Search Results for: blog how you can fight breast cancer

Breast Cancer Fundraising

On October 30th my friend Nicole is going to be participating in the Making Strides: Breast Cancer Walk to Never Lose Hope. The team she is on is being led by her daughter. One thing I have seen is that they are having some trouble raising their funds to meet their goal. Now this is rather surprising to me I wonder if this is because of all the different cancer organizations are starting their own fundraising walks or if the financial crisis in America is keeping the money in peoples wallets instead of supporting great causes like this. I had … Continue reading →

Emotional Support Can Improve Odds for Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is one of the leading types of cancer in the United States. If you or someone you know has battled with breast cancer, you understand the need for support and encouragement. Recently the “Cancer Support Community’s Research and Training Institute” unveiled a new registry for breast cancer survivors. These remarkable survivors will have the opportunity to share their experience and impact others who are going through the same thing. It is believed that emotional support can improve the survival odds for breast cancer patients. The Breast Cancer M.A.P. (Mind Affects the Physical) Project is recruiting survivors of breast … Continue reading →

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One of the largest fundraising and awareness events out there is the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Making Strides officially started in 1993. However, it has a longer history than that. Boston area cancer survivor Margie Gould Rath started Making Strides Against Cancer in 1984 as a way to celebrate cancer survivors and raise funds for volunteers and survivors. The first event started with just two hundred participants… and boy, has it grown. Since the event began, close to five million people have participated in the walk to raise awareness and … Continue reading →

Are You at High Risk for Breast Cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute, the average woman has a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer. That’s a scary number… and it gets worse if you’re at high risk. What puts a person at high risk for breast cancer? Having a strong family history of breast cancer — that means two or more close relatives with breast cancer. If any of those relatives were diagnosed before the age of fifty, your risk is even higher. A strong family history makes you between two and five times more likely to develop breast cancer than the average woman. Having … Continue reading →

Testing for Breast Cancer

Posted on by

Testing for breast cancer falls into three phases: screening, diagnostic, and monitoring. Screening tests are for people who seem to be healthy. Yearly mammograms and self-exams fall into this category. Screening tests are intended to catch breast cancer early — when treatment often has the best chance of success. Diagnostic tests (like ultrasound scans and biopsies) are for people who are suspected of having breast cancer. Maybe you found a lump on a screening test; maybe you have other symptoms of breast cancer. Diagnostic tests determine whether or not cancer is present, and if it is present, whether it has … Continue reading →

Hormonal Breast Tenderness

One of my least favorite symptoms of PMS is the breast tenderness. I guess I’m lucky that I don’t suffer this particular symptom every month… but when it does hit, it sure does hurt! During PMS and even pregnancy, hormonal changes can lead to discomfort in the mammary glands. Reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone) trigger growth in the milk producing glands. Blood and other fluids fill the nearby area. This can cause painful stretching to your nerves! So what can you do to relieve hormonal breast tenderness? Try a diet change. A high-fiber, low-fat diet may signal your body to … Continue reading →

Why You Might be Getting a Phone Call from Ellen DeGeneres

The next time your phone rings and you hear Ellen DeGeneres’ voice on the other end don’t hang up. It’s not a joke. (Unless you have a crazy cousin who likes to impersonate the comedienne.) DeGeneres has teamed up with vitamin maker One A Day to record a series of phone messages urging women to fight back against breast cancer. The messages can be delivered by online request to concerned loved ones who may or may not be at risk for the deadly disease. The popular daytime talk show host says her goal in recording the messages is to encourage … Continue reading →

Not All Breast Cancer Patients Need Chemotherapy

Two recent studies took a look at whether or not chemotherapy is the best treatment for breast cancer — with interesting results. The studies were reported at the 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, an annual gathering of scientists from around the world. One study found that women were less likely to have a relapse or die if treated with a less harsh drug than the standard chemotherapy drug, Adriamycin. One study (from Loyola University in Chicago, IL) used a gene test to help predict whether or not a woman actually needs chemotherapy to treat breast cancer — or … Continue reading →

Are You Well Informed About Breast Cancer?

According to a new survey from the National Breast Cancer Coalition, seventy-five percent of women think they’re well informed about breast cancer. However, much of what they believe is not quite the truth. More than half of women surveyed believe that a family history of breast cancer is the biggest risk factor for developing the disease. That fifty-six percent of women is wrong. Less than TEN percent of all breast cancer cases are hereditary. More than two-thirds of all breast cancer cases appear in women who have no known risk factors. So what is the single biggest risk factor for … Continue reading →

Healthy Foods You May Not Eat

Foods that are staples in other parts of the world may not be on your nutrition radar here. Let’s look at a few foods that you may be ignoring! Cabbage is an amazing cancer-fighter. Certain compounds in cabbage can actually detoxify cancer cells and interfere with the formation of cancerous substances. Other cruciferous veggies (like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and turnips) can help protect your body against certain types of stroke, several kinds of cancer, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6. Lentils (and other legumes, like … Continue reading →