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Understanding Brain Cancer - Symptoms and Ways to Prevent

Brain tumors are abnormal growth of cells present in the brain. Although this abnormal growth of cells in the brain is called a brain tumor, not all brain tumors are called cancer. Brain cancer is when the brain tumors turn malignant. However, if the tumor is not malignant and it does not invade the nearby tissues, it is a benign tumor.

In brain cancer, the malignant tumors aggressively spread and overpower healthy cells. The tumor then takes their blood, nutrients and space.

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Symptoms

There are two types of brain cancer: primary and metastatic. Primary brain cancer is when one type of cells in the brain begins to grow abnormally and transform from its normal characteristics. Metastatic brain cancer, on the other hand, is when cancer located in another part of the body spreads to the brain.
The brain cancer symptoms, primary or metastatic are mostly same. It may include:

  • Seizures
  • Difficulty in walking
  • Clumsiness
  • Weakness
  • Headache

Other symptoms which are non-specific may include:

  • Vomiting
  • Nausea
  • Altered mental status – attention, memory concentration, etc.
  • Difficulty with speech
  • Gradual changes in the intellectual thinking and/or emotional response

You may consult a cancer specialist, in case of:

  • Frequent seizures
  • New pattern of headaches
  • Persistent and unexplained vomiting
  • Blurry or double vision, especially on one side
  • Lethargy
  • Unexplained change in behavior
  • Difficulty in speech and/or expressing yourself
  • Visual changes

How to Prevent Brain Cancer?

Although there are no fixed causes known so far for it, there are, however, ways to prevent brain cancer:

  1. Sleeping – Getting sufficient sleep for the body to relax is crucial. Glymphatic system is a detoxification pathway which removes all toxic wastes throughout the day. It becomes active at night and mitochondria flushes out that toxic waste using cerebrospinal fluid.
  2. Eat Cancer Fighting Phytonutrients – Herbs and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which are good cancer fighting nutrients. Eating ginger, thyme, basil, dark leafy vegetables, turmeric can help prevent brain cancer.
  3. Limit the use of mobile phones – Mobile phones emit electromagnetic waves which have been categorized as potential carcinogen for humans by WHO.