Cancer is a fatal malignancy that does not give you another chance at life when it is already at the last stages. In America, cancer stats paint a bleak picture. One in every three people is diagnosed with some malignancy. These numbers for cancer cannot be taken lightly.
Luckily, doctors and medical scientists are engaged in breakthrough research to find better diagnostic techniques and develop more effective medications. But should you wait to get a cancer diagnosis thinking that the researchers are doing their work? Such a thought is most irrational and imprudent. Instead of waiting for the breakthroughs, there is a lot you can do to prevent bad news. Read on to know what you can do to prevent cancer. Before that, let’s have a look at a scenario.
Sometimes you get cancer, not due to an unhealthy diet or biological reasons but because of exposure to fatal substances at the workplace and occupational diseases. Mesothelioma is an example of one such cancer. In most cases, work-related diseases make you eligible for compensation claims. Care to know how you can do that?
How to get compensation after an occupational cancer diagnosis?
Filing a claim for occupational disease require your lawyer to develop a temporal relationship between disease and exposure. In the case of mesothelioma claims, it allows the victim to demand compensation for their employer’s negligence, which caused their exposure to the deadly substance— asbestos.
Many states in the US, such as New York, California, Florida, etc., have dedicated law firms to handle mesothelioma cases that get high compensation. Often the value of these compensations becomes the topic of news as well. For instance, Florida mesothelioma lawyer were able to get $21 Million for one of their clients in 2016. So, if you get occupational cancer, consult a lawyer to know your eligibility for a claim.
There are ways to keep yourself healthy and prevent cancer. Simple steps taken in your daily life can keep you fit and save you from cancer risk. Read on to learn about them.
- Watch out for the symptoms of cancer development
We all hear that avoidance is better than treatment. There is probably no other statement that holds more truth than this one. Watching out for symptoms and contacting a doctor early on can help you with an early diagnosis and further development of cancer.
Let’s look at the preventive measures developed by the American Cancer Society.
- Change in your bowel and bladder regime
- Tan unusual discharge or bleeding that won’t stop
- A sore that does not heal
- A lump or a coagulating in the breast or any other part of the body
- Difficulty in swallowing your food or indigestion
- A wart or mole exhibiting noticeable changes
- A persistent cough or hoarseness
- Avoid tobacco
Using tobacco is linked to putting you at the risk of developing various types of cancers. Evidence corroborates that smoking tobacco causes lung, mouth, cervix, kidney, and larynx cancer. Moreover, there is an additional list of cancers due to tobacco chewing, including oral cavity and pancreas.
Another way to get cancer is by breathing secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke has at least 7000 chemicals, including those 70 with the potential to cause cancer. It can cause lung cancer even in people who never smoked.
Avoiding smoking and tobacco chewing can prevent cancer formation. Furthermore, avoiding smoking also means preventing your kids and loved ones from the menace of cancer through indirect exposure. If you have developed the bad habit of smoking, ask your doctor to recommend ways to beat the cravings.
- Don’t eat unhealthy food
Consumption of junk food, fast food, sugary snacks, and canned food is not good for the health and must be reduced if not avoided altogether. They are full of preservatives and flavors, detrimental to health. On the contrary, healthy food means fresh fruits, meat, and veggies.
Also, limit the consumption of high calories food items in your diet, including those with refined sugar or fat from animal sources. Apart from that, add extra virgin oil to your diet. Women who consume a Mediterranean diet with frequent consumption of extra virgin oil may have a lesser chance of developing breast cancer.
- Limit your alcohol consumption
You might be fond of drinking, but you must know that alcohol is a vice with the potential to escalate into a full addiction before you even know it.
You may think that a small number of drinks do not cause many problems. But your body may not perceive it in the same way. For it, a few glasses can be an open invitation for blatant escalation. Therefore, keep checking your alcohol consumption, and limit it to as low as possible. Alcohol can increase the risk of lung, colon, breast, liver, and kidney cancers. Read more about Does your nose grow with age?
- Don’t expose yourself to intense sunlight
Sunlight has harmful rays that can harm your skin, leading to cancer formation. You can avoid skin cancer by avoiding intense sunlight. Some of the precautions you can take include:
- Avoid midday sun— avoid getting contact with sun rays between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. This is the time when the sun shines the brightest.
- Apply sunblock—whenever leaving your home or workplace, apply sunblock to avoid exposing your skin directly to your skin. Use a broad-spectrum sunblock with an SPF of at least 30, though intensity varies. You might need an SPF 50 or even higher in some hot regions.
- Stay under the shade—avoid direct sun as much as possible. If you must walk, look for shade or use an umbrella. Using sunglasses and broad-brimmed can be of help too.
- Expose as less part of your body as possible—When you are out, cover as much of your body as possible. Wear clothes with loose fittings that make you comfortable and give you a breather.
Conclusion
Cancer is a deadly disease. But, there is a lot you can do to prevent cancer formation in your body and stay healthy. Luckily, prevention does not require making drastic changes in your life except being careful about your diet and lifestyle. You must ensure the workplace’s safety for occupational cancer before signing up for it.
