You must have been affected by breast cancer either directly or indirectly. Most of us at least know of someone who has been affected by this disease. Breast cancer affects both women and men, although women are the most affected. However, with technological advancements, there are new and more effective ways of treating the disease. While this is the reality, the most important thing is to strive to prevent the disease.
There are simple tips you can use to stay healthy and protect yourself from breast cancer. While not every tip might work for you, some tips will keep you protected. For breast cancer prevention; here’s everything you need to know to stay healthy:
Watch Your Lifestyle
Lifestyle changes like stopping alcohol consumption and any type of smoking are easy ways to prevent breast cancer. Alcohol not only predisposes you to breast cancer but also increases your chances of having liver cirrhosis. As for smoking, you risk having lung and mouth cancers besides increasing your breast cancer risk. Medical experts at Bedford Breast Center also recommend that you use these tips to live a healthy lifestyle. Watch your weight as being overweight easily predisposes you to breast cancer and other diseases like stroke and heart disease.
Take stock of your weight gains and seek advice from your doctor on how best you can maintain your weight. Often, you simply need to watch your diet and keep physically active. Make exercising your regular habit. Take plant-based foods like vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and fruits. If you can, avoid taking red meat and instead eat fish. Prepare your meals using healthy fats like olive oil in place of butter.
Breastfeed
Breastfeeding has myriad benefits, some of which include reduced chances of contracting ovarian and breast cancers. Breastfeeding is further important for your infants. The more years you breastfeed, the lower your chances of contracting breast cancer. Besides, when you breastfeed your babies, you also reduce your chances of contracting type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Check Your Birth Control Strategies
While birth control pills have several benefits, including balancing your hormones and helping you plan your family, they also have many disadvantages, including increasing your risks of contracting breast cancer. Mainly if you are past the age of 35, it is better to avoid using birth control pills. If you are a smoker, too, at this age, it is advisable that you stop taking birth control pills. However, younger women below 35 years of age have lower risks of contracting breast cancers while using birth control pills. However, these pills protect you from other cancers like colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer, so discuss it with your health professional.
Avoid Hormonal Therapies
Most hormonal therapies, especially after you have reached menopause, increase your risk of having breast cancer. It is important that you seek advice from your doctor anytime you are thinking about hormonal therapies. If you cannot avoid them, limit the number of years you use them after menopause. Remember, estrogen-based hormones and estrogen-progestin hormones all increase your risk of breast cancer. Weigh the benefits and disadvantages of using hormonal therapies and choose accordingly based on your medic’s recommendation.
Reduce Your Exposure To Environmental Pollution
Technology is a good thing, but it has also come with its negativities. Medical technological imaging strategies which use computer-based tomographies require high levels of radiation. High radiations predispose individuals to different types of cancers, including breast cancer. These radiations influence the mutations of cells and can result in many types of cancers. Environmental pollution, which causes depletion of the ozone layer, also increases the radiation on the earth’s surface. The consequence is genetic mutations and cell mutations which may cause different types of cancers like skin and breast cancers.
Go For Screening
Regular screening is a good strategy that can help detect cancer-causing cells in your body. There are different types of cancer screening methods, including mammograms, clinical breast examinations, and self-examination. If you have a family history of cancer, it is vital that you go for regular screening. During the screening services, your doctor can also teach you how to carry out self-examination on your breasts. Early detection of breast cancer makes it easy to cure it.
There is no single way to prevent breast cancer, nor is there a sure way to prevent it. However, with the above tips, you can significantly lower your risk of breast cancer. Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco have negligible benefits to your body, yet they predispose you to breast cancer, lung and mouth cancers and also increase your chances of having heart diseases. It is better to avoid them. Simple things like eating lots of fruits and vegetables and less red meat as well as regularly exercising can also help you big time. Breastfeeding is not only important for your baby’s health but yours too. Consult your physician on the best birth control strategies and hormonal therapies to use.