If you’re watching any sporting event in the month of October, you’ll notice one thing: most, if not all, of the athletes are wearing pink. Whether it’s a glove, a wristband, or even the jersey altered to have the color in there, everyone is wearing pink. What does the streak of pink represent? It represents Breast Cancer Awareness Month! The entire month of October is dedicated to raising awareness for the disease. In honor of this 31-day adherence we’d like to offer some helpful tips, in order to prevent the disease or catch it at an early stage.

Know Your Risk

• Some women have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. A lot of it depends on family history, as well as your age and your weight. As a result, you may have to get MRI scans in addition to your mammogram screening to help better detect any possible cancer cells. To know your risk ask your doctor. He or she will ask you some questions about your family history as well as your current health and diet.

Diet and Exercise

• Recent studies have shown that obesity raises the risk for breast cancer in women after menopause. The best way to reduce unwanted pounds is to diet and exercise. 30 minutes every day of aerobic or anaerobic exercises is enough to keep your heart healthy and your muscles strong. When it comes to your diet portions are important. The growing trend is that portions are becoming bigger and bigger which is bad for your calorie intake. Luckily, there are guides to help when it comes to proper portions, such as your hands. A single serving size of fruit should be the size of your fist, meat, fish, or poultry should be the size of your palm, and a single serving of cheese should be the size of your thumb. It may seem pretty skimpy but those are the correct portions for a healthy diet.

Screenings

• Doctor’s office can be quite frightful. We understand that. However, you should not put off getting a mammogram due to fear of discomfort. And you should not put off getting a mammogram from fear of the results. Get checked and get checked often. It’s important to choose a doctor wisely. Pick someone you feel comfortable seeing. This will help when it comes to scheduling appointments and showing up. A good doctor can make the whole experience pleasant!

Drop the Habits

• Alcohol and smoking increase your chance of getting breast cancer. If you smoke, it’s best to quit now. The mentality, “it’s too late now,” does not apply. Anytime is a good time to quit smoking. You should do it sooner rather than later, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start. It’s a nasty habit.

  Alcohol increases your chances of getting breast cancer. It’s recommended that you limit yourself to only one drink a night, no matter what the type of alcohol it is. However, it’s probably best to drop alcohol altogether. It can worsen conditions like osteoporosis or it can interfere with your medicine.

Unfortunately, there is no magical cure for breast cancer. It would be nice to have a pill you can take that prevents the disease. However, you can reduce your chances of getting breast cancer by carefully monitoring your overall health and watching what you eat. Not to mention, your chances of beating breast cancer if detected early, increase as more and more research is being done. However, we can still work towards finding that miracle cure by raising money and raising awareness!