As a nurse my first love with health is prevention and always has been. I love teaching people how to prevent disease and illness. The basics of good health are good nutrition, hygiene , and mental/ physical activity.
Of course even the healthiest of people get sick at times. Disease like cancer can strike anyone at anytime. That does not mean we need to wait around for a diagnosis or not take care of ourselves because it may happen to us anyway. Attitude means a lot in our health.
We all hear of the special diets, exercises and pills that are supposed to reduce our cancer risks. Whether these work or not is always doubtful. Like almost everything in life moderation seems to be the key.
Let’s look at proven ways to reduce the incidence of breast cancer.
*Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.
*Limit amount of alcohol intake.
*Know your family history and your cancer risk. There are medications that some women can take to prevent cancer. Knowing your history may also help you with deciding if you should take Hormone Replacement Therapy.
*Breastfeed your babies (You all knew this was coming!) Women who Breastfeed for one to two years total in their lifetime (all babies total) have a decreased risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer. There is some evidence that nursing only for a few months may help as well.
*Watch your environment. This is a little more controversial as in everyone seems to have different answers, but is always good to avoid know carcinogens. Decreasing our exposure to BPA is a good way to start when wanting to decrease toxins around us. Check out this link for a list of chemicals that may cause cancer.
So what am I doing to prevent breast cancer in myself and my family (Remember it does strike men)?
I see my doctor annually and will get my baseline mammogram in five years.
I do self breast exams.
I’ve gained a lot of weight in the last two year and have finally started taking steps get get back into a healthy shape by exercising at least three times a week.
I try to get as many fruits and veggies in our diet and use supplements as well.
We do not use bottled water and I use stainless steal water bottles for our purified tap water.
I have gotten rid of all plastic and containers that contain BPA.
I have breastfed for about three years total between Meg and Elle.
I know my history and limit my alcohol content.
I use enviromentally healthier cleaning supplies.
I am trying to buy more organic and less processed foods.
I teach my girls the importance of knowing their bodies and taking care of them.
What do I need to do more of?
Check out the content of the beauty products in our home and Keep up on the new research so that I can learn more and pass on this knowledge.
I would love to hear what you are doing in your own lives to help prevent breast cancer. Please share your knowledge!
Sites of interest:
