Cancer Toxins to Avoid
As a woman, cancers like breast and ovarian cancer are a high risk, but you can get any type of cancer out there. While some of your risk has to do with genetics and lifestyle choices, there are also some toxins you may not be aware you are exposed to. Make sure you avoid these cancer toxins.
Pesticides
The first type of toxin that can potentially lead to cancer is pesticides. Pesticides are most often found in your food, but by making smart choices and rinsing what you can, you have a great method for reducing how many pesticides you ingest. Typically, it is just a small amount of residue, but any amount you can wash off, the better you will be. The pesticides that may cause cancer are herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. They can not only lead to cancer, but pose other serious health risks as well. The biggest culprits for these toxins are produce and meat products.
Arsenic
Believe it or not, you might also be ingesting some arsenic into your body, which is another known cancer toxin. Arsenic is of course a deadly toxin to be avoided, but it is also found in common foods and drinks you wouldn’t think of. This can be anything as simple as apple seeds, to something like wine. Many red and white wine uses a small amount of arsenic, and the World Health Organization is looking at how even small trace amounts might increase your risk for cancer.
Chloroform
Chloroform is a chemical that is a little less common, but can be found in oxygen, food, and even your own water. This is most often a concern when you live somewhere that doesn’t have clean drinking water, or if you eat a lot of processed foods. This is yet another reason to try and stick to whole, fresh foods, and go organic whenever possible.
As you can see, simple foods you eat every day could possibly have dangerous toxins that lead to cancer and other serious diseases. By sticking to fresh foods, cooking at home, and making sure everything is rinsed thoroughly, you are going far at reducing how many of these toxins you ingest into your body. You can also talk to your doctor about other potential cancer risks, particularly for the cancers that are a higher risk for women, like breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
5 Reasons Every Woman Should Exercise
You may not want to hear it, but exercise is very important for you. Everyone should be fitting regular fitness into their routine, but you also have some unique benefits as a woman. Here are 5 different reasons to start exercising on a regular basis.
1. It Gives You a Natural Mood Boost
One of the great things about exercising regularly is that it makes you feel so much better. It is high on the list of the best ways to naturally make you happier and reduce stress at the same time. This is all thanks to endorphins, which are happy chemicals you already have in your brain. When you exercise, it helps you release those endorphins, helping you to feel happier and more energetic. Exercising for around 30 minutes or so a day really boosts your mood.
2. You Can Reduce Certain Health Risks
Exercise is wonderful for so many reasons, from weight loss to giving you more energy. Another reason you should exercise is because it helps to reduce your risk for serious medical conditions. This includes physical conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease, both of which are a high risk if you are a woman. Exercising has also been shown to reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. There is no cure for dementia, so prevention is your best chance.
3. It Helps with Your Sex Life
If you feel like your sex life has been lacking as of late, why not feel sexier and get more confidence with exercise? There are many ways exercising can improve your sex life. First of all, it will give you more confidence due to becoming fit, healthy, and losing weight. It can also improve your sexual desire thanks to the natural mood boost and increase in energy you get. This is great for both women and men.
4. You Can Lose Weight
The reason many women choose to exercise regularly is to help them lose weight. While you should still follow a healthy diet, exercise definitely helps you manage your weight. It is important at any age, from teen and young adult years, to being an older adult and senior. Weight loss also has other benefits, like improving your confidence, helping with your sex life, and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
5. Exercise is Great for Mental Health
While your physical health is very important to pay attention to, you should also be focusing on your mental health as well. It is imperative that you not forget about your stress level and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Exercise can help you manage these types of mental health conditions.
Health Screenings for Women
Everyone, regardless of their gender or age, should be focusing on health and proper nutrition. As a woman, there are certain vitamins that can really help with your physical and mental health, particularly with diseases and medical conditions you are at a higher risk for.
Antioxidants
You guessed it – you need your antioxidants! There are many medical conditions as a woman that can be affected by malnutrition, which is often so subtle you don’t realize it. A good place to start is by making sure you are getting the vitamins classified as antioxidants, which are vitamins C, A, and E. Vitamin C is easy to get from citrus fruits and vegetables like broccoli. You also want to try to get more vitamin A and E, all of which can help with your heart, illnesses, and infections in your body. Vitamin supplements are available if you don’t think you get enough of these vitamins through your diet.
B Vitamins
The next class of vitamins essential for women are the B vitamins. There are many different B vitamins, including B complex supplements and the B vitamins individually. All of them are important for you to grow healthy and strong, from a child to a senior woman. For example, vitamin B1 helps you to get more energy, while B5 is good for balancing your hormones. If you are in your reproductive years, folate or B9 is important to grow a healthy baby. You can get B vitamins through natural food sources or with a multi-vitamin that you take each day.
Vitamin D
Don’t forget about your vitamin D, which you can get from a number of different natural food sources. Vitamin D is going to help you build strong bones, which is essential for preventing conditions like osteoporosis. As you know, women are at a high risk for such diseases. Vitamin D can also help to improve your immune system and help give you more natural energy throughout the day. The best source of vitamin D comes right from the sun’s UV rays.
Vitamin K
Lastly, you should try to get adequate amounts of vitamin K each day, either with a supplement or with foods like blueberries, broccoli, and spinach. Vitamin K is great for your immunes system, helping you to fight off colds and other illnesses. It can also help with your digestive health and promote healthy gut bacteria.
One of the more common medical conditions that plagues women more than men is osteoporosis. This occurs when you lose bone mass and density, often from natural aging. This can create a lot of different issues for you, so it is best that you try to prevent it. Here is more information about osteoporosis and what you can do about it.
Causes of Osteoporosis?
Anyone can get osteoporosis, though it is often considered something women get. This is only because the risk is much higher in women. It is something that affects millions of people around the world. There is no single cause of osteoporosis since it is simply a loss of bone density, but there are many contributing factors. If you are a woman, you are already at a higher risk. Some other risk factors include malnutrition and not getting enough vitamins and minerals, being an older adult, and having a thinner frame. You might also be at risk if other people in your family had osteoporosis. Additional risk factors include smoking and drinking, not getting enough exercise, and using certain medications.
How to Know You Have Osteoporosis?
Not sure if you are currently suffering from osteoporosis? Only a doctor can tell you that, unfortunately, and there really are no early warning signs and symptoms. However, as it progresses, you might start noticing a few changes in your body. This includes a posture that is stooped that you can’t seem to straighten out, getting shorter over time, and having back pain that never really goes away. If you are experiencing these symptoms, talk to your doctor about examining you for osteoporosis.
Preventing Osteoporosis?
When you look at the common risk factors for osteoporosis, you should be able to tell what you might be able to do to prevent it. This includes quitting smoking and drinking if you do it excessively and following a healthy diet. Nutrients that are good for preventing it and strengthening your bones are vitamin D and calcium. These are found in milk and dairy, but also in many fruits and vegetables. You should also be getting an adequate amount of exercise on a regular basis.
Your doctor can start treating osteoporosis during the early stages by changing your diet and giving you proper medications. You may also need to be careful about falls and watch out for your physical activity if you are diagnosed with this condition.
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