Dr. Kaushal Yadav
New Delhi, January 13-Cancer is fast spreading disease in the world. Major lifestyle changes, unhealthy food habits, and use of tobacco products have infiltrated our homes and families resulting in people having cancer.
Through many kinds of researches are conducted by doctors and scientists world over to find a lasting cure of the fatal disease, a breakthrough is yet to be found. Till then, the only way to beat cancer is early detection and timely treatmemt.
However, by making some simple lifestyle changes, Cancer can be kept at bay by all of us.
1. Stay away from tobacco products and alcohol. They are among the biggest reasons why youths are increasingly being diagnosed with cancer. By avoiding tobacco you can save yourself from mouth cancer.
2. Eat healthy by including a balanced diet of fresh fruits and lots of green vegetables. Avoid having foods which could be carcinogenic.
3.Make sure that you indulge in daily physical activities like running, or playing a sports to maintain optimal body weight. It will also guide you maintain your diet and eat healthy.
4. Your skin could be a source of overall but if you take its care for granted, the consequences can be extremely harmful too. Don’t forget to apply sunscreens to protect your skin from the sun and avoid the danger of skin cancer.
5. Beware of early alarming signs of cancer. Symptoms vary widely or they may not occur at all. Some patients have abnormal bumps, unexplained fevers, night sweats or unintentional weight loss.
Other symptoms include change in bowel or bladder habits, a sore that will not heal, unusual discharge or bleeding, thickening or lump in the breast, testicles or elsewhere, indigestion or difficulty swallowing, lbvious change in a wart or mole, nagging cough or hoarseness.
5. If you think you have any of these symptoms, don’t think twice before going for cancer screening.
Screening is test for healthy individuals for early detection of problem. Rather than going for unnecessary blind tests, program for screening should be planned in consultation with your oncologist as requirements are different for different cancers and differs as per age groups and gender.
Also screening is not effective in all cancers. Cancer education and awareness is has due importance. Some cancers in which screening has been shown to be effective includes breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, lung in high risk groups but as mentioned earlier it is planned with participation of both individual and oncologist.
(The writer is senior Oncology Surgeon at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon)
