It might not seem as much fun, but choosing a healthy lifestyle can help you prevent cancer. Not smoking, being careful in the sun, eating a healthy diet, taking exercise, and making sure that you do things safely can all help prevent you getting some types of cancer.
Smoking If you want to try and stop smoking, there are lots of websites that can give you advice on how to do it. Many suggest cutting down, or trying the nicotine patches to help limit withdrawal symptoms.
Sun If you want to avoid skin cancer, it is best not to sunbathe at all. However, if you do want to sit in the sun, follow the Australian advice on sun safety, known as slip, slap, and slop! Slip on a t-shirt, slap on a hat and slop on the sun lotion. It is always best to put on a high factor sun cream (factor 15 or more), stay out of the sun between 11am - 3pm, and to avoid getting sun burnt. You should also stay away from sun beds as the UV rays increase cancer risk.
Healthy Eating To eat healthily, we should:
Eat more fruit and vegetables (5 portions per day)
Eat more fibre
Eat less fat (such as fried food, crisps, chocolate, cakes and red meat)
Eat less salt (eat less processed food and do not add salt to food)
Eat less sugar (do not add sugar to cereal and hot drinks and eat fewer cakes, chocolate and sweets)
So that our bodies can get all the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy, we need to eat as varied a diet as possible. Try to eat a mix of fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, bread and pasta) and protein (meat, fish and cheese) every day.
Cancer Screening
Cancer screening is when healthy people have tests to make sure that they do not have a type of cancer, or if they do, that it is caught early. On the NHS, women can be screened for cervical and breast cancer. The screening is mainly for adults. Most women begin smear tests (the screening for cervical cancer) after they have started having sexual relations. They then have a test every three years. Breast cancer screening, (Mammograms) are mainly for women who are at or above menopausal age. Men can be screened for prostrate cancer. There is also a mole register, where people with lots of moles can have them checked, to make sure that they have not developed skin cancer.
Checking for Cancer Yourself
As well as making use of the nationally available cancer screening, it is important that people keep an eye on themselves. The European Code against cancer has a checklist for possible signs of cancer.
These are:
A lump anywhere in your body
Changes in a mole on your skin
A cough or hoarseness that will not go away
A change in bowel habits
Any unusual bleeding
Unexplained weight loss
All of the above can be caused by other things, as well as cancer. For example, you could lose weight because you are unhappy and have gone off food for a bit. However, if you notice any of the above, you should go to your GP. It is always better to get yourself checked out. If something else is causing bleeding for example, then that can be looked at by your doctor and you can be given the correct treatment.
