Health Tip posted by Kyle Steele July 24, 2011
Taken from: Top 10 Breast Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Tips
by Melanie Haiken, Caring.com senior editor
Last updated: May 07, 2011
Quit smoking. Sorry, I know you don't want to hear it. But there are great new helpful tools to make it easier to quit -- and doing so will reduce your risk of not only breast cancer, but lung, colon, and throat cancer too.
Skip the supplemental soy. Soy contains chemicals called isoflavones, which -- when concentrated -- act like estrogen in your body, so they can stimulate estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. But it's soy supplements that are the concern; eating tofu or drinking soy milk is fine unless you're at specific risk of estrogen-sensitive cancer. Overall, women who eat a diet high in soy have a lower breast cancer risk.
Don't take hormones, or limit how long you take them. There's still plenty of controversy, but most experts agree that long-term use of estrogen and progesterone combination hormone therapy boosts your breast cancer risk. If you or someone you care for is really desperate, ask your doctor to prescribe the lowest possible dose, and plan to use it as a six month respite, and then reevaluate. Five years is considered the maximum time a woman should be on hormones.
Last updated: May 07, 2011
Quit smoking. Sorry, I know you don't want to hear it. But there are great new helpful tools to make it easier to quit -- and doing so will reduce your risk of not only breast cancer, but lung, colon, and throat cancer too.
Skip the supplemental soy. Soy contains chemicals called isoflavones, which -- when concentrated -- act like estrogen in your body, so they can stimulate estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. But it's soy supplements that are the concern; eating tofu or drinking soy milk is fine unless you're at specific risk of estrogen-sensitive cancer. Overall, women who eat a diet high in soy have a lower breast cancer risk.
Don't take hormones, or limit how long you take them. There's still plenty of controversy, but most experts agree that long-term use of estrogen and progesterone combination hormone therapy boosts your breast cancer risk. If you or someone you care for is really desperate, ask your doctor to prescribe the lowest possible dose, and plan to use it as a six month respite, and then reevaluate. Five years is considered the maximum time a woman should be on hormones.