Women's Health and Breast Cancer Information
Womens Health > Women's Health and Breast Cancer
Women's health and breast cancer has become a major issue over the last few years. About 175,000 American women get diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Breast cancer one of the most feared diseases of women. It is not as easy as just getting a yearly mammogram. Mammograms may find the cancer, but the best thing to do is to try to prevent it. There are lots of foods out there that are great for improving women's health and breast cancer. Fruits and vegetables can prevent cancer with a powerhouse of antioxidants, foliates, carotenes, and selenium.
In the early 1900's women's health was not a big issue. Only about 4 percent of women died from breast cancer. Later on in the 1950's, the percentage moved up to 15 percent and at the turn of the century, 40 percent of women died from breast cancer. Studies have showed that about 5,000 women have eliminated the lumpiness of their breast and minimized tenderness and redness by eliminating the bra. Women who reported red marks caused by a too tight bra, were more likely to have breast cancer or get it at some point in their lives.
Women's health can greatly be improved by simple everyday exercise and the threat of getting breast cancer can be minimized. There are certain things that cause breast cancer in women and those are, hormones, lack of pregnancy, late menopause, hormone pills such as birth control pills, pesticides, herbicides, bleach, plastics in microwaves, drinking or bathing in chlorinated water, smoking, and excessive calories. These are just some of the causes of breast cancer that affect women's health.
There are many ways to try to prevent breast cancer that will also improve women's health. Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, phytoestorogens like tofu and soy, red clover, infusion, peregrines. Eat a lot of grains and bean or try an all vegetarian diet. Eat a lot of brightly colored vegetables like carrots which contain a high amount of carotene. Vitamin C and vitamin E also help prevent breast cancer. Garlic, selenium, mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, corn, apricots, cucumbers and figs if grown organically can help improve women's health and prevent breast cancer. Garlic is known to be one of the best cancer fighters. It is rich in anti-tumor elements. Studies have shown that garlic has stopped some forms of growth in breast cancer cells in the
Every month you should give yourself a self breast exam. If you notice any changes in your breast such as size, swelling, heaviness, color, or anything that is not normal you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. It may turn out to be nothing, but women's health is nothing to play around with. It is better to be safe than sorry. The longer you wait, the more damage the cancer could be causing. Sometimes if cancer is caught early enough it can be taken out and you will go on living a normal life.
Risk factors and early detection for breast cancer
The elderly are also at an increased risk for breast cancer. Like prostate cancer, breast cancer has been a popular topic over the past few years, and more women than ever are educated about the disease. Still, it is one that often catches women by surprise. Women under 40 years of age do not develop breast cancer very often, but that risk rises gradually with age. Women 70 and older are at a very high risk for developing the disease. Some researchers suggest that seniors are more susceptible because the large number of changes going on in their bodies mean they develop abnormal cells more often.
Other risk factors include family history, height, breast density, and age of onset of menstruation. Some of the risk factors are controllable, including using birth control pills, drinking alcohol, and having a sedentary lifestyle, all of which put women at greater risk. Early research indicates that women’s risk decreases if they had children and
Another factor that may put senior women at greater risk is the use of postmenopausal hormones. Many women opt to use the hormone treatments to control for problems they encounter after they reach menopause. Research now suggests, however, that these medications adversely affect the likelihood of developing breast cancer. Elderly women who wish to take menopausal hormones should ask their doctors about estrogen-only treatments instead of estrogen plus progestin treatments as the latter cause more problems in regards to breast cancer.
Early detection of breast cancer is crucial to helping stop the disease. All girls and women, beginning at menstruation, should perform self-exams monthly on their breasts. These exams can help women become familiar with the shape, size, and texture of their breasts so that they can inform their doctors if something changes in the tissues. Mammography is the next step in early detection of breast cancer. This test is an x-ray of the breast tissue and can alert doctors to any abnormalities that should be watched further. Women 40 and older should begin having mammograms done every other year, and by the age of 50, they should increase their visits to annually to help detect breast cancer before it is too late.
Breast Cancer Symptoms
We have all seen if not worn the pretty little pink ribbon that is the symble of Breast Cancer research. Every twelve minutes in America a women dies of breast cancer. That number should shock you, since the nineteen sixty the number of women that had breast cancer has doubled. For every one hundred women that get breast cancer one male will be diagnosis with the disease.
Caught early breast cancer has a very high success rate. Your yearly physical will included a breast examine and that is great, but most physician will recommend that you do a monthly examine noting any changes in your breasts. This is done the week following your menstrual cycle. You will notice that your breast might have a few bumps, but you will soon recognize them as part of your body. However if you find a bump that was not there or is hard and painful you should consult your doctor.
You can find a self breast examine brochure at your pharmacy or your doctor should be able to provide one. It is best to do the examine in the shower with a soapy hand so that your hand will move easily over the skin.
There was a time many years ago that breast cancer was not treatable. It was a death sentence. That is not the case today. If you catch breast cancer in time the five year survival rate is now 96%.
How do you know if you have breast cancer? Well like some diseases you will not look any different with your cloths on. However with regular breast examines you might not the following things during the examine. A lump/ bump that is firm and often painless, or perhaps a portion of the skin on the breast swells and is unusual in appearance. In some cases you might note the veins on the surface of breast is more prominent then the other one. If the breast nipple becomes inverted, developes a rash, or has a discharge and you are not breast feeding, you will want to call your doctor.
If you find a lump~ stop and breathe, only two out of ten lumps found are cancerous, and the fact that you found one in time could make all the difference.
Diseases and Conditions: Breast Cancer Awareness Could Save Your Life
Scientists have made great strides in saving the lives of the thousands of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
The survival rate for women with breast cancer is getting better. Every year approximately 182,000 women are diagnosed with the life-altering disease and 43,300 of them die. Breast cancer affects men too. About 1,600 men are diagnosed with the disease each year and one fourth of them die.
Early detection of breast cancer is crucial. When breast cancer is detected early, 95 percent of them survive over a five-year period. Mammograms are responsible for saving many of those lives.
Women who are 40 and older should have a mammogram every other year, according to the National Cancer Institute and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Breasts should also be examined regularly by trained medical professionals. Women should also examine themselves monthly, they are in the best position to notice the first signs of irregularities in the breasts.
How Does Breast Cancer Happen?
There are many different kinds of cancer. All cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and divide uncontrollably. Every organ in the body is made up of many types of cells. The body is supposed to regenerate cells when the body needs them. Normal cell growth is orderly, but when cancer cells grow, they multiply uncontrollably and cause masses to form. Not all masses are cancerous. Many tumors are benign and don’t spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors are rarely life-threatening and are sometimes removed surgically to avoid discomfort. Cells from benign tumors don’t spread to other parts of the body. Cells from benign tumors don’t spread to other parts of the body and those non-cancerous tumors are rarely life-threatening.
Malignant tumors are cancerous and cancer cells do invade other parts of the body due to uncontrolled growth. Cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor. Those cells sometimes get in the bloodstream or lymphatic system and the cancer spreads. Metastasis is the term used for the spread of cancer.
The breast is considered a gland. Its main function is to make milk. The lobules in the breast make the milk and the liquid drains through the ducts to the nipple. Cells throughout the body grow and then rest in cycles. Genes in the cell’s nucleus control the periods of rest and growth in each cell. When these genes develop an abnormality, they sometimes lose their ability to control the cycle of cell growth and rest. Uncontrolled growth of breast cells causes breast cancer.
There are certainly things that women and men can do to protect their bodies from certain kinds of illness. Eat a balanced diet, don’t smoke, participate in stress-relieving activities and exercise regularly. However, many people who, “do everything right” still get breast cancer and it is no one’s fault. By taking good care of your body, you will be ad a great advantage if you do develop this disease. Precautionary measures such as methods to detect breast cancer early are your best defenses against the growth and spreading of breast cancer should it strike you.