Cancer and Heart Disease Awareness

What you eat and drink, how you live, where you work, whether you smoke… all these factors can affect your risk for cancer.

We’re here to help you take control of your life.  We have several resources for you to browse through. Let us help you take the first step to living a healthier life.

Cancer and heart disease prevention

Recently, the American Cancer Society announced that cancer deaths declined in the United States for the second year in a row. The hard work toward preventing cancer, detecting it early, and making treatment more effective is paying off.

  • Healthy Behaviors and Cancer Prevention: Cancer risks can be reduced by not smoking, eating a healthy diet, and being physically active.
  • Tobacco Use and Cancer: Cigarette smoking is a major cause of many cancers. Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. The earlier a person quits, the greater the health benefit. 
    • Resources:
      • The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services also has the Missouri’s Quit Line program that offers free telephone counseling.  Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
      • BecomeAnEx
      • Nicotine Anonymous: 573.445.6166opens phone dialer
      • American Lung Association’s online smoking cessation: Freedom from Smoking
  • Diet and Exercise: Daily diet and exercise habits affect the risk for cancer more than most people realize. Except for quitting smoking, the best way to curt your cancer risk is to make healthy food choices, maintain a healthy weight and be physically active on a regular basis. 1/3 of all cancer deaths are linked to poor diet, physical inactivity, and carrying excess weight.

Screenings & early detection

If you can’t prevent cancer, the next best thing you can do to protect your health is to detect it early. Recognizing symptoms, getting regular check-ups, and performing self-exams are just a few ways you can do this.

While most Americans know that mammograms, pap smears, and colonoscopies are screening exams for cancer, the majority of Americans do not know the appropriate age at which initiation of these tests is recommended, according to the latest brief from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).