8 Ways You Can Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
We are pleased to support the wonderful work of our local partner, the Cancer Society of Greenville County, with a donation of a portion of our sales during this October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This month Beija-Flor has been running the It’s More than Jeans campaign, to help bring awareness to breast cancer. Breast cancer is personal and so many of us, including our Beija-Flor team, have been directly affected by this horrible disease. But there is hope and there is an army of survivors in our lives. We want to do our small part in promoting awareness and providing support to our Beija-Flor friends. As a company created by women, for women, women’s empowerment and community have always been the cornerstone of the Beija-Flor brand. We are honored to support our local community and have made a commitment to donate a percentage of sales this October to the Cancer Society of Greenville County. Knowledge is empowering and we want to ensure you ladies, our Beija-Flor community, learn a few ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer happening to you or someone you love.
Breast Cancer, it’s Not Just In Our Genes
It’s important for women everywhere to know that although breast cancer can be in your genes, only 5-10% of breast cancers are actually genetic or hereditary. Therefore, there are measures you can take to limit the risk factors controlled by your daily lifestyle choices.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
The more you drink alcoholic beverages, the greater the risk of developing breast cancer. According to Breastcancer.org, the risk increases by 15% in women who have three alcoholic drinks per week. Another 10% for each additional drink women regularly have each day.
Put That Cigarette Down
It should go without saying that there is a strong link between smoking and breast cancer risk, especially for post-menopausal women. Just don’t smoke. Not only can it lead to breast cancer, but it may lead to many other forms of cancer as well.
Eat Healthy, Balanced Meals
If you don’t have one already, start a nutrition plan. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause. Try to eat healthily and moderately. Instead of dining out and grabbing coffees one month, save your money and buy a Fitbit. In the Fitbit app, you can log your food intake each day to see how many calories you eat versus your estimated calories burned. You can also track your macronutrients to see how well your meals are balanced.
Break a Sweat
Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week. Go on walks, ride a bike, swim, or take a yoga class. Not only will exercise help prevent breast cancer and other diseases, but it will improve your mental health as well. This is another area where a tracker like the Fitbit can come in handy. These watches tell you when you’ve been sedentary too long and they track your fitness progress. Some versions can even determine how well you’ve slept. 
Breastfeed, if You Can or Want
Breastfeeding isn’t for everyone, but it’s a fact that the longer you breastfeed your babies, the greater protection you will have against breast cancer. We sympathize with you if you are unable to breastfeed and we totally understand if you opted out. Remember, there are other very useful ways presented on this list to prevent breast cancer.
Talk to Your Doctor Regularly
Discuss with your physician about limiting the dose and duration of hormone therapy. Weigh the benefits with the risk. Severe hot flashes and fatigue are not symptoms to bat your eyelashes at but look to more holistic types of therapy.
Avoid the Rays
UVB rays, X-Rays, and Stingrays--Oh my! Do your best to avoid exposure to radiation. If you work around radiation and X-Ray technology, check your environment every day to ensure other workers haven’t forgotten to place shielding around sources. Accidents can happen.
Keep a Clean Bubble
Each person lives in his or her own bubble. It is up to you to keep your own bubble clean and healthy. If each and every person does their best to reduce the pollution within their own bubble, then more surface area of the planet will be clean. Reduce and avoid exposure to pollution. Some ways that you can reduce pollution include, but are not limited to: composting leaves, using environmentally safe paints and cleaning products, limit vehicle transportation. Also, you can avoid pollution created by others by not overly exerting yourself in outdoor activities when the air quality is poor.
The Forecast
Sadly, 40,000 men and women die from breast cancer annually and 1:8 women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Surprisingly, 2,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year as well. The good news is that there are 3.1 million breast cancer survivors out there! With early detection, the five-year survival for localized breast cancer is now 99 percent. This means that you need to stay on schedule for mammograms, clinical breast exams and get to know what your breast tissue feels like normally so that you can identify and report any changes.
Leave a comment