It’s October and by now most of you know what it means to “think pink.” That’s right, every October the breast cancer non-profits come out in full force to support breast cancer treatments, awareness, cures and prevention. But what of the four are the most important to you: treatments, cures, awareness or prevention?
I’m going to tell you, for me it’s prevention. Seriously I don’t ever want to go through the harrowing doctor’s appointment where I’m told I have breast cancer, nor do I want to go through the wretched treatments that come along with it. I’ve already done it once with my mom and I’m not up for doing it again. So I’m putting all my chips in prevention.
What does prevention look like for me? Living a healthy lifestyle. Healthy lifestyles aren’t just for those of us who want to look like a million bucks at hot yoga or at the school pick-up line. They’re for everyday people like me who just want to know that I’m not shoving chemicals into my mouth every time I eat. Or that I’m not breathing in air that’s polluting my lungs and blood. Or that I’m sleeping, residing or riding in something that is off-gassing crazy amounts of chemicals. I’m trying my best to avoid all of these things because I KNOW I’m predisposed to having breast cancer and I KNOW these things make a difference.
Breast Cancer Facts*:
- Today in the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is an alarming 1 in 8.
- Fewer than 10% of women with breast cancer has a genetic history of the disease.
- Over half of all breast cancers cannot be attributed to traditional risk factors such as family history, genetics, smoking and obesity.
- A compelling body of scientific evidence links breast cancer to the chemicals in our everyday environment—chemicals in our food, our products, our air and our water.
- More than 80,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for use in the United States; fewer than 10 percent have ever been fully tested for their health effects.
* From www.breastcancerfund.org/preventionispower
So this October, I’m focusing my energy and time on spreading the prevention message. I have the power to protect myself, my friends, my family and my community from breast cancer. There are simple things I can do every day to reduce my risk – and I can take action to call for safer products from companies and smarter laws from elected officials.
Share some ideas below and be sure to check out the Breast Cancer Fund’s website as it’s full of tons of ideas for you to take power and start preventing breast cancer.
Green Parenting is published every other Friday
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.
