Health Tips To Protect Yourself From Breast Cancer

Ladies, there are a number of reasons why you need to protect yourself from breast cancer. For one, you get to enjoy life with people that matter. Nothing compares to spending time with your family and creating memories with them.

It is also great to be able to travel with friends and explore other places. You can also spend more time pursuing your passion and making a difference in the world.

That being said, you need to make sure that you attend to your healthcare needs because your body is like a well-tuned equipment that needs tender loving care. You have to make an effort so you are as healthy as you can be. This will help you prevent sickness and even lower the chances of getting the big “C.”

Statistics you need to know about breast cancer

There is no way to sugar coat it when it comes down to numbers because The Straits Times explains that breast cancer is the biggest killer of women in Singapore. If you need any more proof that you need to protect yourself from breast cancer, this is the best one. The same report highlighted some key findings from the Singapore Cancer Registry.

It states that for 4 years starting 2008, breast cancer made up a total of 29.4% of all known cancers in Singaporean women. To make matters worse, deaths from breast cancer contributed to 17.9% when benchmarked with other cancer types in women during the same timeline. The Ministry of Health has a higher statistic where they believe that breast cancer accounts for 18% of cancer deaths in Singaporean women. This is one of the reasons why it commands such attention from all sectors of society.

Ageing also plays a part in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Health Hub explained that as more women are prone to getting it, their chances of having breast cancer increases as women age. This makes it all the more important to start protecting yourself from breast cancer even at a young age.

Understanding breast cancer prevention

Before we go down to specific things you can do, you need to understand two basic things. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are two factors that women should understand about breast cancer – risk and protective. There is a huge difference between the two and it can help you plot your course of action.

Risk factors refer to anything that increases your chances of having breast cancer. On the other hand, protective factors are those that help you lower your chances of developing it. That being said, you need to remember that there are risk factors that can be avoided but you can’t avoid all of them.

Smoking and genetics are both risk factors. Between the two, you can only avoid smoking. If you have a family history of breast cancer, there is not a lot you can do about prevention – except to live a healthy life.

That being said, you can protect yourself from breast cancer by identifying risk factors you can address and putting in the work to incorporate protective factors along the way. Here are some of the things you can do.

Know your family history

As mentioned earlier, it is best to have an idea if breast cancer runs in your family. This is to help you manage your expectations. It can run in your genes. The more women in your family who has had to deal with breast cancer, the higher your chances of acquiring it. However, this is not the end of the world for you. This is just the beginning and what you find out in here can help you determine your next course of action.

Get yourself checked

This is an important step, especially for high-risk women. The sooner you get tested, the better. And even if you get tested once, you need to frequently do it as well.

There are ways you can conduct self-diagnosis at home. You are in the best position to find out if there are changes in your body. A lump in your breast is an all too common sign but it does not always lead to breast cancer. The best thing to do is to head out to your doctor and get yourself checked.

Lifestyle change can help you protect yourself from breast cancer

The Mayo Clinic pointed out that changes in lifestyle have shown to help decrease the chances of breast cancer – even for those with family history. That being said, how does it translate to your day to day activities? For one, you might want to look at your alcohol intake. Too much drinking could exacerbate existing conditions and tip them over the edge.

One thing that usually goes with drinking is smoking and you need to quickly put a stop to it. According to the Singaporean Cancer Society, smoking is linked to at least 14 types of cancer. Though much of it could be related to lung cancer, it can also lead to breast cancer, especially second-hand smoke and postmenopausal women.

Physical activity

Taking up a physical activity can help control your weight. This, in turn, can help protect yourself from breast cancer. This is because obesity can have a hand in aggravating factors that trigger the onset of cancer. There are a number of things you can do to help adopt a healthy dose of physical activity in your everyday routine.

One can be as simple as walking. You can follow certain routes to and from work. You can even take up jogging or aerobics once you get home. If pressed for time and you feel that going to the gym or the park takes up a lot of time, that is not an excuse. There are online workouts you can try out in the comfort of your own home. The idea is to incorporate an activity and start small. Build it up over time. Increase your exercise reps or choose a longer route. As you develop the habit, it will soon become second nature to you.

Breastfeeding your baby

This is one of those protective factors that you can do to help protect yourself from breast cancer. This is one advantage nursing mothers have. If you are one, you should definitely take advantage of it. There is actually a science behind this. Breastfeeding gives way to hormonal changes in your body. As a result, this contributes to a delay in your menstruation. Once this happens, you lower your risk of producing hormones such as estrogen. It is believed that this hormone contributes to the growth of breast cancer. So ladies, breastfeed your babies as much as possible! This is definitely one of the things you can do to lower the stress of motherhood.

There are a lot of things you can do to help protect yourself from breast cancer and you just have to identify them and incorporate them into your daily life. As you get used to it, you will notice a huge improvement in the quality of your life.