Putting Breast Cancer Awareness To Work

October was the month to raise our awareness about breast cancer – as if we weren’t aware enough. We bought all sorts of pink products so that money would go for breast cancer research, and maybe we were reminded to schedule a mammogram. But there's more we can do to fight breast cancer. We can make changes in our lifestyle to lower our risk for this disease.

It may seem inconceivable that healthy living could protect anyone from breast cancer, but scientists have done hundreds of studies that demonstrate a link between certain behaviors and breast cancer risk. They don’t know which of us can hope to stop this dreaded disease, but we don’t need to wait for all the answers to use what they’ve learned about reducing breast cancer risk and recurrence:

• Eat wisely. Base your diet on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Limit fats, sugar and anything made with white flour.
• Get moving! Moderate physical activity is enough to reduce breast cancer risk and recurrence. It can be as simple as brisk fifteen-minute walks twice a day, but any amount of exercise helps.
• Keep your weight under control. Eat moderate portions of healthy foods and exercise regularly to keep weight down.
• Limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day -- less is better.
• Breastfeed for six months or more, if possible.
• Avoid hormone replacement therapy. The hormones in these pills are known to fuel the growth of some types of breast tumors.
• Guard your environment. Avoid exposure to chemicals like pesticides and some ingredients in cosmetics and toiletries that might play a role in increasing breast cancer risk.
• Control stress. It dampens your immune system, and there's nothing like stress to make you eat and drink more than you should.
• Don't smoke. And avoid second-hand smoke.
• Get regular mammograms and breast exams. Treatment is more likely to be successful when breast cancer is caught early.

Of course, some women do everything possible to reduce breast cancer risk and still get breast cancer. But there are some of us who might be able to stop this disease.