Top 10 Ways To Prevent Breast Cancer

1) Keep your BMI (body mass index) under 25: Breast cancer is often detected in later stages in obese women who more often than not, do not have as strong immune systems to help fight off the disease. Grab a partner and hit the gym this weekend!

2) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week: Doing physical activities such as brisk walking can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 15-25%.

3) Avoid alcohol at ALL costs!: In 2000, the National Institutes of Health actually listed alcohol as a human carcinogen! One drink a day can raise your risk of breast cancer.

4) Diet from the past: Eat like our ancestors used to! Fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, no sugared drinks or refined carbohydrates.

5) No hot flashes? No need for hormones!: Hormone therapy may increase your risk of breast cancer. Although it is OK to use hormone therapy at menopause to assist with those unworldly symptoms, however, it is probably a good idea to take them no longer than 5 years.

6) Consider estrogen-blocking medicine: If you are over the age of 60 and breast cancer runs in your family, you may want to consider certain types of drugs that can actually help you block estrogen from your breast cells!

7) No Smoking!: We all know smoking leads to lung cancer, but did you know it can lead to breast cancer too? Active smokers and exposure to second hand smoke can increase the risk in premenopausal women by 20% or more!

8) Put the baby formula away: Breast feeding your baby plays a significant role in the risk of developing breast cancer. Your body produces more of the hormone prolactin which in turns lowers the amount of estrogen in your breasts. In countries where breast feeding is done for longer periods of time, the number of women that develop breast cancer is much lower than that of the United States. The longer you can breast feed, the more protected you are.

9) Become a lab rat: Taking part in ongoing research is a great way to learn about new and improving ways to lower your risk of breast cancer while helping other women find answers too.

10) Show your support: Joining the fight against breast cancer by attending a charity event, walking for a cure, or making any donation can all help raise money for breast cancer research.

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Self Breast Exam

Dear Dr. Bone,

I am a good patient who goes for annual mammograms, but I do not do breast self exam.I am afraid that I won’t know what I am feeling or that I will find something. I feel guilty about it but have heard various things about how important it is to do regularly. What do you think?

M.M.

Dear M.M.

If only I had a nickel for the number of times that I’ve heard those comments! You are not alone. There are many studies pointing stressing the importance of self exam to find cancers, especially ones that do not show up on mammogram and come up between mammograms (called interval cancers). Other studies show that breast self exam does not necessarily improve survival from breast cancer or long term outcomes. My feeling is that you should try to do them, but not beat yourself up about it if you do not do them regularly. There are now kits available to improve your technique by using silicone or other liquids between to layers to improve your skill. While these may be helpful, if you can just start with soap and water in the shower and try to cover all areas of the breast and armpit it is a good start. Remember, almost every woman has some lumps and bumps. Anything hard, stuck, and painless may be important. Try to examine during the week after your period is over when the breasts tend to be less sensitive. If you are postmenopausal, just pick the first of the month or your birthday number. I liken breast self exam to moving to a new city. In the first few months you don’t know your way around, but eventually, you know the streets well and would notice if there is a traffic detour. Once you make breast self exam a habit, any changes, even small ones, will probably stand out without a conscious effort.

Having said all that, don’t cancel your mammogram! Do them both.

Dr. Bone

Please take advantage of the following videos of Dr. Melanie Bone explaining both a stand up and laying down breast self exam.