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More Than Forty Percent of All Cancers Are Preventable Through Lifestyle Modifications

The study provided some predictable results that follow along with the lifestyle pattern of many western cultures. Thirty-four percent of the cancers were found to be linked to smoking, diet, alcohol and excess weight. One in 25 of cancers are linked to a person's job, such as being exposed to chemicals or asbestos. Certain cancer risk factors were found to favor either men or women more prominently.

The authors of this study concluded that 45% of the cancers found in men could be prevented by altering one or more of the fourteen identified risk factors, along with 40% of all cancers in women. Many health-minded individuals already maintain a natural and healthy diet, and avoid smoking and processed meats. Make note of the 14 identified cancer risk factors to prevent cancer and a host of life-threatening chronic diseases.

4 Causes for High Blood Pressure

Your Stressful Schedule

Chronic stress, like the kind you experience every day during your 9-to-5, can significantly increase your blood pressure, says Eric Topol, M.D., Men’s Health advisor and cardiologist at Scripps Health. Your move: Grab a glass of milk. Stress lowers your levels of serotonin, which is the body’s go-to stay-calm chemical. But milk contains whey protein, which Dutch researchers found can help boost tryptophan, one of the building blocks of serotonin, by 43 percent. (Not a fan of dairy? Discover 6 Easy Ways to Beat Job Stress.)

Your Excess Baggage

Weight is one of the biggest contributors to high blood pressure. But then again, it differs from person to person, says Dr. Topol. “Some people can be extremely heavy and their blood pressure is normal, while others can gain just a little weight and their blood pressure goes through the roof,” he says. Your move: Ditch the processed crap and upgrade your kitchen with whole foods like fruits, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, as well as proteins like fish and meat. “Your body requires about ten times more energy to process a gram of protein than a gram of fat. So you’ll burn more calories just by eating more protein-packed foods,” says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health nutrition advisor.

Channeling your inner carnivore also helps your blood pressure. Australian researchers found that people with high blood pressure who swapped 8 percent of their daily calories from bread, potatoes, cereal, or pasta with lean red meat saw a four-point drop in their systolic blood pressure in just 8 weeks.

Your Genes

Genetics certainly play a major role in your blood pressure, but that doesn’t mean your fate is sealed if your old man had the condition. Even if you have the genetic burden, you may be able to override it by leading an active lifestyle, Dr. Topol says. Case in point: Researchers studied 6,000 people who had a family history of high blood pressure, yet hadn’t developed it themselves. At the end of the five-year study, those who walked briskly for at least 150 minutes per week had a 34 percent lower risk of developing the disease than people who were inactive.

Your Lack of Exercise

Lack of activity doesn’t just contribute to your growing waistline—it greatly ups your risk for high blood pressure, too. Your move: Hit the gym on a regular basis and make sure you’re getting your dose of aerobic exercise, advises Dr. Topol. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes (or longer) of moderately intense physical activity, at least five days a week. The reason: Regular physical activity opens up your blood vessels, which ultimately helps keep the pressure in your veins and arteries at normal levels. (Need some inspiration to get you started? Check out the program that will Ignite Your Fat-Burning Furnace.)

Lifestyle and dietary changes

1. Avoid sugars, artificial sweeteners and caffeine and alcohol, which promote rapid release of urine. Ingest foods containing vitamin C. Cranberries prevent bacteria growth in urine and prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls. Fiber helps by absorbing water.

2. Staying active and maintaining weight control can be essential. One way or another, just get moving - because many health problems, including urinary incontinence, are associated with obesity and lack of activity. Studies have shown that weight loss can greatly decrease overactive bladder.

3. Acupuncture can strengthen the urogenital system, tone the pelvic muscles and increase blood flow to the bladder. Acupuncture also boosts the immune system, diminishes swelling, and keeps hormones in balance.

4. Drink plenty of water every day in order to keep your urinary tract properly cleansed. Note: You should not drink liquids right before bedtime and should also limit liquids prior to physical activities.

5. For women, avoid feminine deodorant products as they may be urinary tract irritants.

6. Until you get your overactive bladder under control, wearing absorbent pads can help hide any leakage that occurs.

A health alert to all women - wearing a bra can contribute to breast cancer

Although this may sound like a far-out, unconventional idea - many health professionals are beginning to think twice about the safety of a bra. The truth is that wearing a bra has the ability to easily block lymphatic drainage due to breast compression - which can lead to tissue edema, cysts and the accumulation of toxins. Naturally, if this toxic burden is not cleared away by the lymphatic system, these toxins can promote breast cancer cell growth.

Interestingly, after only a few weeks of NOT wearing a bra, many women report feeling less breast pain, swelling and cysts. If, for some reason, wearing a bra is a must (i.e. during exercise) - simply take it off as soon as possible. In addition, breast massage is a great way to improve circulation and reduce the risk of toxic buildup.

four steps for easy and painless lifestyle spring cleaning

As the ice continues to melt, the flowers start to bloom, and winter fully eclipses into spring, perhaps it is time to get your life into alignment with the changing seasons by doing a little spring cleaning of your own, both physically and emotionally. Here are four helpful ideas to get you started on your journey to a simpler and more natural lifestyle this year:

1) Start your mornings off right with living foods. Since spring is symbolic of renewal and growth, one way to implement this theme into your diet is to start every day off right with living foods. Freshly-squeezed juices, living seeds, organic fruits and vegetables, and other raw foods are far more substantial and life-giving than many of the "dead" foods people commonly eat for breakfast. Besides their many nutritional benefits, living foods help to detoxify the body and improve the pathways through which energy and life are imparted.

2) Detoxify your thoughts. Physical detoxification is important, but so is mental detoxification. What benefits the body should also benefit the mind, and one way you can help this process along is by journaling your life. Write out all the thoughts in your head when you run into a specific problem or roadblock in life, and go back and edit it later in the day or week. By revising your own thought processes in this way, you can gradually cut out the things in your life that are holding you back or tearing you down.

3) Cleanse your living environment. They say cleanliness is next to godliness, but one thing is for sure -- messy living spaces lead to messy, unhealthy lifestyles. Take the time to clean out your closet, desk, and kitchen, for instance, and get rid of the things you no longer need or use. Not only will this de-cluttering process help bring you peace of mind, but it will also give you a fresh opportunity to simplify your life and reorganize your own life's trajectory for the better.

4) Work toward building friendships and community. Humans were made for connection, and two of the most important connections we can make in this life are friendship and community. Take some time to interact with the people in your life who matter to you, or even those whom you are merely interested in getting to know better. Give your friends and family members a call, or write them personal letters and mail them the old-fashioned way. Doing so will not only enrich your own state of being, but also help spread the love to someone who might really be needing it.