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Writer's pictureProf. Dr. Hakan Şat Bozcuk

CANCER PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS ENTERING 2022


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A HEALTHY LIVING WITH SCIENCE GUIDANCE

Before each new year and as the new year approaches, we make some decisions about ourselves and our environment. Since even the Ottoman sultan said "To be a state is like a breath of health in the world" centuries ago, one of the most valuable gifts we can have today is to be healthy and stay healthy. Then we can also make some resolutions to be and stay healthier before the new year. We talked about so many things in the last years. We said let's not eat sugar, we said we should consume this food product more and this food less, we always questioned the ways of being and staying healthy and we tried to apply it as much as we could. So, what are the facts and suggestions that science points to? The good news is, these suggestions not only help us reduce the risk of cancer, they also have protective effects on our heart and brain. The hard part is not the kind of suggestions we make for a short time and then leave; that is, it is effective when applied continuously. However, no matter how well we implement the suggestion, we also see that it is not possible to prevent one hundred percent disease due to fateful, environmental, or chance-related factors. However, let's define a healthy, cancer-free lifestyle in the light of science. I have 5 recommendations for you:

1. Give importance to your spouse, friend, friend

2. Eat right, eat less

3. Move right

4. Apply for early diagnosis

5. Don't embed, share



1. Give importance to your spouse, friend, friend

Living in a socially poor environment, and being and staying isolated is one of the factors that increase the risk of premature death the most. Let's keep our family, work and friends circle rich, which we find meaningful and enjoyable to be together. The condition of being human is to help, share, tell and listen.

Observational studies clearly show that social poverty, that is, isolation, increases the risk of premature death more than smoking. Even gifting the elderly orphans with a plant for which they will only care and be responsible may have a protective effect from death, in a study conducted in nursing homes. A good friend will be much more important than that, no doubt.



2. Eat right, eat less

Eat moderately rich in vegetables, fruits, seafood, olive oil and unprocessed grain products, and low in white flour and sugar, red meat products, salt content and animal fats. Try to stay at a normal weight.

It is well known that obesity increases the risk of some cancers such as colon, uterine and prostate cancers, and also impairs vascular and organ health.

Suppressing the excessive and chronic inflammatory reaction in the body can also be protective against many devastating diseases; these include some serious brain diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer's. Although a drug to prevent these conditions has not yet been found, I think that some foods that suppress the inflammatory reaction may contribute in this sense. Although there is no full clinical data in this direction, some foodstuffs that have been shown to have a protective effect in laboratory or animal studies include oats, flaxseed, red grapes, pomegranate, sage, green tea, cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric. We can include more of these products in our diet, but consciously.



3. Move right

Sitting in front of a computer screen all day, spending hours in front of the TV and being idle is actually not for us. Doing sports or brisk walking most days of the week to slightly increase the heart rate, if possible, with a friend will be protective. We know that postmen in England and shepherds in Sicily lived long.

We also know that in those who play tennis, general health is better at advanced ages than the general population, bone density remains higher, and premature deaths are less common. I think this applies to many sports when done carefully and deliberately, especially if done in a group or with a friend.



4. Apply for early diagnosis

Among the cancer screening tests, mammography for breast cancer, smear for cervical cancer, psa blood test for prostate cancer, or colonoscopy for colon cancer can help in early diagnosis, apply to health centers to have this done in appropriate age groups, in appropriate people, and on time.

Early treatment of some additional health conditions, such as high blood pressure, which may occur in intermittent health checks, may prevent future brain, cardiovascular diseases.



5. Don't embed, share

Stress is a known serious health risk factor. It has been shown by researchers in recent years that long-term exposure to stress can increase death due to lung and heart-related non-cancer problems, but it also increases the risk of colon cancer, lung and esophageal cancer.

We can contribute to our health by reducing stress-related factors in our lives, sharing the stress burden with our friends and environment, and, in my opinion, by getting the support of psychologists and therapists for the parts we cannot cope with.



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