Many people say the word “cancer” with muted apprehension as if merely saying it will make it reality. People who have not dealt with cancer themselves before have a hard time understanding what these words mean. Regardless of whether your cancer is deemed treatable or otherwise, significant life changes are certain to occur. The intent of this article is to make the impact of a cancer diagnosis more bearable.

Try to reduce the amount of sugar that you consume, as part of your daily diet. Sugar is what cancer cells use to grow, so eliminating sugar completely can help to starve out your cancer. You can use this technique along with other treatments to boost their effectiveness.

In addition to making you feel great in your daily life, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, and getting plenty of exercise, has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Include bountiful servings of both fruits and vegetables in your diet, stay thoroughly hydrated and workout a daily half hour to ward off cancer and enhance your general life and well-being.

Be mindful that any fruits and vegetables that you purchase at the store are possibly contaminated. They often carry chemicals meant to kill insects, fungus, or bacteria. Before consuming vegetables and fruits, wash them using water and mild soap in order to remove the pesticides left on it, or try purchasing foods that have fewer pesticide risks.

Always take a stand when you need to. A lot of people have ideas about cancer that are outdated and might raise questions about how you can do your job. It may be useful to plan your answers to these types of questions in advance. You set the standard for how you want to be treated; the way you respond to these initial questions tells people how to handle you as a person with cancer.

There may be someone in your friends or family that also suffers from the pains of cancer. If you do know someone like this, you should listen to any advice they may offer and take it to heart. Even if it is difficult, you have to give them a chance to talk about their feelings. Don’t give your opinions or interrupt, simply listen.

While it may be common information that quitting smoking can reduce the chances emphysema and lung cancer, many smokers are unaware that smoking can also lead to colon cancer. The smoke you breathe in causes carcinogens to build up in the colon. The tobacco can make the colon polyps bigger, too. These reasons are just more on top of the hundreds of other reasons to stop smoking.

Ditch the sugary soft drinks because they’ve been known to increase the risk of getting cancer. If you gain weight from carbs and foods rich in calories, your cancer will grow and spread to different parts of your body.

There are some realities of cancer that you will have to deal with, so it is better to accept that, and not try to avoid the inevitable. You will be more efficient in your battle if you prepare yourself.

Your expectations and reality may differ. It is important to let those who are supporting you know that you appreciate all they are doing for you.

Be sure you seal any decks or play sets that were built before 2005. Many older wooden items were treated with an arsenic pesticide. Sealing them properly will limit the exposure for you and your children to these potential carcinogens.

If you want to know what your risk of a certain cancer is, you must know its symptoms. By knowing the risk factors, you will be more able to recognize any symptoms when they occur.

If you’re experiencing stomach upset while on cancer treatment and medication, discontinue drinking coffee. The caffeine in coffee will exacerbate these types of problems, so it is best to stay away from the drink completely. Also, try to avoid all other sources of caffeine, which is usually present in soft drinks and chocolate as well.

Try full disclosure when it comes time to telling your loved ones about your prognosis. A strong support system is important at this time, so do not try to be tough and end up feeling alone and isolated. Opening the lines of communication about your diagnosis will help strengthen your bond with your family.

Skin Cancer

Before you go outside, make sure that you are wearing enough clothing to protect your skin. Any exposed skin should have sunscreen on it, to lower the chances of developing skin cancer. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can be harmful to the skin. If you get skin cancer, it can be fatal. It is suggested to use a waterproof sunscreen SPF30+ if you have light skin which is susceptible to sunburn.

It is wise to avoid direct sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Plan your outdoor activities around those hours to decrease your chances of getting skin damage, which makes you more susceptible to skin cancer.

Taking steps to reduce your chances of getting cancer is much easier than trying to treat the disease when it strikes. You can prevent cancer by avoiding the sun for too many hours. And if you must be in the sun for a long time, cover your body with sunscreen.

Look for ways to add more fun to your life. A cancer diagnosis will have a big impact on your life, but let it change the basics of what you enjoy. Continue to do things you love to do, whether it’s reading, watching movies or going to sporting events. You might need to be extra cautious in your planning to make sure anything you do does not take too much out of you, but not enough to where you are not enjoying yourself.

Regardless of the stage of your cancer, you can do many things to help yourself, to enhance your quality of life, and to seek help from resources and other people. Hopefully, the tips laid out here have lightened the load you carry, as well as provided direction on approaching your cancer fight with knowledge, power and a renewed, emboldened spirit.