With the odds of cancer higher than ever, it is a concern that is certainly in the back of many people’s minds. It is time that we shifted the conversation around cancer and discussed how it is likely to affect us more openly. Do you know what your chances of getting cancer might be? Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know now.
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Know More About Your Risks
Our health should always be one of our highest priorities. No matter what type of lifestyle we might lead, we need to make sure that we are always making smart choices that will help us live as healthy a life as possible. Nowadays, there are plenty of things that you can do to change your lifestyle if you need to, but you should always have a clear idea of where you are starting from.
Ezra’s cancer risk calculator can give you a clearer idea about what to expect from the future. Just as you might be likely to develop another condition later in life, you should have an idea of what you can expect in terms of developing cancer.
A cancer risk calculator is one of the tools that can give you a clearer idea of your risks, and therefore can give you a little peace of mind for the future. A little education and knowledge never hurt anyone.
Family History
If you want to know more about your risks of getting cancer, one of the first places that you should look should be your own family history. There are many types of cancer that can be hereditary, and you should therefore know if there are any within your family line.
Have you had any relatives that have dealt with cancer? Looking into the types of cancer that they had could give you more of an idea about what you could face if you have a high risk of developing cancer. This could then give you a clear picture of the road that you need to lessen the risk of your own cancer.
If you aren’t sure as to whether you have had cancer in your family, you should see if there are tests that you could take to find out your chances of developing these issues. This could tell you a lot about how your body is made up, and it could help you make some changes towards a healthier life. Always make sure you check out what has happened in your family line if you want to know more about your own health – you could learn more than you were expecting.
Sun Exposure
While we might think that cancer can be hereditary or could develop at random, there are some activities we do that could increase our risks of certain variations. For example, many people do not consider how much they are being exposed to the sun. Overexposure and improper protection can lead to a high risk of developing skin cancer.
Even if you live in an area with weather that tends to be overcast and grey, you could run the risk of developing skin cancer if you do not protect yourself properly. This is because it is often not the sunshine that is the danger but the UV rays from the Sun. UV rays can penetrate cloud cover, so it is vital that you are adequately covered.
Make sure that you are always wearing sunscreen when you go out and about. No matter how cold it is, or how overcast, you need to make sure that you are protecting yourself adequately. Getting into the habit of applying sunscreen no matter where you go is never a bad thing.
Diet
You need to make sure that you are also paying close attention to your diet. Though we have not established many links between diet and cancer, experts do think that a healthy diet is more conducive for a healthy life. If you have a poor diet, you might want to think about changing some aspects of it.
For example, you might currently have a diet with a lot of processed food and saturated fats. Many agree that these are not the best for your health. Instead, you should be focusing on eating good, clean meals that have a good nutritional value.
There are so many changes that you could make to improve your diet. Learning how to cook and prepare your food is often the best place to start, as it means that you can control precisely what is going into your meals. Take the steps to improve your diet and learn about some of the foods you should avoid if you wish to fight a risk of developing cancer.
Don’t Miss Your Check-Ups
If you want to keep a close eye on your health and your chance of developing cancer overall, you need to make sure that you are aware of when your check-ups are. There are multiple checks that you should attend every few years. Even if you think you are not at risk of developing cancer, these tests and check-ups are important for your overall health.
There are different tests for men and women. Men should make sure that they get prostate exams as often as their doctor recommends. This is a common form of cancer in men, but the check is quick and over in a flash. Women should make sure they attend their pap smear and mammogram appointments.
Checking for cervical and breast cancer is incredibly important, and again the tests are fairly easy to arrange and go through. Don’t take the chance – just make sure you get the checks done so you can get the peace of mind that you need, or an early detection that can give you a better fighting chance of beating cancer.
Stay Positive
It can be difficult to stay positive when considering serious conditions like cancer. However, you need to make sure that you are more focused on other parts of your life. A cancer diagnosis can be devastating, but there is a good chance that you will be able to beat it – especially if it is caught early.
We need to start thinking that cancer is just another condition that needs to be fought and cured. Framing it in this way can be a great move that will stop you from overly concentrating on it and can help you move forward with other parts of your life. You need to make sure that you are concentrating on what makes you happy, and how you can best move forward with your life.
Remember that cancer rates are going up because we are getting better at identifying the disease. Though there are higher risks of developing cancer, there are also better chances of beating it. With research being done all the time into new ways that we can fight and beat cancer, we will hopefully soon see a cure for it too. So long as you are vigilant and heading to your tests and check-ups, you will hopefully catch any developments in their early stages. Look into your risks of developing cancer and make some changes towards a healthier life now.