New Hope For Beating Breast Cancer

I was at my sister-in-law's house on Sat. and I saw half a dozen pink roses on her table. She explained they were from her daughters in honor of the anniversary of her breast cancer surgery. She has remained cancer-free for seven years now so it is indeed worth celebrating!

Coincidentally, I was reading the Sept./Oct. issue of AARP magazine. (aarpmagazine.org). There is an article about new research findings and breast cancer. It lists how to lower the odds of your getting this illness. Here are some things to try:

Lose weight--a Harvard study suggests that losing weight and keeping it off after menopause will cut your breast cancer rate by 57%.

Exercise--it also reduces your risk and it's never too late to start.

Love those fruits and veggies--Survivors who exercise and eat five servings of these a day are less likely to have a recurrence than those who don't.

Dim the lights--(this one is really news to me) Women who live in brightly lit cities at night are 73% more likely to get breast cancer. So keeping your bedroom dark might protect your health.

Get those mammograms!--Mammography offers survival benefits even to women in their 80's. Men should also report any lumps to their doctor.

Speak up--ask your doctor about all your options and seek a second opinion if necessary.

AARP Magazine says that 89% of women with breast cancer will survive without a recurrence for at least five years. That's a good percent but I'm thinking it should be better. Pass this info along to the women in your life and for more info check out the article in the AARP Magazine.

If you've read our blog or checked out our website (gatheredfromthegardenllc.4t.com) you know that pink is our favorite color!