According to the world health organisation, October is the month dedicated to awareness of breast cancer. Breast cancer remains one of the worst nightmares of any female, especially when it isn’t detected early. This short guide would point out a few things a woman can do to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
- Perform a routine self breast exam:
This remains the most important aspect of early detection and improving survival chances from breast cancer. The steps to examination of the breasts are available on various health websites; you are expected to carry out the breast examination at least once every month and look out for lumps or changes in the general appearance of your breasts. This is especially important if any member of your immediate family has been diagnosed of breast cancer in the past.
2. Modify your diet:
Eating healthy is probably the single easiest way to increasing your life expectancy generally and this also applies to reducing your risk of breast cancer. Avoid high sugar containing foods. Don’t ignore #nosodachallenge and don’t be too excited to eat junk food. Having a lot of sugar in your blood has a way of triggering different disease pathways which would be harder to treat.
3. Try to not be a Chainsmoker:
Even a pack of cigarettes has it written that smoking is bad for your health. Instead of trying to be cool amongst your friends, maybe you should think about your own wellbeing for a change. Smoking isn’t limited to cigarettes; every other thing you light up and inhale the smoke is very bad for you. If you already smoke,try as best as possible to join a program that would help you quit.
4. Alcohol is not the vibe you think it is:
No amount of drinking has been certified as healthy enough for anyone, not even the occasional drinking when you’re under peer pressure. It’s quite unpredictable to know whether your own family genes are protective or not, so it’s only reasonable to not be an alcoholic. Regular drinking increases your risk of cancers and even worse, it makes treatment harder.
5. Responsible use of contraceptives:
While making use of contraceptives is advised in women of childbearing age who don’t wish to have children yet, it is important to make the right choice of birth control. Some contraceptives have high oestrogen content and when combined for a woman who already has a family history of breast cancer, it can make thing go bad very quickly. This is why you need to choose the method of contraceptive with the help of a professional.
In all this, there’s no one rule hack to preventing breast cancer and we all need to support those who are living with breast cancer.