The Facts
Cancer Recovery Pyramid
Our Pyramid is built like all good structures, with a firm foundation. The lower blocks help those above to do their job and are equally important, so pay attention to them all.
The Pyramid was developed over a number of years, after we researched how 16,000 people survived cancer and became well again. All of the findings can be applied when preventing or treating cancer.
Cancer, like many diseases, is impacted by your lifestyle. Just as eating fatty foods can increase your chances of having a heart attack, it can also increase your chances of developing cancer.
- 80,000 cases of cancer could be avoided every year thanks to healthier diets and more exercise.
- This includes 42% of breast cancer cases
- Even more people could avoid cancer and increase their chances of survival with additional simple lifestyle changes.
- Alcohol is responsible for about 13,000 cases of cancer every year.
What is cancer?
Cancer describes a group of more than 100 diseases. Each of these diseases is caused by cells growing abnormally. These abnormal cells increase in number and get together to form a tumour.
How do I make sure I don’t get it?
While there is nothing you can do to guarantee that you will not develop cancer, there are plenty of things you can do to make it less likely. Everyday thoughts, actions and choices make a difference. Even simple changes can help you to be healthier, and could save your life and your family heartache.
We have pulled together research from a variety of sources to best advise you how to prevent cancer. We’ve shared it all on this site so that you can decide what you want to do.It is important to consider yourself as a whole, as your mental wellbeing and happiness levels can directly affect your physical health. That is why your mind, body and spirit are represented in our pyramid.
Cancer: A Message to Change
Personal change is pervasive among long-term cancer survivors. The typical survivor becomes keenly self-aware. He or she comes to possess a strong understanding of and belief in what is personally “right” for themselves in their own unique ways of living, relating, and healing. Survivors tend to nurture a bone-deep sense of self-worth. The result is that cancer survivors bring a more ordered personal world into existence. The changes come first; survival follows.
What To Do
Every form of cancer can be caused and prevented by different things. However there are six areas that you can address which we believe will give you a good grounding for preventing or fighting any type of cancer.These begin with the foundations of your well being and build to create a healthier you. Think about these in order and do something about them all.
1. Meaning & Purpose
This will mean something different to each and everyone of us. It is the very personal answer to the ‘why am I here?’ question. The answer doesn’t have to be religious or even spiritual. But it should help you to value yourself, your life and what you do every day.
2. Attitude
Too often the word ‘attitude’ can be used to describe moody behaviour. Of course that is not what we mean. We mean the way you give and receive news, whether you see your cup as half full or half empty, how you approach doing something to fill it up.
3. Support
This is all about the people around you. Your friends, family, work mates and neighbours. They are important, so you want to be sure that the ones you get to pick you’ve done so wisely. Whilst the ones you don’t get to pick are still giving you the relationship you would pick.
4. Nutrition
This isn’t just about being slim, although avoiding obesity is very important. It is about fuelling your body with everything it needs to do a good job and not clogging it up with too many of the things that can stop this from happening.
5. Exercise
This isn’t so much about going to the gym as being active. If you regularly get your body moving, you are helping it to work as it was designed to. Just like a car, if you don’t get a regular run around, you might seize up. We want to keep things on the go.
6. Medical
Our lifestyle approach to staying well is not at the expense of medicine. Medical expertise and treatments should be made the most of, whenever they are needed. In fact, we think you should go and see your doctor if and when you have concerns about your health.
