Health Info - Overview
What You Should Know:
Every woman is at risk, but many women don't know this fact: Although there is no certain way to prevent the disease, there are ways that each woman can protect her health.
American Cancer Society recommends performing a self breast exam starting at the age of 20.
Learn the normal feel of your breasts, and check them yourself each month:
- It's normal to have lumpy and bumpy breast tissue and 80 % of all bumps are not cancerous. Doing a monthly self breast exam make you aware and able to identify changes:
- Lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm area
- Change in the size or shape of the breast
- Puckering, dimpling, or redness of the breast skin
- Maintain a diet low in fat that includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eating low-fat, high-fiber foods has also proven health benefits, including the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and stroke.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise helps prevent osteoporosis and heart disease and several studies have sown that regular exercise may reduce your breast cancer risk. Walk, bike, or do other activities that raise your heart rate at least three times a week.
- Avoid alcohol. Regular use of even small amounts of liquor, beer or wine can increase breast cancer risk.
- Know your family health history. Having close relatives -- both female and male -- with breast, ovarian or other cancers may influence your own breast cancer risk. Learn as much as you can about your family's health and review this history with your doctor.
- Don't smoke. Smoking causes several types of cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. It affects the health of others and can limit a woman's options for treatment and breast reconstruction.