Breast Cancer

Breast cancer has claimed the lives of countless women. This loss seems needless due to the many precautions that could be taken to discover breast cancer in time and stop it in its tracks. Another point of concern is how breast cancer is contracted by careless living. Simple things like lack of sleep or work stress can cause breast cancer in woman of any age. However, we know a lot more about this disease now and there are signs to look out for which we will see further on.

Causes

There are five major causes to breast cancer that should be noted:

• Too little sleep
• Too much stress at work
• Smoking
• Not breastfeeding
• Delayed pregnancy

Educating woman of these causes will make a big difference in curbing their contraction of the disease. Information is the first line of defense against the possibility of letting this problem affect us or our female family members. Woman who smoke are particularly susceptible to breast cancer—a scary reality that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Prevention is better than cure

The best way to beat breast cancer is to never get it in the first place. Women should be educated on how to prevent breast cancer, as well as how important it is to have themselves checked regularly. Getting enough sleep and toning down stress at work are practical ways to prevent breast cancer. However, the most effective method seems to be going for regular mammograms and checkups. Woman who are more likely to get breast cancer because they smoke or have had a child in their late thirties (or later), should go for checkups more regularly as a precaution.

Signs to watch out for

Another point of education is looking out for the signs that women may have breast cancer. These can include pain in the breasts, a feeling of lumps, or any change in the skin or nipple such as discolouration or roughness. Other symptoms include one breast shaped differently than the other, or an unnatural swelling of either one.

To reiterate: education is the main weapon we have in fighting breast cancer. Finding out about it too late could have fatal consequences, but if the signs are properly read, it can be treated appropriately. Women should ensure regular checks to make sure they don’t sit with a worse problem later on.