Lowering Your Risk For Prostate Cancer and Your Insurance Premiums

Call us today, we know tips in lowering your risk for prostate cancer and your insurance premiums! Finding affordable life insurance with a history of Prostate Cancer is still available today, with the right insurance company.

1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives, according to the American Cancer Society.

This means there is a high risk that you or someone you know will develop prostate cancer. It may seem that every day you are reading a new article or hearing something that can lead to the cause of cancer and, in truth, cancer can happen to anyone.

Cancer, scientifically speaking, is caused by a group of cells that stray from the traditional cell life cycle of growth, division and death. This means that, in a sense, everything you’ve read and heard is correct: no matter who you are, you can develop cancer.

The good news is that – particularly for prostate cancer – you are not helpless. There are risk factors that you can take measures to reduce.

The better news? Reducing your risk also means improving your health and your life insurance premium! Read on to find out more!

Tips in lowering your risk for prostate cancer and insurance premiums!

Exercise

It’s no secret that we all hate to exercise.

However, according to the American Cancer Society, regular exercise does more than just tone; it can lower your risk for prostate cancer. Building lean muscle lowers the risk for diabetes and obesity, which are two risk factors for the development of prostate cancer.

And if you’ve already been diagnosed with prostate cancer or are in recovery? Exercise can circumvent the harmful effects of cancer treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy, by strengthening your body and providing you with energy.

Energy is essential if you are being treated for prostate cancer, as treatment options can cause fatigue and exhaustion. Additionally, depression, anxiety and stress are all common side effects of cancer that can be lowered through regular exercise.

This is because exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and reduces stress-causing adrenaline. Endorphins activate the brain’s opiate receptors, creating an analgesic – or pain-relieving – effect. They are also responsible for feelings of euphoria or happiness.

According to the National Institutes of Health, exercise has the ability to send white blood cells, along with antibodies, more quickly through your bloodstream. This can help your body detect the presence of diseases faster and earlier than normal, while also helping your body more effectively fight illnesses.

Perhaps the main reason why exercise is so important is that it helps you feel more in control of your body.

Many individuals diagnosed with cancer feel helpless, depressed and betrayed by their bodies. Additionally, cancer patients report feeling anxious about their visits to the doctor and stressed about how to care for themselves and their families. The fatigue and weakness caused by treatments only heightens these feelings.

While we are not saying exercise is a cure-all (you should always talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen), a mere thirty minutes a day can boost positivity and help combat these negative side effects.

Eating Right

In addition to the overwhelming support for exercise in the medical community, there are many studies touting the health benefits of eating right, particularly for preventing prostate cancer.

Studies conducted by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Johns Hopkins University and the National Cancer Institute all support the theory that dietary choices play a large role in the development of cancer and cancer prevention.

According to the National Cancer Institute, “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) treatments are often used in conjunction with doctor-prescribed treatments among men who have been diagnosed with – or at risk for developing – prostate cancer.

Food, supplements, vitamins and minerals are frequent staples of these treatments and are used to ease symptoms or alleviate the side effects of traditional treatment options.

The NCI cautions: if you are at risk for prostate cancer or have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, be sure to speak to your doctor before using any CAM treatments. A lot of these treatments are for placebo effect, and are not effective. Some may even further damage your health.

Diet; however, has been studied extensively in accordance with prostate cancer risk, and more research continues to come out.

Many studies recommend a whole, plant-based diet with the addition of lean meats and proteins, such as fish and chicken. Additionally, many studies show that an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables aid in cancer prevention, particularly those that are rich in carotenoids, lycopene and isoflavones.

Fiber could also be key to lowering prostate cancer risk, as well as a diet that incorporates unsaturated fats.

On the other hand, certain foods are seen by these studies as triggers for increasing risk. These foods include chargrilled meats, which create carcinogens that can lead to cancer development. The carcinogens found in these meats are processed by the liver and may lead to DNA damage.

Regular Doctor Visits

To lower your risk for developing cancer, the simplest thing to do is regularly visit your doctor.

Your doctor will have a clear history of your medical past, as well as the diseases that run in your family. This means that he or she will be able to help assess your risk and prescribe methods to help you lower your chances for developing the disease.

Additionally, men over 40 should be participating in routine prostate examinations, as age is a key risk factor in the cancer’s development. These screenings should include digital rectal exams and PSA tests. This is especially important if your family history puts you at risk, or if you exhibit other risk factors, as early detection is vital.

Certain medication, such as finasteride and dutasteride, which are prescribed by your doctor, can also lower your risk for developing prostate cancer.

These medicines are known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which block the enzyme DHT (dihydrotesterone) that causes prostate cancer to grow. These medications lower the androgen levels in the prostate and reduce its size. This is particularly beneficial if you have been diagnosed with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), which can increase the size of the prostate gland the potential for cancer.

If you are taking any of these medications, be sure to let your doctor know a full list of other medicines you may be taking, as dutasteride and finasteride may interact negatively with them, causing weight gain nausea and headaches.

Prevention Is Easy, With The Right Tools

If you are living a healthy and active lifestyle, and are undergoing regular screenings, preventing prostate cancer or lowering your risk is simple.

The good news is that all of these measures improve your overall health, which means they also improve your life insurance premium! If you have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer, eating right and exercising is also the key to reducing your risk for other diseases.

Be sure to communicate your treatment options and lifestyle habits to your insurance agent. This way he or she can help you assess your risk and find you the best carrier.

You should be proactive about your health whether you are at risk for prostate cancer or not. Eating right, exercising and regularly visiting your doctor can help you feel your best and can stave of a variet yof othe rhigh-risk diseases that can shorten your lifespan.

It’s never too late to begin living a healthier lifestyle. Talk to your doctor about what measures you can take to improve your health, and make sure you are easing into your new routine (lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight).

If you’ve recently made healthy changes to your lifestyle and are ready to lower your risk, give us a call! We would love to help you qualify for better premiums!