Breast Cancer Prevention
Staying healthy as you mature involves making a number of conscientious lifestyle choices; this helps to minimize your chances of experiencing dangerous medical conditions. The following health practices can help reduce your likelihood of developing breast cancer and other diseases:
- Avoid Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption can increase your risk of breast cancer, as alcohol may interfere with the production and regulation of hormones such as estrogen. To minimize the effects of alcohol on your breast tissue, try to limit your consumption to fewer than three servings per week.
- Quit Smoking
Smoking has a detrimental effect on many of the body’s systems, and can damage DNA, increasing your risk of developing cancerous tumors. The sooner you stop smoking, the more time your body has to repair the damage, so seek help in quitting for good.
- Exercise Regularly
By getting active for at least four hours per week, you can lower your body’s hormone levels and reduce your chances of developing breast cancer—particularly if you have not yet hit menopause. Exercise can also help you avoid obesity, which is a major risk factor for breast cancer.
- Schedule Mammograms
In conjunction with healthful lifestyle changes, regular mammograms can decrease your risk of dying from breast cancer by detecting potentially cancerous tumors before they spread throughout the body. Healthy women with no family history of breast cancer should generally have a mammogram every one to two years starting at age 50.
Join Menorah Medical Center on September 29th for our third annual Pink Power Ride, benefitting the American Cancer Society. The motorcycle poker run begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and covers 100 miles, with a variety of great prizes available. Call Menorah Medical Center at (913) 498-6000 to register or for information on scheduling a mammogram.
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