February 4th is the World Cancer Day. A day is observed to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, early detection, and treatment.World cancer Day gives us an ideal opportunity to spread the word and raise the profile of cancer in people’s minds and in the world’s media. It gives us opportunity to clear up negative perceptions and misconceptions about this disease in minds of people. This is the occasion which compel us to retrospect, to study, to plan and to develop our strategies to address the cancer burden.

In order to check the spread of this huge epidemic, emphasis should be given to raise awareness about the disease among the general population, media and health professionals as well.

World cancer day campaign this year will explore how we can implement what we already know in the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care, and in turn, open up to the exciting prospect that we can impact the global cancer burden for the better.

Despite of constant efforts has been put in to achieve above mentioned goals, disparities between people from different settings are growing, particularly in access to prevention, treatment and palliative care especially in developing countries like India. For a developing country like India the fact is that, the economic cost of cancer treatment is unaffordable. Hence awareness should be raised about cancer prevention, adopting healthy lifestyles & behaviors and on early detection.

Let’s review how Ayurveda can help to achieve this goal of prevention and treatment care

1. Choosing healthy lifestyle-

The aim of the world cancer organization is to Reduce the social and environmental risk factors for cancer and empowering people to make healthy choices, in order to achieve the global overarching goal of reducing premature deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025 and reaching the aspirational targets of the World Cancer Declaration.

At least one third of occurrence of most cancers can be prevented through adopting healthy life style, non smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, healthier diet and improved physical activity.
• Don’t smoke
• Be moderate in drinking alcohol
• Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains Avoid high-fat foods, especially from animal sources
• Do regular exercise

Besides above mentioned guidelines, adopting simple and effective prevention approach based on Ayurvedic principles of swasthvritta would definitely be top up on it. It can be summarized as follows-

Diet and digestion:

• Eat a Wholesome (satvik) diet that is rich in natural cancer-fighting chemicals

• Eat on regular intervals and when you feel hungry

• Add beneficial spices and food to your diet to fight cancer

• Avoid junk food, oily spicy food etc., that makes the body susceptible to cancer. Avoid the toxic load on your digestive system

• Keep digestion working properly to enhance immunity, build up beneficial chemicals, and reduce toxin accumulation.
• Reduce sugar intake

• One of major cause of cancer is disruption in immune surveillance mechanism. By adopting dinacharya and Ritu charya ( daily & seasonal regimes described in swastha vritta )and by adopting simple lifestyle changes such as regular abhyanga(oil massage), sleeping at the right time, reducing stress, emphasizing positive emotions etc., immune system can be revitalized

• Avoid smoking, alcohol, and environmental pollutants strictly. Due to the harmful effects of the various internal and external toxins we encounter every day, it is crucial that we detoxify our physiology.

• So Detoxify your system following procedures of pachakarma regularly (seasonal pachakarma)

• Add herbal formulations when necessary, to aid digestion, improve sleep, enhance immunity, etc.

• Meditation and yoga reduces stress levels and improve Function of enzymes responsible for living longer (telomerase). Meditation bring harmony and peace into your life and brings homeostasis.

• Be positive and kind to every one & in all circumstances which will make your surrounding positive. The condition in which people live and work influence their capacity to chose healthy lives

Thus by adoption of healthy behaviors (swasthya vritta) early in life, reduces the risk of cancer and other non communicable diseases (NCD).

Delivering early detection –

Emphasis should be given on early detection programs

Early detection strategies include strategies to improve knowledge of cancer among communities, health professionals and policy makers and increase awareness around the options for early detection.
By ensuring availability of and access to early detection program for cancer can significantly reduce the burden of cancer in many countries

Achieving Treatment For All –

All people have the right to access quality, effective cancer treatment and services without suffering economic hardship equal terms, regardless of geography.

To achieve this goal other systems of medicine should be evaluated on the basis of scientific criteria in accordance with conventional medicine and new compounds and drugs should be invented.

An integrated approach is needed to manage cancer using the growing knowledge gained through scientific developments.

Thousands of herbal and traditional compounds are being screened worldwide to validate their use as anti-cancer drugs. Indian medicinal plants which have curative aspects and re-described to have Rasayana properties can be effectively used in such conditions as they can have check on our immune surveillance system. Medicinal plants with Rasayana properties help in slowing down aging process and provides protection against diseases.

Rasayanas provide long life, ability to remain young and good intellect by enhancing proper uptake of nutrition by body cells thus imparting proper growth and improvement in seven vital tissues. This can be achieved by multifaceted actions of Rasayana drugs. With their antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic , immune modulator properties these medicinal plants can activate immune responsiveness of an individual ( organism).

Maximizing Quality Of Life
Cancer can have a serious impact on a person’s emotional, physical and mental state and cancer survivors are at risk of diminished quality of life for several years after diagnosis. Understanding this, the special support system should be built.
Efforts should be taken for maintaining QOL of cancer patients. Maintaining social support networks and talking about cancer is important for both the person living with cancer and their close relatives.

There is much that can be done at an individual, community and governmental level, to harness and mobilize these solutions and to bring in positive change.
Every Action Counts. Whether you do something on large scale or a small donation from you to a cancer institute or wearing a ribbon to spread the message or forwarding a text or a template or a quote on a social networking site
YES, EVERY ACTION COUNTS….
Every action has an impact; Show the world that fighting cancer is not beyond us …