Mothers pass on many things to their daughters throughout their lives. Things like life lessons and family stories or wedding dresses and secret tomato sauce recipes. Mothers pass down their genetics as well and in some cases this unfortunately means a family history of breast cancer. So as a Mother or any woman in general it is important to also pass on the knowledge of how to maintain good breast health and how to spot the signs of breast cancer for early detection.
There are several steps women can take throughout their lifetimes to maintain good breast health and in turn reduce their risk for breast cancer.
1. Stay Active – Exercising regularly has endless breast health benefits. Regular workouts can strengthen your immune system, lower blood pressure and boost your endorphin levels. Not only do endorphins improve your mood, studies also show that they help in relieving pain.
2. Maintaining A Healthy Weight – Breast health can be improved by staying at a healthy weight. This reduces your risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and increases your bodies ability to fight off disease. This “healthy weight” is different for each individual. What may be a healthy weight for one person may be considered overweight or underweight for another. It is always important to consult your primary care physician to discuss your ideal weight.
3. Healthy Diet – With the large number of additives and preservatives in manufactured foods it is important to make sure you are careful about what you consume. Certain food colorings, preservatives and additives have been linked to very serious health issues including cancer. By incorporating more whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans into a diet the risk of consuming artificial additives is eliminated and your breast health is improved.
4. Regular Checkups – In maintaining good breast health it is important to do monthly self breast exams and to go to your health care practitioner for annual examinations. Consult your physician about how soon and how often you should be getting checked. Based on your family history your doctor will be able to determine if your breast health is at risk. He or she will also be able to recommend the best tools to aid in diagnosis. These can include thermography and anatomic testing such as ultrasound and MRI.
To learn more about breast health and the breast screening service, thermographic imaging, offered by TDI – Thermographic Diagnostic Imaging please visit our website.
