You may have heard the news reports or even read about the new cancer statistics recently released by the American Cancer Society.  The new report showed that “fewer people died of cancer in 2004 than in 2003, marking the second consecutive year that cancer deaths have declined in the United States.”  The report emphasizes that early detection of cancer and controlling the major risk factors for developing cancer are the key reasons to the decline in cancer deaths. 

Now you may be wondering if you’re at risk for cancer …….

…..and I’m here to tell you that ANYONE can develop cancer!  And that includes YOU!  Heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women alike in the United States BUT cancer IS the second most common cause of death of both men and women.  One in every four people over their lifetime will develop cancer….so this is serious business.

Since you are at risk for developing cancer, you need to know what you can do to lower your risk for dying from cancer.

The first step in lowering your risk of dying from cancer is knowing your family history.  Having a close relative (parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, or grandparent) who has had cancer or even died from cancer substantially increases your risk for developing cancer—-and you need to know this.  Many cancers, such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer have recommended screening tests that can detect cancer in its early stage.  Early detection of cancer before it has spread throughout the body can markedly increase your survival rate since treatment options such as surgery have greater success rates when cancer is moved and it’s still localized. 

In addition to knowing your family history, quit smoking NOW to lower your risk of developing cancer.  Almost 1/3 of all cancer deaths are caused by smoking.  So if you smoke, you’re increasing your risk of heart disease, of stroke and of dying from cancer.  As I counsel my patients who smoke, I always tell them that NOTHING good comes from smoking and that continuing to smoke will surely lead to an early death.  It’s harsh but true.

Another third of all cancer deaths are related to poor nutrition and being overweight or obese.  Eating fatty foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can increase your risk for developing colorectal cancer and being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and other types of cancer. 

By exercising and eating a healthier diet, you can lower your risk for developing certain types of cancers and with early detection, you can survive a diagnosis of cancer.

If you want more life-saving information for better health and sustained wellness, then sign up NOW for my “Daily Dose” Newsletter by filling in the information found on the right side of the screen. 

To your wellness,

Dr. Ferguson

The Health and Wellness Queen

This entry was posted on Friday, January 19th, 2007 at 7:40 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.