Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, a job that is on the cutting edge of public health prevention. She recently blogged that a friend said to her, “I’m so overwhelmed by all the health advice out there that I tend to just tune it all out.”
While alerting the public, and even specific demographics, about the many important healthy lifestyle choices, many Americans can easily tune out the information. With the number of different recommendations and guidelines, it can be easy for the average American to hear only white noise. Richardson offers this bit of advice, “to help lighten the load, I’ve created your very own cheat sheet for cancer screenings and good health. CDC supports screening for breast, cervical, colorectal (colon), and lung cancers as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.”
Richardson challenges women to review their own health, family history, and age, to be better aware of their own health needs. She also noted several everyday ways to stay healthy.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Don’t drink alcohol, or limit it to one drink a day.
- Don’t smoke.
Screening and detection is an important part of cancer care. Consider educating patients about the need for cancer screening and help them work out a timeline according to what’s recommended for them.