October is breast cancer awareness month. There are certain risk factors that can increase your chances of developing breast cancer and there are also certain preventative measures that can reduce your chances of getting breast cancer. Unless you know what to do and what not to do, you may be unintentionally increasing your chances of getting breast cancer.
These are things that every women should do, to help reduce her risk of getting breast cancer:
1. Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of developing breast cancer because fat cells produce small amounts of estrogen, which can fuel some cancers.
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2. Check up on your family history: How many people in your family have had breast cancer? If you don't know, now is the time to check. Having close family members who developed breast cancer increases your risk, since certain risk factors are genetic. Genetic testing is available for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
3. Do self breast exams periodically: Self breast exams will let you know if there are any noticeable changes. If so, make an appointment for a more complete analysis with your doctor. A mammogram, thermogram, ultrasound or MRI may then be ordered.
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4. Don't drink too much alcohol: While that glass of red wine may do some good things for you, excessive alcohol drinking has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. there is a lot of controversy about how much alcohol consumption is ideal.
5. Exercise: Not only will working out help you maintain a healthy weight, exercising itself has been shown to reduce your risk of developing cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends 45 to 60 minutes of exercise, five times a week.
6. Minimize your exposure to estrogen mimickers: . Paraben preservatives in lotions and cosmetics, BPA in plastics and soy products are all estrogen mimickers. Estrogen dominance can increase your chances of breast cancer.
7. Know the facts about birth control: Taking oral contraceptives is one risk factor for developing breast cancer, but the risk decreases to normal levels the longer you are off them (women who took birth control pills more than 10 years ago, for example, have the same risks as women who never took the pill). Weigh the pros and cons of taking birth control and talk to your doctor if you want to know more.
8. Assess your risk: It always helps to be informed. Know all the risks of breast cancer, even ones that can't always be avoided, such as starting your period at an early age, having a child after 35, or never breastfeeding. Know what choices you have. Check the National Cancer Institute or The American Cancer Society for comprehensive lists of lifestyle, genetic, and environment risk factors and ask your doctor.
9. Reduce your processed food, junk food and sugar intake: These "foods" place a huge toxic and chemical load on your body. Try to eat organic and cook from scratch whenever possible.
10. Relax and reduce your stress: Stress can be your worst enemy. Minimizing stress can do a lot to reverse the effects of other risk factors. Stress has also been associated with many other diseases. We all have stress, but our ability to handle it is key.
11. Quit smoking and avoid second hand smoke: Smoking and being exposed to second hand smoke increases your chances of getting many different cancers as well as diseases and significantly reduces your life expectancy.
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