Once your cancer treatment ends, going back to our routine makes life more comforting and healing. It distracts and gives back the normal life outlook again once we return to our familiar routines, one such is work. Your workplace can renew your focus and concentration beyond cancer. Deciding to resume back your work is an excellent and powerful move, and if you’ve made up your mind, then you’re going to be alright. However, starting work after cancer requires some precautions, extra care, and planning to ensure you are mentally and physically strong to cope up with the transition.
What does it take to return to work as a cancer survivor?
As someone who’s just survived cancer, going back to work is not an easy decision. Many a time, there’s emotional and mental stress that comes along with cancer treatment that affects your work plans. If you’ve taken the strong decision to return to work, the first and foremost step must involve the doctor’s approval.
You need to make sure to go through the long-term side effects of your treatment, type of job and physical demands of it, and a need for follow-up care. If you’ve passed the doctor’s inquiries, you must reach out to your employer through a virtual or in-person meeting to discuss the details of the return. As a cancer survivor, you must discuss medical appointments, unpaid medical leave, work overload, and other difficulties with your employer to inform him where you stand. Once the employer agrees to your new changes in work, you can think of moving ahead.
How can work bring a change?
Returning to work is not going to be difficult if you are mentally prepared and know the benefit that comes along with it. Work is one of the great joys of people’s life that helps to build stronger relationships with others. Here’s to some reason how work will bring a new form of motivation and happiness in your life:
Income: Money is indisputably one of the most essential in life. After paying for the treatment and everything, financial security comes from work. There would be post-cancer medication and needs you’ll have where money can help upon, even help with your lifestyle thereby boosting your self-esteem.
Daily Practice: Work is a commitment that creates a routine in your life where you’ve always got to show up. Which is your case is quite healthy and beneficial as having a specific timing of work and a fixed break would keep your body active.
A Break: With cancer comes a loss of stress related to the financed, family, friends, health, etc which only mitigate your situation. So to take a break from the constant conversation of cancer and associated worries, it’s better to develop a distraction that takes you away. Work proves to be the best option as a distraction as having a fixed task assigned to you regularly will help your focus on those.
Socializing: Go out, have a conversation about other people’s lives and their problems. At the workplace, socialization is great since you meet your colleagues, clients, or vendors around that help you get in touch with the outer world rather than being stuck with oneself. Studies have shown that socializing with others at our lowest point of life improves mental and emotional help and decreased depression signs.
Even with our listed benefits, work can be challenging as a cancer survivor. You won’t just have to tackle physical but also mental distress, and other common hurdles of your workplace. Here are our listed problems you will face and how to brace yourself for them.
Problems that come along with work
You can experience fatigue, loss of memory, irritation, discomfort, and other side effects.
Solution:
Reach out to your medical teams of experts about work and your schedule to see if they’ll advise you with the necessary medication to fight the side effects efficiently.
Be comfortable with your pace. Don’t compare with what you were before and what you are now. You are this powerful person who just battled cancer for months and now your body will take time to heal. Even if your work takes longer nowadays, then allow yourself at that time.
If you get exhausted while working then take immediate breaks. Device your working hours into two or three lots, with some resting time in between to remain active.
Find it difficult to remember dates, timing and details then make remains, schedule work, and create time-tables. Always keep a notepad with you all the time to remind you of your work, important notices, and many more.
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Essential Steps to take before starting work
Reach out to Human Resource or employer
Your body and mental state are still vulnerable and need special allowances while working to carry out your responsibilities. Discussing or informing your HR or employer to see if they’d allow these changes with different working hours is a wise decision. You must explain to them what and why you need to create some changes so that they’ll understand your situation.
Though you won’t exactly get what you need however there would be a great help from your colleagues once you explain to them what your body is going through. Since people don’t know and it’s always good to let others know how and what you feel. Many enterprises allow work from home from keeping you safe from infection and other things. Don’t participate in travel-based assignments yet, wait till you feel ready and physically fit.
Don’t be guilty with the new changes & news you
What you’ve gone through, nobody else has which makes you special, powerful, and strong. Never keep that out of your mind so give your body enough time to gradually reach the heights of how you worked earlier. Don’t be guilty of your situation and put yourself down or inferior in front of others. Accept the new you and as time passes, you’ll find the old speed and pace.
Know your rights
Look out for worker allowance, leaves, insurance, etc to discover your option ahead. Your company has a policy on sick leaves, and other rights that you can access when you need them.
Pay attention to health
Even if work starts, don’t forget to make a schedule for food, medications in between breaks to avoid any complications. Skipping out on meals or medicine is not good. Also, don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated at work by sipping water consistently every day. Keep a water bottle in front of you so you are constantly reminded of it.
Apart from food, taking a few hours for resting and relaxing in a day also helps greatly for your body. Don’t get overworked, work at only the workplace while consistently doing relaxation activities such as meditation, light exercises, and deep breathing.
Seek Comfortable environment
Nothing beats comfort, especially at a workplace where you spend quite a lot of your daily life. Check your table and chair if they are suitable or not, if not then get an ergonomic chair for relaxing sitting arrangement. Bring along essential supplies that you might need like a foot-stool, heating pads, neck support, or others.
Look forward to new, positive changes as you’ve already passed the biggest challenge. Now, you are ready to tackle small hurdles and allow yourself to heal with time.
FAQS on returning to work after cancer
Your common question on work after cancer answered.
Q. Do I need to inform my new employer about my cancer?
No! It depends on you. If you want to mention your medical history or ask for medical leaves, follow-up visits, or remaining chemotherapy sessions, you might need to explain it. Other than this, your employer just needs to know if you’re qualified and capable of the job offer.
Q.Why do people treat me differently after surviving cancer?
Cancer can be concerning for everyone. Your colleagues are bound to bring our cancer in the initial stage due to curiosity. If you don’t prefer talking about it, then you just need to politely decline to talk about it with others and they’ll understand. Give some time and both of you will gradually return to normal and you’ll no longer feel sensitive talking over cancer.
Q. Would I be able to work similarly to before?
It’s difficult to say because your body has still not recovered yet. You won’t be able to work to your full potential due to physical tiredness and mental distress. However, you can take extra measures to tackle such situations. Here’s how you can do it.
- Learn to adapt to your new speed
- Keep calm and cope with new changes
- Accept and ask for help during these times
- Go easy with work competition
- Set priorities of task
Q. Can anyone train me for work-life better?
Yes! Before you take the big step, seek help from an occupational therapist to improve on everyday tasks associated with work. The occupation therapist will train and advise you with work citation and tackle specific challenges and restrictions. If you are struggling with physical changes like uncomfortable with prolonged hours of sitting, then physiotherapists can increasingly help decrease pain and build muscle strength. Or experiencing trouble with memory and focusing then neuropsychologists would work on enhancing your memory, confidence, and focus.
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How does tobacco use lead to cancer?
The relationship between tobacco use and cancer goes hand in hand, especially resulting in lung cancer. Consuming tobacco products leads to 9 out of 10 cases of lung cancer and the cases are only increasing every day now. Not just lung cancer, tobacco leads to bladder, cervix, colon & rectum, esophagus, kidney & renal pelvis, lungs, bronchi, trachea, blood, stomach, and liver cancer. The use of tobacco is lethal and its consequences are severely damaging to people’s health. Almost 1 out of 5 cancer deaths happen due to its use.
Most people misunderstand their damage just because there are various forms of tobacco in the market. Some might appear safe and seem without any health impacts but it isn’t simply true. All forms of tobacco are harmful, even the new trend of e-cigarettes.
What are the chemicals present in it?
Tobacco leaves are used in cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and cigars. Additional components are added just for the flavor to cover the unpleasant taste of the smoking experience. About 70 different cancerous chemicals are produced from the smoke of tobacco. These chemicals are known as carcinogens. Whenever you breathe in the emitted smoke environment, the chemicals reach into your bloodstream and spread to all parts of your body.
All these chemicals may harm your DNA, which’s responsible for making new cells, and tells each cell what and how to function. An injured DNA fails to do the job correctly and leads to different cell growth from what happens naturally. Cells either grow inadequately at any part of the body and turn cancerous.
The harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke are nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, lead, ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde, radioactive elements like Uranium, carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, and nitrosamines. Most of these chemicals cause cancer while others result in heart disease, lung cancer, or other serious health problems. All major chemicals are just derived by just burning tobacco leaves themselves, not from additives.
Are there any radioactive materials in tobacco smoke?
Yes, radioactive materials are present in tobacco leaves which are used in making cigarettes and cigars. The tobacco leaves get radioactive materials from fertilizers and soils used for their growth and depending on the among, it can vary in each plant. The radioactive materials are released into the air and reach a person’s body when tobacco is burned by smokers. That is one of the biggest reasons for causing lung cancer in people.
What are other harmful tobacco products?
- Cigar: It’s similar to all other lethal tobacco products with carcinogenic compounds but with different levels of chemicals present in them. Since cigars are much more preferred after aging as it helps to blend their different flavors, there’s a high concentration of nitrogen compounds in them. Using fermented cigar tobacco emits various kinds of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), some of the major cancer-causing substances out of all. Cigars packaging also makes it more since it is less porous than a cigarette wrapper, there’s incomplete combustion of tobacco. That results in a greater concentration of ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides – all major lethal cancerous substances.
- Smokeless products: Snuff and chewing tobacco are some of the products of smokeless tobacco that don’t require burning like cigarettes or cigars. Unfortunately, they are equally damaging to our health with various harmful chemicals including a high concentration of TSNAs.Elements like benzo a pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are some of the influential cancer-causing elements found in smokeless tobaccos. Similar to other tobaccos, they also contain radioactive substances. Smokeless tobacco is consumed through the mouth resulting in various types of cancer. Other alternatives like Snus are more moist snuff consumed without spitting. Used first in Sweden and Norway, it is also available in India. Though it has lower levels of nicotine and TSNAs compared to other smokeless brands, it is still very addictive and causes a few types of cancer.
- E-cigarettes and other devices: We have also witnessed electronic smoking types such as e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) used as a modern alternative to tobacco products. E-cigarette brands claim that these products are safe to use but it’s very unlikely. The aerosols from these electronic smoking devices contain flavorings, addictive nicotine, and various other cancer-causing chemicals that are extremely toxic. It’s more worrisome as a larger group of youngsters fall prey to these new products. Though there’s less amount of harmful chemicals compared to the usual cigarettes, the replacement of nicotine and other substances are lethal to our health. Since it’s a new product in the market, its ingredients are under study to find out its long-term effects.
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What are the benefits of quitting?
After looking at the long list of detrimental effects of tobacco smoking, it’s a wise move to quit smoking at any time. It’s never too late, the sooner you take the step forward, the better you’ll feel and stay free of diseases. There are various benefits of quitting smoking, here are some of the most feel-good ones motivating you to take the step now:
- Lower risk of diabetes
- Increased life expectancy
- Boost working of blood vessels
- Food tastes delicious than ever before
- Your taste & smell return backs to normal
- Rarely gets tired or exhausted easily
- Better hygiene and smell
- No more discolouration of teeth and fingernails
Quit smoking now and save yourself from future ailments.
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Does plastic use cause cancer?
Plastic, as sinful as it is for our environment, possesses the possibility to be a threat to our body in the form of cancer. In recent years, the use of plastic and its exposure to our health through various products turned out to be notably unsafe. So we need to dig deeper on this issue to resolve such severe concerns since plastic comes in use with every one of our needs. From bowls to water bottles, plastic is accessible at every corner of the utility department.
According to a study, few chemicals in plastic dissolve some plastic into the food and beverages we consume. Those chemicals result in severe health problems like metabolic disorders and decreased fertility. It can get worse if the plastic is exposed to heat as it elevated the damaging chemicals at a faster and increased amount into the items than at a normal state.
Today, we’ll uncover the fact if plastic use can lead to cancer. And if we can do anything to reduce the negative outcomes caused by our health.
What is plastic made of?
Primarily, we must know our subject before claiming it hazardous. Plastics are more complex than we often assume. Plastics care not just one thing, they are of many different kinds and possess their different names based on their composition. For example, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, and terephthalate. All of them contain a variety of chemicals with different properties like antioxidants, plasticizers, and colorants.
In general, plastic use and exposure have caused severe damage to people. What’s important to note here is many plastic containers publicly state that their product contains chemicals but in small amounts indicating there’s no chance to worry. But if we continue to use the product repeatedly for various days, months, and years, the effects would lead us to various health hazards. The initial amount of the product might look small but continued use only helps to add more each day.
Along with chemical exposure, plastic products put pregnant women at a greater risk. The harmful chemical release reached the exposed fetus in the womb that affects them severely. Out of the most known detrimental chemicals are phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). The two chemicals are called endocrine disruptors and are known for interfering with the hormonal system in our body.
Here’s how both these plastic’s chemical impact our body
Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make plastic more flexible, plant, and hard to break. After consuming them via food items, these chemicals work as male reproductive toxicants. It also affects women. These chemicals are prominent for making vinyl plastics soft and flexible, used in multiple product manufacturing. We are under the highest exposure of these chemicals since it is present in toys to medical devices. Adult women, especially, are under higher threat compared to men since phthalates used in various cosmetics like shampoo, soaps, and body washes.
Bisphenol A
BPA comes under the use of making hard types of plastic called polycarbonate often used in making containers for storing food and beverages, such as water bottles, lunch boxes, and storage cans. Recently, Bisphenol A is getting a lot of attention due to its adverse health effects in humans and rodents. The chemical is lately in controversy for its possible impacts on the brain and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and kids. In 2011, a study proved the presence of high levels of BPA in pregnant women and their infants would be more likely to exhibit anxiety, hyperactivity, and depression.
These two chemicals are in attention due to their growing negative impacts on health, there are many other chemicals in plastics with similar impacts including antioxidants, and colorants.
Do microwave plastics worsen our health?
Heating plastic is always a disadvantage to health than eating out them at natural temperature. So depending on different plastic forms, heating them in a microwave can rigorously release harmful chemicals in the food and beverages stored in it. Foods rich in fat are particularly more likely to increase the release of chemicals.
Many plastics claim to be microwave-safe by the FDA. Getting FDA’s approval for claiming your product requires manufacturers to test the container, evaluate the container timing in the microwave, how much anyone is likely to eat out of the container and estimated the temperature of the food inside it. If the amount of chemical released from the container into the food is lower than a maximum allowable amount set, the product is free to be called microwave-safe. But ultimately, the product is never fit or free of chemicals.
Hence even after being aware of the plastic type and additives used, the safety advice would be to avoid the use of heating food in plastic.
Are regular plastics non-toxic for use?
Microwaves elevate the chemical release in the food items from plastic, not the only way the food gets contaminated by chemicals from plastics. Food and beverages stored in plastic containers, even without microwaves release chemicals in the food items. Plastic’s abundant chemical release gets altered if kept in a heating environment or under the sunlight. Tomatoes and other acidic food easily absorb chemicals from the lining of the food cans. Apart from food containers, chemicals containing home decor things containing phthalates, release gases in the air over time, increasing the chances of inhaling the harmful chemicals. Even plastic vapors can release chemicals in the food, even if the plastics are not in contact with it. Vapourized plastic containers release their gases into the food item when used as a plastic splatter lid over a bowl in the microwave.
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Are plastics free of phthalates and BPA considered safe?
It’s difficult to say if other types of plastics, if not phthalates and BPA, are safe. Companies who claim to have eliminated the problematic chemical from its product ingredient, its replacement is just another chemical which we don’t know much about. It can or is almost equally toxic.
It’s a common tactic used by companies to replace a controversial chemical with a new one. The new chemical has no evidence supporting its benefit or risk-free features so it’s never a safer option. Usually, companies switch BPA with a different chemical called bisphenol S or BPS. Earlier, there was less information available on the internet about its state of use but recently, it turned to be detrimental as well.
In 2011, the Environmental Health Perspective published a study testing commercial plastic products that claimed to be BPA-free. The result proved that almost all of them released chemicals with estrogenic activity. Some of them even had more estrogenic activity than BPA.
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Steps to protect yourself
Avoiding plastic use at all costs seems impossible due to every product found made in plastic. Limiting plastic use as much as possible, especially when a woman is pregnant and along with food items can help greatly.
How to limit the use of plastics:
- Replace your plastic water bottles with your steel, glass, or ceramic water bottle.
- Decrease the amount of canned food you consume and your child used daily.
- Go with children bottles with labels that are free of BPA.
- Don’t recycle carbonless receipts at cash register receipts as receipts with BPA can spread the BPA onto other problems made with recycled products like napkins and toilet paper.
- Use plastics with the number 7 recycling symbol on the bottom. Don’t stick to plastic without a label saying “PLA” or a leaf symbol on it as it may contain BPA.
How to limit chemical exposure from plastics?
Stop cooking food in plastic containers or use them in roasting or steaming: As discussed earlier, plastic under heat is prone to realize higher amounts of chemicals into food than at regular temperature. Limit the use of microwaves or even if you do, use a glass container to heat or bake anything.
Switch to glass, enamel-covered metal, stainless steel pots, pans, porcelain, and containers for storing food and beverages or even when the food item is hot.
Lookout for Plastics with recycling symbols of 2, 4, and 5 to use: Plastics label with recycling symbol 7 and along with a leaf symbol is good to go.
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Prevention against cancer and the ways to reduce its risk helps to bring a greater change in the body. It helps with early detection and successful treatment.
Here is our basic information about the term cancer and what you need to know about it.
Several types in one- Cancer might seem like a single type of ailment, it has broad meaning and variation. Cancer is not just one type of disease that happens to everyone, it is just a disease name and can vary from person to person based on its type.
Develops at any part of the body- It can originate at any part of the body. The basics of cancer development are when cells grow abnormally and take over standard cells. It disrupts the natural cycle of the body and leads to the formation of tumours which eventually spreads to the other parts of the body, making it all cancerous.
Time of occurrence - Cancer can also occur at any age and are efficiently treatable if detected early. While some cancers are highly contagious, others take some time to show their symptoms.
Mode of Treatment - Not all cancers are treatable through one common practice. Some cancer types are either treated with the surgical operation, others respond better with chemotherapy. There are two or more treatment processes required for the cancer treatment to garner the best results.
Witnessed Symptoms - Generally, cancer forms a lump that is known as a tumour, it is the accumulation of new malignant cells. There are also some cancers like leukaemia (cancer of the blood) that do not form any growth or tumour.
Stages in Cancer - Cancer is also identified with their different stages. Terms like Stage 1 and Stage 2 are often employed to describe the state of the cancer development that helps in the treatment. The Lower stage like Stage 1 and 2 signify that cancer has not spread while higher stages like stage 3 and 4 stage cancer have spread widely. The condition of the cancerous growth over the body determines the type of treatment.
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What causes Cancer?
cancer leads to the damage in the genes that either happens via chance or through abundant exposure to malignant chemicals present in the environment. The prime suspect that causes cancer is known as carcinogens. A carcinogen is a chemical that is present in some molecules of tobacco or smoke. However, cancer can happen with environmental agents, genetics or viral factors. The number of growing cancers in the world is not attributed to a single cause, they all vary from each other.
Hence to simply the main causes, we’ve divided them into groups.
- Biological Factors- Aspects such as age, inherited genetic abnormalities, gender, and skin type.
- Environmental Exposure- Natural emitted substance from nature like radon, UV radiation and fine particulate matter.
- Occupational Aspects - Coming in contacts with carcinogens like harmful chemicals, radioactive materials and asbestos.
- Lifestyle Factors - Unhealthy habits, for instance, heavy alcohol Intake, prolonged exposure of UV rays, tobacco consumption and chemicals like nitrites & polyaromatic hydrocarbons through barbecuing food.
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Cancer Prevention methods
About 30-40% of all cancer is easily preventable. It is true, with changes in your lifestyle and some careful precaution, cancer can be actively prevented. We know it sounds too good to be true, but it is possible. According to the reports from Harvard School of Public Health, it estimates that about 75% of cancer deaths can be prevented with helpful measures taken.
Here are some of the methods that you can use to prevent the development of cancer in your body:
Stop consuming Tobacco
Use of tobacco brings the most prominent risk for developing cancer. Consumption of tobacco kills approximately 6 million people each year. Most of you are unaware of how many damaging chemicals tobacco contains in itself. Tobacco smoke has about 7000 chemicals which have at least 250 that are harmful while the other 50 are known for causing cancer.
Tobacco leads to the causes of many types of cancers such as cancers of the lung, larynx, throat, mouth, kidney, oesophagus, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix. The other tobacco, i.e second-hand smoke causes lung cancer. Hence it should be avoided in all forms.
Physical inactivity and Obesity
Lack of exercise and weight gain also contribute to the cause of cancer. There is a link between being obese and overweight that leads to cancers of oesophagus, breast, colorectal, endometrium and kidney. The only solution to getting rid of fat is by doing daily exercise. Addition of a healthy diet and regular physical activity of the body can considerably reduce cancer risk. It’s been said that physical activity leads to a reduced risk of colon cancer. For women as well, regular exercise leads to a reduced risk of breast and reproductive cancers. Exercise itself is a healthy milestone even though you lose weight or not.
Decrease or cease Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol intake is one of the largest contributors of several types of cancer including oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, oesophagus, breast, liver and colorectum. The amount of alcohol you consume, the greater the risk of cancer increases with abundance. The risk turns more deadly when there's a consumption of alcohol and tobacco at the same time. Hence start slow, start by drinking one drink a day to an average.
Maintain a healthy diet
Healthy alternatives are not a major assurance of cancer prevention, it does help to reduce the risk hence it benefits indirectly. Here are some things to add in your habits for maintenance of a healthy diet:
- Eat fruits and Veggies on a larger scale - Your diet must involve vegetables, fruits, and other food that involves plant-based sources such as whole grains and beans.
- Avoid fat-based food - Food rich in oil can lead to obesity which contributes to the risk of many types of cancer in the body. Hence add lighter and less high-calorie food such as refined sugars and animal fat from your food.
- Restrict processed meat - According to the latest report from Cancer Research, it's been proven that eating processed meat in larger amounts can contribute to the risk of developing a certain type of cancer.
Exposure to Radiation
Radiation from either man-made or natural sources leads to an increase in developing leukaemia and other tumours in the body. The risk increases if you are under the exposure of the radiation at a young age or either when the exposure is in abundance. Exposure to radiation causes various types of skin cancer such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Hence it's vital to seek active prevention from the sun by the use of sunscreen and protective clothing. Try to get medical imaging studies only when it's required. Look out for residential radon that leads to an increase in the risk of lung cancer.
Guard yourself against infections
Many cancers are also attributed via infecting agents such as helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Though there are vaccines available for hepatitis B virus and some types of HPV that can rescue you from the risk of developing liver and cervical types of cancer. Many of these infections are sexually transmitted or through contaminated needles.
Avoid Environmental Chemical Exposure
Contaminants from air, water and soil containing carcinogenic chemicals lead to the development of cancer in varying degrees. Pollution from outdoors is highly malignant to humans as it leads to almost 3.5 million premature deaths and others with lung cancer deaths. Indoor pollution involves households activities like cooking with solid fuels. Especially, cooking with the use of coal fires double the trigger of developing lung cancer mostly in women.
Lowering The Risk of Cancer
As per WHO, Cancer is the world’s leading cause of death, but approximately 30% cases can be prevented with the onset of advanced diagnistric tools. It is true that there is no magic that can keep one away from cancer, but yes a few efforts can be done to improve the odds.
Lose the Body Weight
People who are overweight or obese have more chances of developing a few types of cancer, including in esophagus, pancreas, colon, kidneys ,thyroid gland and other organs. Losing weight help reduce the risk of cancer also might cut the number of new cases.
Cut on Consuming Red Meat
Red meat along with cured meats like bacon, hot dogs, and lunchmeat is considered to be linked to a higher risk of colon and stomach cancers.
Use Sunscreen everytime you go in Sun
Ultraviolet rays from the sun can be harmful more than a sunburn. UV radiations can cause skin cancer. The risk of developing Skin cancer is higher among people who spend much of their time in the sun. Most cases of skin cancer are curable if they are diagnosed early and ofcourse with the right treatment in real time. But unfortunately,Skin cancer can be life-threatening if it spreads to other parts of the body. Sunscreen with a 30 SPF (sun protection factor) or above is recommended everytime on going out in sun.
Consume More Vegetables
Vegetables and fruits can help prevent a range of cances in mouth, throat, windpipe and esophagus. Vegetables help your prevent damage that may lead to cancer later in life. It is recommended to consume 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day.
Add other diets with Supplements
A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains is a better than nutritional supplements to lower the risk of cancer. Supplements do not give the same benefits as whole foods do, and they can throw off the balance of other nutrients in the body. Supplements may help with certain conditions, but do not count on them to prevent cancer.
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Less intake of Sugar
Foods or drinks with a lot of sugar tend to have more calories. If one has them often, he/she is more likely to take in more calories than he/she burns in a day. That can increase the body weight -- and possibly increase the risk of cancer. It is not necessarily required to skip the sugar entirely, but keep an eye out for things with added sweeteners.
Get Vaccinated for HPV
HPV i.e, Human papilloma virus is often passed from person to person through sexual activity. It can stay in the body for years and one might not even notice. It is the cause of nearly all cervical cancers in women and also can cause cancer of the vagina, penis, anus, mouth, and throat. Vaccine is available for girls between the ages of 9 and 26, and boys from 9 to 21. In addition,using condoms can also lower the chances of getting HPV.
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Jump off the Couch and workout
Those who exercise have less chances to get cancer of the colon, breast, or uterus. After getting up and doing our routine activities, our body uses more energy, digests food faster, and prevents a buildup of some hormones that are linked to cancer. Being active also can help reduce the chances of developing other health problems like heart disease or diabetes.
Quit Smoking
Smoking causes various kinds of cancer, as well as heart and lung disease. Smoking tobacco is considered to be the major causeing factor for developing cancer. It is wise to quit smoking as early as possible.
Cut on alcohol consumption
Drinking too much alcohol can raise the risk of cancers of the digestive system including stomach, liver, and colon, among others -- as well as breast and throat cancer. It can hurt tissues in the body, damage liver, and mix with other chemicals to harm the cells in body. Men should not have more than two drinks a day, and women should limit it to one.
Get a Hepatitis B Vaccination
Patients with hepatitis B virus are more likely to get liver cancer which is one of the fastest growing cancer. And those with chronic liver problems, having multiple sex partners, or those who share needles to use drugs are at a high risk of getting hepatitis B. It can be prevented with the vaccination.
Right screening
As a famous saying,The sooner the better, works in prevention against cancer as well. If primary signs of cancer are spotted early, possibly recovery is better. There are certain tests available to check for different types of cancers such as breast, colon, prostate, or skin. It is advised to consult your doctor to know which screening tests one should go for and when to get .
Life of Cancer Patient After Survival
A cancer survivor is that the patient who had cancer and has been cured in real time. Patients who have survived cancer may expect to travel back to their normal lives.
With advancement of diagnostic tools cancer survival rate has been improved in times as compared to what it's going to are 20 years ago. However, still some cancers are more survivable than other types.
Higher survival rates could also be thanks to the subsequent major improvements in cancer prevention and treatment:
Screening tests may find cancers earlier. These tests include:
- Mammography for carcinoma
- PSA for prostatic adenocarcinoma
- Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer
- pap smear for cervical cancer
- Existing treatments are getting used in better ways
- Less side effects, which keeps planned treatments on schedule
- Newer treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy
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Understanding survivorship
Cancer survivorship has a minimum of 2 common meanings:
- Having no signs of cancer after completing treatment.
- Cancer survivorship typically starts at diagnosis. It includes patients who receive treatment over a extended time. Their treatment can lower the prospect of the cancer returning or help to contain the cancer from spreading to other organs in body.
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There are 3 phases of survivorship:
- Acute survivorship: starts at diagnosis and aims at completing the initial cancer treatment.
- Extended survivorship: focuses on the consequences of cancer and treatment. It starts at the top of initial treatment and goes through an extended time- the months after.
- Permanent survivorship: focuses on Long-term effects of cancer and treatment is when years have passed since cancer treatment ended. there's less of an opportunity that the cancer may come.
Living with a history of cancer is different for every patient. But most patients have the common belief that life is different after cancer.
At the top of treatment, survivors may have the subsequent concerns:
- Appreciating life more.
- Being more accepting of themselves.
- Feeling more anxious about their health.
- Not knowing the way to cope after treatment ends.
- A sense of relief that their treatment is over
- Not sure about their disease in future
- Increased anxiety and stress
- A fear that the cancer would come
- Physical, psychological, sexual or fertility problems
- Struggles with Relationship
- Discrimination at some workplaces
Life of cancer patients After Survival
Patients should have information about the psychological also social issues that they're getting to face once they return to home after completing their treatment.
Cancer is usually described as a journey that starts at diagnosis. During treatment, some patients feel that their life is on hold. After treatment ends, it's going to be hard to understand the way to resume normal activities.
Survivors may expect life to return to what it had been like before the cancer diagnosis. for several patients, though, it's not that straightforward . the truth is usually more emotionally and physically complex. Some cancer survivors find they can’t or don’t want to travel back to how life was before their treatment.
Many survivors say that cancer changes them. After treatment, they'll feel different, albeit they appear an equivalent. With time, survivors often find a replacement way of living. Some feel they ought to be happy and filled with wisdom because they survived, but instead feel guilty that this isn’t the case.
Some patients feel as if they need fought a battle and wish time to rest. Others want to return immediately to their previous life.How does a patient feel and cope up with the disease depends on the sort of cancer and treatment.
Many cancer survivors have ongoing health concerns thanks to the cancer or due to treatment. These may include fatigue, difficulty sleeping, pain and depression. The after-effects of treatment can make lifestyle difficult.
Certain major changes in such patients’ life are explained below:
Changes in relationships
When active treatment is over, some survivors’ needs change and relationships may shift. For example:
- Some friends may become closer, while others keep themselves at a distance.
- Families can become overprotective.
- Relationship problems from before the cancer diagnosis can surface again.
What you'll do:
- Understand that the whole family changes from the cancer experience in ways they'll not remember of.
- Work through these changes to urge the support you would like.
- Maintain open and ongoing communication.
Getting back to work
Going back to a daily work schedule may be a thanks to revisit to a traditional routine and lifestyle. most of the people need their job and therefore the insurance it provides.
People with cancer may:
- Work during treatment
- Take day off for treatment and return to figure when treatment ends
- Unable to return to figure thanks to the consequences of the cancer or its treatment
At work, you'll find that, Co-workers might want to assist but parallelly some employers are reluctant to rent someone who has had cancer due to fears the person won't physically be ready to handle work.
The Fertility Issue
Of the issues faced by cancer survivors, damaged fertility is one among the smallest amount understood. The side effects of radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery can leave a patient infertile.
Cancer patients can take special fertility-saving measures before treatment. Adult and adolescent males can make deposits during a depository for future use.
For women the problems are more complex. A woman's fertility-saving measures depend entirely on her cancer treatment and her particular physiology. Eggs are often extracted and frozen, as can embryos. From there, the measures become increasingly tailored to a private woman's needs.
That's why all women cancer patients who have the potential in touch a toddler got to see a fertility specialist during the cancer treatment. Oncologists at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi encourage our female patients also as male patients to undergo fertility evaluation periodically while their treatment.
Word of advice by Oncoplus Team of oncologists
- Focus on every day and expect both good and bad days.
- Do things at your own pace. Plan rest time between activities. Avoid pressure to form decisions or start new activities immediately.
- Be prepared for mixed reactions from family and friends. If people don’t skills to react, try to not get upset. Some people avoid contact because cancer brings up difficult emotions. they're handling it in their own way.
- Share your feelings and worries with family and friends. Allow yourself time to regulate to those changes, and to elucidate to your friends and family that you simply need their support.
- Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about sadness or low moods.
- Practise some sort of relaxation, like meditation, visualisation, yoga or deep breathing.
- Keep a journal. many of us find it helps to write down down how they’re feeling.
- Join a support group. Speaking with other cancer survivors may assist you cope and cause you to feel more optimistic about the longer term . Learn from their experiences and mistakes.
- Attend a survivorship program, if there's one in your area.
- Read other survivors’ stories. Learning how people have made meaning of a cancer diagnosis may help.
Self care for cancer patients
When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the patient suffers physically as well as mentally even after the right treatment. During the treatment for cancer, there are different phases and it is really important for the patient to possess self-care. What can cancer patients or their relatives expect during each phase of treatment and help themselves or their loved ones to attain a confident life throughout the journey of cancer treatment.
Right knowledge is the key to the right self-care of cancer patients.
“Cancer experts at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi” have summarized certain useful tips which are an important part of a patient’s physical and mental well-being.
Following are certain valuable tips or tasks that may help cancer patients and their families to lead a strong life throughout their treatment.
FOLLOW A BALANCED DIET AND NUTRITION
If nutrition taken is improper, it makes it difficult for any patient to sustain the high dosage treatment for the required duration. This is because any imbalance in the diet can affect the normal functioning of the body.
The patients undergoing cancer treatment need to ensure their diet comprises adequate sources of protein, fats, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates for their body to be able to function well.
One should consume more fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers.
Other foods such as lean proteins like fish (white-fleshed), plain greek yogurt, beans and lentils, egg-white are good sources of high-quality protein.
Low-fat milk and cottage cheese are decent sources of good fat for the body. These foods also can help the patients manage side-effects of treatment, strengthen their appetite, and can lower the risk of infections.
Please remember to wash the fruits and vegetables before consuming them and stick to pasteurized products.
The patient can consult a professional dietician or nutritionist for a personalized and balanced diet plan. That will help the patients maintain a healthy state of nutrition for their body in long run.
Book an appointment with the best oncologists for cancer treatment as well as a diagnosis at the best cancer hospital in Delhi.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER TO KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED
Cells in our body do not function well when our body doesn’t receive sufficient fluids or water intake is low in our body. It is advisable to drink a minimum of 2 to 3 liters of water a day to keep our body’s minerals in balance. A high intake of water may be needed to cope with side effects like diarrhea and vomiting that can easily dry us out.
REGULAR PHYSICAL EXERCISES
Regular exercises and physical workouts help boost our immunity and physical strength. It is advisable to discuss with a professional physical trainer or Professional Physiotherapist to initiate a suitable exercise program.
TAKE PROPER REST
Sufficient rest is very essential for anyone in maintaining good physical as well as emotional health.
One should be involved in exercises regularly but over-exercising may be harmful so one should listen to his/her body. One should take proper rest or breaks as required by the body.
Have sound sleep, a minimum of eight hours a day for good mental health.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Practicing self-hygiene plays an important role in a patient’s health as it can lift the spirits of the patient up.
KNOWING THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF TREATMENT FOR CANCER
Treatments for cancer result in certain side effects like nausea, hair loss, knowing these side effects during and post-treatment can help the patients gain a sense of control over what’s happening with their body.
FIND STRESS-BUSTER
Patients after cancer treatments go through emotional as well as physical stress. It is really very important for these patients to find out things that can help relieve their stress. Fewer worries help patients to gain emotional strength to fight cancer in a better way.
There are certain tactics patients can follow as their stress buster:
- Listening to some favorite music at times.
- Practicing a few relaxation sessions such as meditation, mild yoga exercises, acupuncture sessions, and aromatherapy sessions.
It is advisable to consult your treating oncologist to know more about such activities and to know what suits the patient’s body.
SPEND TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES
It is not wise to abstain oneself from his/her family and social life as it can lead to a negative impact on one’s health.
Spending time with family and friends can have a positive impact on the patients’ health and treatment outcomes.
A WORD OF ADVICE FROM ONCOPLUS HOSPITAL, DELHI
Having sufficient knowledge about cancer is as important as curing it. We should always be aware and stay updated about different types of cancer, causing factors, symptoms, screening, diagnosis, treatment options, and how to prevent cancer to develop. Self-awareness can help us to act on noticing any significant signs or manage cancer in a better way.
To know about different types of cancer, click on the link given below.
https://www.oncoplus.co.in/cancer-treatments/
Our experts encourage the relatives and caregivers of the patients undergoing treatment to keep a subtle and positive tone of communication with patients.
If you are seeking relevant guidance to manage your or your loved one’s cancer journey, the panel of medical experts at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi can help you providing the right direction.
Consult our medical team for screening https://www.oncoplus.co.in/our-doctors/