Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths for both men and women. While smoking is a surefire way to boost your risk of a lung cancer diagnosis, there are other habits and lifestyle factors that can play a role in developing lung cancer. Risk factors include exposure to radon and asbestos, air pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals.
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If you smoke, it is imperative that you quit. You are not only increasing your risk of lung cancer, but also of many other serious life-threating diseases such as heart attack, stroke, emphysema, asthma and lung, breast, throat, stomach and other cancers. While not all lung cancer is caused by smoking, up to 90% is.
While the symptoms of lung cancer won’t alert you enough to prevent the disease before it occurs, an early diagnosis is always best. Symptoms of lung cancer include:
- A persistent cough that does not go away
- Shortness of breath
- Onset of wheezing
- Recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis
- Coughing up blood
- Hoarseness
- Weight loss or loss of appetitive
The American Cancer Society states, “More than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices like not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, eating right, keeping active and getting recommended screening tests.”
Active prevention is the best way to avoid a cancer diagnosis. Below are the top 10 tips for cancer prevention:
- Optimize your vitamin D — Spend an adequate amount of time in the sun
- Avoid eating excess protein — Replace excess protein with high-quality fats
- Eat living foods like sprouts — Sprouts allow your body to extract more nutrients from your food
- Use nontoxic cleaning supplies — Replace chemical cleaners with natural options
- Use natural beauty products — There are thousands of toxic chemicals used in cosmetics
- Ditch your nonstick cookware — PFOA in nonstick pans can increase your risk of cancer
- Drink clean, pure water — Use a home filtration system to filter out harmful chemicals
- Eat organic and locally grown food — Avoid pesticides and herbicides by eating organic foods
- Skip canned foods — Canned and packaged foods may contain BPA, a chemical linked to cancer
- Ditch your microwave — Reduce your toxin exposure by avoiding the microwave