Take Charge of Cancer Prevention in your Retirement

Taking charge of your lifestyle - how you eat, sleep and exercise - can go a long way toward preventing and controlling different types of cancer. Knowing what to avoid and taking preventative measures are all part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Practicing avoidance like putting off going to the doctor is very detrimental to your health.

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

Did you know that as much as 33% of all cancer-related deaths possibly could have been prevented? A poor diet and lack of exercise leads to excessive weight. Being overweight can heighten your chances of developing some form of cancer because your body in not strong enough to fight sickness off.

While you cannot fight your genetic profile or your age, there are plenty of things you can do to keep the odds in your favor of preventing or controlling cancer. Here are a few of the many ways that you can lower your cancer risks:

* Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat at all times as well as the strongest SPF sunscreen you can find. Avoid the heat of the day if at all possible.
* Eat a diet that is rich in dark green leafy vegetables, low fat dairy, lean meats and fish and fruit and whole grains. By avoiding all processed foods, you are effectively cutting out half your cancer risk due to your diet. Choose natural foods and avoid salt and sugar added products.
* Take a multi-vitamin to ensure that you get enough nutrients.
* Avoid or quit smoking and drink in moderation.
* Physical activity is a necessity. Four to six days a week should include light cardiovascular activity such as walking, gardening and more. Strength training also can help.

Keeping your regular doctor appointments goes a long way towards detecting and preventing different kinds of cancer. Your physicals as you get older should include all the cancer screening tests for skin, colon, and breast, prostate, cervical and ovarian cancers.

Talk with your doctor to determine what else you should be doing to try and prevent cancer. Your family history as well as your health are common factors in coming up with a plan. There are various tests that will effectively check for cancer and should be repeated yearly or as often as the medical community dictates. Of course, your sex will determine some of these tests. Here is an example of what to expect or ask your doctor about:

* Mammograms and x-rays are standard procedure to screen for breast cancer and should be completed once a year. Be sure to self-test as well.
* Men, there is a special PSA blood test that checks for prostate problems as well as a yearly rectal exam.
* Ladies, a pap smear can help detect cancer cells in the vagina and cervix. Be sure that you get this test as often as necessary, anywhere from 1-3 years, depending on medical and family history. A pelvic exam and ultrasound can help detect ovarian cancer.
* There are various colon cancer tests that can be performed such as a colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy or barium enema.
* See your doctor if you have any unusual patches of skin, bumps or moles. During your yearly physical, have your doctor examine your skin.

In addition to the yearly cancer screenings, eating right and exercising, sleep is another factor which could affect your health. Your best defense is a good offense when stopping cancer before it even starts.

Treating Elderly Depression With Good Old Fashion LOVE

Depression in the elderly population is a fast growing concern. Those who are depressed and elderly are at an increased risk for death by suicide. The suicide rates for those who are elderly as opposed to the rest of the population are 80%; which is a rate that is more than double that of youth. The warning signs of depression are missed in most cases because of the ideal that the elderly have more to be depressed about which fosters the idea that it is normal for them to be depressed. Depression is an illness and not a normal state for anyone to be in no matter what the age. All of the factors of depression are linked in some way to lack of social support.

The elderly face many contributing factors that can lead to depression including: loss of a spouse through divorce or death, lifestyle changes in living arrangement or location, financial lifestyle changes brought on by job loss, retirement or loss of a spouse, and also physical or mental stresses that take a toll on the mind and body. They can also lose body limbs due to trauma or disease, which can lead to feelings of loss. All of these factors can be supported and the elderly uplifted and encouraged to cope with these factors when they are in an environment where love is shared, nurtured and encouraged.

Environments that foster love are usually found within the family unit (sons and daughters, siblings, and other family members). As we age these family members decrease as adult children move away, as members die, or simply neglect the elderly members of the family. Some family units are unfortunately anything but a loving environment as so many elderly individuals are physically, mentally or emotionally abused. Not being loved can strip any individual of the ability to cope with life stresses that are of a physical nature such as disease, pain, loss of limb etc. Not being loved can also cause an individual to shut down and become isolated from society. Isolation leads to a lack of support system that would otherwise encourage and help the individual to find resources that could help them to deal with life stresses.

Society has the responsibility to identify those elderly community members who may be at risk for depression due to isolation or lack of loving support systems. Once identified initiating a loving support system can help elderly individuals to start to cope with depression and other illnesses.

A study conducted by the researchers at the Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, at Weil Cornell Medical College tested the theory of the effect social service interventions and social support had on depressive symptoms with 56 homebound elderly whose age averaged at 82. The study showed a decrease in depressive symptoms of those participating after just 6 months of social intervention. 63% of the participants improved the quality of life as a result of the social contact. Those patients who had the most social support showed the most improvement in all areas tested.

Love and concern for those who are elderly and showing signs of depression can make a difference in their ability to function and to cope with life including illnesses such as depression.