Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Food Tips to Prevent Breast Cancer

 "Check your bumps for lumps"
"Yes my boobs are fake, my real ones tried to kill me."
"Whoever said winning isn't everything, obviously wasn't fighting breast cancer"
You might have seen these slogans on pink t-shirts mostly worn by women during October. They may even sound funny, but the campaign behind that has the seriousness of life and death.
Food Tips to Prevent Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is indeed a humorless issue. It is basically a malignant tumor which begins in breast cells. And is mostly found in women, however, men can be targets too.

Fighting cancer can be done with the most basic things, including your diet. Nature has provided the organic ways in avoiding the disease.
Below are common examples...
Food Tips to Prevent Breast Cancer:
• Carrots - this vegetable contains retinoic acid, which studies have shown to maintain youthful glow and reverses the early inner cell changes that leads to breast cancer. This helps stop the progression of the disease in the early stages. It is said that high amount of alpha carotene in the blood has lower risks with cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
• Walnuts - scientific studies have found that walnuts have nutrients that may prevent cancer. Some of these are: Gallic acid, phytosterols, melatonin and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Whole Grains - they can help protect against various types of cancers including prostate and breast. Whole grains contain plant estrogens and antioxidants which balance the glucose response and lower the body acidity. This is a plus sign since cancer needs acidity to spread.
• Garlic - not just a part of cooking, but also useful to prevent breast cancer. Garlic contains compounds and antibacterial properties that may prevent the disease such as: flavonoids, allicin, and selenium. You may use the herb in its various forms, be it essential oil, extract, powder or supplements.
• Oranges - daily consumption of oranges helps in preventing the disease. Oranges are rich in vitamin C and limonoids which are phytochemicals that bears anti-cancer properties. You can use real orange and lemon oils in health drinks and cooking.
• Broccoli - this vegetable contain indole-3-carbinol which minimizes the levels of estrogen in women that may cause breast cancer. Broccoli helps block tumor growth and prevents the spread of cancer if it occurs.
• Tomatoes - these are rich in compounds called lycopene which lower the rates of breast and prostate cancer. You may consume tomatoes in forms like: juice, cooked, sauce and dried.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Breast Augmentation and Breast Cancer

Breast Augmentation and Breast CancerAt age 49 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which is obviously a complete shock to any woman. We are a family full of women who, until now, had no family history of the disease.
According to the CDC, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Statistics say that about 1 in 8 American women will develop invasive breast cancer within her lifetime. There were approximately 230,500 new cases diagnosed in 2011 within the U.S. On a positive note, from 1999 to 2005 these diagnosis rates have decreased by almost 2% each year. Sadly, medical statistics expected nearly 40,000 U.S. women to die in 2011 from breast cancer; however, this number is down in recent years due to advanced treatment options, earlier detection and increased awareness.
My mother, a registered nurse, took matters into her own hands. She was dedicated to monthly self-breast exams and found her own lump. After consulting 3 doctors, my mother finally found a physician willing to listen to her concerns, perform a biopsy and diagnose her cancer. The cancerous cells were only found in one breast; against the doctor's wishes, Mom selected a double mastectomy. I admire her strength and now think that because of her confidence and positive attitude through it all, I would choose the same.
In August 2005 Mom underwent a double mastectomy to remove both of her breasts. The surgeon then pulled the skin from above and below her breasts to cover her chest area. I will be honest that her recovery from this surgery was very difficult and incredibly painful. She had drains placed underneath her skin that had to be changed regularly. Finally after recovery she opted to meet with a plastic surgeon who specialized in breast augmentationpost mastectomy surgery.
Breast augmentation surgery uses implants to restore breast volume or fullness. This is a common practice after a lumpectomy or mastectomy. For a woman, it's a way to feel normal again after such a devastating loss. For my mom, it allowed her to feel like she had a womanly shape and body again. Now as a 50 year-old woman she still feels confident enough to wear a swimsuit. Cosmetic surgery can sometimes be associated with vanity, but in the case of woman who has lost one or both breasts due to cancer, I believe this is a fair reason to undergo augmentation.
There were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. last year, my own mother being one of them. She is now 6 years cancer-free, a huge advocate for the cause and willing to share her story every day.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Breast Cancer Facts And An Outlook About Chemotherapy

Families devastated by breast cancer strike to the mother; even worst if the mother is single mother. The question we have in mind: Isn't there any way to avoid this deadly disease? Is there good food for cancer? Is there bad food for cancer?
The answer is "yes, there is good food for cancer and there is bad food for cancer". Medical experts usually encourage women to early-detect the illness, as quick finding is going to increase the opportunity of making it through. This is the good side of breast cancer facts we can learn up to now.
Mammogram certainly is the technique frequently favored by general practitioners to be able to discover malignant tumor. The sad thing is specifically for women who are with the greatest family genetically probability can by themselves trigger this disease to develop.
Research has shown that mammograms enhance probability of the occurrence from 1 to 3 percent annually, which means that, when you've got a mammogram each and every year for Ten years, your possibility increases from 10% to 30%. And many radiation experts think the threat is significantly higher.
Nevertheless, all agree that breast is one section of the body most responsive to creating cancer from radiation treatment.
More on Breast Cancer Facts
Additionally, as women age, they're certainly going to develop cancer cells inside their breasts. Through age 50, the figure reaches forty five percents. Thankfully, it doesn't mean that forty five percents of 50-year-old will develop tumor in the breast, because in most women these kind of cancer tumor cells keep on being dormant.
The thing it entails is the fact that these women are at high risk getting cancer malignancy cells develop to full action.
There is another side of breast cancer facts, that there are 2 different types with respect to the estrogen varieties, negative or positive. Essentially the most fatal one is actually estrogen-negative.
Nearly all females understand that treatment with hormone replacement could heighten their likelihood of suffering from breast cancer; yet not most of the people know that the type of estrogen they utilize is very important. Estradiol, quite possibly the most potent kind of estrogen substitute, is related to a significant probability, and this actually also occurs with Premarin, the most typical hormone replacement. Additionally, this particular artificial kind of estrogen variety comes with various neurological consequences.
Some other types of estrogen, for instance estrone and also estriol, which can be utilized in natural hormone treatment, really decrease breast cancer chance and could lower its expansion. Several plant flavonoids (substances obtained in fruit and veggies) contain pretty weak estrogen-like outcomes, which will make all of them main players in breast cancer avoidance as well as therapy.
Vegetable flavonoids will be able to reduce the powerful influence of cancer-causing estrogen from acting by stopping the estrogen receptors in breast tissue within the breast-ducts.
Understanding The Genetic Risks of Taking Hormone Replacement
Some mutated genes are already connected with a higher probability of breast cancer:
  • BRCA-1 (breast cancer type 1)
  • BRCA-2 (breast cancer type 2)
  • ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) genes
Mutated genes owned by women increase likelihood of growing cancer in the breasts and then make them more responsive to exposure of breast radiation. Mutated genes founding is maybe the worst of breast cancer facts because this is actually the root cause of breast cancer cause.
These genes, if they were not harmed, take on serious function in rebuilding destroyed DNA. Volatile molecules of free radicals always immerse our DNA continually, so they really are accountable for tissue destruction and aging process.
In nearly all men and women, 98 percent of free radical damage is restored through DNA repair enzymes. Nevertheless those who already have damaged repair genes have a problem doing this particular critical task. Therefore, these individuals have noticeably greater cancer rates.