The first step towards prevention of any disease is gaining a deeper understanding of the causes behind it, and lifestyle is a major contributing factor behind numerous ailments. While genetics and environmental factors play very important roles, one cannot ignore how lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, smoking and consumption of alcohol can significantly impact our health and well-being.Lifestyle has a huge impact on our health because everything we do to our body on a daily basis adds up in the long-run.
Modern life is essentially a race against the clock, and this affects our consumption patterns, our daily habits and even our sleep cycle. Wrong lifestyle choices can wreak havoc on the human body, and it significantly increases the chance of developing illnesses like cervical cancer, which is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and it affects the cervix, which is found in the lower part of the uterus in women. It usually starts with the deposit of cells in the cervix that needs to be removed or it can turn cancerous. Cervical cancer develops slowly and over time thus going for yearly screenings can help in early detections.
HPV is sexually transmitted and some of its high-risk strain can cause cervical cancer, and particularly at risk of contracting this virus are those who have multiple sexual partner. Habits like smoking and consumption of alcohol can increase the risk of contracting cervical cancer. Smoking weakens the body’s immune system, and this hinders its ability to fight against even the weaker strains of HPV. Diet is also an important factor in almost every disease. A lack of vegetables, fruits and protein can lead to various deficiencies, and this can further compromise the body’s immune system. Cervical cancer is becoming increasingly common, but it is also highly preventable if lifestyle changes are implemented.
The most important and ultimate deciding factor in all types of cancer is early detection and thus more women should be encouraged to go for yearly pap-smears once they become sexually active, which is a routine test that examines cells from the cervix for any abnormalities. Sexually active women should also opt for HPV tests once a year. They need to use adequate protection like condoms and also get vaccinated against HPV. Maintaining good genital hygiene is also a necessary step in cervical cancer prevention. Menstruating girls and women should be encouraged to use proper hygienic sanitary napkins and tampon when they bleed as using old clothes which are poorly sanitized can increase their chances of developing cervical cancer. Women should also be taught to look out for unexplained and persistent pain or bleeding after intercourse, bleeding after menopause, bleeding in between periods as they can be possible symptoms of cervical cancer.
Some steps that every woman should follow in their daily life as a preventative measure are:
- Avoid smoking or consuming tobacco and alcohol as it compromises the body’s immune system making it susceptible to infections.
- Eat a healthy nutrient dense diet and strictly avoid ultra-processed frozen food which have a lot of chemicals as they ate harmful and unfit for consumption.
- Exercise on a regular basis to maintain a healthy weight. Being active also helps fight off obesity which can cause a lot of impairment.
- Maintain good genital hygiene especially when menstruating. Poor genital hygiene can cause infection which if left untreated can turn chronic and cause serious harm to the female reproductive system.
- Get tested yearly for HPV as this helps in early detection which can help in successfully treating cervical cancer in its early stages. The pap smear test done to test for HPV helps detect any abnormal cell growth on the cervix that can turn cancerous if left untreated.
As a preventative measure, get vaccinated against the most harmful strains of HPV to ward off risks of developing cervical cancer. This vaccine gives the body’s immune system a safe way to build resistance against cervical cancer.
Avoid regular consumption of birth control pills as they are made of synthetic versions of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Excessive hormones in the body can aid the growth of cancerous cells on the cervix.
Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to life-threatening diseases. With the advancement in medical science, we have more access to reliable information on what should not be done to lead a happy and healthy life. Disease prevention is not always a matter of individual choices but leading a healthy life should be everyone’s prerogative and for that one needs to make wise choices and practice discipline and caution.
(Author: Dr Indoo Ambulkar, HOD Medical Oncology HCG Cancer Centre in Borivali)