National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is breast cancer awareness month. It is important to create awareness but also to know about cancer prevention. The most common kind of cancer amongst women is breast cancer. In the United States alone one in eight women born today will develop breast cancer at some point in her life, But there is good news too. Most women will survive breast cancer if found and treated in its early stages.

Cancer Prevention

Most likely, about 1.7 million Americans will find out that they have cancer this year alone. Cancer is a devastating disease, and is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Prevention is the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the domination of cancer. Awareness should be raised to reduce exposure to risk factors that may lead to cancer. Moonstone Naturopathic wants to make sure this information is accessible to people and help give the support needed to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Tobacco

Smoking tobacco is known to have over 7000 chemicals. 200 of those are definitely harmful in one way or the other and over 50 chemicals are directly responsible for cancer.

Smoking tobacco causes many forms of cancer, amongst them are cancer of the lungs, larynx (voice box), esophagus, mouth, kidney, throat, bladder, pancreas, cervix and stomach. Non-smoking adults are known to contract lung cancer from second-hand smoking also known as environmental tobacco smoke. Despite of the growing awareness, there are one billion smokers around the world.

Physical Inactivity, Dietary Factors, Obesity and Being Overweight

Another approach to cancer control is a dietary modification. Esophagus, breast, colorectum, endometrium, and kidney cancer are linked to obesity and being overweight. A diet that is high in vegetables and fruits alone will have a positive effect in preventing many forms of cancer. Cancer risk will be significantly lower when an individual is engaged in regular physical activity. A a naturopathic doctor such as Dr. McGill can recommend vitamins and supplements that can help support healthier dietary habits, help maintain a healthy body weight and reduce cancer risk.

Alcohol Use

Alcohol use is also a major risk factor for many types of cancer, specifically breast cancer. The more alcohol is consumed by the individual, the higher the risk of cancer. The risk of cancer increases tremendously when alcohol abuse is combined with habitual smoking.

These are only a few causes of cancer, but there are others including infections, environmental pollution, occupational carcinogens, and radiation. Dr. McGill can help individuals at risk identify and implement strategies that can reduce their chances of developing breast cancer and other forms of cancer.  Naturopathic Doctors are trained to focus on the health-building areas in order to establish and restore optimal health.

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