This month is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS month! I have so many thoughts and feelings on the subject, but not much time to write! (Jake is watching TV, which I *hate*, so I want to go turn it off!)
FACT: There are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Both my grandmas (one living in NY, and one passed) are/were breast cancer survivors. I don't know many people whose lives haven't been touched by breast cancer in some way or another.
FACT: 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer.
I was watching a speaker on Martha Stewart yesterday who said that if detected early, there is a 98% survival rate. AMAZING! We've come so far!!! And the best way for early detection is monthly breast self-exams. We need to do them! One person who spoke at last years Survivor Crop said that she sets a date that she'll remember... for example the first of the month, every month... or if your birthday is on the 28th, then do it on the 28th of every month. (above link is an online BSE tool.) Still, with all our advances in breast cancer awareness, research and treatment, it's still a devastating disease (see below).
FACT: In 2007, about 40,460 women will die from breast cancer in the United States.
I was working on my Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for my RN license renewal, and there were two really good chapters on breast cancer. There were quite a few intriguing points... I want to expand upon them in another post since I don't have time now, but I was surprised to read this in a medical education manual. Many people assume that the chemical-free, organic movement is for fanatics, but it's actually health driven and medically supported! My pediatrician feeds his children all organic and recommends it whenever possible. Anyways, there are links between toxins/chemicals and breast cancer. Pesticides act on our bodies as an estrogen, which speeds the growth of breast cancer. Animals fed grains grown with pesticides harbor all those chemicals in their fat cells, so if you eat animal fat, you are getting all of those pesticides, plus the hormones they give the animals as well. (Which are even more powerful in growing the cancer). Now this is all in my own words after reading this two days ago, so I may not be saying it right, but basically... animal fat contains pesticides and hormones, which is linked to breast cancer. If you eat meat, it is best to eat organic meat (pesticide & hormone free.) I'll post a link to some information in another post... gotta rescue my baby from the TV, he's fussing!
P.S. I'm not doing Survivor Crop this year. If you still want to make a donation to Susan G Koman Foundation, let me know and I can help facilitate it. I decided I'll be term and it would be just my luck that the one day I stay up 24-hours, I'd go into labor the second my head (finally) hit the pillow! I'm sad, but I'll go next year.
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