How to Prevent Oral Cancer

Oral cancer, like most cancers, is one of the preponderance of medical conditions where an ounce of prevention really is worth several metric tons of cure. And while Oral Cancer Awareness Month may be rapidly approaching its end, there still may be time for the responsible folks out there to schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric Johnson's office to get a free oral cancer screening.

For those of you who are confident enough to go without, however, we have a bit of parting advice for you -- our best understanding of how to make sure that oral cancer never affects your mouth.

The best bit of advice is to stop aging. Of course, that has its own negative side effects depending on how you go about it. They range from having to drink blood to having a bunch of other immortals try to cut your head off with swords...so that's probably not really a good option. Let's move on with some more realistic steps you can take.

First, avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Basically anything that can actually get into your individual cells and mess them up from the inside -- which all of the above really do -- should be on your 'do not' list.

Second, eat a varied diet that includes at least three different colors of fruit and/or veggie with every meal. Different colors mean different beneficial nutrients, so by switching up the spectrum, you're ensuring that your body gets the variety it needs to function properly. Also, most brightly-colored plant life is antioxidant, meaning it fights cancer's earliest stages.

Third, protect yourself from the sun. Oral cancer can spring up inside your mouth because you get too much UVB on the outside of your lips, jaw, and neck -- so get out the sunscreen.

Finally, get yourself screened for oral cancer! Even the best preventative efforts can fail for no apparent reason -- so make sure you don't have oral cancer by letting the professionals check for it. The earlier it's discovered, the easier it is to treat, so get examined at least once a year. And since it's free this month, now's as good a time as any to get it done, don't you think?