How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle With Skin Cancer

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle after you have been diagnosed with skin cancer can be essential to the success of your treatment. By exercising, eating right, staying positive and reducing your exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, you can improve your chances of healing and staying healthy for years.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access
• Oncologist or dermatologist

1. Ask your doctor how you can maintain your health by eating only healthy, organic foods and taking herbal or vitamin supplements. Be sure to inform your doctor about any such supplements before you take them, since some herbs and foods can interact negatively with prescription drugs. Also keep your doctor informed if you are using any alternative treatments such as acupuncture or biofeedback.
2. Maintain a consistent exercise regimen, which will help to reduce stress, as well as fortify your body's ability to fight disease.
3. Take all appropriate cautions to avoid exposure to sunlight while being treated for skin cancer. This includes using sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm and protective clothing. Remember that you can still get sun damage on cloudy days.
4. Attend a support group for skin cancer patients and survivors. Not only will this provide you with emotional support, but it will also serve as an excellent resource for new ways to improve your health and to combat skin cancer.
5. Keep in constant contact with your dermatologist or oncologist, giving him feedback about how the changes in your lifestyle are helping you to fight skin cancer.

Tips & Warnings

• As stated in the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, you are entitled to know all of your treatment options, and to understand the legal rights of you and your family, at both the hospital and the workplace, while being treated for your condition.
• Don't hesitate to obtain a second opinion about your condition from another doctor.
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with skin cancer also means you need to attend to possible emotional and psychological issues that may occur after your diagnosis. Ask your doctor what you can do to reduce this stress, whether it be counseling, support groups or anti-depressants.