Chronic Disease Risk

Janni Puente
April 15, 2013
Chronic Disease Risk

After taking my health risk assessment of my choice (stomach cancer) I not only learned what it consisted of, but also what I could do to continue the derision of developing the disease. Stomach cancer, is not different than any other kind of cancer types, such as: breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer or even ovarian cancer. Cancer is cancer. With stomach cancer is can be described as a gastric cancer, which is a malignant tumor arising from the lining of the stomach. The description of cancer is not easily described in a sentence. It is a group of diseases that are found in wild growth of cells. Any gathering of abnormal cells is known as a tumor. There are two types: benign or malignant. Benign tumor does not spread beyond their initial location (the site of the cancer spotted). A tumor becomes malignant when the cells spread (or metastasize) to other areas of the body (other than the site it was originally found). Cancer is diagnosed when a tumor is found to be malignant which can spread to other organs and body parts.
Risk factors of having any kind of cancer, regardless if is benign or malignant, takes a great tol on the body ability to function properly. As there is still not one exact cause of cancer, it is still hard to pinpoint what we do as humans, which bring on this kind of disease to the body. Some of it factor include, unfortunately is genetic or within the family history of getting it, or environmental exposures that you come in contact with. Now things that can be controlled factor wise, such as your diet and exercise, areas of environment to be in, and the least amount of chemicals and smoke (and intake) you are around, could surely help the chance of not getting this disease.
Some things one can do to help decrease getting this cancerous disease, is keeping your body in tip top “clean”. Ways to keep your body clean, is not smoking or being around it (second hand smoke), staying clear from any drug use, exercising daily even if it is for only 30 minutes, eating right; which includes: taking vitamins, drinking plenty of water (instead of soda), in taking whole grain breads, adding vegetables and fruits to your daily plate and choosing lean meats. One should stay away from processed foods that are high in sugars, sodium and fats. With specifically stomach cancer, you can decrease your chance of getting it, if you increase your consumption of fruit by 3 times a day. I also learned that eating more fruit in general, can lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Good thing I like all fruit besides bananas. Also getting daily body checks by your family doctor can help keep your body on track. If you start to not feel “right” let your doctor know right away, so that maybe he/she can screen you or figure out what might be the cause of your symptoms. Washing your hands is also a huge help. With all the sickly people out there and the things our hands come in contact with, there is no wonder we are always sick. Proper cleanness is a must, which can also include: vacuuming more often, cleaning table tops, bathing the animals, keeping soap around and just in general good practice of sanitizing items.