Sat, June 18, 2022, 11:00 – 12:15 IST

The session was well attended by both women and men. In her talk, Dr. Tapaswini Pradhan  gave a brief introduction to cancer and the increase in prevalence.

Her address focused on causes  of cancer  which can be targets for prevention through the following “Tips and Tricks ( Practices)”. The potential causes*  of cancer, from the lifestyle perspective, are :

• High BMI
• Low intake of fruits & vegetables
• Lack of physical activity
• Consumption of unhealthy substances like tobacco & alcohol

The best practice of prevention is by adopting a healthy environment & lifestyle and by avoiding consumption of Tobacco (including passive smoking).  

Tips & Tricks :

• Do not start a habit of Tobacco consumption as it is addictive and  leads to 3 D ( Disease, Death & Disability) – tips for youth, especially.
• Take precaution against viral infections  (HPV, EBV, HIV, Herpes). These viral infections are know to  trigger different forms of cancer. Vaccines available for Cervical and Hepatitis A & B.
•  Get an exposure of 20 minutes of Sunlight daily with 40% of body surface exposed. But avoid excessive exposure to Sun’s Ultra Violet rays, noticed in ozone depleted zones and high altitudes, as it causes skin cancer.
• Nutrition – Eat the rainbow (vegetables and fruits in various colours bring different forms of nutrition that form a healthy meal. All vegetables must be thoroughly washed to protect against residual pesticides and chemicals) – Recommend 5 fruit servings a day.
• Prevention through use of known spices, vegetables and fruits –  Turmeric is the best known source of Curcumin. Tomato,  Capsicum, Watermelon and Apple (with skin) are good sources of Lycoprene. Green Tea provides EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). Beans, Papaya, Peanuts and Almonds are good sources of Folic Acid.
• Maintain physical activity and Physical wellness. Minimum 30 minutes of exercise must be done daily to keep the BMI between 18 and 20. First 20 minutes of exercise help lose carbohydrates and the time beyond helps release fat.
• Yoga for physical and mental health – Yoga provides a holistic approach to exercise all the muscles and bones help keep the lungs healthy. It does not provide cure for Cancer, but improves Quality of Life. Yoga improves sleep, relieves stress and improves immune response.
• Do not ignore early warning signs or symptoms** from your body – Lumps, changes in bowel cycles, sores and other impediments that refuse to heal even after 3 weeks are all warning signals that should not be ignored. It is better to consult a specialist to rule out possibilities of cancer.

After the session, questions submitted by the audience were taken up for Q & A moderated by Ms. Sujata Sahu. In conclusion, Dr. Lata Anand, co-founder, Mitra Cancare Foundation summarized the key points of the session.

The participants found the program very informative, presented in a very clear and lucid way and the common questions and doubts were addressed. Mitra CanCare Foundation’s co-founder Mr Amar Bhaskar expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to Dr Tapaswini for making the time to present  at this monthly awareness session.

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* Potential Causes – Source quoted – World Health Organization

** Symptoms – Mitra CanCare has compiled a good list of symptoms associated with common forms of cancer. Visit the page Common Cancers & Symptoms for an illustrated and easy to understand list of symptoms of common types of cancer.