World Cancer Day 2024: 5 lifestyle changes you need to make

You can fight the six-lettered word ‘CANCER’ with another six-lettered word called ‘PRAYER’, says Amar Bhaskar, former director and COO of IBM Global Business Services, India. Bhaskar, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2006, believes that a combination of Positive attitude, Resilience, Adapting to new changes, re-inventing Yourself, Engaging in activities, and Rejoicing with family can put up a strong front against this deadly disease. Broadly, cancer is all about a journey that forces an individual to introspect.

One reason why people die of cancer is the lack of information. The great American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” In other words, awareness about the disease is the key to waging war against it. Every year, World Cancer Day — which commemorates the resilience of survivors, the dedication of healthcare workers, and the power of collective action — is celebrated on February 4 with different themes. ‘Close the Care Gap’, the theme for 2023, continues this year.

As individuals, we all need to balance our lives intellectually, physically, emotionally, and above all, spiritually. The way we live, what we eat or drink, the environment we exist in, and the toxins we ingest, all contribute to developing cancer. Lifestyle, in other words, is a causative factor in 30-50 per cent of cases.

Eating healthy, remaining physically active, avoiding substance abuse, managing stress and one’s thoughts, getting adequate sleep, and having strong personal and social support are all essentials required for healthy living.

1. Eat healthier

Eating to feel better is of course a primal human instinct. In a fast-paced life, often, meals become whatever is convenient and quickly available. When we are stressed, we often crave food with higher sugar and fat content, which are generally low in fibre and other nutrients, and contain ingredients with addictive properties. Such unhealthy eating habits eventually lead to abnormal weight gain and obesity.

Worldwide obesity has tripled in the last 50 years. Ironically, the rise has been dramatic in lower-income countries where malnutrition is common. These communities have greater access to high-calorie foods with low nutritional value. By being overweight, changes occur in the internal hormonal milieu to such an extent that it predisposes an individual to cancers in the breasts, endometrium, cervix, prostate, colorectum, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney, and gallbladder.

Healthy eating habits entail being close to nature. Two-thirds of our diet should be vegetarian. This gives an alkaline milieu in the body that protects the system. Also, the more colourful the food, the greater its influence on our health. Phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibres found in plant products help detoxify the system and block certain cancer pathways. High consumption of these foodstuffs during childhood and adolescence is more effective in reducing cancer risk than in adult life. High salt preserved food, grilled barbecued food, and processed and frozen food should be minimised in the diets. In other words, one should consider diet as one’s bank account and good food as investments.

2. Manage stress

In today’s complicated world, stress has become a constant companion. Though it may not directly lead to cancer, stress promotes cancer growth. The single most important factor in the management of stress is handling the state of our mind, which often takes a back seat. What you eat is important but what eats you is more so. The three Cs — comparison, criticism, and complaining — form cancers of the mind.

But to put the mind at peace, one has to learn to accept the worst of situations in life. This primarily can be achieved by handling our emotions through meditation. Meditation helps create positive thoughts, produces self-discipline, brings about a healthy sleep pattern, increases pain tolerance, harmonises body, mind and soul, adds meaning to life, helps to cope with stress, reduces the patient’s agony, and improves the quality of life.

3. Get more sleep

A good night’s sleep is considered as essential as oxygen for our survival. Good quality sleep helps to heal and produce regeneration of cells. It is a natural immune booster.

Scientifically, seven hours of sleep is required to protect ourselves against heart disease, diabetes, depression, and also cancer. Professionals working at odd hours of the night disrupt their biological clocks and accrue a predisposition towards breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancer.

4. Physical activity and immunity boosters

Regular physical activity for a period of half an hour and engaging oneself in creative pursuits helps relieve one’s stress bucket. It is one of the best ways of de-stressing and relieving anxiety. This facilitates the production of feel-good hormones in the brain, which aids the release of endorphins. These hormones in turn provide clearance of negative thoughts and emotions. Positive thoughts, cheerfulness, strength of the mind, and joy have all been shown to increase the number of white blood cells in the system. This in turn boosts the immune system and helps ward off diseases, even cancer.

5. Avoid alcohol and tobacco completely

A large proportion of the cancers are caused by tobacco and alcohol consumption. Age of initiation, years of consumption, and quantity used, have all been reasons for early affliction. To refrain from these habits is mandatory.

It is so true that every cancer cannot be cured but every individual suffering from it can be healed — since healing is purely spiritual. Therefore, one should wake up every morning with gratitude and appreciate the gift of the new day. While our smiles should be used to change the world, we should not allow the world to change our smiles. As the kite sends us all the beautiful message of flying high but staying connected to our roots, we should stay simple in our lifestyles and remain protected from these dreadful diseases.

(The author is a senior consultant for Head and Neck Oncosurgery at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi)

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