The decision sparked an outcry from abortion rights advocates blaming “political pressure” and praise from an anti-abortion group.

The move comes less than a year after Komen hired a new vice president, who has publicly stated her opposition to abortion, a service provided at some Planned Parenthood facilities.

Komen has a long history of providing funding to various Planned Parenthood affiliates for such services as manual breast exams and referrals for mammograms and biopsies to check suspicious lumps for cancer. Although that money is not used for abortions, the Komen Foundation may have yielded to demands from antiabortion groups to sever its ties to Planned Parenthood.

The Komen Foundation argues that their reason for cutting ties with Planned Parenthood is that they do not want to be involved with an organization that is being investigated by the government, after Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fl.) launched an inquiry to determine where Planned Parenthood public money goes.

Clearly, no one is considering the health and welfare of less privileged women in this country? This is not about abortion, it’s about catching breast cancer in its early stages and saving women’s lives!

SOURCE

Women Share Their Breast Cancer Experiences

6 Degrees Of Separation: Everyone Knows Someone Who Has Suffered From Breast Cancer

Raising awareness to this issue and all of the research done to prevent and treat it is just one small step in the fight against breast cancer. BlackPlanet members share their personal experiences in their battle with breast cancer.

Carolyn King-Kirkendoll

I am a three-time survivor. I have two more rounds of chemo to go. I’ve got cancer, cancer doesn’t have me.

Yolanda Green-Hill

I am 39 years old. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2004. I had 2 aunts & a mother who died from it. I had a double mastectomy followed later with implants. Having cancer makes life so real. I was always worried about my looks, clothes & how people saw me to the point of not wanting the surgery. I had a close male friend who told me I shouldn’t be that shallow. He said if people couldn’t accept my situation they need not be in my life, & that I needed to be here for my kids!! For now I am cancer free, & I thank God everyday for my life. I am a fighter & I am blessed. Anyone going through this never give up, love yourself, find a support system, & hold on to God!!

Brooklyn Honey

I was diagnosed in May 2009. I a double mastectomy then implants. I am so happy they caught it early. I’ve been cancer free since August 2009 and now I’m better than ever.

Sylvia Halepota

I’m a survivor for one year now, diagnosed with stage 1. I feel great and I know God is good.

A few breast cancer facts:

• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers in women are breast cancers.
• In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the US.
• In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations, and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.
• About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
• In 2011, an estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 57,650 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

Awareness is key. Do you have a breast cancer story to share?

6 Degrees Of Separation: Everyone Knows Someone Who Has Suffered From Breast Cancer

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

-(Facts & Figures) American Cancer Society

If you don’t personally know someone directly effected by breast cancer, that is if you yourself aren’t or haven’t suffered, than trust me you know someone who knows someone who has. Read the stories of these six individuals closely associated with breast cancer:

Deborah Bennett:

“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 13 years old, and died a few months later. Losing my mom to this disease at such a young age was one of the most devastating experiences in my life. As cancer runs in my family, it’s imperative that I get a mammogram and sonogram every year. Having gone through two biopsies and living with fear until I received the results was like living in a jail cell.”

Shamika Sanders:

“My aunt had breast cancer. I remember when I first found out, all I could think was ‘how could this happen to a woman who has dedicated her life to God?’ Not that anyone else should be more susceptible but I thought they had a personal relationship. Then I realized that they did, because she beat it. She is currently in remission.

Leigh Davenport:

I was walking down 42nd street, headed to the salon when my cell phone rang.  I looked down to see that it was my mom, typical considering we talk almost every day.  I answered without hesitation, “Hey Ma”.  She said, “your granny has breast cancer.”  As tears sprang instantly from my eyes, my knees began to buckle, I held on to a pole that was holding up scaffolding and fell silent.  I knew my granny was getting older, but Breast Cancer sounded like a death sentence.  Thankfully, the cancer was stage 1 and was able to be almost completely removed through surgery.  My granny is diligent about going to the doctor for regular check-ups and I’m so thankful that through early detection we were able to avoid aggressive treatments.

My aunt Agnes Pierre passed away in 2002. She had breast cancer and another illness, Myasthenia Gravis, that contributed to her poor health. She was my mother’s youngest sister and was the first person I ever knew with Breast Cancer. The thing that stood out is that she was still in good spirits, even after having a mastectomy. She’s bake cake and pies when she had the strength and would make me blush with a dirty joke. We all miss her. My son was born just a few months after she died and I wish she’d had a chance to meet him.

K.O. Cancer! Breast Cancer Walk [PHOTOS]

Oretha Winston:

“My best friend’s mom battled for 5 years and won the battle. She succumbed to Leukemia but gave us the best mantra ever. “Practice each day to Live the best today and tomorrow will be great.”

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Darnella Dunham:

“My aunt-in-law had breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy. She is now in remission.”

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

“Beauty For Breast Cancer Awareness”: Top 3 Products

K.O Cancer!

Here are some photos I was able to capture from the emotional event:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and according to BlackDoctor.org “African-American females experience higher death rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group.” This is partially due to African-American women tending to have more aggressive tumors. The fact is not meant to scare you, but it is meant as a wake up call.

Educate yourself and women you know on risk factors, discover ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, learn how to give yourself a breast exam, and help to fight breast cancer. And remember, if you are over 40 years of age, it is important to schedule an annual mammogram.

Below is your own personal mini guide to help you get started on your breast cancer awareness.

Risk Factors:

Family history
Early puberty (before 12 years old) or Late menopause (after 55 years old)
Not having children or Having children after 30 years old
Obesity and high-fat diets
2 to 5 alcoholic drinks daily

Reduce the Risk:

Exercise or Being physically active
Eat Soy, Broccoli, Red Apples, Red Cabbage or Red Grapes
Drink green tea
Regular screening tests
Avoid hormone replacement therapy if possible

Self Examination (from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc):

Breast cancer self-examinations should be done monthly at the same time of the month, and right after your period ends.

• In the Shower

Fingers flat, move gently over every part of each breast. Use your right hand to examine the left breast, left hand for the right breast. Check for any lump, hard knot, or thickening. Carefully observe any changes in your breasts.

• Before a Mirror

Inspect your breasts with your arms at your sides. Next, raise your arms high overhead. Look for any changes in the contour of each breast, a swelling, a dimpling of the skin, or changes in the nipples. Then rest your palms on your hips and press firmly to flex your chest muscles. Left and right breasts will not exactly match—few women’s breasts do.

• Lying Down

Place a pillow under your right shoulder and put your right arm behind your head. With the fingers of your left hand flat, press your right breast gently in small circular motions, moving vertically or in a circular pattern covering the entire breast. Use light, medium, and firm pressure. Squeeze the nipple; check for discharge and lumps. Repeat these steps for your left breast.

Fight Breast Cancer:

Donate, fundraise and/or volunteer. You can also shop at selected stores where the proceeds are donated to the fight. Check out these sites for various ways on how you can help them fight breast cancer.

• National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
• Susan G. Kormen for the Cure
• AVON Walk for Breast Cancer
• save the ta tas
• The National Marathon to finish Breast Cancer
• Sephora’s “Beauty with a Cause”
• Yoplait’s Save Lids to Save Lives
• Clinique’s World Pink
• The Estée Lauder Companies’ “World Pink. World Without Breast Cancer.”

Given the history of breast cancer that runs on Wanda’s mother’s side of the family, she made the difficult decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. She said on the Ellen Degeneres Show: “I had both breasts removed…because now I have zero chance of having breast cancer, so I was very lucky.” A dramatic decision yes, but one that was made with her 2-1/2 year old twins and wife Alex in mind. And now, onto living…

This year, HKI puts it’s stamp of approval on three beauty products (for third product click here) that first are committed to finding a cure for breast cancer and secondly, offer benefits that you care about.

shade ($19, drugstore.com) was created in honor of actress and breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate. For every “Christina” that’s sold, Jane Iredale will donate $2 to Living Beyond Breast Cancer with a minimum of $25K in the coming year.

is a luxury anti-aging hair care line that uses innovative ingredients like caviar, hemp seed oil & Italian white truffle oil to bring thinning hair back to life and prevent color wash-out among other benefits. A supporter of breast cancer awareness for many years with products that give back, Alterna has created a special-edition Caviar Overnight Hair Rescue ($15, beauty.com) in a 1oz travel size bottle. Caviar is ideal…click here to read more and to read a personal note from me regarding the importance of mammograms and how it touched my life.

Become a HueKnewIt.com FaceBook & Follow me on Twitter: @hueknewit for product giveaways and so much more!

Hue Knew It? I did.

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Your Guide To Wearing Nude Makeup

Click here to watch.

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Wanda Sykes Discusses Her Battle With Breast Cancer On “Ellen” [VIDEO]

“I had breast cancer…I know, it’s scary,” Sykes said with a short chuckle.

The cancer was discovered in February when she was going for a breast reduction operation, because as she said, “I was tired of knocking over stuff.” Sykes said her back was sore and “it wasn’t until after the reduction that in the lab work…that they found that I had DCIS [Ductal carcinoma in situ] in my left breast. I was very, very lucky because DCIS is basically stage zero cancer, so I was very lucky.

Wanda said she has a family history of breast cancer on her mother’s side.

Take a look:

October is breast cancer month and ladies please get yourself checked!

What YOU Can Do To Help Prevent Breast Cancer

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

“I found it through … I was having a breast reduction, actually” in February, Sykes says. “I had real big boobs, and I just got tired of knocking over stuff. Every time I eat … Oh Lord. I’d carry a Tide stick everywhere I go. My back was sore, so it was time to have a reduction. It wasn’t until after the reduction that in the lab work, the pathology, that they found that I had DCIS in my left breast. I was very, very lucky because DCIS is basically stage zero cancer. So I was very lucky. But cancer is cancer.”

Sykes said she could have gone in every three months for a checkup, mammogram and MRI:

“But, I’m not good at keeping on top of stuff,” she adds. “I’m sure I’m overdue for an oil change and a teeth cleaning already. I have a lot of breast cancer history on my mother’s side of the family, which I didn’t know about.”

So she decided to have a bilateral mastectomy:

“I had both breasts removed and because now I have zero chance of having breast cancer,” Sykes says. “It sounds scary up front, but what do you want? Do you want to wait and not be as fortunate when it comes back and it’s too late.”

The episode airs on Monday.

SOURCE

What YOU Can Do To Help Prevent Breast Cancer

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Wanda Sykes And Wife Have Twins

VIDEO: Sade Gets Funny With Wanda Sykes

We love when the ladies give back!

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As a filmmaker & journalist, Dominga was motivated to tell her story through film and to educate others by sharing her story.

“I decided to call my webseries “Beyond October” because it’s time we educate people everyday that Breast Cancer is preventable and curable. The key is early detection. I want to see more Survivors!”

Take a look:

What YOU Can Do To Help Prevent Breast Cancer

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Take a look at the pics below:

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A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

Dr. Ann Kulze, MD, author of “Dr. Ann’s Ten-Step Diet” offers great guidance with a list of things we can do right now … to do everything possible to prevent breast cancer and stop all these silly races, walks, shopping sprees and those damn ribbons!

1. Maintain a healthy body weight (BMI less than 25) throughout your life. Midlife weight gain has been shown to significantly increase the risk of breast cancer. Additionally, an elevated BMI has been conclusively shown to increase the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer.

2. Minimize or avoid alcohol. The use of alcohol, according to Dr. Kulze is the most well-established dietary risk factor for breast cancer. The Harvard Nurses’ Study, along with several others, has shown that consuming more than one alcoholic beverage a day can increase the risk of breast cancer by a much as 25 percent.

Via Huffingtonpost.com

A Black Woman’s Guide To Breast Cancer Awareness

How To Improve The Health Of Your Breasts

]]> http://hellobeautiful.com/fitness-health/hellobeautifulstaff1/what-you-can-do-to-help-prevent-breast-cancer/feed/ 1 http://hellobeautiful.com/fitness-health/hellobeautifulstaff1/how-to-improve-the-health-of-your-breasts/ http://hellobeautiful.com/fitness-health/hellobeautifulstaff1/how-to-improve-the-health-of-your-breasts/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:00:07 +0000 Hello Beautiful Staff http://hellobeautiful.com/?p=1265305 As you get older, you’re probably more and more concerned about what you need to do to preserve the health of your breasts, and avoid cancer. The good news is that while some risk factors for breast cancer, such as the age you started menstruating, can't be changed, other lifestyle habits can help keep cancer risks under control, no matter when you start. Read more..]]>

As you get older, you’re probably more and more concerned about what you need to do to preserve the health of your breasts, and avoid cancer. The good news is that while some risk factors for breast cancer, such as the age you started menstruating, can’t be changed, other lifestyle habits can help keep cancer risks under control, no matter when you start.

Stay Active

“Exercise lowers levels of estrogen, which is linked to breast cancer,” says the ACS’s Debbie Saslow. The best way to do this is by getting 45 to 60 minutes of heart-thumping activity most days of the week. However, moderate levels of exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days a week can still make a difference. And remember that you’re never too old: A recent study in the British Medical Journal showed that postmenopausal women (along with those with a normal body mass index, or BMI) got more of a benefit from regular exercises than other women.

Stay Slim

After menopause, obese women have double the risk of breast cancer compared with women of a healthy weight. This is of particular concern to Black women, who are more likely to be overweight.

“Gaining even 20 pounds of weight as an adult increases risk,” says Heather Spencer Feigelson, PhD, MPH, strategic director of genetic epidemiology at the ACS.

Stay Friends With Vitamin D

More and more studies demonstrate the cancer-fighting power of this vitamin. The latest piece of evidence, reported at the recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists: Breast cancer patients who were deficient in vitamin D were 94% more likely to have their cancer spread than women with adequate D levels.

“I advise women to take 800 to 1,000 IU a day,” says Andrew Kaunitz, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville.

FIND OUT MORE AT BLACKDOCTOR.ORG

Related Links:

7 “Bad” Foods That Are Secretly Good for You

5 Ways To Take Control Of Your Life

A doctor from the Cleveland Clinic claims he has developed a vaccine to prevent and possibly cure breast cancer.

A study, published Sunday, reports Dr. Vincent Tuohy found that a single vaccination made up of antigen a-lactalbumin (lactation protein) prevents breast cancer tumors from forming, while stopping the growth of already existing tumors.

A spokesperson for the Cleveland Clinic says enrollment in human trials could begin as early as next year.

READ MORE HERE

Pomegranate Compounds May Ease Breast Cancer Risk

5 Cancer Fighting Foods You Should Be Eating

Women have been and remain assured that radiation exposure from pre-menopausal mammography is trivial, about 1/1000th of a rad (radiation absorbed dose).

However, the practice of taking two mammograms for each breast results in 500 times greater radiation exposure of half a rad, focused on each breast, rather than on the entire chest. Thus, pre-menopausal women undergoing annual routine mammography over a ten-year period are exposed to a total of about 5 rads for each breast. This approximates to the very high radiation whole body exposure of women one mile away from where the atom bombs were dropped in Japan.

This information is not new. As recognized by the prestigious National Academy of Science in 1972, the pre-menopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each rad exposure increasing the risk of breast cancer by one percent. This results in a cumulative 10 percent increased risk of breast cancer over ten years of pre-menopausal mammography. In 1978, The Politics of Cancer reported: “Whatever you may be told, refuse routine mammograms, especially if you are pre-menopausal. The x-ray may increase your chances of getting cancer.”

Furthermore, the hidden risks of radiation are up to four-times higher for the two percent of woman who are silent carriers of a gene known as the A-T, and highly sensitive to radiation. This accounts for up to ten percent of all breast cancers diagnosed annually.

For these reasons, annual pre-menopausal mammography should be phased-out in favor of monthly breast-self examination (BSE), and annual examination by a gynecologist or trained nurse. The Task Force of the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that mammography be delayed until the age of 50, when the breast is much less sensitive to radiation. The recommendation is also supported by the National Breast Cancer Coalition. (From Huffington Post)

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The Issue:

One month after Breast Cancer Awareness month, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published updates to its mammogram screening guidelines in Annals of Internal Medicine. The task force’s 16 health care experts are against women in their 40s getting routine mammograms. They suggest women 50 to 74 years old should get a mammogram every other year, instead of annually, until they turn 75. And, they believe doctors should no longer urge women to conduct monthly breast self-exams. Click here for more details.

Are women with big breasts smarter?

The Debate:

The task force is receiving a lot of heat from breast cancer survivors and others who believe early screenings help save lives. Watch video here of experts from both sides of the debate.

The American Cancer Society will continue to advocate for women to get annual mammograms beginning at 40 years old to help early detection of breast cancer. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society’s deputy chief medical officer, explains “Our concern is that as a result of that confusion, women may elect not to get screened at all. And that, to me, would be a serious problem.” Read the rest of the story here.

The task force argues the benefits of early mammogram screening do not justify the potential harms in younger women, specifically age 40 – 49 years old. Getting screened too early can lead to false alarms, radiation exposure, and it is costly. Also, early screenings do not significantly improve the odds of survival.

What does this mean for you?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations can heavily influence Medicare and other insurance companies’ screening tests coverage. However, insurance companies are skeptical of an immediate impact.

The new guidelines are intended for the general population. Those considered at high risk of breast cancer, due to family history or gene mutations, should continue to get early mammogram screenings.

Women concerned or worried about breast cancer (no matter the age) are still urged to consult their doctors for proper check-up, diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. George Sledge, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a professor of medicine at Indiana University’s Simon Cancer Center, leaves us with this final note, “the core issue is that screening mammography reduces breast-cancer mortality. And that is unchanged by this report.”

Click here to continue reading the article.

New Breast Cancer Guidelines Could “Devastate” Black Women

Woman lies about cancer to get boob job

What’s your opinion? Do you support the continuation of early mammogram screenings? Or, do you think the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force presents a valid point?

(courtesy of lemondrop)

Sometimes I wonder about mankind. We’re suppose to be born with common sense, but like my mother always says, “common sense isn’t so common.”

As is the case with 24-year-old Texan, Trista Joy Lathern.

Lathern lied to friends and family to make them believe she had breast cancer, and raised a hefty $10,000 at a benefit for it. What was the money really for? She wanted to get breast implants!

The reason? To save her dying seven-month marriage.

Sperm Allergy Ruins Woman’s Wedding Night

Not only did Lathern lie about using to the money for chemotherapy, but she also shaved her head in order to look like a cancer patient.

Lathern was arrested on Wednesday for lying to the police about her condition, taking the charity money and spending it on the surgery.

And while this was all for the sake of saving her family and marriage, her husband William has since filed for an annulment. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, William Lathern claims Trista “induced him to get married ‘by fraud.’”

The annulment petition says that William was unaware of the fact his wife was cancer-free when they married or when the fundraiser was held.

Oh love, where would we be without it?

VIDEO: Butt Implants Gone Wrong

Roxanne Shante (aka Lolita Shante Gooden) is widely recognized as the first female hip hop artist to break through the male dominated industry. The rapper recently spoke to blackvoices.com and shared some insight on her very real life battle with breast cancer … in her own words:

In March, I noticed a lump in my left breast, rather small at the time and didn’t really know what I was feeling. So instead of going straight to the doctor’s office, I started asking friends their opinion and trying to go by their experiences. It was such a stupid move. Well, I figured I was just getting older. A hysterectomy in my early thirties led me to believe that I would be fine. Another stupid move.

I let months go by – five months to be exact. The weight loss of over 40 pounds made me feel like, “Damn, this diet is finally working.” But then I remembered I wasn’t on a diet. So on a bright, sunny day in August 2009, I walked into Doshi center for a mammogram. I put on the gown and stepped up to the machine. As soon as the technician took my breast in her hand, she asked me how long had I had the lump. It’s huge, she said. I made a joke, she giggled, but I was scared and angry that I had waited so long.

I was in denial. I even went so far as to ignore the letters sent by the lab that read: “Urgent!!! Please contact us.”

I had gotten a call from the doctor, “I just received your images at my office and they have been trying to reach you for weeks. As soon as you get back to New York, you come to my office. This is your life.”

I hung up, turned the phone off, walked out on the set and tried to pretend that the call never happen. But they did. And it showed on my face.

The doctors was a different story, however.

VIDEO: Feel Up Your Boobies With Me

This is how the week went. Headlines: ‘No Ph.D. Roxanne’s Revenge,’ ‘Where are you Roxanne?’

It was the ’80s all over again, but this time not to spark a career but to end over 10 years of charities, pushing education and giving and helping people and not too mention 25 years of hip-hop. But that’s nothing new. What about my children ? My 13-yea-old ? What if I die? So Tuesday another mamo, Wednesday ultrasound Thursday the bad news and then the surgery.

So I felt all eyes were on me to tell women how important it is for them to get checked. It is only by the grace of God that I have been able to survive. I have been blessed to not only have survived the pitfalls of an industry that has destroyed so many, but to also survive just the everyday struggles of surviving all the negative that has come my way

Personal guide to breast cancer awareness

Take a look at the hottest celeb pics on the net!

You probably know the scary statistic – one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. What you may not know, however, is that while doctors often don’t start mammograms for women before the age of 40, young women do get breast cancer, and when they do it’s often more aggressive and less responsive to hormone therapies.

Did you know that black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than are white women in the U.S.? According to webmd.com, this year, nearly 200,000 U.S. women will be told they have breast cancer, the ACS estimates, and more than 40,000 women will die of the disease. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among U.S. women.

According to the Susan G. Komen Organization, when breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. But because many younger women are diagnosed at later stages with more aggressive breast cancer, their survival rate is lower. With increased awareness for genetic counseling and testing, early detection and treatment, the odds can be improved. Providing that early diagnosis and treatment to women is the goal of a bill recently introduced in Congress, and this is where we need your help.

The Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act of 2009 was introduced by Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, and Sue Myrick (R-NC).

What to eat right now for better breast health

The EARLY Act will increase awareness about breast cancer and young women in three key ways:

• Public education. The bill will provide funding for an aggressive public education and media campaign targeting young women, with an emphasis on women under age 40 who are at higher risk due to their race, ethnicity or genetic heritage.

• Resources for health professionals. Through additional training, health care professionals will be more aware of the risk factors, the opportunities for genetic counseling and testing, and the unique challenges that face young women diagnosed with breast cancer.

• Support services. Younger women face additional strains including an increased impact on their dating lives, careers and ability to have children. This bill will address these concerns by providing grants for support services for young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Take care of your breasts with Vitamin D

Take a look at the hottest celeb pics on the net!

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaches, we need to think about realistic ways to protect ourselves from getting the second most common cancer for women. Here’s how making smart food choices might just lower your breast cancer risk.So why bother trying to prevent breast cancer? For one, second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer women face.

Here’s what you can do to lower your risk according to eatingwell.com:

1. Stay lean, move more
One of the most important ways to reduce risk of breast cancer is to avoid gaining weight, suggests a recent review article in the journal Cancer. That means balancing a healthy diet with plenty of exercise. And a study of over 100,000 women reported that those who got regular, strenuous exercise had a lower risk of developing breast cancer than others who didn’t. Exercise may help lower levels of hormones that are involved in breast cancer. Commit to regular exercise, if you haven’t already.
4 simple ways to get yourself to the gym

2. Enjoy fats in moderation
The Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS), a major clinical trial of postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, found that those who followed a low-fat diet significantly reduced their risk of cancer coming back. They also lost an average of 4.6 pounds after the first year of the trial, while those in the control group gained a half pound. Because weight gain is linked with breast-cancer recurrence and lower survival rates, perhaps the key benefit of a lower-fat diet is the weight loss it encourages. Watching your fat intake can help prevent you from gaining weight and may thus be a cancer-fighting strategy.

3. Eat soyfoods, not supplements
In countries like China and Japan where soyfoods are commonly eaten, breast-cancer rates are among the lowest in the world-and one analysis of 18 studies found that eating soyfoods, such as tofu and soy nuts, slightly lowered breast-cancer risk. But don’t be tempted to pop a soy supplement, warns Laurence Kolonel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the epidemiology program at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii: the high doses of soy phytoestrogens found in supplements can behave like estrogen in the body, causing breast-cell changes that could potentially lead to cancer. Breast-cancer survivors and women at high risk for the disease should avoid soy supplements.

Blast away your belly bulge

Click here for more on this story

Take a look at the hottest celeb pics on the net!

There are several pieces of recent research that have revealed three new women’s health risks you should know now.

Meat and Your Heart
Okay, our hearts are essentially meat, but that doesn’t mean they are happy when we eat it. A study by the U.S. National Cancer Institute published in The Archives of Internal Medicine this year found that eating too much meat could shorten your life. Reducing meat consumption to match the bottom 20 percent of the half million people studied (that’s less than 5 ounces a week, so you have to really think vegetarian) reduces the risk of dying from heart disease by a whopping 50 percent for the women studied. Bonus points: It also reduces the risk of cancer death by about 20 percent.

Pros and cons of organic food.

Alcohol and Your Breasts
Two major studies point to an association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. A study of nearly 1.3 women by epidemiologists at Oxford University in Great Britain, published in February, found that just one drink per day (whether liquor, beer, or even the glass of red wine we used to feel good about drinking because research showed it protected against heart disease) increased by six percent the risk of developing breast cancer by age 75. A study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, published around the same time, found a 24 percent increase in breast cancer for women who consumed 14 or more drinks a week. If you’ve had breast cancer, a third piece of research suggests you should stop drinking altogether. A study just published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who drank alcohol had a 30 percent higher risk of developing cancer in their other breast than women who did not.

Click here to read more.

(From bettyconfidential.com)

Lighten up your menu for spring with this delicious recipe.

(From blackamericaweb)Black women are three times more likely to develop a virulent strain of breast cancer, according to a recent study from the Boston School of Medicine, and that news underscores the need for black women to go to the doctor for regular check ups and screenings, health professionals and breast cancer survivors said.

“We just have to be diligent, talk to one another and admit we need care,” said Rose Stewart, a 13-year-breast cancer survivor in Austin, Texas.

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The 72-year-old retired educator said she caught her cancer early. A mammogram showed a tumor about the size of a penny. “I had a lumpectomy and radiation. Every three to six months, I go to the doctor to have my blood checked,” Stewart told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Read more of this story here.

The 10 best foods for your heart.

[From CNN Health]

Attention red wine drinkers: Drinking moderate amounts of any kind of alcohol (including wine, beer, and liquor) is associated with a slightly increased breast cancer risk — and the rosy-hued beverage is no exception.

That’s the conclusion of a new study that dashes any hope that red wine is less likely than other alcohol-containing drinks to increase breast cancer risk, or that it might even protect against the disease.

“If a woman chooses red wine, she should do so because she likes the flavor, not because she thinks doing so will reduce her breast cancer risk,” said Polly A. Newcomb of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, who led the research. “It might be good for other things, but it definitely is not conferring any protection against breast cancer.”

There’s good evidence showing that women who consume alcohol have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer than teetotalers, and the risk is higher with heavier drinking. But research in animals and some human studies had suggested that red wine might not carry the same risks as other forms of alcohol or could even be protective.

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Had TOO much wine last night? Find out how to cure a hangover here.

Love wine, but don’t know what kind to order? Become a pro by reading this article.

[From Health.com]

Yoga can improve the emotional health of breast cancer patients, contends a new U.S. study.

“Given the high levels of stress and distress that many women with breast cancer experience, the opportunity to experience feeling more peaceful and calm in the midst of breast cancer is a significant benefit,” lead researcher Suzanne Danhauer, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

The study involved 44 women with breast cancer. About a third of them were undergoing cancer treatment during the study, and the others had completed their treatment. Half were enrolled in a yoga program, and half were put on a waiting list for the program.

Women in the yoga group participated in 75-minute classes in restorative yoga – a more passive and gentle form of yoga that uses props such as cushions and blankets for support. At the beginning and end of the study, both groups of women completed questionnaires evaluating their quality of life.

After 10 weeks of classes, the yoga participants showed greater improvements in areas of mental health such as depression, positive emotions and spirituality – feeling calm and peaceful – than did the women still waiting to begin the yoga program. The yoga group reported, on average, a 50 percent reduction in feelings of depression and a 12 percent increase in feelings of peace and meaning. Yoga participants also reported less fatigue than the others, the study found.

So what does this mean? Click here to read the rest of the article.

Don’t have time for yoga? Take a few quickie meditation tips from Simone Kelly Brown.

Yoga is great for treating more things than stress. Click here to find out another way yoga can improve your life!

[From Science Daily]

Six studies published in the past year by a Cornell researcher add to growing evidence that an apple a day — as well as daily helpings of other fruits and vegetables — can help keep the breast-cancer doctor away.

In one of his recent papers, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (57:1), Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science and a member of Cornell’s Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, reports that fresh apple extracts significantly inhibited the size of mammary tumors in rats — and the more extracts they were given, the greater the inhibition.

“We not only observed that the treated animals had fewer tumors, but the tumors were smaller, less malignant and grew more slowly compared with the tumors in the untreated rats,” said Liu, pointing out that the study confirmed the findings of his preliminary study in rats published in 2007.

To read the rest of the article and find out what other fruits can help prevent breast cancer, click here.

[From BlackDoctor.org]

The development of breast cancer among women who are pregnant does not affect the chances of survival than younger breast cancer patients.

The study is one of the largest to look at whether breast cancer hits pregnant and recently pregnant women harder than other women. It contradicts some smaller, earlier studies that suggested maternity made things worse.

“If we can get them early, we can treat them aggressively and have good and promising outcomes for both woman and child,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Beth Beadle of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The Houston hospital has the world’s largest registry of pregnant breast cancer patients and their children.

Frightening for any woman, a breast cancer diagnosis is particularly terrifying for a pregnant woman. It presents complicated decisions about how to treat the mother and not harm the fetus. Some doctors recommend abortion so they can focus on treating the mother.

In the new study, being published Monday in the journal Cancer, researchers analyzed data from 652 women ages 35 and younger who were treated for breast cancer at M.D. Anderson from 1973 through 2006.

The study group included 104 women with pregnancy-associated cancers – 51 who had breast cancer during pregnancy, and 53 who developed the illness within a year after.

The rates of cancer recurrence, cancer spread and survival were about the same for the women with pregnancy-associated breast cancers as they were for the other women, the researchers found. The researchers calculated the rates for 10 years after the cancer diagnosis.

The women who were pregnant had tumors at a more advanced stage, probably because women and their doctors may have discounted breast changes, attributing them to breast feeding or pregnancy, the researchers believe.

Generally, breast cancers are more aggressive in younger women, and survival rates are significantly lower. While age may be a factor, it’s not clear that pregnancy is: There was no evidence in the new study that tumors were faster growing in the pregnant women, said Beadle, a radiation oncologist.

Radiation – dangerous to a fetus – is commonly used in mammography and breast cancer treatment. But ultrasound can be used to look for breast tumors instead. And surgery and certain kinds of chemotherapy can treat the cancer without poisoning the womb.

However, it remains a complicated medical situation that can depend on the severity of the cancer and how far into the pregnancy the mother is, said Dr. Ruth O’Regan, an associate professor at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta.

“It’s quite complicated, but all of us have been able to treat pregnant women successfully,” O’Regan said.

The study did not present data on how well the children did. Other research at M.D. Anderson has not found developmental problems in those children, Beadle said.

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Menopause is no fun, but recent research shows that taking estrogen and progestin pills for even a couple years greatly increases the risk for developing breast cancer.

According to a Time.com article,

It is clear that breast cancer rates plunged in recent years mainly because millions of women quit hormone therapy and fewer newly menopausal women started on it, said the study’s leader, Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

“It’s an excellent message for women: You can still diminish risk (by quitting), even if you’ve been on hormones for a long time,” said Dr. Claudine Isaacs of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “It’s not like smoking where you have to wait 10 or 15 years for the risk to come down.”

Read the rest of the story here.

In 1979, R&B singer Minnie Riperton died of breast cancer at the age of thirty-one. With a five-octave vocal range, Riperton was best known for songs like “Memory Lane ” and “Lovin’ You.” (She’s also the mother of Saturday Night Live alumnus Maya Rudolph). However, for many Americans in the 1970s, Riperton was more than just an incredible singer, but the public face of breast cancer.

Riperton understood that with celebrity came responsibility, so she publicly announced her trauma on national television, confiding in Tonight Show guest host Flip Wilson-and the rest of the country. Riperton would soon become the first African-American public spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, receiving the organization’s “Courage Award” at a White House ceremony with then-President Jimmy Carter. Nearly thirty years after her death, black women continue to be at the forefront of preventative outreach efforts.

In comparison to white women, black women are less likely to get breast cancer. However, black women are far more likely to die from it, in many cases because they are typically diagnosed at a much later stage than are white women. In addition, white women have longer survival rates once they contract the disease, even while black women are diagnosed at younger ages. To further complicate the situation, cancer tumors found in black women tend to be more aggressive than those found in white women.

Among the more obvious reasons for these discrepancies is that black women, particularly poor black women, often don’t have the same healthcare resources that their white peers do. The National Cancer Institute suggests that even when black women do have access to healthcare, they are less likely to receive state-of-the-art diagnostic treatments and procedures.

Also, the health issues of black men are often more prominently addressed than those of black women. Thus, concerns about breast cancer among black women are often overshadowed by legitimate concerns for the high incidence of hypertension and prostate disease among black men, even though such diseases also disproportionately affect black women as well.

In the spirit of Minnie Riperton’s work three decades ago, Susan G. Komen for the Cure (the foundation responsible for the ubiquitous pink ribbons during Breast Cancer Awareness Month) began the “Circle of Promise” campaign to mobilize awareness about breast cancer in the black community, dispel myths that prevent black women from seeking early treatment and empower black women to become strong advocates for themselves and their loved ones.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure estimates that in 2007, nearly 20,000 black women were diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 5,000 succumbed to the disease.

To help spread the word, the Circle of Promise campaign has employed the talents of a group of national ambassadors, including actress Gabrielle Union, artist Synthia Saint James, health expert Dr. Rovenia Brock and vocalist Lalah Hathaway (daughter of the late soul legend Donny Hathaway).

When asked about her involvement with Circle of Promise, Hathaway states, “I call it my grown-up job. It charges me to talk with women, particularly African-American women, about their health, because breast cancer is killing us at such an alarming rate. We’re always the last to be diagnosed and the first to die.”