National Cancer Prevention Month

Every February, individuals are invited to turn their attention to a very important cause: personal health. The second month of the year is National Cancer Prevention Month and activists and healthcare providers all work diligently to spread the word on simple ways that people can lower their risk of a cancer diagnosis.

According to the American Cancer Society there are several ways that people can enhance their personal health and lessen their risk of becoming cancer patients.

1. • Stay Away From Tobacco. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are made from dried tobacco leaves. Other substances are added for flavor and to make smoking more pleasant. Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens). Some of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include:

   • Nicotine (the addictive drug that produces the effect people are looking for and one of the harshest chemicals in tobacco smoke)
   • Cyanide
   • Benzene
   • Formaldehyde
   • Methanol (wood alcohol)
   • Acetylene (the fuel used in welding torches)
   • Ammonia
   • The poison gases carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide
   • Vinyl chloride
   • Ethylene oxide
   • Arsenic
   • Chromium
   • Cadmium
   • Nitrosamines
   • Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
2. Be Safe In The Sun. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. In fact, more skin cancers are diagnosed in the US each year than all other cancers combined. The number of skin cancer cases has been going up over the past few decades.

   The good news is that you can do a lot to protect yourself and your family from skin cancer, or catch it early so that it can be treated effectively. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Most of this exposure comes from the sun, but some may come from man-made sources, such as indoor tanning beds and sun lamps.

   You don’t need any x-rays or blood tests to find skin cancer early – just your eyes and a mirror. If you have skin cancer, finding it early is the best way to make sure it can be treated with success.

3. Eat Healthy & Get Active. For most Americans who do not use tobacco, the most important cancer risk factors that can be changed are body weight, diet, and physical activity. The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the US are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and/or poor nutrition, and thus could also be prevented…

   Although our genes influence our risk of cancer, most of the difference in cancer risk between people is due to factors that are not inherited. Avoiding tobacco products, staying at a healthy weight, staying active throughout life, and eating a healthy diet may greatly reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer. These same behaviors are also linked with a lower risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

   Although these healthy choices can be made by each of us, they may be helped or slowed by the social, physical, economic, and regulatory environment in which we live. Community efforts are needed to create an environment that makes it easier for us to make healthy choices when it comes to diet and physical activity.