Butt-Check.org

Wellness

I feel it is important to start at the beginning and understand what Cancer is. Cancer is the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer can spread throughout your body.

Cancer begins with damage (mutations) in your DNA. Your DNA tells your cells how to grow and divide. Normal cells often develop mutations in their DNA, but they have the ability to repair most of these mutations. Or, if they can't make the repairs, the cells often die. However, certain mutations aren't repaired, causing the cells to grow and become cancerous. Mutations also cause cancer cells to live beyond a normal cell life span. This causes the cancerous cells to accumulate.

Your habits, your family history, your health conditions, and your environment all play a role in setting the stage for cancer or in completing the process once it's started.

If you have a family history of any cancer, see your doctor on a yearly basis and be specific about your concerns when you have your physical. Please ask to be screened if your doctor does not suggest it. 10% of all cancers are due to an inherited condition.

Please practice these DO's and DO NOT's for better health:

DO eat 5-9 servings of thoroughly washed fruits and vegetables every day. A serving is: one medium sized fruit, 1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen, or canned fruit, 1 cup of leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup of vegetables, 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Choose fruits and vegetables instead of chips, crackers or pastries.
DO exercise at least 30 minutes per day 3-4 times per week.
DO avoid exposure to sunlight especially during peak hours of 10:00am–3:00pm. Do wear protective clothing and use at least an SPF 30 sunscreen when you are in the sun and reapply frequently. Apply the sunscreen at least 30 minutes before exposure to the sun.
DO avoid foods high in fat...all chips, pastries, cream sauces, cheese, fried foods, ice cream...all the things we crave. If you do crave these foods, substitute dried fruit and keep carrot and celery sticks on hand. Eat frequent, small meals to keep your body and mind satisfied. Do include the essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet (at least twice a week eat salmon, mackerel, sardines and albacore tuna); there are supplements that help supply these essential nutrients.
DO increase your intake of fiber...fiber is soluble and insoluble, both impact your health. Insoluble fiber aids in digestion and waste elimination, promotes bowel regularity and acts as a natural laxative (apples, pears, cabbages, carrots, broccoli, lima, kidney and navy beans, peas, whole grains, green beans, beets, corn, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, sweet potatoes, flax seeds and brown rice). Keeping the intestine flushed and clean helps eliminate toxins that can build up and start causing mutations to occur. Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol, improves blood sugar, lowers blood pressure, blocks the absorption of fat, and promotes growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines (apples, lemons, carrots, beets, bananas, cabbages, citrus fruits, peas, okra, barley, oat bran, sesame seeds and oatmeal).
DO drink half your weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 120 pounds, you hold 10 gallons of water and you need 60 ozs. of water for minimum cellular function. Our bodies are 2/3 water and water is the fountain of life. Your bodily functions of digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion depend on water for all of these processes. Water flushes out your body wastes. Water does not mean pop, juice, coffee, sugar free drinks, or sports drinks. Filtered or bottled water is healthier than tap water.
DO avoid obesity.
DO avoid foods that have been salt-cured, salt pickled or smoked.
DO avoid charcoal barbecued meats.
DO decrease use of refined sugars and carbohydrates...pastry, processed foods, white potatoes, white rice, white spaghetti, white bread, breakfast bars (Nutri-Grain bars, etc.), sugary cereals and candy.
DO have tests performed that may detect cancers in their early stages as recommended for your age. These include pap smears, mammographys, colorectal exams and prostate exams.
DO get immunized (Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer and HPV-Human Papillomavirus can cause cervical cancer).
DO avoid risky behaviors. Practice safe sex with condom use, limit the number of sexual partners or abstain. Do not share needles and seek help with drug addictions.
DO avoid stress and learn to better handle stressful situations.
DO use supplements that have been shown in research studies to aid in the prevention of certain cancers.
DO NOT smoke cigarettes or use any tobacco products. Avoid second hand smoke.
DO NOT drink more than two alcoholic drinks per day if you are a male and one or less if you are a female.
DO NOT visit indoor tanning salons.

I have my own business in preventative health care, I am a personal trainer, and I have been in the field of nursing for 33 years. I am currently the Director of Nurses for a locally owned wellness company and on the Board of Directors for Butt-Check.org.

If you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Debbie Wolff, RN

debwolffrn@aol.com