Tips on Breast Health

Tips on Breast Health Awareness for October
By Kareen O’Brien, N.D.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. Kareen O’Brien, a naturopathic physician with Luna Fitness Center of Tempe, who specializes in women’s health issues, offers these tips for breast health and cancer prevention.
1. Self breast exams are important.
2. Get your mammogram according to schedule and your age.
3. Be aware of your family history for breast cancer. Gene tests are available, however expensive.
4. Check for good and bad estrogen through blood, urine or saliva tests. The body is supposed to be in balance. Supplements can drive estrogen towards the good. Progesterone can also be supplemented.
5. Be weight appropriate. The more weight we carry, the more estrogen there is in the body.
6. Diet and exercise are important. Diet should be composed high in fruits and vegetables and low in red meats, cheese and fat. Drink lots of water to eliminate toxins from the body. Exercise and sweating helps the immune system. A study by Yale School of Medicine found that women who stay active after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a better chance of surviving the disease. Exercising can reduce breast cancer risk by up to 40 percent.
“Women undergoing breast cancer treatment should think of exercise as a part of their therapy,” Dr. O’Brien said. Exercise will also improve their quality of life.
7. Avoid putting toxins in the body in the first place. Be aware of chemical cleaning products and go organic. Also use chemical free shampoos, lotions and cosmetics. Read the labels and be aware of what you are using.
8. Watch for exposures in your home like pesticide spraying. Avoid plastic bottles and don’t heat foods in the microwave in plastic containers.
9. Limit the use of synthetic hormone therapies.
10. Detox twice a year to clean out your system of toxins.
11. Have a positive mental attitude. It has been proven that women who are happy and optimistic appear to be less likely to get breast cancer than their gloomier counterparts. Emotional well-being is important to having a healthy lifestyle, including eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise and avoiding alcohol.
12. Consider complementary and holistic medicine techniques such as massage, meditation, yoga and journaling to help ease anxiety, stress and depression. Yoga is one of the many classes held at Luna Fitness for Women in Tempe.
13. Make informed choices about the medicines you take.
14. Don’t smoke. It is a risk factor for breast cancer.
15. Growing older is the biggest risk for breast cancer. The longer you live, the higher your risk – so the better you take care of yourself – the healthier life you will live.


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Rita Sanders 480-967-8714
Dr. Kareen O’Brien 480-227-0444
Luna Fitness 480-456-5767
www.lunafitnesstempe.com