No one wants cancer. No one.
And yet, The National Cancer Institute estimates that 1,658,370 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2015 alone. Of those, 589,430 people are expected to die from it. And, while there are many therapies being developed, prevention is still key. It’s easier to prevent cancer than to cure it.
In the future, some scientists hope to see therapies developed by www.Poseida.com/technology/ to take center stage, editing genes responsible for cancer, and even providing novel therapies for cancer once they’ve progressed. But, you don’t have to wait for the science to catch up. Here’s what you can do today:
Stop Smoking
Of the 1.6 million people diagnosed with cancer, 154,040 of those diagnosed were related to smoking. Smoking and cancer go hand-in-hand. You can cut your risk by a stunning 27% if you just cut your smoking from 20 cigarettes per day to 10. You can reduce your risk even more by cutting cigarettes completely out of your life forever.
Lift Weights
A study that followed over 8,000 men aged 20 to 80, from 1980 to 2003, found that men who routinely worked out by lifting heavy weights, and built up strength and muscle, had cut their risk of dying from a tumor-based cancer by between 30% and 40%.
Lifting weights is one of the best ways you can reduce your risk of developing cancer. Even those who had excess belly fat benefited, and there seem to be a general protective effect where there otherwise might not have been. Researchers recommend weightlifting at least 2 days per week.
Training should focus on building muscle mass and absolute strength. This usually means focusing on compound lifts like the squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhead press — the “big 4” lifts that are known to produce the most dramatic results.
Learn To Love Broccoli
You might not like the little green sprouts on broccoli spears but they love you.
Vegetables aren’t just for general health. Some of them also have cancer-fighting substances in them. Cruciferous vegetables are particularly good at this. Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli are packed with glucosinolates, which have anti-cancer properties when broken down into compounds during the normal digestive process.
In 2000, a study in Gynecologic Oncology showed that one of these compounds reduced abnormal cell growth in a human cervix.
Get Out In The Sun
We have been trained to be deathly afraid of the sun. But, the sun is the only way our body has of producing vitamin D hormone. Many experts suggest taking vitamin D as a supplement, but according to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, this is basically useless. According to Seneff, “Upon exposure to the sun, the skin synthesizes vitamin D3 Sulfate, a form of vitamin D that, unlike unsulfated vitamin D3, is water soluble. As a consequence, it can travel freely in the blood stream rather than encapsulated inside LDL (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) for transport. The form of vitamin D that is present in both human milk and raw cow’s milk is vitamin D3 sulfate.”
Many people take vitamin D supplements to protect against cancer, but Seneff argues this is ineffective, “The sulfated form of vitamin D does not work for calcium transport . . . [However] it’s the sulfated form of vitamin D that offers the protection from cancer. It strengthens your immune system. It protects you from cardiovascular disease. It’s good for your brain. It helps depression. I think all of those effects of vitamin D are effects of vitamin D sulfate.”
Once the vitamin D3 sulfate is finished circulating, it turns into regular D3, which is very beneficial for calcium transport.
Most people benefit from between 5 and 15 minutes in the sun. You need just enough sun that your skin starts to change to a very, very light pink — almost undetectable. Too much, obviously, is a bad thing and you’ll get sunburned. Basically, you need enough to cause a reaction in your skin which produces a slight tan, but does not burn you.
If you don’t live in a sunny place, you can buy a UV lamp to help you achieve optimal exposure. Sperti is a company that specializes in making these types of lamps. They sell both regular “sunlamps” and “vitamin D lamps,” which are made in the U.S.A. They are the only lamps that have been certified by the FDA to produce vitamin D in the skin upon exposure to the lamps.
Jordan Simpson is a support worker for cancer patients. Having seen his family affected by cancer, he takes an interest in preventative measures plus the breakthroughs in cancer research and writes about these for health and lifestyle blogs.