Love Your Boobies? Then Protect Them.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this article will be exposing different ways to prevent breast cancer, types of breast cancer examinations, and also clinics here in the El Paso area that offer services to women looking to examine themselves, get treatment, etc. Prevention is defined as action taken to lower the chances of getting cancer. Of course there are many reasons that a person could acquire breast cancer, it could be genetics (unfortunately not much can be done about that) or other external forces where certain lifestyle changes can help. There are many healthy habits that you can adopt to reduce your risk of breast cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic these measures can be taken to help:
Limit alcohol: The amount of alcohol a person consumes affects their risk of acquiring breast cancer. The more you drink the greater the risk! So if you do drink alcohol it is recommended that you limit yourself to one drink a day.
Don’t smoke: Not only does not smoking make you all around healthier, but recent evidence has shown a link between smoking and an increase in breast cancer risk. Particularly in premenopausal women.
Control your weight: Being overweight or obese increases the risk of breast cancer. This is especially true if obesity occurs later in life and after menopause.
Be physically active: Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight, which, in turn, helps prevent breast cancer.
Breast Feed: Breast-feeding may play a role in breast cancer prevention. The longer you breast-feed, the greater the protective effect.
Limit Dose and Duration of Hormone Therapy: Combination hormone therapy for more than three to five years increases the risk of breast cancer. If you're taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, ask your doctor about other options.
Avoid Exposure to Radiation and Environmental Pollution: Medical-imaging methods use high doses of ionizing radiation, which have been linked to breast cancer risk. Reduce your exposure by having such tests only when absolutely necessary. While more research is still being done, some already suggests a link between breast cancer and exposure to the chemicals found in some workplaces, gasoline fumes, vehicle exhaust, and other pollutants.
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables hasn't been consistently shown to offer protection from breast cancer. In addition, a low-fat diet appears to offer only a slight reduction in the risk of breast cancer. However, eating a healthy diet may decrease your risk of other types of cancer, as well as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet can also help you maintain a healthy weight — a key factor in breast cancer prevention.
Examinations
There are two well know types of examination that every woman is normally told to use: self-examinations and mammograms. Normally self-examinations are the first step, and then later if you find something unusual or reach a certain age, mammograms will come next. According to breastcancer.org here’s how to perform your own breast self-examination:
Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips. You should look for breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color as well as breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling. But if you find dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin, a nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out), or redness, soreness, rash, or swelling you should bring them to a doctor’s attention.
Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.
While you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).
Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter. Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage. Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.
Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in step 4.
Mammograms are an X-ray of the breast that is taken with a device that compresses and flattens the breast. A mammogram can help a health professional decide whether a lump in the breast is a gland, a harmless cyst, or a tumor. If the mammogram result raises suspicions about cancer, a biopsy is usually the next step. Currently there are debates going on about the age a woman should start getting annual mammograms. In the past women were told that they should start at the age of 40, but there has been a growing concern that annual mammograms starting at the age 40 may do more harm than good for many because of the harmful effects of accumulative ionizing radiation exposure, which as explained above can actually increase risk of breast cancer. Many organizations and groups are starting to say that mammograms should be started at the age of 50 until the age of 74. But of course if you have a history of cancer in your family, other genetic factors increasing risk of cancer, or you find a lump during your self-examination talking to your doctor and starting annual mammograms earlier than 50 is always a good idea.
Cinics
Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in all of the United States; as a result many have a hard time affording the health care they need. Here are some websites to help you find clinics and other cancer services here in El Paso that can help with negotiating payment options or with reduced prices for low income persons.
To find more information, you can visit these websites right here.
