4 ways to cut cancer risk

Cancer affects lives in every corner of the globe and is the leading cause of death worldwide. While anyone can get cancer, 88 percent of Americans diagnosed with cancer are age 50 or older. Whether it’s encountered as a patient, caregiver or supporter, cancer will affect the vast majority of individuals at some point in their lives. That prevalence underscores the significance of learning about the disease, including ways to reduce the risk of being diagnosed.

WHAT IS CANCER?

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can start just about anywhere, as humans are made up of trillions of cells. When a person has cancer, abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they normally should die and have new, healthy cells take their place.

Cancer cells differ from normal cells in that they don’t need signalling to grow, nor do they stop multiplying. They also do not stop growing when encountering other cells and can hide from the immune system. All of these conditions and others combine to make cancer a very serious condition. That means it could be of the utmost important to do everything possible to reduce your risk of acquiring the disease.

Though there’s no guaranteed way to avoid cancer, these four strategies are highly effective at reducing risk for the disease.

Signs and symptoms of cancer will vary depending on which part of the body is affected. However, lumps (tumors), fatigue, weight changes, skin changes, and changes to bowel or bladder habits are symptoms often associated with cancer.

Healthy Eating

Consuming a healthy diet can go a long way toward reducing cancer risk. The Mayo Clinic says people should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and even choose foods from plant sources as the foundation of their diets. Limiting refined sugars and fats from animal sources also is effective.

Eating processed meat also has been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, according to the World Health Organization. Consumption of alcohol also increases cancer risk.

Quit Tobacco

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking cigarettes is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, with about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths attributed to cigarettes in the United States. Tobacco also causes cancer elsewhere in the body. The single best way to reduce cancer risk is to avoid tobacco to begin with or, for current smokers, to quit smoking immediately.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

The CDC says being overweight or obese has been linked to a higher risk of 13 different types of cancer. Diet is important in maintaining a healthy weight, but so is regular physical exercise. People should strive for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or a minimum of 75 minutes a week of intense aerobic activity.

Protect Skin From The Sun

Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease. Covering the skin, avoiding midday sun, using a broadspectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every day, and avoiding sunlamps and tanning beds is essential.✴

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Bite back against lyme disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness often spread through the bite of the blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick. A bacterium known as borrelia burgdorferi is carried inside a tick and can be transmitted from the tick’s saliva into the bloodstream of an animal host, whether that host be a person, pet or wild animal. Once in the bloodstream, the Lyme disease organism is carried to many parts of the body and is likely to localize in joints or kidneys.

Many dogs affected with Lyme disease are taken to a veterinarian because they seem to be experiencing generalized pain and have stopped eating. Affected dogs have been described as if they were walking on eggshells. Often, these pets have high fevers. Dogs may also begin limping. This painful lameness often appears suddenly and may shift from one leg to another and if left untreated, may eventually disappear, only to recur weeks or months later.

Non-specific signs which may indicate that Lyme disease is affecting the kidneys include vomiting, lethargy, anorexia (lack of appetite), and weight loss. The kidney form of the disease is less common but often fatal.

Most dogs infected with the Lyme disease organism take two to five months before they show symptoms. By this time, the disease may be widespread throughout the body.

Pet owners can employ various measures to prevent the illness from affecting their companion animals.

• Use a tick preventative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that pet owners should speak with their veterinarians about the best tick prevention products for their dogs. Most are broken down into two classes: topical and oral. Topical tick preventatives are liquids placed on the skin or chemicals embedded in special collars. Oral medications are consumed and absorbed by the pet. There are pros and cons to both types, which warrants an honest discussion with a pet professional.

• Stick to trails. When walking dogs, keep to clearly identified and cleared trails and try to avoid tick-infested spots. Ticks are found in sandy, wooded and grassy areas. They find their way onto animals by detecting approaching motion and then crawling or dropping on to people or animals. Also, keep home yards mowed to cut down on tall grasses where ticks can hide.

• Physically remove ticks. Inspect dogs when they come inside from the yard or after walks in parks and elsewhere. Remove any ticks that you can find. Some may be quite small and hard to detect. Carefully remove embedded ticks to keep the tick’s mouth parts intact. Rule of thumb is "freeze it, don't squeeze it!"

• Vaccinate against Lyme disease. Veterinarians offer Lyme disease vaccinations for dogs that are administered yearly. Should an infected tick bite the dog, a vaccinated animal will be less likely to contract Lyme disease. VCA Animal Hospitals says vaccination is recommended for pets who live in endemic areas or travel to areas where Lyme disease is prevalent.

• Schedule wellness visits that include Lyme testing. Annual vaccines are necessary to maintain immunity to Lyme disease. Vets often will conduct blood tests to check for the presence of Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses during wellness visits. Should Lyme disease be present, an antibiotic, typically doxycycline, will be prescribed.

Lyme disease affects all types of animals. To keep dogs safe, pet owners can embrace a mix of preventative measures, including physical inspection, lifestyle changes and vaccination.✴