A Healthy Lifestyle For Cancer Prevention!

Did you know you can reduce your risk of cancer by adopting a healthy lifestyle? In 2009, approx 156,900 people in the UK died from cancer according to the NHS. However, since the 1990s survival rates in men and women have improved for the majority of cancers. There are no definitive ways to avert cancer, but you can minimise your risk, with a healthier lifestyle.
The risk factors that you can do something about, include smoking and being overweight,  there are certain things you can do, to reduce your risk. Leading a healthy life can help minimise your risk of developing certain cancer types. You can achieve this by adopting a healthy routine:
•    Eat a balanced diet
•    Maintain a healthy weight
•    Avoid alcohol (or drink less)
•    Do not smoke
•    Protect your skin from sun damage
Eating Healthy
Often, you will find stories and researches about various foods and diets in connection to preventing cancer. This happens because a lot of research and development work is going into diet and cancer care. However it is not as simple to find the link between diet and cancer because there are several factors involved and many cancers can take years to grow. 
Researches indicate that no single food can prevent cancer from developing. In general, researchshows a positive link between eating particular groups of foods, instead of some specific foods, vitamins, or nutrients, and a reduction in cancer risk. Furthermore, a healthy balanced diet constitutes:
•    Significant amount of fruits and veggies – Five portions a day!
•    Significant amount of bread, rice, potatoes, pastas, and other starchy foods – Preferable to eat whole grain foods
•    Adequate amount of meat, fish, eggs, beans, and other non-dairy sources of protein
•    Some portions of milk and dairy items
•    Just a small amount of high in fat or sugars, including cakes, crisps, and biscuits, etc.
Dieticians play an integral role in helping people with the balanced diet and other healthier life activities.
Maintain Weight

In the UK, more than 60% of the population is overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of some cancers such as:
•    Bowel Cancer
•    Pancreatic Cancer
•    Oesophageal Cancer
•    Breast Cancer
•    Cancer of the Womb (uterus)
•    Kidney Cancer
To find out whether you are a healthy weight or not, you can use a BMI healthy weight calculator.
Say NO to Alcohol
Drinking alcohol is known to develop your risk of some cancers, including:
•    Mouth Cancer
•    Pharynx and Larynx Cancer
•    Oesophageal Cancer
•    Colorectal Cancer in men
•    Breast Cancer
Moreover, it is potentially a cause of cancers such as colorectal cancer in women and liver cancer. It is advised that women should not drink over 2-3 units of alcohol in a day and men should avoid drinking more than 3-4 units a day.
Stop Smoking

Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths in UK, it accounts for around a quarter of cancer deaths, and 90% of lung cancer cases are related to smoking.  "Stopping smoking greatly cuts the risk of developing cancer," says Hazel Nunn, Cancer Research UK's health information officer. "The earlier you stop, the greater the impact. But it's never too late to quit. People who quit smoking at 30 live nearly as long as non-smokers and those who quit at 50 can still undo half the damage."
Avoid Sun Damage

To prevent skin cancer, taking care in the sun is important. You can follow cancer research UK’s SunSmart plan to protect your skin from damage:
•    Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm.
•    Make sure you never burn.
•    Cover yourself up with a T-shirt, hat and sunglasses.
•    Take care not to let children get burned.
•    Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.

For dietitian jobs, visit Your World UK – a leading healthcare recruitment agency, helping dieticians and nutritionists find quality jobs in organizations throughout the UK. http://www.yourworldhealthcare.co.uk/medical-vacancies/dietetics_nutrition/

Remedies to address national shortage of Sonographers in the UK!

Sonographers equip hospitals with a diagnostic service through an imaging test, known as ultrasound, which sends vibrations to a part of the body and receives them back again to report the potential unusual behaviour, if exists. Due to the common use of ultrasound to provide images of babies in the womb, most people are aware of its use in pregnancy but ultrasound imaging is not just limited to that. It is widely used in other hospital departments to detect invisible flaws. However, in recent times, UK is facing a nationwide shortage of qualified Sonographers, leading to stern difficulties for several NHS trusts and health care associations in meeting growing demand, designated targets and deliverance of the national obstetric and vascular screening initiatives.
 

Recent national protocols relating to, for instance, stroke management and the post ‘NHS Next Stage Review’ insist on making ultrasound imaging services available for primary care, adding to the shortage problem. Increasing workload pressures on Sonographers mean complex service demands, leading to a barrier for them to tend their personal wellbeing in the workplace effectively and commence continuous professional development activities. These several factors are contributing to an increase in the number of Sonographers taking early retirement, reducing their work hours, or leaving the service completely. Further, the reported incidence of musculo-skeletal injury is growing. Existing Sonographers in development process are hardly synchronised with wastage and there is little scope for more training and professional development programs even though the demand is clear.

To address this problem, here are some suggestions from the society and college of radiographers to develop and acquire consistent sonographer workforce in the UK: 

·         Introducing First Degree Direct Entry

There is much evidence that there is a strong demand for first degree direct entry programme, leading to BSc (Hons) Medical Ultrasound. The establishment of a primary direct entry degree has the prospect to attract a wide range of applicants interested in pursuing a career in sonographic studies. Such programmes would be delivered by existing universities and students may be eligible for scholarships as are diagnostic and therapeutic radiography undergraduates, limiting direct costs to NHS and health boards.

·         Postgraduate Direct Entry

The program is likely to be popular with a wide range of primary degree qualified applicants. The postgraduate direct entry, leading to PGC/PGD/MSc already exist in truth but is under-recognised and under-utilised. Depending on the availability of clinical placements, it has the potential to allow for a number of graduates. These programmes can be endorsed subsequent to established CASE procedures, giving assurance to employers and the active ultrasound workforce.

·         Distance Learning Programme

For delivering both direct entry first degrees and higher degrees to develop the sonography workforce, distance learning programme is a viable option. Some universities have used this feature to deliver education and development options at higher degree level in the past. It will be made essential for the students to have a clinical placement during the course of the program and could be delivered together with more conventional training programmes.

Your World is the leading healthcare recruitment agency in UK. Our busy Radiography desk has grown dramatically over the last few years. We now have an exceptional choice of roles in both the NHS and private sector. 

Register with us to apply for radiography jobs or to find qualified radiographers. http://www.yourworldhealthcare.co.uk/medical-vacancies/radiography/