... naturally
October…it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s the month we remind every woman to do her self breast exams. We also remind them to get into the clinic and get a clinical breast exam and a mammogram.
I’m always amazed at the women who don’t want to touch themselves and do an exam. They also don’t want their provider to do an exam, nor will they get a mammogram. [Read more…] about Breast Cancer Awareness
Aspirin, which has been recommended by many studies over the years to reduce the risk of heart disease, is now recommended for women who are older and prone to cardiovascular disease.
This latest recommendations comes from researchers at the Nurses Health Study. Started in 1976, the NHS has been one of the longest and most significant studies to date on several aspects of women’s health.
Recent data shows that middle aged and older women who took aspirin had a 25% lower risk of death compared to those who never took it. This included a 38% decrease risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 12% lower risk of death from cancer.
Of course, aspirin (like everything else) is not without side effects, so make sure you speak with your health care provider to see if this is something for you.
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The Breast Cancer site is a project of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Going to the Breast Cancer Site and clicking daily will help fund mammograms for women in need. Check out The Breast Cancer Site.
A study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (“Hutch”) in Seattle reports a strong association between increased incidence of breast cancer and smoking. Other studies have certainly indicated a correlation. What was unique about this is it looked at older, postmenopausal women.
If you smoke, are exposed to 2nd hand smoke, or have friends that smoke…this is worth a read. Please share.
Long-Term Smoking is Associated With Up to 40 Percent Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society recommends colon cancer screening starting at age 50 (sooner if you have a family history of the disease), but few people are doing this. In the following survey, many said their providers don’t bring up the issue. However, I think it goes further than that.
I do happen to discuss this with my patients, and about 1/2 of them will get the test done – the others…they don’t even want to think about it. I can understand it – I’m not looking forward to mine either…but I think I’d rather have the test than develope something that can be taken care of early on.
While this study was done by the makers of another type of test, I think the results are probably valid. See what you think. Most Americans still skip colon cancer screening