The Hindu Business Line : Can stop cancer

I am 38. I have this fear of getting cancer as my grandmother and aunt died of it. I am healthy now, but I'm worried that I could be in danger when I turn 40. Are there any concrete steps I can take to prevent cancer?

You certainly can. Make up your mind to be fit, healthy and happy.

Dr Deepak Chopra says, "When you are happy, chemicals in your brain travel throughout your body, telling every cell of your happiness. When they hear the message, the cells get `happy' too; that is, they begin to function more effectively by altering their own chemical processes." A blissful lifestyle involves a few simple steps:

Exercise regularly to raise the brain's happy chemicals, harmonise hormones, and strengthen your immunity system. Opt for a complete exercise programme from head to toe that includes cardio, toning, stretching, and some yoga asanas.

One exercise that I particularly recommend is the music-conductor's movement. Stand straight with feet apart, shoulders squared. Bend elbows and hold palms not touching each other in a namaste position. Now, move them away from each other in individual `U' formations, as does a conductor conducting an orchestra. Do it to music, building up a rhythm of palms together-apart-together-apart. Repeat 20-30 times. This workout opens the lymph glands in the chest and the strongly circulating lymph fluid cleans all toxins from the cells and reduces the risk of them multiplying indiscriminately and forming cancerous lumps.

Every weekend, clean out your system by taking a tablespoon of castor oil or kayam churan with hot water at night. Next day, allow your body to eliminate all waste by not burdening it with heavy food. Eat light — fresh fruits, a little rice and yoghurt. If you feel hungry or light-headed, drink fruit juice, herbal tea with honey or hot water. Avoid proteins on this day.

Avoid taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), as this increases the estrogen in the body and increases the prospect of cancer. If you get hot menopausal flushes, soak sabja seeds in water and have 2 teaspoonfuls a day. (Sabja are the soft black seeds sprinkled on falooda. They are available with any grocer.)

Also avoid drinking or eating from plasticware, as it contains xenoestrogens (false estrogen) that upset your natural hormonal balance.

Eat cancer-preventive foods: cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon, guava, turmeric, flaxseeds, and green tea have cancer-inhibitors and are worth including in your daily diet. Eliminate fats as estrogen and fats have affinity and can promote cancer.

Be careful of drugs. Taken long-term, anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal medications and some anti-depressants increase breast cancer risk

I suggest doing the relaxation meditation every night. Tell every body part, toe upwards, to "relax and heal". Tell your white cell blood count to be at healthy levels. This is auto-suggestion, in keeping with Dr Chopra's thoughtful observation: "Instead of unconsciously creating disease, we should be consciously creating health."

My eye-doctor tells me that eating carrots will not benefit my eyes. He dismisses it as an old wives' tale. The number of my lens has increased to minus-5 in both eyes and I am only 28 years old. Can a good diet or supplements nourish my eyes? If so, could you guide me?

Carrots contain the carotenoid pigment that gives it the orange colour. And researchers believe that a diet low in carotenoids weakens the eyes. So, always include a few carrots in your salad. In addition, have leafy greens like spinach. They have matching macular carotenoids found in our eye-cells. Vitamin C in lime and oranges prevents cataracts. Vitamin A from carrots helps make photo-pigments that aid night vision. Bioflavonoids found in tea, grapes and the supplement pycnogenol, toughen tiny capillaries and help nourish the eye.

Blink 300 times a day to moisten eyes.

Close your eyes, then move them up and down three times, then side to side three times to strengthen your eye muscles.

If you work at the computer, stare into the distance every hour, until you feel the muscles around your eyes relax. Finally, de-stress, exercise, eat low-fat foods, stop smoking and don't read in dim light.

(The writer is the co-author of the book, `Fitness for Life'.)