If you’re a hearty Canuck currently living in Canada, did you know that your chance of being diagnosed with cancer at some point in your lifetime is 1 in 2? Scary thought, yes, but there’s more. Of the 50% percent of Canadian’s who will be diagnosed with cancer, 1 in 4 will eventually die from it. In light of these unfortunate statistics however, there are effective ways to reduce your risk. Thus, let’s turn to the top 8 ways to reduce your risk of cancer.
As of 2017, 565 Canadian’s are diagnosed with cancer every day, and 221 daily die from it. To me, that’s all too real, and a fact I’d much rather not accept. So what’s the purpose in highlighting these gloomy statistics? The intent is not to scare you or bring helplessness to the fact that most of us are destined to succumb to being diagnosed with cancer. But rather, the purpose is to acknowledge that although cancer odds are not great, there are realistic and effective ways to reduce your risk. The even better news is that cancer can be avoided. It’s well established that cancer is largely a disease of lifestyle, so let’s review and pinpoint the Top 8 Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Cancer.
Firstly, it’s quite obvious that smoking causes cancer. The simple solution; stop smoking. Even smokeless tobacco and non tobacco products cause cancer, so avoid these too. Secondly, maintain a healthy body weight. Convincing evidence shows that your risk of being overweight can substantially increase your risk of cancer. And of course, in conjunction with maintaining a healthy weight, ensure you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet; either 20 minutes of vigorous activity 3 or more times per week, or at least 5 minutes of intermittent activity within every 90 minutes of inactivity. Dietarily, the healthier you eat, the lower your risk of cancer. So eat a variety of healthy foods, but largely plant based. In addition, drink alcohol in moderation (if at all), protect yourself from sunburns, take measures to protect yourself from infections (many play an important role in the development of cancer), and get health screening tests done regularly. The question still remains however, what are the best ways to integrate these factors into your daily life? Naturopathic medicine and integrative cancer care certainly have these answers.