Prevention is the key to healthy living!
As we at Rehab House Call like to say, it is what helps us to strive to have your health span equal your lifespan! Breast Cancer prevention is no different. Prevention is the first line of defense. If you are concerned that you are at risk to develop breast cancer, consider our top tips!
Alcohol consumption: increases risk so try to limit alcohol intake to one 4 oz glass per day. Even small amounts can increase your risk.
Smoking: if you have never smoked, don’t start! If you are a current smoker, seek help to stop smoking! This is especially a risk for younger, premenopausal women.
Physical activity: is important! A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk. It is generally recommended that an adult should perform a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (like walking) or 75 minutes of more strenuous activity as well as participating in resistance training a minimum of twice a week. If you already are active, great! Keep it up!
If you haven’t started an exercise program, please be sure to call 951-344-6141 for a FREE Phone CONSULTATION or CLICK HERE
Our expert Doctors of Physical Therapy and Personal Trainers at Rehab House Call can assist you greatly and will assess your safety to start an exercise program! To learn more about physical fitness CLICK HERE.
Healthy Diet: eating healthy, whole foods to help prevent diseases like breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke is as true as during the days of Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. He is tributed with saying “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Some diets, like our Standard American Diet, promote inflammation and disease. Others help to promote healthy living though better nutrition, giving our body’s the nutrients they need to function properly. One diet that is reported as helping to prevent breast cancer is the Mediterranean Diet. People who eat such a diet eat more fruits, vegetables, ancient whole grains (not refined or processes), wild fish, legumes, less red meat and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil. Stay away from any highly refined and processed foods. If you eat red meat, select organically raised on grass pastures without any “grain finishing” to make certain no added toxic chemicals, colorings, preservatives, hormones or antibiotics were added to their feed that may adversely affect your body. The same is true of fruits and vegetables; try to buy organically grown to avoid pesticides that linger or any genetically modified foods. To learn more about healthy eating and the problems with our American Standard Diet, CLICK HERE, to go to our Nutrition Matters blog!
Weight management: we know being overweight or obese is a risk factor so know what your healthy weight range is according to your Body Max Index or BMI. There are multiple free BMI calculators available online such as at Calculator.net. It is simple to plug in your age, gender, height and have your healthy weight and BMI calculated. Of course, eating healthy whole foods and being physically active will help you in maintaining that healthy weight.
If you “have tried everything”, feel free to give us a call at 951-344-6141 or CLICK HERE now to request a FREE CONSULTATION by one of our Certified Health Coaches. They are especially trained to support you in your quest to help prevent breast cancer and other diseases! To learn more about Health Coaching, CLICK HERE!
Breast feed: if you are pregnant, plan to breast feed for as long as you possibly can. Science shows that breast feeding may help to prevent breast cancer! The longer you breast feed, the more protective it can be! This is one of the best natural lines of defense against breast cancer! If you have child-bearing aged women in your life, talk to them about this important preventive measure!
Hormone Replacement Therapy: some older women who are going through menopause seek out hormone replacement therapy or HRT due to the various uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, mood changes and insomnia. Limiting your time on HRT is important as studies show women who use HRT are at greater risk of breast cancer. If you can manage menopause without HRT, your risk is much less.
Birth Control: This is similar to HRT as using either birth control pills or an IUD that puts out hormones, is also an increased risk for breast cancer. Talk to your physician about all your options if you are concerend about reducing your risk of breast cancer.
Radiation: exposure to radiation over your lifetime increases your risk of breast cancer. Limitingyour exposure to medical tests like X-rays and CT scans that are only absolutely necessary willhelp to protect you. Both the dose (strength) and the amount of time are factors in determining risk.
Environmental Pollution: as mentioned above in healthy eating, avoiding pesticides is important as well as any other environmental pollution such as poor air quality.
Sleep: getting adequate sleep is paramount to health! It is during this time that our body can rest, recover and repair itself. Take steps to improve your sleep if you regularly have less than 8 hours of sleep.
Regular self-examination: one of the most important prevention techniques you can do for yourself! Know your breast tissue quality! Report any concerns immediately to your primary care physician.
Regular physicals and mammograms: Schedule these important screenings at least annually; more often as advised by your medical doctor!
To learn more about Breast Cancer Prevention CLICK HERE to go to our Breast Cancer Prevention blog!
