To prevent cancer later there are many easy steps you can take today that will have significant and positive lasting effects on your health for years to come.
Cancer occurs because our cells have gone under millions of mutations within our lifetime. Often mutations occur and our body is able to detect the dysfunction before the cell is able to replicate with an error again; or the cell spontaneously dies. If our body is under too much oxidative stress and doesn’t catch the error in replication this is what eventually can cause tumor growth. Good news! There are many ways during daily life to reduce the amount of oxidative stress on our bodies. Much of this has to do with decreasing inflammation. Genetics obviously play some role in whether or not we are more at risk for cancer. However, even when at increased risk we can do our best to decrease risk in other areas of our health to give our bodies the best shot against not only cancer but also all chronic disease. There are genetic tests that can be run to find out whether you’re at increased risk. Below are just a few steps you can take now to prevent cancer naturally.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 30% of cancer mortality is due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks, which are high body mass index (a.k.a obesity), low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use.
Seven natural steps to take now to help prevent cancer later:
1. Improve Sleep: Our bodies do a lot of their repairing during the night while we are sleeping. If you are not getting enough sleep or the quality of sleep you get is poor you jeopardize your body’s ability to repair anything that may have gone wrong during the day. Also, not getting enough sleep is linked to obesity, which is a risk factor for cancer.
2. Reduce Sugar: Sugar leads to inflammation by spiking your blood glucose. People with diabetes are at significantly higher risk for cancer development. Having unstable blood sugar creates oxidative stress in the body, which is toxic for cells making harmful cellular mutations more likely. In order to help prevent cancer keeping your blood sugar stable is very important. You can do this by reducing sugar, and simple carbohydrates as much as possible. With that said do not replace real sugar with artificial sweenters such as splenda, nutra-sweet, etc. Sugar substitutes like stevia and xylitol are okay.
3. Get the ‘Right’ Fats: Get the right fats in your diet such as omega-3’s and omega-9’s. Eat wild sustainably sourced fish at least 3x a week, and supplement with a good quality fish oil. Use olive oil or coconut oil for cooking instead of vegetable and canola oil. Use butter substitutes such as Earth Balance, and Benecol. Avoid saturated fats, and trans fats in often in processed food products and red meat.
4. Increase Antioxidant Intake: we don’t have complete control over all the toxic substances we are introduced to on a daily basis that cause oxidative damage to cells. We can mitigate this damage by getting enough antioxidants. The best way to do this is to eat a variety of colors and make sure we are getting enough fruits veggies! One of my favorite rules of thumb is to ‘Eat The Rainbow’, meaning eat 7 colors a day using a ‘whole foods diet’ meaning minimal to no processed foods. Increase your Green tea intake. Green tea is a powerful anti-oxidant and has anti-cancer effects. Drinking a couple of cups of green tea a day is a wonderful and easy way to help prevent cancer.
5. Exercise Regularly: Reducing obesity or excess body weight is one of the best ways to prevent cancer. Since we know people who are over weight or obese have significantly higher risk of getting cancer. Get out and move your body. Even walking 30 min a day will help reduce inflammation and weight. Added benefits are improved cardiovascular health, decreased fatigue, and increased mood! Exercise releases neurotransmitters called endorphins. These neurotransmitters are the ‘happy’ chemicals our body makes naturally. Bonus!
6. Have Fun: Laughter really is the best medicine. We know now that there is a link between psychological disorders and cancer development. Happy people get sick less. They have healthier immune systems. Having a high functioning immune system is an extremely important tool in cancer prevention. Since cells in our immune system are the first line defenders against mutated cells. Do you have fun regularly? If not brainstorm some things you know will get you laughing daily and activities you really enjoy.
7. I think this one goes without saying but still extremely important! Moderate alcohol intake and don’t smoke! It’s that simple. We are effected by toxins daily that we are often completely unaware of. Intentionally adding to your bodies toxic load is never a good idea.
If you’d like more information about how to prevent cancer naturally, are curious if you’re at increased risk for cancer or are ready to start changing your lifestyle but aren’t sure where to start. Your first step is to ‘Like Us on Facebook’ so you can receive the latest natural health news and valuable natural health information that will help guide you to a happier healthier you; your second step is to visit our website at Healing Peak Natural Medicine and subscribe to the clinic for our monthly newsletter; and your third step is to give Healing Peak Natural Medicine a call at (206) 241-2225 we’re never too busy to answer your questions.
