Education is Key! The 5 Things to Start Doing TODAY to Lower the Risk of Breast Cancer

Learn about Breast Cancer.  www.beyondtheshock.com
created by the National Breast Cancer Foundation has the resources.

Many of us have been touched directly or indirectly by breast cancer.  Even though significant research progress has been made, awareness is the key to become one's own health advocate.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their life time.  As of 2013, over 230,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 64,000 with carcinoma in situ. Once regarded as a terminal illness, the survival rate is now 98% if detected and treated early.  It is estimated that 2.8 million women diagnosed with breast cancer are survivors (including women who are going through treatment); however 40,000 women in the US will sadly die from the disease.

Considering that breast cancer will develop as a consequence of gene mutations, the causes of breast cancer are not specifically known.   As for the risk factors that cause cancer, the American Cancer Society divides the risks as those that we can control and those we cannot, such as inherited gene mutations, where a woman is prone to develop breast cancer because the illness runs in the family;   or acquired gene mutations, where breast cells are mutated during a woman's life as a result of other factors such as cancer causing chemicals.

Other risks in the development of breast cancer include aging, race and ethnicity, dense breast tissue and menstrual periods.  If a woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer before and has had radiation, her risk of recurring is higher.

But how to avoid becoming yet another statistic? The things we CAN control to diminish the risk or being diagnosed with breast cancer include lifestyle choices.   EARLY DETECTION IS KEY! Scheduling an annual mammogram is the first step.  Body weight, physical activity and nutrition/healthy diet have all been related to the risk of  having breast cancer.   

Starting TODAY CAN help!  
1. Schedule a Mammogram
2. Eat properly
3. Exercise
4. Mind your weight
5. Avoid toxic substance such as alcohol and tobacco.  

For more information on breast cancer, visit:
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
http://beyondtheshock.com/

#####

About the Doris A. Howell Foundation: 

The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research is committed to keeping the women we love healthy, advancing women’s health through research and educating women to be catalysts for improving family health in the community.

The organization does so by funding scholarships to scientists researching issues affecting women’s health;   providing a forum for medical experts, scientists, doctors, researchers, and authors to convey the timely information on topics relevant to women’s health and the health. of their families through its Lecture and Evening Series, and by funding research initiatives that will create women’s health awareness and advocacy in the community.    

Sources: 

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

http://beyondtheshock.com/