Cancers in childhood are a very rare scenario in comparison to cancer in adults but this will remain a very serious health concern. There are some childhood cancers that are created by genetic factors and cannot be prevented but parents must always focus on taking vital steps to reduce the incidence of cancer by promoting a healthy lifestyle and reducing exposure to harmful substances. Following are the most important tips for the parents as recommended by the best pediatric hematology oncology hospitals doctors so that everyone will be able to prevent childhood cancer and their incidence:
- Providing the kids with a healthy diet: Any kind of nutritious diet will be always helpful in improving the strength of the immune system and will make sure that the body will be automatically successful in fighting off diseases including cancer. Encouraging the consumption of fruits and vegetables which are in antioxidants will be helpful in terms of protecting the cells from damage and choosing the whole grain will be important because it will provide you with fibre and essential nutrients. Including lean protein sources like fish, poultry, eggs and other plant-based proteins will be important in your diet so that overall growth will be supported. Further, reducing processed food consumption including junk food and processed meat will be very important so that there is no indirect contribution to obesity or inflammation. It is always very important for people to ensure that they are drinking plenty of water to flush out the toxins and keep the body very hydrated.
- It is recommended to maintain a healthy weight: Obesity usually is consistently linked with the increased risk of many types of cancer and helping out the kids in managing the healthy weight will be important in terms of reducing the risk. Encouraging daily physical activity at least one hour of exercise like jogging, swimming, running or playing sports is important so that the overall influence of screen time will also be reduced. Encouraging active gaming and serving portion-controlled meals to the kids is important so that everybody will be able to focus on the best nutrition by eliminating the overheating situation. Making the exercises fun by involving the whole family in the outdoor activities is important so that everyone will be able to simultaneously enjoy.
- It is important to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals: Children usually are very sensitive to the toxins which are prevalent in the environment including food and household products which is the main reason that using organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible is important so that pesticide exposure will be the bare minimum. Using BPA-free bottles and food containers will be highly recommended so that everyone will be able to get rid of the harmful plastic chemicals. Avoiding second-hand smoke and air pollution is also very important because it could damage the health of the lungs and limiting exposure to the harsh household cleaners is also equally important so that you can choose the natural alternatives. Another very important tip is to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove the pesticides and bacteria before consumption which is recommended by doctors throughout the world.
- It is important to reduce exposure to harmful radiation: Radiation exposure will increase the risk of childhood cancer, particularly brain tumours and limiting unnecessary X-rays or CT scans is always very important throughout the process. You must always focus on checking with the doctor if imaging is necessary because encouraging safe mobile and screen use is also very well recommended so that prolonged use will be eliminated by keeping the devices close to the body. Protecting children from excessive exposure to the sun is also very important and for this, you can go for using sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat whenever you are outdoors. Encouraging the children to play in the indoors and shaded areas will be very important during the peak hours of 10 AM-4 PM. This will be helpful in reducing the overall exposure to the sun very successfully.
- Remaining up to date on the vaccinations: The hematology oncology doctors very well recommend that parents focus on taking the concept of vaccination schedule very seriously because there are many viruses that are linked with the increased risk of cancer. Vaccinating the children against all of these viruses will be helpful in promoting the protection because the hepatitis B vaccine will be helpful in protecting the kids from liver cancer and the HPV vaccine will be helpful in preventing cervical and other associated cancers. Hence in this particular case, it is highly recommended for people to focus on following the immunisation schedule as given by the paediatrician to ensure timely vaccinations and make sure that there is no scope for any kind of problem at any point in time.
- Promoting good hygiene and safe habits: Some of the infections will increase the risk of childhood cancer which is the main reason that teaching good hygiene will be helpful in reducing the chances of infection. Teaching frequent handwashing to prevent infections and encouraging the safe handling of food is very important so that contamination will be eliminated. It is also very important for the children to make sure that they are never sharing personal items like toothbrushes and water bottles with anyone and regularly disinfecting the toys, surfaces and personal items is also very well recommended so that gems will never be spreading.
Apart from the points mentioned above it is also very much recommended for the parents to get in touch with the haematology and medical oncology doctors for the regular health check-ups so that early detection will be very well taken care of and further the treatment of the cancers will be very effectively done. Scheduling the annual checkup with the pediatrician, hematology and medical oncology doctors and monitoring the unusual symptoms will be very much important so that everybody will be able to take the medical advice very seriously without any problem. This will be helpful in making sure that everybody will be able to perfectly contribute towards the well-being and overall health of the kids without any problem and eventually will be able to help the kids to build a strong immune system and lead a very healthy and happy life.