Breast Cancer Awareness Month might be nearly over, but the threat of breast cancer remains.
In previous years, we tried our best to help spread information and clarify issues about breast cancer, from
popular myths to
tips for breast self-examination. This time, I find it fit to focus on the often neglected issue of male breast cancer.
Despite much attention given to breast cancer, one thing you will almost never hear even during information campaigns is the existence of male breast cancer. This is understandable considering that male breast cancer accounts for only 1% of all breast cancers; a very small number compared to the thousands of women falling prey to the disease each year. Even that small number is, however, unacceptable since breast cancer is no less fatal in men than in women.
The problem with so little information about male breast cancer is that men tend to put off ...
A lot of diagnosed breast problems – whether breast cancer or not – are usually first found out by the women involved themselves. They know their bodies best and as such, notice significant – and not so significant – changes early on. This is why it is very important that women conduct regular breast self-examination. During a breast self-examination, a woman may be able to find lumps which have developed over the years. Though lumps are not all malignant, or cancerous, early discovery is always an advantage.
It should be noted, however, that the
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the
Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) do not perceive regular breast self-examination as compulsory. Indeed, even the
American Cancer Society sees this as an option. If I were a woman, ...
Tags: breast cancer, breast examination, Women's Health
Not everyone is in danger of getting breast cancer but then again, you never know. That is why experts have come up with certain things that they consider to be risk factors. These can indicate whether or not a person has more chances of getting breast cancer. Here are some of the risk factors, courtesy of
MedicineNet:
Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women over 60. This disease is not common before menopause.
Personal history of breast cancer: A woman who had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting cancer in her other breast.
Gene changes: Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer. These genes include BRCA1, BRCA2, and others. Tests can sometimes show the presence ...
Tags: breast cancer, Women's Health
October is
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, did you know that? Breast cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases in existence today. The dangerous thing about breast cancer is that although almost everyone is aware of it, not everyone really takes it seriously. I have a lot of women friends who do not even think that they have to have regular check ups with the doctor. Oh in theory, they know everything, but they do not really take the time to go and have themselves checked.
That is why all the concerned authorities have designated a month in the year to help people become more aware of the issues involved. In keeping with the whole event, I decided to write some posts on breast cancer. Here are some stats to give you a ...
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer awareness month, Women's Health
Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. These contain antioxidants that reduce your cancer risk. Consuming fewer animal fats will reduce your exposure to organic pollutants and saturated fats.
Reduce the number of man-made perfumes or deodorants you apply to your body. They all contain chemicals in small amounts but regular heavy use can lead to the accumulation of these chemicals in the body.
Get your tap water independently checked to see what kind of chemicals are in your drinking water. Use some kind of filter system for your drinking water to remove the trace chemicals from your water left behind by the treatment process.
Don't smoke tobacco. Studies by the California Air Resources Board concluded that younger, pre-menopausal women exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Drink alcohol in moderation, excess consumption affects your liver and can cause depression. Wine is probably the healthiest option ...
Tags: Cancer, health tips
The different types of illnesses plaguing the
world today have been something that has caught everyone by surprise. The increasing rate of health
issues has made everyone standing on their feet, wondering how to resort to preventive measure to contain such illnesses from spreading like wildfire.
As an alternative, the use of herbal medicine has done wonders for various illnesses such as cancer and heart associated problems. This can be attributed to the fact that the substances and composition that all extracted herbs offer are found to negate and improve the body
components.
Weird as they may sound, taste or look, it is the healing effect that holds the truth towards a successful fight against
diseases and illnesses. It is not purely a matter of relying on your doctor for advice but also a matter of taking into consideration that herbal ...
Tags: Alternative Medicine, healing, herbs
To drink or not to drink? That is the question.
I must admit all these new studies about the benefits and negative effects of each and every food and drink I like makes my head spin. They said alcohol is good for your heart but now new findings state that it actually leads to increased risk for cancer. So what should one do? I guess it depends on whether you’re more afraid of a heart attack or getting cancer!
Seriously though, even moderate amounts of alcohol leads to increased cancer risk. According to Oxford University researchers women that drank more than 2 alcoholic beverages a week increases their risk by 2% while those that had 7 to 14 drinks a week increased their cancer ...
The human brain is considered to be the last frontier to unlock the utter complexity of the human body. It is the most studied yet most puzzling part of our bodies due to a complexity that cannot be rivaled by today's super-computers pound for pound. The human brain is a compact supercomputer that has an area that is larger than you think is in the human skull. The complex inner workings of the
human brain has baffled scientists who know what it is made of but how it works is still a big puzzle. Today's advanced
imaging sciences and devices have allowed the unlocking of some of its
secrets and the
information they gather is proving to be a huge benefit to those who suffer from disease. Studies with stem cells, the body's super-cells, are giving clues ...
Tags: Amazing Human Body, Human Brain, Imaging Technology, Supercomputer
As the month of October draws to an end, let us wrap up this series of articles on breast cancer. I was wondering what to write about when I came across an article which urged people to re-examine their lifestyle as a means to prevent breast cancer. The fact of the matter is that many experts say that there really is no clear cut way to prevent breast cancer. However, a recent study seems to have found some details that may shed a new light on the matter.
According to breast surgeon Trevor Smith, a change in lifestyle may actually help prevent breast cancer. He urges everyone to pay more attention to the link between breast cancer and lifestyle.
Stuff, a New Zealand web site, ran this story today:
Hundreds of published studies identified risk ...
Did you learn anything new from the 3 myths about breast cancer I shared in the last post? I sure did! Here are more popular myths.
Myth #4: Women with lumpy breasts have to be extra careful as they are more likely to get breast cancer in the future.
This condition is called
fibrocystic breasts. In the past, people thought that just because a woman had fibrocystic breasts, then she would more likely have breast cancer. Medical advances have proven that this is not true. Still, these lumps may need to be removed, hence the importance of breast self-examination.
Myth #5: Physical injury or force on the breast can cause breast cancer.
I totally believed this one, to be honest. However, it is completely unfounded. Sometimes, breast cancer is detected in women who have recently experienced ...
