How to prevent leukemia or blood cancer

The death rate from leukemia is in the fifth position after lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and liver cancer. Data released by the World Health Organization states that in 2018, the total deaths due to leukemia in Indonesia reached 11,314 cases. Given the dangers of this disease, prevention of leukemia should be done as early as possible. Moreover, this disease can happen to anyone at any time. So, what are the ways to prevent leukemia that need to be applied?

Various ways to prevent leukemia that need to be applied

The cause of leukemia is not known with certainty. However, several factors are said to increase a person's risk of developing this blood cancer.

Several factors cannot be avoided, such as age and gender. However, you can still reduce the risk of leukemia by implementing various prevention methods from an early age. Here's how to prevent leukemia that you can apply:

1. Avoid exposure to chemicals

Exposure to chemicals, such as benzene and formaldehyde, is said to increase a person's risk of developing leukemia. Therefore, one way to prevent leukemia is to avoid exposure to these two chemicals.

Reporting from the American Cancer Society, benzene is a liquid that smells good, is colorless, and flammable. This liquid can be found in gasoline and is often used in the chemical industry, such as plastics, lubricants, rubber, dyes, detergents, pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

To be able to prevent leukemia, you need to avoid skin contact with gasoline and avoid being close to a stationary car so as not to be exposed to car exhaust fumes. You also need to reduce exposure from paints, other coloring agents, or other products containing benzene, especially in non-ventilated spaces.

If you work in the chemical industry, talk to your boss about replacing benzene with other solvents or using personal protective equipment to avoid exposure as much as possible.

Apart from benzene, formaldehyde can also be harmful to your health if exposed to it continuously. Formaldehyde is a chemical commonly used in several building materials and household products, such as floors, furniture, fabrics, cosmetics, detergents, paints, and pesticides.

Hence, your own home can be dangerous for you due to its high formaldehyde content. For the prevention of leukemia, you need to choose furniture and household products with low or no formaldehyde content.

However, if you have already used products with these ingredients, you can reduce your exposure by opening the windows of your house for a few minutes every day to breathe fresh air, use a fan as much as possible, keep the temperature and humidity in the house, and don't smoke in the house.

2. Avoid unnecessary radiation exposure

Exposure to high levels of radiation, such as an atomic bomb explosion or working in atomic weapons factories and power plants, is said to increase a person's risk of developing leukemia. Therefore, reducing radiation exposure can be one way to prevent leukemia.

To minimize exposure, you can reduce the hours you work, increase the distance between you and the radiation source, or use personal protection. Talk to your boss about this.

In addition, radiation exposure from medical examinations or treatments also needs to be avoided as a form of leukemia prevention, such as radiotherapy, X-rays, or others. You can choose other types of examinations, such as ultrasound, which are safer (if possible). Consult with your doctor about the benefits and risks of using such equipment.

3. Avoid smoking

Cigarettes contain various harmful substances that can cause cancer, including leukemia. Therefore, you need to stop smoking and avoid cigarette smoke as a way to prevent leukemia. If necessary, consult your doctor on how to stop smoking the right way if this is difficult.

4. Maintain ideal body weight

Several studies have shown that being overweight or obese might increase the risk of leukemia. Therefore, you can reduce the risk of this disease by maintaining an ideal body weight.

You can do this by exercising regularly and regularly and avoiding high calorie foods. Do 30 minutes of exercise a day to keep your body healthy. You can also check your ideal weight through the BMI calculator (body mass index) here.

5. Eating a balanced nutritious diet

Eating certain foods does not directly prevent cancer. However, eating a balanced nutritious diet can keep your body healthy, so this method can prevent various diseases, including leukemia.

To prevent cancer, including leukemia, you need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, nuts, seeds, and those that contain healthy fats. You also need to limit the amount of processed and fried foods, unhealthy fats, sugars, and refined carbohydrates.