October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

It’s hard to find a single person now-a-days that doesn’t know someone affected by breast cancer. The bad  news is that will still cause the death of almost 40,000 women in this country by the end of 2013. The good news is that the incidence of breast cancer has actually been declining since 2000. This is thanks to increased awareness, better detection and smarter use of hormone therapy. So, what can you do to be smart about your health or the health of your loved ones?

 

  1. Get Checked – Think thermogram, self-exam, doctor’s exam, or mammogram.
  2. Eat your Brassicas – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts – This family of vegetables contain compounds that have an amazing potential to prevent estrogen-related cancers.
  3. Get your hormones checked by a reputable, saliva-based lab – This can be extremely beneficial whether or not you are taking hormones. Even if your hormones are within the “normal” range, if they are not balance with each other, you are at a higher risk for all hormonally-driven cancers. For example, if you have more estradiol (your more potent form of estrogen) relative to your progesterone, this puts you in an “estrogen dominant” state, where you run a higher risk for cancer.