Six ways to take care of yourself not involving doctor visits

Making sure you take care of yourself despite your diagnosis and doctor visits starts with healthy habits. Here are seven lifestyle changes you can make to take better care of yourself.

Don’t smoke. At all: According to Breastcancer.org, smoking can increase complications from breast cancer treatment, including:

• Damage to the lungs from radiation therapy

• Difficulty healing after surgery and breast reconstruction

• Higher risk of blood clots when taking hormonal therapy medicines

Control your weight: According to the American Cancer Society, 1 out of every 3 cancer deaths in the U.S. is linked to excess body weight, poor nutrition, and/or physical inactivity. Excess body weight contributes to as many as 1 out of 5 of all cancer-related deaths.

Be active: In the past, people being treated for a chronic illness were often told by their doctor to rest and reduce their physical activity, but newer research has shown that exercise is not only safe and possible during cancer treatment, but it can improve how well you function physically and your quality of life. If you exercised before treatment, you might need to exercise less than usual or at a lower intensity during treatment. People who were very inactive before cancer treatment may need to start with short, low-intensity activity, such as short slow walks.

Limit alcohol: While researchers have long linked heavy drinking to a greater risk of cancer, Harvard scientists have found the most conclusive evidence yet that just a single glass of wine each day may be too much for women with a family history of the disease or those who have had it before. As stated in Prevention magazine, researchers estimate that alcohol is behind 3.6 percent of all cancers worldwide — 1.7 percent in women and 5.2 percent in men. Alcohol intake has been linked to a greater risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the colorectum, female breast, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, liver and esophagus.

Limit dose and duration of hormone therapy: According to Mayo Clinic, combination hormone therapy for more than three to five years increases the risk of breast cancer. If you’re taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, ask your doctor about other options. You may be able to manage your symptoms with nonhormonal therapies, such as physical activity.

Avoid exposure environmental pollution: Studies suggest that higher breast cancer rates in urban areas persist after accounting for the prevalence of known risk factors, leading to speculation that urban environmental exposures, such as air pollution, may play a role in the etiology of breast cancer.

Lifestyle choices you can make to keep your risk of developing breast cancer as low it can be:

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Exercising regularly

• Limiting alcohol

• Eating nutritious food

• Never smoking