breast cancer

A nipple sparing mastectomy is one method of performing this surgical procedure. The surgical term "mastectomy" is used for several variations of the procedure. It may involve removing one or both breasts, portions, or incising regions in the armpits in order to take out the lymph nodes. These operations are done to get rid of breast cancer in the early or later stages. This disease often begins in the milk ducts and is then called ductal carcinoma. Although certain risk factors point to an increased chance of developing this disease, doctors aren't really sure why some women get it and others don't. Here are some different types of mastectomies:

- Nipple sparing: This operation entails removing tissue but leaving the skin, nipple and areola. The chest wall muscles are often left, as well. Biopsies of the lymph systems may be performed simultaneously and the bosom is reconstructed right away.

- Skin sparing: In this version, which is appropriate for small tumors, the nipple and areola are removed as well as tissue but the outer skin is left intact. With this technique, reconstruction would be done at the same time.

- Total: A total or simple version is when the entire breast is removed. Biopsy would be done at the same time in order to examine the sentinel lymph region.

- Modified radical: This is one of the more complete variations of this operation. A surgeon would remove all skin, tissue, nipple, areola, chest muscles and even part of the wall. Lymph systems in the armpits would also be targeted.

Each of these operations would be done in patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This disease is now considered the most common of cancers in U.S. women besides skin cancer. Other treatments that are often performed simultaneously include chemotherapy and radiation. While a plastic surgeon would perform a nipple sparing mastectomy and reconstructive operations, different doctors would oversee the chemotherapy and radiation. An oncologist is the chemo prescriber and the radiologist would oversee the radiation. Some reconstruction possibilities include:

- Implants: A plastic surgeon can reconstruct the region with medical devices called implants. These are filled with either silicone or saline solution. They may be placed immediately or in a later surgery after an expander has been used to stretch the skin.

- Flap surgeries: There are various flap methods that surgeons use to move skin and tissue from one region to the chest to create mounds that resemble breasts. There are DIEP, TRAM and Latissimus flap procedures. The regions where tissue is brought from may be the abdomen or the back.

- Nipple reconstruction: If the nipple wasn't spared, there are ways to recreate a nipple and areola after the original operation has healed. A doctor may take a tuck with a suture or cut a star-like incision in the area. A tattoo in a deeper skin tone would be applied to create the areola.

When a patient has breast cancer, there are various options for treatment. One of them is the nipple sparing mastectomy; others are more radical. The operation that is chosen will be an individual decision depending on the patients' need.

A nipple sparing mastectomy is a great option for women who would like to retain as much of their original anatomy as possible. If you would like to learn more about this procedure: http://www.breastcenter.com/.

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If you want to lower breast cancer risk avoiding alcohol may be key, as even a little alcohol might be enough to get you in trouble. While experts have warned of the many health dangers of too much drinking, a new review reveals that just a single alcoholic drink each day can raise a woman's risk of breast cancer by almost 5%. Heavier intakes (3+ drinks/day) can bring the increase in risk to a dangerous 50% according to the team of researchers from France, Italy and Germany.

Warnings about alcohol consumption and cancer of the breast were first brought to light during the early 1980s, and have gained ground ever since. Alcohol is believed to raise estrogen levels, and there are earlier studies that have found alcohol linked strongly to estrogen receptor positive cancers that need the hormone in order to keep growing.

For the current review the team examined past research and selected 113 earlier studies that examined light drinking and cancer risk. They were able to attribute 2% of breast cancers in both North America and Europe to light drinking; almost 50,000 of these cancers the world over to drinking heavily. The findings do seem to echo the advice of physicians, to live a healthy lifestyle and minimize your intake of alcohol.

A healthy woman, who is at average risk for breast cancer, should not drink in excess of one alcoholic beverage a day. If you're at a higher risk due of a family history for example, you should avoid daily consumption of alcohol and perhaps only drink on special occasions, if at all.

While a family history of this disease increases your risk, remember that most women who get breast cancer do NOT have a family history of the disease.

The link between even moderate alcohol intake and a slightly higher risk of breast cancer was reported previously. The new findings update this thinking, and because they made use of both newer and older studies, are able to give a better estimate of the risk of drinking alcohol every day.

But, moderate alcohol intake is also believed to be good for the heart. So how do women choose?

Look to guidelines that suggest if you don't drink alcohol, don't start for health benefits. If you do drink, keep your intake to a maximum of one drink daily, though if you are at risk of cancer you might be smart to avoid alcohol altogether.

Experts believe that if you are at risk, a single change like this won't have much impact. You'll need to be doing other things - exercising and eating healthy - as well to truly lower breast cancer risk. In the U.S., estimates suggest that one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life. The risk from light alcohol intake is then added onto that starting point. The good news is that drinking alcohol is totally within your control -so you can do something about your breast cancer risk if you need to.

FREE Bonus Secret Health Reports - For a limited time you can grab 5 FREE essential health reports from the Daily Health Bulletin. Click through now to discover more natural ways to help you lower breast cancer risk.

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At age 49 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which is obviously a complete shock to any woman. We are a family full of women who, until now, had no family history of the disease.

According to the CDC, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Statistics say that about 1 in 8 American women will develop invasive breast cancer within her lifetime. There were approximately 230,500 new cases diagnosed in 2011 within the U.S. On a positive note, from 1999 to 2005 these diagnosis rates have decreased by almost 2% each year. Sadly, medical statistics expected nearly 40,000 U.S. women to die in 2011 from breast cancer; however, this number is down in recent years due to advanced treatment options, earlier detection and increased awareness.

My mother, a registered nurse, took matters into her own hands. She was dedicated to monthly self-breast exams and found her own lump. After consulting 3 doctors, my mother finally found a physician willing to listen to her concerns, perform a biopsy and diagnose her cancer. The cancerous cells were only found in one breast; against the doctor's wishes, Mom selected a double mastectomy. I admire her strength and now think that because of her confidence and positive attitude through it all, I would choose the same.

In August 2005 Mom underwent a double mastectomy to remove both of her breasts. The surgeon then pulled the skin from above and below her breasts to cover her chest area. I will be honest that her recovery from this surgery was very difficult and incredibly painful. She had drains placed underneath her skin that had to be changed regularly. Finally after recovery she opted to meet with a plastic surgeon who specialized in breast augmentation post mastectomy surgery.

Breast augmentation surgery uses implants to restore breast volume or fullness. This is a common practice after a lumpectomy or mastectomy. For a woman, it's a way to feel normal again after such a devastating loss. For my mom, it allowed her to feel like she had a womanly shape and body again. Now as a 50 year-old woman she still feels confident enough to wear a swimsuit. Cosmetic surgery can sometimes be associated with vanity, but in the case of woman who has lost one or both breasts due to cancer, I believe this is a fair reason to undergo augmentation.

There were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. last year, my own mother being one of them. She is now 6 years cancer-free, a huge advocate for the cause and willing to share her story every day.

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The phone rings. Please come back to Breastscreen Australia. You have calcification and we need to re-check it. Don't feel for lumps. You don't have any. Oh yeah! I think. They're just over-cautious.

No! I was wrong. I had DCIS. So I am very quickly put on the Breast Cancer roller coaster designed to nip it in the bud and save me.

I read recently that 14,000 Australian women were diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2010. Of those, 1200 were diagnosed with DCIS. The proportions are similar around the world.

DCIS flies under the radar. What is it? It is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ ie calcification in the milk ducts of the breast. Like me, those 1200 Australian women only find out that they have it after their regular mammogram check-up. It is non-invasive which means it has not got into the body. No one dies from it. It may be how Breast Cancer starts but the researchers are not 100% sure. You are more at risk of a recurrence later or even full-blown Breast Cancer but with surgery and radiation therapy, this risk is reduced to less than 10%. Finally, you can keep your breast and your hair.

There is a lot of breast cancer literature available. Here are some of my personal experiences that might help you or someone you know get through it a little easier.

With a left breast that needed a lot of loving thoughts and tender care, she needed a name. (I adapted this idea from a wonderful speaker, Marie Farrugia, on one of my Business Swap CDs.) Annie it was and I still talk gently to her as she continues to heal. Not to be left out, my right breast is Mitzi because they are a team who need to support each other.

I found that one of my slightly flattened, soft square cushions kept my hand and lower arm comfortable as I could only sleep on one side of my body. This suited my situation better than the free Breast cushion from Zonta. Wish I'd had that square cushion the first night after the operation.

Short spiky hair and sleeping on one side only don't mix; so I had to adopt a slightly longer softer hairstyle.

A very soft, real Australian lambswool seatbelt protector has made driving more comfortable for my swollen, tender Annie after surgery, during radiation therapy and still as she continues to heal.

Finding a Blog that related to my love of laughing at life's idiosyncrasies was daily medicine for my soul.

Also on the funny side, receiving hugs from others became an occupational hazard as I protected Annie from harm. She even demanded that I change my handbag to the other shoulder and this made supermarket shopping sometimes quite funny as Annie and I shared our little problems.

My 30 radiation sessions were re-named Radiation Therapy Healing Sessions and going to them became a blessing not a chore. Annie and I needed to be reminded of that often. When the hospital green radiation gown got to me, I bought brighter material, copied the design and sewed my own version. All these little things were my way of being an active participant in my healing rather than a passive observer.

On the down side because DCIS is not life threatening, I had days when I felt a Breast Cancer fraud, especially when people called me brave. I was in no danger of dying. So I did not feel brave. It was then I learnt to remind myself that all illnesses require courage and everyday courage is as important as big inspiring acts of courage.

With my strong colouring, pink is something I choose to take in very small doses. Everywhere I turned there was a mountain of pink. At times I found that to be emotionally over-whelming. Even going overseas I couldn't escape Breast Cancer pink. It was just something I had to experience and let it show me my pink lesson.

I am blessed to have had wonderful medical care, a loving husband and supportive family, friends and business associates. DCIS changed me physically. Now it is important for me to decide how I am going to live the rest of my life.

DCIS - what's that? On behalf of Annie, Mitzi and me, I hope this may help you or someone you know who finds it unexpectedly in her life.

Margaret Sims is an Image Consultant and Fashion Translator who was diagnosed with DCIS in June 2009. Read another of Margaret's personal thoughts on DCIS at http://margaretsims.wordpress.com/. Margaret helps women discover their true personality and how to shine as a modern woman over 40 with or without breast cancer. If this interests you, visit http://thefashiontranslator.wordpress.com/ Blog for more fashion tips. Go to the Signup page where you can sign up to get the free twice-monthly newsletter on fashion and life lessons and receive your free eBook and Audio - 'Look Fabulous, Feel Confident Every Day'.

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A cancer that develops in the breast is known as breast cancer. The ailment can be fatal if it had advanced and is not treated. Early detection can be treated successfully such that the affected person's survival rate is higher. The progress of the disease can be determined through two factors - grade and stage.

Grades of breast cancer

The grade indicates how fast the cancer cells are multiplying. This can range from Grade 1 to Grade 3. A low-grade such as Grade 1 indicates that the cancer growth is slow. On the other hand, a high-grade such as Grade 3 shows the fast spread and growth of the cancer cells. The higher is the grade, the more active the disease is. This can result to the spread of the ailment outside of the breast and into the lymph nodes and armpit.

Stages of breast cancer

When cancer of the breast is suspected, you may be required to undergo ultrasound, mammogram, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biopsies. The pathology report which is based on the biopsies will summarize the stages of breast cancer. Stages of breast cancer are given numbers I to IV. Stages I, II-A and II-B (lump measuring 2 to 5 centimeters) are classified as early stage. Stage II-B (lump is greater than 5 centimeters), III and IV are advanced stages.

The classification of early stage is based on two factors. First basis is the size of the cancerous lump. The second is the presence of cancer in the lymph nodes. When the lump is less than 2 centimeters and without cancer in the lymph node, it is Stage I.

There are three scenarios for Stage II-A.

First, the lump size is less than 2 centimeters with cancer in the lymph nodes.

Second, the size of the lump ranges from 2 to 5 centimeters without cancer in the lymph nodes.

Third, there is no cancer in the breast but the lymph nodes are positive for cancer.

For Stage II-B, the size of the lump ranges from 2 to 5 centimeters and there is cancer in the lymph nodes. When the size of the lump exceeds 5 centimeters, it will no longer be early stage, rather advanced stage.

There are several features that indicate the chance of early breast cancer recurrence. These are size of the lump, presence of cancer in the lymph nodes, presence of hormone receptors, HER 2 receptors, grade and surgical margin.

The disease has a slim chance of coming back

1. There is a big chance that when treated, the disease will not spread or come back. This is when the tumor is smaller than 2 centimeters.
2. Absence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes.
3. The tumor cells have hormone receptors and you undergo hormonal therapy.
4. Cancer cells are negative for human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER 2).
5. The grade is low.
6. The surgical margin is clear.

The surgical margin is the healthy-looking tissues around the cancer. If there are no cancer cells in these healthy-looking tissues, the surgical margin is clear.

Th Big C is likely to recur

1. The lump is larger than 2 centimeters.
2. Presence of tumor cells in the lymph nodes.
3. The cancer cells do not have hormone receptors.
4. The cancer cells are positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER 2).
5. The grade is high (Grade 3).
6. The surgical margin is not clear.

Early breast cancer is treatable. Although this is a common ailment for women, it will also affect men. Early detection is paramount in surviving this dreaded disease.

Felicitas Ramos is writing articles as a hobby and she writes on different niche. She is in her 4th year of battle with Stage II-A breast cancer. Read more about breast cancer by visiting her site Health And Fitness Today.

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I feel like it is necessary before I begin telling you about this journey to explain what a strong bond my mom and I share. Ever since I can remember my mom has been my best friend. She is the person I go to for guidance, support, love, and friendship. I remember her always knowing the right thing to say to make my tears stop or to give me that extra push I needed to do something I wouldn't normally do on my own. Even through my teen years we had very few fights. I remember other girls my age saying they hated their mother and saying mean things like they wished she would just leave them alone etc. I never felt that way. Even when we did disagree it never lasted long and I always knew she was still there for me. My mother shaped the woman I am today, without her there is no telling where or who I would be. She is my best friend and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Ever since I can remember, I was a nervous, guarded kid. I didn't want to be at the front of the line or at the back. I didn't want to be the star in the school play, I only wanted to have my two or three lines. I was never a bad kid, just not an overacheiver either. I took the middle path in every decision I made in life and still do today.

I can not tell you the exact date my great-aunt got diagnosed with breast cancer. I can tell you it was somewhere around the same time as my parents divorce. Looking back on this it is a testament to what a strong person my mother truly is. I can tell you I remember clear as day the day my great-aunt lost her battle with breast cancer. My mom was in her bedroom, it must have been a Saturday because we were still in our pajamas. I was playing in my bedroom, right across the hall from hers, with overwhelming collection of stuffed animals and Barbie dolls. The phone rang, and I knew it was my grandmother, shortly after my mom hung up I heard her crying. I went into her room and asked her what was wrong. After this my memory goes fuzzy. I know that she basically told me what had happened, and I'm sure it was in the nicest, most sheltering way possible since this is how my mom always approached me with adult subjects. Even though I can't recall her words I can recall the sinking feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. I remember not fully understanding what was going on, but knowing that if my mom was crying it couldn't be good because my mom rarely cried.

My great-aunt was the first relative to pass away that I had regular contact with. She was my grandfather's, my mother's father, sister. She would take me to my dance practices and was at my grandmother's house frequently. I don't think I could define death to you before this other than when someone goes to heaven. At least I'm pretty sure my seven-year old mind couldn't wrap itself around the concept of death at that time. It was a scary thing to me that one day everyone you loved so much could just be gone, honestly death still scares me a little. Life went on though. Things settled down again and went back to normal.

I seem to always have everything together, at least I like to think that's the image I portray, but I almost always have some fear running through my mind. Even the littlest things, am I going to trip down these stairs, does this match, what if this transfer truck comes into my lane. I know this sounds like things everyone worries about, but if you suffer from anxiety you understand how life or death these small what if's seem. I handle it pretty well, without any medication might I add. I don't have panic attacks too often, and I can normally talk myself down before it reaches that point. In my twenty-one years I have mastered keeping my composure even if my insides are crying and screaming. On a warm day in August of last year, I didn't hold it together, and I did cry and sob and get angry out loud and I wasn't too concerned about who saw.

My mom asked me to come to the doctor with her for her first mammogram. She said she had turned forty the prior year and needed to start having them since we have a history in our family. She wanted me to go for moral support, is what she told me. My mom understands my anxiety, she knows that I have always lived with it, which is why she didn't tell me the real reason we were there until we were about to walk in the door. I was pretty upset with her about this, but at that point her not telling me before was the least of my concerns. She had found a lump in her breast several weeks before. She had been to her OBGYN and that's who sent her to get a mammogram. Well that day we had no answers. Only that they would call us, which only made my anxiety skyrocket, patience is not a trait I possess. I think it was around two weeks later they gave her a second appointment to come back in. My mom had already told me several times she felt like it was cancer, this didn't help my anxiety. And then since we were going back in for a second appointment I felt like something was very wrong.

The day we went to get the results of the biopsy I felt like I was going to throw up and faint and have a nervous breakdown all at the same time. Walking through the doctor's office was so surreal. You are in this beautiful building with this huge rock waterfall beautifully cascading down from the top-level hall to the waiting room below. In the waiting room, that could almost pass as a ballroom there is a woman playing a grand piano. The purple and green color scheme is not to my liking, but I get what they were trying to go for. My mom and I try to laugh and keep the mood light. They call us back and put us in this very small room. There is a couch and two chairs and a coffee table and an armoire all crammed into this tiny room, which is only upping my stress level. There is a box of tissues in every place possible. The doctors come in, a man and a woman. He sits down and blatantly says it's cancer.

I am holding my composure rather well at this point and surprisingly so is my mom. I listen to him as he talks about the type of cancer it is and that its some sort of receptor positive which is in our favor, most of his words however sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, whomp whomp whomp whomp. I am going into this fog. I'm in no mans land holding my moms hand. I am feeling like a child again, if I just be really still the monster won't see me and will leave. Now the man doctor leaves and the lady comes to sit in the chair directly across from us. Her words are also mostly gibberish to me. I am going to lose my mom, I repeat over and over in my head. Suddenly the lady turns to me and says now how old are you. I stare at her blankly, my voice cracks as I try to answer her - "twe- twenty" - I am sobbing. In front of this complete stranger. I cry so hard I can hardly breath, I am now hyperventilating in front of a complete stranger - anxiety not under control.

She gives my mom a bag full of all things breast cancer, complete with a little stuffed bear. She excuses herself and tells us to take all the time we need. My mom is still holding my hand she hugs me and tells me everything will be fine. Am I not supposed to be saying that to her? I really couldn't tell you how long we were in that room for, but once I pulled myself together I was ready to leave. I wanted to run away from everything. I wanted this to be a dream that if I pinched myself hard enough I would wake up from. My mom was my everything, even at the age of twenty I depended on her for so much. How would I go on without her.

I basically shut down. I was so nervous and anxious all the time. Every doctors appointment was like I was about to go sky diving without a parachute. I didn't even go with my mom to tell my grandparents, mainly due to the fact that I knew my grandmother would be more hysterical than I was. I knew this certainly wouldn't help the situation. My boyfriend of two years, whose mother passed away form lung cancer when he was eighteen, was supportive and comforting, but I would still snap at him over the littlest things. I would cry for no reason and in the next minute be angry for no reason. I wanted to say "God, why are you doing this to us, to me?", but my strong Christian upbringing told me that was the wrong reaction. Every one kept telling me to pray, and I did. I begged and pleaded with God to cure my mom. Praying still doesn't change what's happening around you in that moment though.

My mom got very sick on the chemo. She lost her hair; she actually had it shaved when it started falling out. She began to look a strange pale gray color all the time. She would go days without eating anything. I would force her to eat popsicles and drink Gatorade. She would vomit constantly, day after day. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, watching someone you love and care for so much become so miserable and there is absolutely nothing you can do.

Which is another battle I had in my head. My mom told me to go out and have fun, but when I did I felt guilty for leaving her there by herself. What if something happened and she couldn't get to the phone or to medicine she needed. I would carry that weight on my shoulders forever. I did still go do things, but I made sure to spend more time with her.

A little more than half way through her chemo she became really sick with flu-like symptoms. She is a strong independent person, and this is something I love about her, but with cancer this was her biggest downfall. She wouldn't tell anyone how bad she really felt. She would act fine, until this one day she could barely stand up. She drove herself home from work - she worked through all of this, only taking off days when she absolutely had to - and made it to our house before getting sick. I rushed home from work got her stuff and her and we drove straight to the E.R.. I again was trying to control my thoughts, but all I could think was this is it you're about to lose your mom.

We got to the E.R. they took her straight back to her own little room for waiting, since she was a chemotherapy patient. She got sick several more times in here. She was shaking so bad it could almost have been mistaken for convulsing. This room was closing in on me. It was all I could do not to fling the door open and go tearing through that building out the front door screaming the whole way. If it were not for my mother sitting there looking helpless this is what I would have done. They finally took her back to see a doctor. They ran some tests, and eventually told us they would be admitting her. I stayed with her that night. I had to go to work the next day and I felt a tremendous amount of guilt leaving her even though my grandmother was there. All I could think at this point is please let this be over soon.

She was in the hospital for three days. If my anxiety was not about to boil over into a full nervous break down, complete with talking to myself and rocking back and forth with my knees pulled to my chest, before this it was pushing dangerously close to the edge now. I was one wrong step away from being strapped to a gurney myself and taken to the mental ward. I did my best to keep all this to myself. I knew my mom had enough to worry about, and I was supposed to be there to support her. But who was supporting me? My boyfriend did his best, and he was amazing through the whole thing, but sometimes its just not enough. And everyone else was focused on my mom, which is how I wanted it to be. I wanted everyone to do everything possible to make sure she beat this cancer, and that it never ever came back.

After chemotherapy was finished they told us the tumor had shrank a good deal. She had surgery to remove the rest of the cancer cells and some lymph nodes that were possibly cancerous. This was an intense day as well. I was worried about something going terribly wrong and her making it this far to then be suddenly ripped away from me. I sat in that waiting room for what seemed like a year. Even if me and my grandma had went to get doughnuts, my favorite food!, even if I had a TV, an iPhone, and a thousand magazines to flip through but not actually read a word. Again on the inside I was screaming. I was screaming at the nurse who made it clear she didn't want you to bother her, at the doctor who was taking entirely too long to do this surgery, at the other people waiting being loud and rude. I was screaming on the inside at myself too. I should have done this more with mom; I should have been there more for her; I wish I didn't have anxiety that kept me from being the strong support she needed.

After the surgery my mom stayed at my grandmother's house. One, so my grandmother could take care of her all day because I had to go to work and two because we have a small petting zoo (4 dogs 2 cats) at our house and they had to be kept away from her until her incision healed. When she went to have more tests done to see if the chemo-surgery combination was a success, I was so scared. I made myself sick thinking they were going to tell us we had to go through this all over again, that nothing was going to work, that my mom got sick and miserable for nothing and was still going to die. But they didn't say any of that. They said that as ar as tests could see the cancer was gone, that she was going to be fine.

She is still having to have radiation as a precaution. The radiation is almost done with now, and she has had no problems with it. I am truly grateful that my mom is still here and that she survived. This whole experience taught me that "even the best laid schemes of mice and men, often go awry" - Of Mice and Men. No matter how you picture your life going you never know what it has in store for you. No amount of worrying or wishing will change what is happening.

My anxiety is still with me. That is one thing that I don't think will ever change. I have to say that it is a daily challenge to keep it in check. I do however, try to live every day to its fullest. I try to be happy more often than not, and I try to see the glass half full. My mom still being here to share all of life's blessings with me is a gift from God, and I hope I never forget that.

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On September 26, 2011, my grandmother (on mother's side) would have celebrated her 84th birthday. It would have been amazing to see her celebrate this day, because she was a fun-loving party girl (I am putting this mildly). However, her life was cut short by breast cancer at the age of 62. I was 13 at that time. The doctors said the cause of her illness was genetic triggered by environmental factors. Since it was genetic, my mother, aunt and I may have inherited the gene. Therefore, we always did breast exams when we felt a pain or something strange in our breasts.

For a long time, I wondered what environmental factors could have triggered my grandmother's genes to cause cancer in her body. Since she was born and lived on the islands all her life, she had a healthy diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood. She also did a total body cleanse every week and made us participate in her awful concoction of freshly picked aloes and other natural herbs (sorry, I am having a mental flashback that is upsetting my stomach). Therefore, her diet could not have contributed to her illness. So who or what was the culprit?

Based on studies such as the relationship between the intake of metals such as Aluminum found in cookware and deodorants, and breast cancer, I thought "Aha" this might be the culprit because she did prepare her meals in Aluminum pots. However, I am not sure about the deodorant since I don't remember the brand she used. Therefore, I decided to stop using any products with Aluminum. Then recently, I heard a report on the connection between breast cancer and the type of bra we wear. The report stated that bras with underwire may be linked to breast cancer, and I thought back to my grandmother. She wore large underwire bras, because she was a voluptuous woman and needed a lot of frontal and back support.

After this report, I have come to the conclusion that I may never know which environmental factor may have triggered my grandmother's genes to produce cancer in her body. What I do know that our exposure to so many different environmental factors increase our risk to breast cancer each year. We have all experienced the loss of a loved (either a relative or friend) through breast cancer, and yet some of us are not taking the precautionary measures to prevent this illness in our own life. The combination of our diets and the products that we use and wear is increasing our risk of getting this illness. We have to be proactive about our health, and not reactive. Don't wait until you feel a lump or pain to change your lifestyle, change it today.

Here are some things, you can do:

1. Eat healthy; incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants and fiber in your diet. Antioxidants are known to fight free radicals which contribute to growth of cancer cells. Fruits such as pomegranate, acai berry, noni, goji and mangosteen are high in antioxidants. Also, a high fiber diet promotes natural elimination, which we should be doing daily to remove waste and toxins from our body.

2. Detox your body regularly (at least once a week); use natural products.

3. Change the products you use to environmentally-friendly and natural products such as green cleaning products, non-toxic cookware (preferably stainless steel).

4. Change the type of bra you use; if you use underwire bras, then it is time to purchase new bras. Your bra should allow proper blood circulation under and around the breast, as well as provide proper back support.

5. Spread the word about Breast Cancer. Don't wait until Breast Cancer Awareness month to get involved. This disease does not wait until a specific month to attack our family and friends. Everyday someone we know is dealing with the effects of breast cancer. Help your family and friends to be proactive about their health. Host a monthly party or participate in a local event to promote awareness and change.

Chalesea Maccow teaches healthy lifestyle classes to individuals and groups. She is also a distributor of nutritional products such as Le'vive, Ultracleanse, and Cranaloe, under garments (healthy bras- no underwire) and environmentally-friendly products such as cookware and cleaning products. For additional information, email maccow.mpenterprises@gmail.com

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