Anti-Cancer Living
HOUSTON: Indian American Cancer Network(IACAN) is a Houston based cancer resource network for people of Indian origin. Among many other things they do, organizing education seminars on cancer related subjects for Indian community is one of them. On July 23rd, IACAN organized one of such education programs, Anti-cancer Living at Arya Samaj. The program was presented by Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D, professor, Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Cohen says that here in USA, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. There is evidence which shows that many types of cancers and the resulting suffering can be prevented based on the lifestyle choices we make. These factors can also influence outcome for the patients suffering from cancer.
Dr. Cohen described what he calls 6 lifestyle pillars for health. Giving and receiving love and support to and from your family and friends provides broad benefits. It affects how our cells function and express the genes that control our health. Stress management by practicing meditation and yoga every day is important to our health. Chronic stress can negatively affect most of the biological processes, decreases the beneficial effect of healthy food habits and speed up the aging process. Develop good sleep habits. 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night improves our health, coping ability, our mood, weight, cognitive function and more. Good sleep habits include establishing bedtime, going to bed at similar times both weekdays and weekends, reducing ambient light in the bed room, avoid watching TV, using smart phones and tablets before bed time and reducing caffeine intake, alcohol and sugar. A healthy diet is one of the key factors of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Consume primarily variety filled whole-foods and plant-based diet. Refrain from processed foods as many of them can be loaded with sugar. Avoid smoking. To avoid obesity exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 to 6 days a week. Use of a pedometer to make sure that you reach the ideal goal of taking at least 10,000 steps a day. Sitting less, standing more, taking stairs and parking your car farthest from your destination are some of the suggestions Dr. Cohen made to keep yourself active. The last of the six lifestyle pillars we have to be aware of is environmental toxins. Some of the carcinogens we find in our daily life are BPA, parabens, styrofoam, formaldehyde among many others. Use glass containers for food storage and stainless steel containers for water.
Dr. Cohen hopes not only we pick and practice good lifestyle choices but encourage others to do so. IACAN is looking forward to organizing education events like this at other Indian community venues around Houston.
Contact info for IACAN: iacannetwork.org, Phone: (713)370-3489, Website: iacannetwork.org