Steps to take to reduce your cancer risk

Dr. Garcia's complete breakdown of these 15 cancer-risk topics can be found in a two-part series on the Utopia Wellness website: Part 1 | Part 2

I am often asked what measures can a person take to minimize the risk of developing cancer or its recurrence. This list is extensive and often seems an overwhelming feat for a person to undertake. There are so many changes to diet and lifestyle that people often get discouraged and make minimal changes.

I will tell you, however, if you don’t make these changes now and you are unfortunate enough to develop cancer, you will be making all of these changes and much more when you are fighting to eliminate your cancer. Unfortunately, these changes work much more effectively before you get cancer than they do when you are treating it. The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has never been truer when you are dealing with the big “C.”

Some of the changes will be in the form of diet and others lifestyle. Some will be easy changes and others will be more difficult. By taking this in stages, you will be able to incorporate a little at a time, acclimate to those changes, then once they are your new norm, incorporate more.

1.  Drink plenty of water (better yet, drink ionized alkaline water)

First and foremost is you should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day for your overall health. More than 50 percent of our bodies are made of water, and staying properly hydrated is essential to every bodily function.

Why ionized alkaline water? Human blood has a pH of approximately 7.4 — slightly alkaline. It’s essential for our bodies to maintain our pH within a tight range. Even a small fluctuation of as little as .05 in our blood pH can have severe health risks.

Another reason: the antioxidant properties that aid in neutralizing free radicals. According to the National Cancer Institute, one of the underlying causes of cancer is excessive free radical damage to your cells that harm your DNA and results in some cells mutating into cancerous cells.

2.  Eat organic

3.  Add these cancer fighters to your diet

• Coconut Oil
• Greener Greens
• Whole Grains
• Brazil nuts
• Cruciferous Vegetables

4.  Avoid charred and well-done meats

5.  Avoid unnecessary scans

6.  Exercise

7.  Reduce risks from cell phones

8.  Maintain a healthy weight

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, excess body weight contributes to as many as 1 out of 5 of all cancer-related deaths. Excess body weight may affect cancer risk through a number of mechanisms, some of which might be specific to certain cancer types. Excess body fat can affect immune system function and inflammation, levels of certain hormones, such as insulin and estrogen, factors that regulate cell growth, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and proteins that influence how the body uses certain hormones, such as sex hormone-binding globulin.

9.  Eliminate smoking and tobacco use

10.  Eliminate/reduce simple sugar consumption

11.  Find inner peace

12.  Visit a biological/holistic dentist

Your mouth is the gateway to your body’s complete health. If you have good oral conditions, then you are more likely to enjoy better health and wellness. Substantial research has demonstrated that many diseases and cancers are directly correlated to toxinsA poison made by certain bacteria, plants, or animals, including insects., infections and root canals found in the mouth.

• Mercury Amalgams –  Amalgams are responsible for more mercury exposure in the U.S. than any other source. A single mercury amalgam releases as much as 15 micrograms of mercury per day.  When you consider that the average person has eight amalgams that means they are absorbing up to 120 micrograms of mercury per day. Since our bodies are incapable of eliminating mercury, these levels compound over time leading to mercury poisoning and the corresponding health issues.
• Root Canals – More than 25 million root canals are performed every year in this country. Root-canaled teeth are essentially “dead” teeth that can become silent incubators for highly toxic anaerobic bacteria that can, under certain conditions, make their way into your bloodstream to cause a number of serious medical conditions—many not appearing until decades later. Since the root canaled tooth no longer receives a blood supply, the bacteria are protected from the immune system.

In the early 1900s, Dr. Weston Price was one of the first researchers to understand the association between root canals and illness. Price was concerned about the pathological bacteria found in nearly all root canal teeth of that time. These bacteria can make their way into the bloodstream infiltrating tissue, organs, and glands.

The Weston Price Foundation continues his research today and has been able to identify 53 different species of anaerobic bacteria in root canals.

13.  Replace your non-stick cookware

14.  Wear safe sunscreen

15.  Stand more and sit less

Cancer prevention does not guarantee you will always be cancer-free but taking measures to reduce your risk will give you the upper hand.

Dr. Garcia's complete breakdown of these 15 cancer-risk topics can be found in a two-part series on the Utopia Wellness website: Part 1 | Part 2