October – the pinkest month of the year! Through the whole month, the annual campaign of Breast Cancer Awareness involves thousands of organizations and millions of people worldwide. Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to bring attention and support for breast cancer among women, the importance of taking responsibility for your breast health and celebrates the new research that has ultimately affected clinical practices.

With that in mind, as well as supporting Pink Together and encouraging you to join the fun, this month on the life nutrition blog we wanted to share 7 things all women should know (and probably don’t know) about breast cancer. We believe the more you know about your breast cancer, the more power you have in keeping a healthy mind and body.

1.CAN SUPPLEMENTS HELP WITH PREVENTION?

There are supplements such as our Super Antioxidant that can potentially help prevent cancer. Containing natural antioxidants such as grape seed, resveratrol and green tea, studies have shown that they help to improve cell defense, cell energy, and cell repair. While there are many benefits to these supplements especially in prevention, it’s also important to note that supplements can’t fully cure cancer and you should always check in with your doctor before taking anything.

2. 2.BREAST SELF-AWARENESS SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR PRE-SHOWER ROUTINE

Breast self-exam has always made us feel anxious, but we always push through and just get it over with. And for good reasons we do so, doctors recommend these self-exams to search for early signs of breast cancer in those who have an average risk of the disease. Based on recent research, major medical organizations like the American Cancer Society, now insist that we do breast self-awareness. Breast self-awareness essentially means checking yourself out - the more frequent you do, the more you become familiarized with how your breast normally looks and feel like so if you’re more likely to identify anything out of the ordinary! Being alert of changes to your body is what’s going to keep you ahead of diseases, not only to breast cancer.

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4. 3.FAMILY HISTORY ISN’T THE MAIN CULPRIT TO BREAST CANCER

Many people think about their risks of having breast cancer related to their genetics and whether anyone in their family had it, and of course it does increase the risks (if you have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) that was diagnosed, your risk of developing the disease is doubled) – BUT having a risk doesn’t mean it will happen. About 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer actually have no family history! The main culprit to the disease is the genetic mutations that happen due to ageing and life in general, rather than inherited mutations from family members.

4. 4.MOST BREAST LUMPS AREN’T THE END OF THE WORLD!

Imagine - one night you're sleeping on your side and then you feel something different in your breast, it feels like a lump. What is the first thing you think of? Cancer. You’re not alone, because we’re sure a lot of you thought the same thing, immediately thinking the very worst. A big misconception found among many women is that every lump or thickening found in the breast is cancer. These sorts of lumps are extremely common and roughly 80% come back negative of breast cancer: it could be a benign tumor, cyst or even just a signal your period is coming. Breast tissues change as hormone levels fluctuate, so don’t be surprised if your breast feels a little lumpier before you get your period.

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7. 5.MAMMOGRAM LIFESAVERS

Now just because most breast lumps aren’t cancerous, it doesn't mean you should be playing Russian roulette with your health. Before your mind immediately runs to the very worst, note it down so you remember to mention it to your doctor and then GET YOURSELF CHECKED! Mammograms have been a proven way to reduce the rate of breast cancer-related deaths. Having annual appointments starting from 40 years old has been seen to be the most ideal for all women and by detecting symptoms earlier you can improve your chances of successful treatment.

6. 6.BREAST CANCER: UNPREVENTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE

As gloom and doom as it is to say, there’s no magic fix to make sure breast cancer is preventable. With the amount of research done, it identifies risk factors and resulted in lifestyle changes that can lower risks. But 60% to 70% of people with breast cancer have found to have no connection to these risk factors at all, which means that it’s unpredictable and there are still a lot of unexplained factors. While there isn’t a magic answer, you can certainly keep your health and immune system up with various supplements like our Advanced Probiotics and Super Antioxidants!

7.OTHER THAN CHECKING FOR POSSIBLE WARNING SIGNS – GET PROACTIVE.

BECAUSE it’s rather unpredictable, keeping your body in good health is the very best you can do. As well as the commonly said lifestyle changes like losing weight if you’re obese, getting regular exercise, removing or decreasing alcohol consumption and having early annual mammograms. Staying in tiptop health starts with making sure you get the vitamins and minerals you need – for women, we recommend starting the day with a hearty breakfast and a Women’s Everyday One supplement.