By Dr. Wafaa Abdel Hady
Cancer is a word no one wants to hear. In fact, it is referred to as the “vicious disease” as it the 2nd cause of death worldwide after heart diseases and also the number one female cancer. Although this might seem like a pessimistic start for an article, I have good news for you. With the rise of breast cancer deaths as well as awareness everywhere in the world, people know that the answer lies in early detection, which offers up to 98% cure rate from the disease.
But what if we can prevent it from ever occurring? Why wait for cancer when we can prevent it! Yes, we can. So let us dive into the risk factors and how to prevent it.
These days, the risk factors for cancer seem endless, so I am going to concentrate here on the most important ones and how to tackle them.
Being a female is the highest risk factor for getting breast cancer because of the changes in hormone levels every month where the uterus, ovaries and breasts prepare for pregnancy, nursing and lactation and if this doesn’t happen, then eventually menstruation starts. So your hormones play a major role in a healthy you and this is where we should start! Men also get breast cancer but at a lower rate because they don’t have high levels of estrogen which account for 65% of breast cancers.
Other risk factors include family history of breast or ovarian cancer; age and exposure to environmental carcinogens. As for the age factor, the older someone gets, the more likely he/she gets sick, because the body is getting older and weaker in the face of disease in general, especially when if nutrition is poor.
Nutrition plays a major role in cancer prevention. The body needs daily vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates to help in the process of wear and tear that happens daily. We are using our body as a vehicle and ironically, we are taking care of our cars better than we do our bodies. If your car is dehydrated, if it breaks, if it doesn’t have fuel, it stops. But when it comes to our bodies, whether we are dehydrated or malnourished, we just keep moving without mercy until a catastrophe like cancer happens!
It is what you fuel your body with daily that impacts your body’s whole performance. Is it fresh, whole, colourful, raw and organic food that fills your body with the nutrients it needs to regenerate and increase your stamina and immune system? Or is it packed, preserved, processed, chemicalized, ready-to-go empty so-called nutrients? The latter will just linger in your body as toxins and the body will produce more fat to protect you from these toxins and hence the epidemic of obesity! And obesity plays a major role in different cancers, the top of which is breast cancer according to the UK Cancer Research center. And what obesity does is it converts fats into more estrogen which leads to further imbalance in your hormones, that could lead to cancer.
Another way that your hormones can become imbalanced is by chemicals that look and act like estrogens. Called Xeno-Estrogens, these are found in plastics; especially when heated; cosmetics with parabens; pesticides; house cleaners and formaldehyde (currently used in keratin preparations for hair straightening in salons)!
So what can we do to prevent cancer? Here are the most important tips:
- Think twice about what you eat and drink. Choose fresh, non-packed, non-preserved and preferably organic when you can.
- Grow your own greens in your balcony. And fill your home with fresh greens and plants that provide oxygen and anti-oxidants right inside your home!
- Avoid taking extra hormones; for contraception use the IUD, safe periods or condoms.
- Avoid using plastic containers and bottled water when possible.
- Get to a healthy weight and stick to it. By simply eating clean foods and getting proper hydration, your body will eliminate the toxins and melt the bad fats.
- Get regular exercise. A minimum of 3-4 hours/week, the more the better. This could be as simple as taking regular 30 minute brisk walks.
- Get enough vitamin D3 through food, supplementation and healthy sun time.
- Stop smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoking!
These are just a few of many tips. Be one step ahead of cancer, Be proactive about your health and wellbeing. Implement these healthy tips for yourself and for your children and watch the word cancer being erased from our lives.
Dr. Wafaa Abdel-Hadi, MD
Clinical Oncology Specialist, Cairo University
Founder & CEO of Aware clinic
Cancer Prevention, Awareness & Genetic Counselling
Certified Health Coach, Institute of Integrative Nutrition, USA
Breast Cancer Educator & Supporter, Texas, USA
Oncologic Nutritional Support, Arizona, USA
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