prevention being the best cure, and the earlier any problematic signs of cancer are detected, the easier the disease is to treat.
Keep an Eye on Your Weight and Get Plenty of Exercise
Exercising regularly doesn’t just improve your physical and mental state, it can also help prevent you from developing cancer. Exercise will help regulate your weight and stop obesity, both of which have been linked to prostate, lung, colon, kidney, and breast cancer.
Remember the Danger of the Sun
While you might think a suntan makes you look healthy, the dangers of overdoing it and lying in the sun are well-documented. Skin cancer is now one of the most common forms of the disease but is also one of the most preventable. Just sensible things, like avoiding the midday sun (well, between about 10 am and 4 pm is best), staying in the shade more, making sure you cover your skin, and always remembering to wear sunscreen can significantly help to reduce the chances of developing problems. You should also avoid using sunbeds or other similar tanning devices.