We can beat breast cancer
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Now that October has arrived, Southwest Louisiana is seeing pink.
The pink ribbons adorning pink lapels — and police badges in DeRidder — this month attest to the number of people who have survived, who are battling breast cancer and those who lost the fight.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its designation reminds us of how many people we know and love — co-workers, neighbors, friends and family — who battle this disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates 268,600 American women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year. It also estimates 41,760 women will die from the disease in 2019.
It can strike any woman, at any time.
There is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, but there are some tips you can follow to decrease your odds:
• Maintain a healthy weight. Balance your calorie intake with physical activity and avoid excessive weight gain. If you are overweight, take steps to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• Adopt a physically active lifestyle. Adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on five or more days a week. Children and adolescents should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.
• Eat a healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources. Eat five or more servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. Choose whole grains over processed grains and limit your intake of processed and red meats.
• Limit your intake of alcoholic beverages. No more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.
• The American Cancer Society recommends women should consider beginning yearly mammograms at age 40. The cancer society also recommends women at the very least have yearly mammograms between ages 45 and 54, and beginning at age 55, continue having a mammogram yearly or every other year for as long as a woman is in good health. Women in their 20s and 30s should get a clinical breast exam about every three years.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month should not be viewed as a topic to be considered for a few weeks each year in the fall then ignored the remaining 11 months of the year.
It’s about reminding us that funds must be raised, precautions must be taken and the battle will continue being fought each and every day until there is a cure.
During the Ethel Precht Breast Cancer walk in October 2016.
