Philip Ring (@phildoeshair), the Phoenix, Arizona based artist, has been dealing with hair color challenges throughout his professional career, but he now has a new, more personal challenge to deal with both in and out of the salon. Recently diagnosed with testicular cancer, Ring says he has become a cancer "warrior" and will use his journey to help other victims.

Knowing that MODERN champions the "Healthy Hairdresser," Ring is offering his tips to keep all salon pros healthy and cancer-free. "The scariest thing about the type of cancer that I have is that visually it doesn't look like much concern," Ring tells MODERN, "so if you're not vigilant or understanding of your body, it could progress too far, when early detection could have made a difference."

Here Ring shares his 7 tips to help keep this or any other cancer from being part of your life:

1. KNOW YOURSELF: Get to know yourself. Make sure you're not just scrubbing your body in the shower. Massage and feel around and pay attention to any bumps in the road.

2. ACT QUICKLY:  If you can see something or feel something, schedule an appointment right away. It could be a good idea to take a photo of the area to have a record to see if anything changes.

3. WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS: Eat more greens. Choose organic and locally grown. I hate eating salads, it's so much work - but investing in a great blender like a Nutribullet, Ninja, Vitamix or Blendtec will help you really make some juice out of those vegetables and it's way easier to drink (don't forget to add ice and cold water to make it extra cold  and keep some apples, kiwis, pineapples or pears on the side to sweeten up a bitter juice). Having a body that lives in an alkaline state is said to stop or slow cancer. Some really alkaline foods you should ADD to your diet: Tangerines, Pineapple, Raspberries, Watermelon, Limes, Lentils, Sweet Potatoes, Chlorophyll-rich dark green vegetables like Broccoli, Asparagus and Kale,  Green Powders made up of Wheat Grass, Barley Grass and Chlorella, Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic, Sea Salt. Most Raw Organic Produce like vegetables, seeds, nuts, as well as some beans and legumes.  Cooking veggies kill enzymes, destroys some nutrients, and increases acidity so if you can eat them raw then perfect. I did a ph test on myself with simple strips you can order from Amazon and I am still at a 6, and you need to be over 7 ( you should be about 7.35-7.45). Some of my top favorite things that were making me acidic were all the meats I was eating, dairy, sugars, alcohol and breads/pastas. Sounds horrible to give that all up right? Well in 5 days I've already lost 10 pounds and I'm not starving because I'm going to the salad bar for one meal a day (love the variety of food to choose from there) and making my juices at home.

4. WHAT YOU DRINK MATTERS: Alkaline water... It's about .99 per gallon which is way cheaper than bottled water still. You can home make it or get it from Whole Foods if that's around you. 

5. SLEEP:  Everyone knows I sleep about 5 or 6 hours a night, but now I'm forcing myself to take more time to rest and I'm already feeling less foggy during the day. I have more consistent energy and I'm actually a bit of a morning person after all!

6. EXERCISE: It helps people maintain heath and keeps the body moving.

7. GET REGULAR CHECK UPS: I just want my story to remind everyone to go to a checkup at minimum once a year, and if they think that something should be cause for concern in their doctor doesn't think so they should get a second opinion.  Six years ago I got an ultra sound and had a doctors visit for what I thought was testicular cancer and the doctor said I was too young and the ultrasound came back negative. flash-forward to six years from then and I have full-blown testicular cancer that my doctor said I had before my previous appointment. Sometimes they just do simple blood test to check to see if there's certain cancer markers and your body and it's worth the money and peace of mind to know that you're going to be OK.

Many people have asked how they can help Ring directly so he has set up a gofundme site (or through PayPal) that was set up at licensedtocrushcancer@gmail.com.