Lung cancer is a disease that is caused because of uncontrolled division of the tissues of the lung. Most of the people think that lung cancer is because of smoking, but there are other factors too that are responsible for causing lung cancer. This article on how to prevent lung cancer will help you to know symptoms of lung cancer and methods to prevent lung cancer.
Lung cancer is responsible for causing about 1.3 million deaths per year annually. Hence it is very essential to know the preventive measures of lung cancer. Here I am giving you the symptoms of lung cancer so that if you are suffering from this disease then you can diagnose it and cure it at an early stage.
As in case of most of the cancers, lung cancer is also cured by using the methods of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and medication if it is at initial stage.
Symptoms of lung cancer:
- In lung cancer you find difficulty in breathing and there is a severe pain in chest and abdomen.
- You many also experience chronic coughing and blood during coughing.
- There may be a large amount of weight loss and the patient may feel difficulty in swallowing. He also suffers from loss of appetite and fatigue.
- Patient may feel a whistling sound in the respiratory airways while breathing. This is because of the narrowing of some part of the respiratory track.
- Nail clubbing is also one of the symptoms of lung cancer, but this is not common among all the patients.
How to prevent lung cancer:
Avoid smoking:
- If you are a smoker then this may be one of the key factors that can be responsible for causing lung cancer. Stop smoking to stay safe from lung cancer.
- Lung cancer is mostly seen in case of long-term smokers who are exposed to tobacco for a long duration of smoking.
Avoid passive smoking:
- Even passive smoking can cause lung cancer. Passive smoking is when you are exposed to the tobacco smoke for a long time.
- In this case the person himself doesn’t smoke but if somebody around him smokes continuously than even he can be affected by lung cancer.
- In a family if father smokes then his family may also be susceptible to lung cancer due to exposure to smoke.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables:
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables should include cranberries, strawberries, beans, legumes, etc.
- These foods are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids that help in repairing cellular damage.
- They also help in guarding your DNA, so include a lot of these kinds of foods in your diet.
Protect yourself from carcinogens factors:
- Do not get exposed to carcinogens factors (cancer causing factors) at work. The carcinogens factors at work include gasoline, diesel exhaust, coal products and asbestos.
- If you are working in such a place where there is probability of getting exposed to such factors then take necessary precautions such as using face masks and getting medical checkups every often, etc.
Stay protected from radon:
- Radon gas which is an isotope of radioactive elements such as radium and uranium is also responsible for causing lung cancer.
- This radioactive isotope is released by the breakdown of uranium and radium from the crest of the earth.
- You can take various precautionary measures to prevent your house from this radon gas.
- You may ask your constructor for this or look for help online.
Reduce pollution:
- Pollution is also one of the factors responsible for causing lung cancer. If the air or water contains a large amount of particulate matter in it then it can be a threat to your lungs.
- This particulate matter includes dust, mercury, sewage from industries, silicon and a variety of pollutants in the air.
- We must take necessary preventive measures to reduce the chances of lung cancer because of these particulate matters by purifying the air and water as far as possible.
Viruses:
- Some viruses are also responsible for causing lung cancer.
- These cancer causing viruses may be present inside our body and they include simian virus, BK virus, human papillomavirus, etc.
- Regular checkup should be done to check whether your body is affected by any such viruses.
Conduct tests:
- Chest radiograph is one of the tests that are performed to detect lung cancer.
- If you are a smoker or even if you don’t smoke you can perform this test once in a while as a preventive measure.
- However this test is conducted only for the patients who show the symptoms of lung cancer.