[toc]Cancer is a disease where there is abnormal cell growth and can destroy the good cells, damaging the organ to the extent of taking life. It can occur in most organs of the human body and affect the person differently. Among more common cancers, breast cancer in women is one of them. Breast cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the breast inner lining of milk ducts or lobules.
The early stages of breast cancer show no symptoms and go untreated in most cases till the cancer is in the last stage where extreme treatments are required. Breast cancer is more common in elderly women than young women but can affect females of any age. Breast cancer could be caused due to various causes and need to be screened to be sure of it.
There are various ways of diagnosing breast cancer and in most cases is also treated but one needs to be careful of not being invaded by the disease by following healthy lifestyle and preventing measures that can cause breast cancer. Early detection in order to improve breast cancer outcome and survival can help reduce the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Also prevention can help.
Breast Cancer Prevention Tips
Maintain Healthy Weight
It is very important to not become overweight and gain extra fat to avoid breast cancer. Women generally middle age women do not exercise and over eat, so they tend to become over weight and bring on an increase in the fat deposition in the body around breast area also.
Obesity takes place more after menopause if the woman gets inactive due to hormonal changes and should be specially taken care of. Once menopause occurs there are increased chances of breast cancer due to high BMI and fat deposition. Lean women have reduced chances of developing breast cancer.
Always Eat Healthy
One should make sure that eating healthy is a part of daily lifestyle. It should be followed from a young age to be able to avoid diseases related to obesity later in life. Eating healthy food means, eating good food, and avoiding bad food. Good diet includes whole cereals, fruits, vegetables, low fat milk products and lean meat.
All food items should be taken in a balanced way every day and saturated fat, sugar, aerated drinks, pickles and packed food should be avoided to remain healthy. The more extra fat you consume daily, the more prone you get to diseases that are very harmful.
Be Physically Active
It is not only important to eat right but also required to be physically active during middle age and adult ages for women to prevent breast cancer. Physical activity and good diet both ultimately help one maintain healthy weight and prevent diseases.
A half an hour of workout everyday is good enough to keep one’s body function at good standards, whereas no activity can lead to decrease of health at very early age. It is not necessary to go to the gym to exercise only. One can take up any form of activity like dancing, walking, yoga, and aerobics to remain fit.
Breast Feed
Breast feeding is directly linked to prevent breast cancer. The more you breast feed the lesser is the chance of you getting breast cancer. Nowadays working women avoid feeding the baby most of the times and neglect the importance of breast feeding.
Breast feeding the child for at least six months is not only good for the child but also the mother. Breast feeding activates the breast muscles and cells and reduces the abnormal cell growth chances, thus preventing breast cancer. Non mothers should massage their breast occasionally to keep away from cancer.
Avoid Hormone Replacement Therapy
This is another important prevent measure for breast cancer. The hormonal therapy required to be done after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer in elderly women. If one must take proper hormones to ensure subsiding of all the signs of menopause, avoid all those hormones that has progesterone and limit their use to less than three years because otherwise the chance of breast cancer increases to very high.
Also other prevention measures should be well taken if this cannot be avoided because combination hormone therapy for more than three to five years increases the risk of breast cancer.
Avoid Exposure To Radiation
Avoid radiation exposure as much as possible. Computerized imaging methods are known to increase risk of breast cancer due to high doses of radiation. Reduce your exposure by having such tests only when absolutely necessary.
Also some environmental conditions like exposure to the chemicals found in some workplaces, gasoline fumes and vehicle exhausts increase the risk of breast cancer and should be avoided as much as possible. The preventive measures if taken on time can keep individuals unaffected for years. It is important to know one’s body and tendency towards one disease so that more careful steps can be taken.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is dangerous for all types of cancer. Women who smoke are more susceptible to breast cancer than non smokers. So, to prevent cancer of breast one should avoid active smoking as well as passive smoking. Smoking tobacco inhales carcinogenic substances that trigger cancer cells to multiply faster and hamper the body part affected.
Ones who so not smoke should not start smoking in their adulthood, and women who smoke should start thinking of quitting it to avoid like risking diseases and having a better disease free life.
Limit Alcohol
Like smoking, alcohol should also be avoided to prevent breast cancer in women. Women who are addicted to alcohol have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Alcohol can be taken in limited manner by women considering that they are not susceptible to breast cancer and other prevention methods are being taken care of.
Alcohol for women is allowed to be in the limit of only one peg daily. If someone drinks occasionally then number of pegs can be increased. Women who smoke or are obese should more importantly drink less or avoid drinking. If one follows these preventive measures with seriousness, then she can be sure of not being affected by breast cancer.
Photot Credit: http://cancer.healthprobs.com/inflammatory-breast-cancer-treatments/