It is difficult to imagine that every three minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer. When I think about it, however, I, along with so many other women, have been touched by this disease, through a friend, a mom, a sister, a daughter or ourselves.
As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I just read an excellent blog post from Healthy Child, Healthy World, that gave tips on how to prevent cancer. She addressed issues such as:
- using non-toxic home products and avoiding pesticides
- losing weight
- avoiding charred foods
- exercising
- avoiding second-hand cigarette smoke
- drinking less alcohol
- using glass containers rather than plastic
- limit hormone treatment, if necessary, to less than 3 years
- eat organic meat and dairy foods, avoiding hormone treated products
- do regular self-examinations on yourself
- blog about it ~ go to local schools, etc. to promote non-toxic cleaners
- purchase a landmark DVD set, Breast Cancer, The Path of Wellness and Healing ~ tips and stories of those who have dealt with or are dealing with Cancer, with proceeds going to charities, one of which is breastcancer.org I have included in this post a trailer of this special film.
I thought this article really helped to explain some definite tips we can apply in our everyday lives. Regarding the plastic, in a recent post I wrote, this issue is further explained as well as the dangers of using cans with the bisphonol A (BPA) lining.
One of the studies he talked about, done by doctors from the National Cancer Institute, reported that people who either worked outdoors or lived in sunny climates were less likely to die from breast or colon cancer. It was stated that if you take 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day, you reduce your risk of developing colorectal, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer by approximately 50%! He gave another staggering statistic ~ women who are deficient in vitamin D at the time they are diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly 75% more likely to die from the disease than women with sufficient vitamin D levels. What’s more, their cancer is twice as likely to metastasize to other parts of the body.
If you are interested in finding out whether you are vitamin d deficient, check out this simple quiz.