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Breast Cancer Prevention and Control Through Screening

October 18th, 2013

We have already seen that the incidence of breast cancer is increasing at a very rapid pace. In comparison to the developed countries breast cancer is fast moving Read the rest of this entry “

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Common Myths About Breast Cancer

October 6th, 2013

Whenever a condition or a disease is dreaded, it is bound to have many wrong beliefs associated with it. There are many common myths associated with breast cancer also, which are quite prevalent in most parts of the world. If is better if you are aware of these myths so that you do not fall a prey to them.



Myths vs Facts

Common myths about Breast Cancer are enclosed here:

1. Breast cancer can happen even if you never had breast cancer in the family. Seventy per cent of the cases never had breast cancer in the family.
2. Wearing an underwire bra does not increase your chances of developing the breast cancer.
3. It is true that breast lumps can mean a breast cancer. Nevertheless, just getting a lump on your breast does not mean that you are suffering from breast cancer. The lump can be due to many other reasons.
4. Some women feel that breast implants can increase the chances of breast cancer. This is not at all true.
5. The breast cancer can affect women with age. Looking at the statistics we would say thirty onwards. Below that age you may not develop the cancer easily.
6. It is not true that using deodorants and perfumes increase the chances of breast cancer.
7. A common myth is that women who have a small breast may have a low chance of developing breast cancer. The breast cancer has nothing to do with the size of the breast.
8. Some women argue that as they don’t have a lump on their breasts there is no way possible that they have breast cancer. Well a lump is not the only sign of breast cancer. There are many other symptoms that you cannot overlook. We have discussed some of them in our article on how to recognise the symptoms of breast cancer.
9. Some women belive that you cannot develop breast cancer after mastectomy. Well this is not true. The mastectomy may reduce the risk of developing the cancer but cannot remove it completely.
10. Another popular myth that we would like to bust about breast cancer is if your father’s family had a history of breast cancer you stand an equal chance of developing the same.
11. Caffeine is not a cause for breast cancer, so you can relax and have your cup of coffee. Some research actually proves that coffee can reduce the chance of developing cancer.
12. Some women are of the opinion that if there is breast cancer in the family there is no point looking for the signs of breast cancer as they will definitely develop the cancer. Well this is not a valid point. You can take steps like quitting smoking, excessive drinking and other habits so that you do not trigger the cancer cells to spread faster.
13. Lumpy breasts that are also called fibrocystic breasts have a high chance of developing breast cancer. Well this is not completely true. You have to be more careful in this case for the signs of breast cancer. However, this does not mean that you will get the breast cancer for sure.
14. Mammograms are the only way you can check for the signs of breast cancer. Some women feel that too much of Mammograms may increase the chance of developing the breast cancer. This is not true. You must do at least two Mammograms a year once you cross the age of forty.
15. Some women are afraid of needle biopsy as they belive that this will spread the cancer. This is not true at all.
16. It is true that breast cancer is a killer in many parts of the world. It does not mean that you will die just because you have got breast cancer. The breast cancer can be cured completely and many women have survived it too. Just be positive and brave. Lung cancer is the biggest killer when it comes to the types of cancer.
17. It is true that Mammogram is a good test to detect breast cancer. However, a positive report of Mammogram does not mean that you have breast cancer for sure. Similarly a negative Mammogram report does not mean that you do not have breast cancer.
18. Some women say that hair straightening can be a cause for breast cancer. Well this is not true at all.
19. A common myth that must be busted here is that many women feel that complete removal of the breast can be the best way to deal with the breast cancer. Leave it to the doctors. They will be able to guide you on what best must be done in order to deal with your case of breast cancer. There are being other treatments available other than the removal of the breast.
20. Being overweight does increase your chances of getting breast cancer. Especially if you have gained the weight post menopause. This is exactly why you must try to always keep your weight under control.
21. A common myth about breast cancer that often puts women in dilemma is that fertility treatment increases the chances of breast cancer. Well this is not true. Please get your fertility treatment done without any fear.
22. Having an abortion does not increase your chances of developing the breast cancer at all. Please don’t even think on these lines.
23. Breast cancer is not preventable as we do not know the exact causes of the cancer. However, you can reduce the chances of developing it by following the tips that we have discussed in our previous articles.
24. If detected on time this cancer can be cured completely. Just that you must have the will power and the strength.

We have tried to cover most of the common myths about breast cancer. Do read this article and spread it among the women you know. The more awareness is spread the better we will be able to fight the breast cancer.

A little caution can ensure that we detect the breast cancer on time. A timely detection will also help you to fight the cancer better.

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Anti-Oxidants and Cancer Prevention

September 24th, 2013

We are sure that you are not hearing the word antioxidant for the first time. There are great things circulating the market about anti-oxidants and there are people and companies who make tall claims with respect to them. Read the rest of this entry “

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Prostrate Cancer: A Primer

September 3rd, 2013

 

Watch the video to see how you can avoid being in such a condition Read the rest of this entry “

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Risk Of Radiation And Repeated Mammograms

August 22nd, 2013

The screening that is done to detect breast cancer in women is called mammograms. These tests are useful in detecting and curing cancer. However, some feel that these do more harm than good. We will now try to understand the risk of radiation and repeated mammograms.



Mammography

This will help you to get a fair idea on how these screenings are useful as well as harmful. This is a long debate. A lot of research has been done on the subject too. Some of the research results are what we will be discussing in this article.

In mammograms radiation is used to check the breasts for presence of cancer cells. It is a known fact that when a person is regularly exposed to chest cancer and radiation she stands a higher chance of getting breast cancer. This is mainly because breast cancer can spread easily when radiation is used on the body.

The women are advised that if there was a history of breast cancer in the family they have a high chance of getting the disease. The women are scared by these statements and they want to ensure that they do the mammogram regularly for early detection of breast cancer.

Some women start the same from the teenage itself. Well the latest research shows that regular exposure to mammograms from an early age can lead to more cases of breast cancer than reducing the same.

Most of the women who get breast cancer later in life have a long history of regular mammograms. Women who do not do the mammogram regularly stand a lesser chance of getting the disease. However, the doctors say that if women do not do regular mammograms it will not be possible to detect the disease on time.

Now t hat we know that mammograms actually increases the chances of breast cancer we have to look at the genetic aspect of breast cancer too. It is proved that most of the cases of breast cancer are in the family. If you are lucky you may not get it.

Mostly women get breast cancer from their family. These are the women who are extra careful and start doing the mammograms as early as possible. As they grow older their genetic programs and the regular mammograms combine together can make breast cancer common among these women. Doctors say that mammograms are essential for screening of breast cancer.

Well there are other means of screening like a self check. However, this cannot be relied upon completely and can be misleading too. Perhaps women should ensure that they do not expose themselves to mammograms as early as twenties. They must wait till they are around mid thirties at least.

Most of the cases of breast cancer are found in women who have reached mid forties. So mid thirties should be a good age to start mammograms once a year. This is for the women who have a history of breast cancer in the family. Those women who do not have any case of breast cancer in the family can also do mammograms occasionally in consultation with the doctors.

If women notice a sudden change in the breast or the nipples even before they have reached the mid thirties they must report the same to the doctors and get themselves screened. It is always better to take precautions in case of breast cancer. It can really help women deal with the disease even better.

The mammograms definitely have a long list of advantages. The only problem being that if you are regularly doing the same you may only land up increasing your chances of breast cancer. The doctors are the best judge and only they can suggest what should be a good frequency of doing mammograms in women. The mammograms have an advantage this is exactly why it is done all over the world to detect the breast cancer. We just cannot deny this fact.

The attempts are on to develop some other screening tests for breast cancer. This is mainly because mammograms have their own limitations. Moreover it is not a secret that mammograms can do more harm than good actually. Women can do self checks; maintain a better and healthier lifestyle to ensure that they have a strong immune system.

Vitamin D can be a very important factor in breast cancer treatment. This is exactly why women should increase the intake of the same. A lot of activists are working across the world to create awareness on mammograms. We too just aim at creating the same awareness so that women know more about the mammograms.

We hope that this article on the risk of radiation and repeated mammograms was informative to you. There are a lot of things that is written about this topic. There are two aspects to the topic. We cannot deny that. Perhaps it is like a necessary evil that we have to deal with in order to live a better life. We just need to be a little extra careful and keep few simple tips in mind to live a better life.

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