Knowing the following main causes for skin cancer will help to prevent and fight against the disease.  They are:

1. Ultraviolet rays of the sun – The ultraviolet and ultraviolet B from the sun rays are the first major cause to skin cancer. UVB are the cause for sunburn and skin reddening. UVA rays are causing more damage to skin which are permanent in nature.

2. Family History – It is found that the risk of skin cancer is additional to people with history of skin cancer to their family members especially to their parents. Is someone in the maternal or fraternal family history is affected it is suggested to be extra cautious on skin cancer.

3. Chemical Exposure – There are chemicals which harm our skin.  The best example for harmful chemical is Insecticides.  Insecticides contain arsenic and it is dangerous to skin. Pesticides could increase the chances of skin cancer. Apart from pesticide people working in petroleum derivatives and coal tar are prone to develop skin cancer.

4. Smoking — Mouth and Lung cancers are caused due to smoking. Further it is recently studied that smoking could cause skin cancer also.

5. Radiation Exposure – It is found that the paramedical people who work among X-Rays are subjected to skin cancer widely. Sometimes the patients who take frequent x-rays are also prone to skin cancer.  While taking radioactive treatment for cancer found in another part of the body, it will affect the skin and become the cause for skin cancer.

6. Geography and Skin Type -In tropical and subtropical regions people having fair skin have very high chances for skin cancer. Serious injuries not healed immediately would lift up the possibility for skin cancer.

7. Poor Immune System – A good immune system guard against all bacteria. It fights against the cancerous cells too. If the immune system is powerful, the antibodies will eliminate the unwanted cells and bacterial form the body. Poor immune system fails to do the above.

Veganism is a way of life following a lifestyle of avoiding animals for all purpose.  Vegans, the followers of veganism will not consume any kind of animal products.  Vegans made an ethical commitment to prevent animal killing for food, cloth and for all purpose of human living.  It is a culture of living with nature and eating purely vegetarian foods.  They love all living creatures and they are against killing of animals for food and for medical research.

The good things to learn from vegans are the vegetarian food they eat, the cotton cloth they wore and the clean and natural atmosphere they live.  An intensive study was conducted by the scientist on various groups and societies of different food culture.  The study has revealed that among the society of vegetarian food eaters the cancer cases are very low.

When compared with vegetarian food lovers the meat eaters suffer in larger numbers by cancer.  It is further studied that the coloring agents used while cooking the meat and animal flesh are risky which work as agents for cancer.  Meat eaters suffer from obesity. The extra fat and protein content of the meat is the cause for unwanted glands and tumors, which later develops cancer cells.

All cancer institutes, worldwide, are reporting an enormous number of people suffering from stomach cancer.  The stomach cancers are caused mainly due to the unhealthy food habits and foods.  It is found that avoiding meat will lower the stomach cancer ratio.  The required proteins are available in good amount in vegetarian foods; so, avoiding the meat will reduce the chance of cancer.

When we control the foods on our dining plate definitely it will control the chances of cancer. It is hard to follow all the principles of veganism since they are against the use of shoes made up of animal skin, the belt from animal skin and any bag or ornamentals with the help of animal skin. It is very easy to follow the principle of eating vegetarian food alone from veganism. Let us follow at least the one principle of veganism of eating vegetarian foods and prevent cancer lifelong.

Prevention of cancer is a step toward curbing cancer and the many deaths caused by it. In cases like genetic pass down, there is little one can do, but for most people, altering their lifestyle and saving the environment around us is a means to prevent cancer from spreading.

The World Health Organization has declared that “At least one third of all cancer cases are preventable.” It goes ahead to state that tobacco is the single most preventable cause of cancer everywhere in the world. Numerous studies have proven time and again that smoking and consumption of tobacco is the invitation card for cancer, but it has fallen on deaf ears, especially in developing countries. A ban on production and consumption of tobacco-based products will drastically bring down the rate at which cancer is affecting humans.

A healthy, active lifestyle and a balanced diet too will ensure that number of cancer cases drop down substantially. Inclusion of all the necessary vitamins and other nutrients in one’s daily diet increases the body’s immunization capacity manifold.

Shielding oneself from the sun’s harmful ultra violet rays with a sun block also is a big step toward keeping cancer at bay. Prevention of exposure to asbestos, chemical dyes and ionizing radiations helps prevent cancer. Investment in herbal or organic alternatives to dyes, and other products that contain a high level of chemicals and artificial stimulants is a good idea too.

Getting regular check-ups by doctors to detect any symptoms in their nascent stage gives a huge head-start to prevent the actual disease. Education of self-examination methods, like breast examination for women, helps in quick identification of cancer, and thereby a possibility of treatment. Giving a basic understanding of cancer and allied topics to children is a good way to encourage healthy living too.

Scientists are doing whatever they can. And meanwhile, the rest are expected to do their best to prevent cancer and bring it under some sort of control.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease that is characterized by uninhibited cell growth. There are several kinds of cancer, and each one of them is classified by the type of cell that infected them. Cancer damages the body by dividing the out-of-control cells that form lumps or masses of tissues called tumors. Tumors can grow and hinder the normal function of the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems. Tumors can stay where the cancer cells originate and demonstrate limited growth, known as benign tumor. Malignant tumors are tumors that are aggressive and have the ability to travel throughout your body. When a tumor has successfully spread and grows to other parts of the body, this process is called metastasis.

What are the different types of cancer?

These are some of the most common cancer types in the United States.

The most common type of cancer is the skin cancer or also known as nonmelanoma skin cancer. Over 1,000,000 men and women are diagnosed with this kind of cancer.  Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis. Most skin cancer is detectable in an early stage and can be easily treated.

Colon and rectal cancer are often referred as colorectal cancer. For 2009, the estimated new cases of colorectal are 146,970. This type of cancer starts at the colon.

Kidney cancer includes renal, transitional cell carcinoma, and Wilms tumor. Some symptoms are blood in the urine, abdominal lump, pain and tiredness. These can be treated by chemotherapy, radiology, biological therapy or surgery, it depends o what stage the cancer is.

Prostate cancer is a cancer that develops in the reproductive system of men.  This cancer tends to develop at the age of 50. Prostate cancer may cause pain while urinating, problems with sexual intercourse and erectile dysfunction.

Thyroid cancer has the lowest number of incidence. The estimated number of new cases for 2009 is 37,200.

Most cancers are preventable in early stages. All we need to do is to know the cause and the risk factors to avoid it. It is the first step in cancer prevention.

What is liver cancer? Liver cancer is a cancer that starts in the liver. Our liver has the same size of a football and is located at the upper part of the abdomen and serves several purposes.  It digests fats and proteins and takes away the toxins in our body.  It also produces chemical that stops blood clotting and aids the releasing of bile for digestion.  Liver cancer is a very serious situation. If the liver stops functioning or disrupts its normal function this could be fatal – a life threatening condition.  Liver cancer is the eight deadliest diseases in the world.

There are two types of liver cancer, the primary and secondary liver cancer. When you say primary liver cancer it means that the cancer starts in the liver. It is more common to men whose age is more than 60. The cause of this cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC. There is also another type of primary liver cancer this is called cholangiocarcinoma, also known as cancer of the bile duct. Secondary liver cancers are the most cases of liver cancer. It means that the cancer started somewhere in the body before reaching the liver (metastasizing).

There are ways to prevent liver cancer. The best way is to drink alcohol moderately or avoid drinking alcohol as much as possible. Furthermore, avoid injecting or using illegal drugs, and make sure if you are having sex that you are protected, as this can cause hepatitis C, which can increase the risk of liver cancer.  These are the common signs of liver cancer:

-          Tiredness

-          Nausea and vomiting

-          Instant loss of weight

-          Abdominal pain (upper)

-          Loss of appetite

-          Abdominal swelling

-          Enlarged liver

-          Discoloration of the skin (became yellowish)

Risk in developing a liver cancer depends on some factors:

-          Age- more men are prone to liver cancer, especially when they cross the age of 40.

-          Sex- men are more likely to develop this type of cancer than women.

-          Diabetes- people that have blood sugar problems are more prone to liver cancer.

-          Obesity- having an unhealthy body may increase the risk of having a liver cancer.

-          Inherited liver problem- pre existing liver disease may also increase the rate of having liver cancer.

Clean lifestyle and a healthy diet is one way to prevent liver cancer. Also, perform regular liver cleansing.

Bronchogenic Carcinoma also commonly known as Lung Cancer is said to be the most common cancer over the globe. One of the major causes is rigid smoking. The more and the earlier you smoke, the greater the risk of having such an ailment. Too much radiation and pollution may also contribute to lung cancer. There are some cases, which are acquired genetically, some through secondhand smoke, exposure to radon gas and asbestos.

Usually, a lung cancer patient may experience symptoms such as frequent cough that gets worse over time, continuous chest or abdominal pain, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness, persistent problems with pneumonia or bronchitis, swelling of the neck and face, loss of appetite that leads to weight loss, and fatigue.

We always say that prevention is better than cure. Most of us are taking into account the use of supplemental vitamins (Multivitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Foliate) to protect us from illness and raise our immune system. But this does not apply all the time. We always think that Vitamin E supplementation can reduce the risk of cancer, but it’s not. Instead, it’s the other way around. This only means that the regular intake of these supplements increases the risk of lung cancer, especially to smokers. Dr Christopher Slatore and his colleagues state that such intake increased the risk at about 28% for lung cancer at a dose of 400mg/day for 10 years. They have found no protective effect of any type of vitamin for lung cancer.

In contrast, some surveys and studies which related vitamin E with the risk of cancer were all inconclusive. According to the scientific studies of Weitberg and Corvese, vitamin E may also protect against the development of cancers by enhancing immune function.

As an overview, the association of vitamin E to the risk lung cancer is not a clear cut. Studies are still in progress up until now.

It is very easy to prevent cancer. Although, there would be some changes in your lifestyle that you have to do to eventually lessen the risk of getting it.

Here below are some of the things you need to change or do to prevent having some of the types of cancer.

1. Smoking and Smoke Inhalation

Smoking is always considered as bad for one’s health. It is the cause for many kinds of cancer, especially lung cancer. Quitting smoking or not even starting with it will be the best way to avoid getting cancer. Your body will obtain the advantage of having a tobacco-free life once you stop smoking. It is never too late to quit when you are at it.

Secondhand smoke is what you inhale from cigarettes, tobaccos, cigars or pipes. The smoke coming out of second hand smoke is known to have more than 60 types of carcinogens. This carcinogen is responsible in the interruption of the normal development of one’s cell. This interruption then is what causes the development of cancer.

2. Over Exposure to Sunlight

Millions of Americans each year are diagnosed to have skin cancer. This accounts for half of cancer diagnoses. This is also the most avoidable type of cancer amongst the other types.

To avoid skin cancer you should avoid ultra-violet ray exposure. Avoiding this is easy by avoiding the afternoon sunlight, having protective clothes on when outdoors and wearing sunscreen and also by avoiding using tanning beds.

3. Eat Nutritiously

Eat a balanced diet. Diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits greatly lessens your risk of getting cancer and many of the other symptoms.

Vegetables and fruits have antioxidants that aid in repairing damaged cells in our body. Orange, yellow and green vegetables and fruits are the best bet to aid in the prevention of cancer. Studies show that dark colored fruits such as grapes and blueberry may also have cancer prevention properties.

Cauliflower and broccoli, which are cruciferous vegetables, also have some nutrients that can prevent cancer. Brussels, sprouts, cabbage and bok choy are also cruciferous vegetables.