Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Did anyone watch Ellen yesterday? I don’t usually watch that format of TV, no Oprah, no Ellen, etc., but for some reason yesterday, after I knocked off from work, I turned it on. Her guest was Sheryl Crow, talking about her fight with Breast Cancer. When she went for her mammogram, they told her they had concerns, and she should come back in 6 months for a follow up. Thankfully, her OB/GYN didn’t think waiting was such a good idea, and she got her treatment started right away.

Coincidentally (or maybe not, since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month), the other day I was flipping channels, and came across a show with a woman talking about ways to prevent getting breast cancer. Between these two triggers, I remembered that I am due for a mammogram. I have a friend who, with her very first mammogram, discovered a lump that resulted in her losing a breast, but probably saved her life. She’s my age, which scared me. Come to think of it, Sheryl Crow isn’t that much older than I am. Anyway, when my friend was diagnosed, I went and got myself a mammogram, and luckily for me, everything checked out OK. For those of you who haven’t had your first mammogram yet, it’s not that bad. It’s not my idea of FUN or anything, but it’s not nearly as bad as the other yearly exam. And if it IS truly painful? Get to another doctor, because it doesn’t have to be, and they clearly don’t know what they’re doing.

In the spirit of Breast Cancer Awareness, since there is no complete cure, only prevention and treatment, here are some tips* to staying as healthy as you can:

• Limit alcohol. A strong link exists between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. The type of alcohol consumed — wine, beer or mixed drinks — seems to make no difference. To help protect against breast cancer, limit alcohol to less than one drink a day or avoid alcohol completely.
• Maintain a healthy weight. There’s a clear link between obesity — weighing more than is appropriate for your age and height — and breast cancer. This is especially true if you gain the weight later in life, particularly after menopause. Excess fatty tissue is a source of circulating estrogen in your body. And breast cancer risk is linked to how much estrogen you’re exposed to during your lifetime.
• Stay physically active. Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and, as a consequence, may aid in lowering your risk of breast cancer. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven’t been particularly active in the past, start your exercise program slowly and gradually work up to a greater intensity. Try to include weight-bearing exercises such as walking, jogging or aerobics. These have the added benefit of keeping your bones strong.
• Consider limiting fat in your diet. Results from the Women’s Health Initiative low-fat diet study suggest a slight decrease in risk of invasive breast cancer for women who eat a low-fat diet. But the effect is modest at best. However, by reducing the amount of fat in your diet, you may decrease your risk of other diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. And a low-fat diet may protect against breast cancer in another way if it helps you maintain a healthy weight — another factor in breast cancer risk. For a protective benefit, limit fat intake to less than 35 percent of your daily calories and restrict foods high in saturated fat.
• Taking an aspirin just once a week may help protect against breast cancer. A study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” in May 2004 found that women who had a history of breast cancer and who took aspirin once a week for six months or longer were 20 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who didn’t take the drug. Women who took a daily aspirin had an even greater reduction in risk — 28 percent. Regular use of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) also seems to help protect against breast cancer, but not as effectively as aspirin. On the contrary, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) works differently from aspirin and ibuprofen and has no anti-cancer benefit. Aspirin and ibuprofen are effective only against breast cancers that have receptors for the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are known to stimulate tumor growth. The drugs work by reducing estrogen levels in your body and breast tissue. They do this by blocking a hormone-like substance (prostaglandin) that’s needed to activate an enzyme important in the synthesis of estrogen.
• Avoid exposure to pesticides. The molecular structure of some pesticides closely resembles that of estrogen. This means they may attach to receptor sites in your body. Although studies haven’t found a definite link between most pesticides and breast cancer, researchers have learned that women with elevated levels of pesticides in their breast tissue have a greater breast cancer risk.
• Avoid unnecessary antibiotics. Scientists recently found a link between antibiotic use and breast cancer — the longer antibiotics were used, the greater the risk of breast cancer. Researchers caution, however, that other factors, such as underlying illness or a weakened immune system, rather than antibiotics themselves, may account for the elevated cancer risk.
• Retinoids. Natural or synthetic forms of vitamin A (retinoids) may have the ability to destroy or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Unlike other experimental therapies, retinoids may be effective in premenopausal women and in those whose tumors aren’t estrogen-positive. Research is ongoing.
• Flaxseed. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds that lower circulating estrogens in your body. Flaxseed is particularly high in one phytoestrogen, lignan, which appears to decrease estrogen production and which may inhibit the growth of some breast cancers.

*Source: Mayo Clinic

I guess my daily wine habit just became a weekend or restaurant wine habit. Bummer. I liked that habit. I’ll save some money, though.

Sheyrl Crow had some information as well, about keeping plastic water bottles in your car, and how the heat might increase your risk of developing breast cancer. Guess I’ll be pulling those water bottles that I have for Gen. Who knows, might be bad for dogs as well.

Men take note, that while breast cancer is rare in men, it does happen, and can be fatal. So if you notice any irregular bumps, please get them checked out.

The best thing you can do for yourself, though, is monthly exams, and annual mammograms if you’re over 40. You can even try to get them at age 35. My doctor gave me one, and I didn’t have any risk factors. Just asking was enough.

Sheryl Crow said that today she will have her 6 month exam, 6 months from finishing up her radiation treatment, I believe. I’m wishing her well today.