Cancer has been regarded as one of the most deadly diseases. It is a non-communicable chronic disorder, caused by uncontrolled growth of cells in the human body. Every year over 7 million people succumb to this disease globally and over 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), estimated that India will observe over 8 lakh deaths and over 17 lakh new cancer cases annually by the year 2020. The survival expectancy of a cancer patient depends upon the stage of diagnosis.

There are some forms of cancer which show any noticeable symptoms only in the final stage while there are certain other subtle symptoms which if paid attention to might save a life.
Some common signs of cancer:

Unexplained weight loss: This is one of the earliest noticeable symptoms of cancer and is particularly common in patients of lung and breast cancer. Weight loss has been observed in over 40% of cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. Losing over 10% of body weight in a span of 6 months or less could be a cause of concern.
Wheezing: This is associated with lung cancer, which is also the most common form of cancer. When the airway in the lungs is pressed or narrowed by a tumor, it creates a wheezing sound while breathing.
Frequent infections: Frequent infections and fever may indicate that something is not right with the internal organs of the body. This could be because of cancerous conditions such as leukemia or lymphoma. 
Loss of appetite: Cancer impacts the metabolic process of the body, hence often leads to a loss of appetite. This is particularly a symptom of colon, stomach, ovaries and pancreatic cancer. 
Blood in stool/urine: Traces of blood while passing stool or urine could be a symptom of cancer. Though, this could be attributed to many other infections and conditions as well.
Chronic cough: Flu and cough along with symptoms like chest pain, hoarseness, weight loss and fatigue could be because of lung cancer.
Night sweats: Though night sweat could be attributed to many more reasons, it is also one of the many early warning signs of cancer.

Early Warning Signs Of Cancer That We Often Ignore!

Are you aware of the link between air pollution and cancer? Air pollution refers to the mixture of several harmful substances, which lead to various serious health hazards on exposure. The primary sources of air pollution are man-made, including fumes from automobiles and the smoke from burning fuels. Desert dust, radon gas, and several other natural sources of air pollution are equally dangerous. Air pollution is classified into outdoor and indoor air pollution. It is highly associated with increased risks of developing cancer. Smoking is considered to be one of the major agents, which pollute the air and increase the chances of cancer to a large extent.

Outdoor air pollution

Outdoor air pollution is strongly linked with cancer development.
As every person is exposed to some form of air pollution, it has a more harmful effect on the whole population across the globe as a general threat.
A certain part of outdoor air pollution referred to as PM 2.5, or solid dust particles, are highly responsible for the development of cancer.
The chances of cancer increase with the increase in PM 2.5 levels in the air.
Indoor air pollution

There are several sources of indoor air pollution that are closely associated with an increased risk of cancer.
The sources include fuels used for heating homes and for cooking, radon, and tobacco smoke.
Second hand smoke is another harmful indoor air pollutant that causes cancer.
Second hand smoke

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of cancer development, along with the risk of developing other diseases such as stroke and lung disease.
A lot of people all over the world get exposed to second hand smoke.
A lot of deaths occur due to cancer because of second hand smoke exposure which is common every year, all over the globe.
Radon

Radon is a natural radioactive gas, which is associated with increased risks of developing lung cancer.
It is found at low levels outdoors. It may also build in high concentrations indoors.
Although radon exposure does not pose a huge threat for cancer, a lot of radon-associated cancers develop due to exposure to radon, along with tobacco smoke.
Benzene

This is a flammable liquid having no color and with a sweet odor.
It is closely associated with the development of leukemia and cancers affecting other cells of the body.
Cigarette smoking and tobacco smoke are major cancer causing elements that are found in the air commonly. Both of these are quite harmful. It is recommended that you not only quit smoking, but also keep away from passive smoking.

Pollution and Cancer - How They Are Related?

Can Ayurveda Treat Cancer?

The development of abnormal cells that can spread to other areas of the body is known as cancer. It has about 100 types and includes cancer of the skin, lung, prostate gland and so on. Compared to normal body cells that follow a proper path of cell division, growth, and termination, cancer cells don't die but continue to develop and divide.

Holistic treatment of cancer involves purification and strengthening of body's immune system.

Ayurvedic treatment of cancer comprises an all-around approach keeping in mind your temperament and body characteristics, the affected energies in the body as well as the tissues involved. More importantly, the treatment focuses not only on the malignant spot but your entire body system. This is because Ayurveda believes in restoring harmony to your entire being for the ailment to be treated effectively so as to prevent its recurrence.

The treatment plan involves the purification of the body and of the toxins that influence the cells to attack your body. Certain blood cleansing herbs are administered alongside the recommendation of a detoxifying diet. To stimulate blood flow in your body, herbs that improve blood circulation are prescribed by a practitioner. This renders an efficient removal of toxins, prevents stagnant blood from forming and assists in the healing process of your tissues. Since it's a debilitating disease, herbs and minerals that boost your immunity are also suggested.

What are the holistic methods of treating cancer according to Ayurveda?

The treatment methods for cancer include:

- Elimination of toxins from the body through Panchakarma (a therapy that involves five cleansing procedures)
- Abstinence from lifestyle and foods that lead to the imbalance of the tridosha namely, vata (air), pitta (heat) and kapha (water and earth forces)
- Restitution of the functions of your digestive system
- Rejuvenation through a special form of treatment called rasayanas
- Recommendations on Ayurvedic preparations that can be taken along with radiotherapy or chemotherapy
- Suggestions on Ayurvedic medications for minimizing the side effects of the various cancer therapies

In addition to these, treatment also involves suggesting ways to relax the mind. Yoga, meditation, and praanayam (an ancient practice involving ways to control your breath) are some of the ways that are recommended for bringing about deep personal healing for cancer patients.

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Can Ayurveda Treat Cancer?

Science has advanced a lot through the ages. Doctors have also succeeded in curing many diseases in this time. But even with one of the most advanced technologies, they still haven t found a fool proof way to cure cancer. Even out of the many types of cancer, blood cancer is the worst among them. You surely wouldn t want to get into such a situation. Would you? The best way out of blood cancer is never to get one. To prevent it you can take care of a few things:

Maintaining proper body weight: Although you can t do much to prevent cancer, you must ensure that you maintain a healthy body weight. This implied that your BMI should be normal (healthy weight) so that you have a good chance of fighting it. It has been said by many leading institutions worldwide as the best way to prevent cancer. One can maintain proper body weight by making sure they exercise every day for at least 30 minutes and also maintain a well-balanced diet. This would help you maintain a healthy body weight.
Reduction in the consumption of calorie dense food: Not only because calorie dense foods like cold drinks increase your weight, the sugar mixes with your blood and thus is difficult to transport through the body. Thus they add a lot of impurities to the body and must be avoided for the best interests in your effort to fight cancer. The worst fact about calorie dense foods is that you can easily consume 1000   2000 calories long before you can satisfy your hunger. Thus, it also defeats your first preventive measure to avoid cancer.
Staying away from harmful chemicals like pesticides: You might not know it and be happily spraying pest control sprays everywhere without a proper mask thinking you will make the pests go away. What you don t know is that those pesticides are harmful for your blood and one should avoid them. To increase the probability of winning against blood cancer, it s vital to keep this in mind.
Consulting a doctor from time to time: One should always go and visit a medical practitioner from time to time so that they can maintain proper health. Furthermore, if you see symptoms like fever, frequent infections, night sweating, swollen liver with abdomen pain, enlarged lymph nodes (they are usually painless), then be sure to go to a medical practitioner. Always remember that prevention is better than cure. Thus one should try to prevent blood cancer not cure it.

Blood Cancer - How To Prevent It? 

Developing cancer is either totally your bad luck where you haven t been doing anything wrong in your diet and lifestyle still develop it or it is out of bad lifestyle, eating habits and negative attitude towards life. But death due to cancer is totally due to carelessness in which a person didn t pay attention to initial symptoms and left cancer for thriving in the body. The truth has been said that cancer isn t a killer but delayed diagnosis and wrong or improper treatment is. Awareness, early diagnosis and treatment is the key to survival. Cancer does not always mean death if some earlier signs of cancer are noted and action is taken timely.

In normal conditions our body functions normally, i.e. we eat, pass urine and stool, breath, and drink water. Any alteration from this is abnormal and must be noticed like difficulty in swallowing, difficulty in urinating and defecating, passing blood in urine or stool, long continued severe pain in any part of the body.

The appearance of new moles on the body which keep on growing with an irregular border, painful and bleed.

Hoarseness of voice

Long persisting cough and blood in saliva. Cough lasting more than a month.

Loose stools or any change in bowel habits without any dietary changes lasting more than a few weeks needs to look into.

Presence of blood in stool without any obvious reason like ulcers or hemorrhoids.

Unexplained low blood count, i.e. anemia. Anemia needs to be evaluated unless there is any obvious source of blood loss.

Not all breast lumps are cancerous but all of them should be investigated. Also if there is any bloody discharge or discharge only from one nipple that should also not be ignored at all. Self-examination of the breast daily once a week is necessary and it is easy too. Check for any nodule or discharge from the breast.

Any lump in the testicles should be evaluated thoroughly. Men should also do a self-examination of the testicles, once in a month.

Urinary symptoms like less urine, pain while passing urine, blood or burning in urine, especially in men shouldn t be ignored. It can be a sign of bladder or pelvic cancer

Hoarseness without any respiratory infection or persistent for more than 3-4 weeks.

Normally lymph nodes swell due to any surrounding infection and then shrink eventually when the infection goes away. If it remains for a longer time and without any infection in the body, should be investigated.

A mole that is multicoloured with irregular borders, bleeding can be cancerous. Especially which is growing rapidly and is painful shouldn t be avoided at all.

Long continued heartburn and difficulty in swallowing even after using over the counter antacids. This can be a sign of esophageal cancer.

Bloody discharge or bleeding from the vagina which is unusual or after menopause can be due to cancer of the uterus or cervix.

Unobvious or unexplained weight loss, fever or night sweats can be an early sign of different types of cancer.

Continuous itching in the genital or anal area, non-healing sores and pain in back, head, bloating and indigestion which is there for a long time without any cause, should be inspected.

Cancer can be horrifying and debilitating but if diagnosed early by giving attention to the symptoms mentioned above and treated properly can fight off. Cancer is no more incurable if treated early. In cases where this disease is out of carelessness if some points are kept in mind and followed, prove to be preventive. If not preventive then definitely reduce the risk of developing it at least.

Do not overuse the birth control pills. Using them randomly can increase the chances of cancer.

Excessive consumption of alcohol shouldn t be done as it irritates the gastric mucosa and increases the incidences of malignancy. However, an occasional glass is fine and does no harm.

Avoid using pesticides around you or having things on which they are sprayed as many of them are definitely carcinogen.

Say no to smoking as tobacco in any form is an invitation to death. Smoking for a long time like 10-30 years can make you pay a heavy price for that.

Long continued anxiety and stress create havoc in the hormonal system of the body which ultimately results in diseases. Try to keep yourself more optimistic and relax in daily life.

Prefer organic vegetables and fruits as other ones have pesticides used while growing them which are definitely a source of getting carcinogens in the body.

Limit intake of processed and packaged food as they increase the risk or certain types of cancer. 

Stay active and try to maintain healthy weight.

Cancer can be the biggest slayer of the health but one can fight it and keep it at bay if mentioned tips are read and implement. Early diagnosis can prevent many lives. So spread awareness and let more people know about it. 

Cancer - A Misfortune Or Carelessness!

According to a major study that provides a connection between height and cancer, it is stated that taller people are more prone to developing cancer. Research has found that the risk of developing any kind of cancer in women rises by 18% for an increase of every 10 cm in height. In men, the risk rises by 11%, even though height is not as major a factor as are obesity, smoking and a bad, unhealthy diet.

Several reasons have been put forward for the above statement. One of the reasons is that the number of body cells in taller people is more than people with average height. This leads to an increase in the number of cells which could potentially turn malignant.

While individually analysing the impact of height on different cancer forms, it was found that the highest increase in risk was in skin cancer (30% for every 10 cm increase in height), while a 20% increase was noted in taller women developing breast cancer.

Development of cancer in regions including the colon and rectum is known as colorectal cancer. Long legs have been surprisingly associated with this form of cancer. In comparison with shorter people, it was reported that taller people had a higher risk percentage of developing colorectal cancer. Two hypotheses regarding the formation of colorectal cancer have been developed. One hypothesis is that taller people have longer colons, which in turn result in more surface area where colon cancer can develop. The other hypothesis is that taller people experience increased levels of growth hormones. These particularly affect the length of their legs. The growth hormone called 'insulin-like growth factor 1' is increased during puberty and is considered to be a risk factor for colorectal cancers occurring at later stages.

Being Taller Increases Your Risk of Cancer!

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