Breasts are an important asset of womanhood since they feed a new born life. When it comes to Breast health and taking care of them, a lot of women neglect the fact that they require timely clinical examinations. Breast health is ignored many a times and that’s one among the reasons for deaths due to breast cancer. In rural areas of countries like India ignorance, along with social constraints prohibit women from getting their breasts checked.

According to American Cancer Society (ACS), 25% of women who are diagnosed with cancer worldwide have breast cancer. Breast cancer is not deadly in itself, but it spreads and effects the lymph nodes and blood vessels in a person’s body, which is fatal. The total number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is pretty high and that’s why breast cancer is considered to be the most dangerous killer among women today.

Every time you find a lump in your breasts, it does not mean that you have breast cancer. Most of the times these lumps are cysts or fluid filled sacs which are formed due to hormonal imbalances in the body. Also, 4 out of 5 women diagnosed with breast cancer have benign cancer which does not spread in the other parts of the body. Malignant cancer, is the deadly kind of cancer that spreads which you really need to be careful of.

Taking care of breast health is very important to save your breasts from any kind of diseases. It’s also important to check if you have any breast related diseases, which should not be over looked or ignored. That’s why we have a list of 20 important breast health care tips, which you need to follow in your every day life.

Eat better

Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables are generally known to be beneficial, but they have an important role to play in curbing estrogen-receptor-negative breast tumors. Estrogen-receptor-negative breast tumors are deadly and it is a type of cancer that is hard to treat.Even though only 15% of all the types of breast cancers is estrogen-receptor-negative breast tumors, it

Vegetables and fruits are rich in carotenoids and pigments that serve as anti-oxidants in our body which is the reason why they help is preventing the cancer.Not just fruits and vegetables, a balance diet is always important for a healthy body and you should make sure that your body gets all the nutrients it requires.

Exercise well

Not just eating right is enough, you need to exercise and sweat the fat out on a regular basis. If fat gets accumulated inside the body and around the organs, it can lead you to a lot of health issues.

Excess production of estrogen in the body is linked to certain types of breast cancers. Fat cells produce estrogen and if you work out well, the fat cells will shrink. This means they will not be able to produce more amount of estrogen.

Regular Breast examinations

Most of the women who lose their lives due to breast cancer realize that have breast cancer in the later stages. To avoid this, it is important to examine your breasts regularly so that you don’t die of ignorance.The kind of exams you need depends upon your age and your lifestyle.

• Self examination of your breasts is very important. Do this every week if possible and ask your doctor what is the right method to do it. Also, there are many online tutorials available for reference.
• Once you’re in your 20s, you should go for clinical check ups at least once in three years.
• Once you cross the age of 40, you need to clinical breast examinations along with a mammogram. Different health organizations mention different time gap between each sessions which may vary from every year to every two years.
• You can ask your doctor and have a discussion about the time gap according to your lifestyle and health records.

 Motherhood and breast health

Try to have your first baby before you are 30. Breast feeding for more than 6 months has shown to slightly reduce breast cancer. Having kids and not breast feeding them is also proven increase the changes of getting breast cancer.

Wear the correct bra size

A lot of women don’t wear the correct bra size and it affects your breast health adversely. Bras with underwire and that are too tight are said to restrict lymph flow and the flow of toxins from from part of the body to the other. This will result in breast cancer and cysts in the breasts.

According to studies, women who wore bras 24 hours a day have the highest risk of breast cancer when compared to women who wore bras rarely or never. This doesn’t mean that you should stop using bras at all. Just don’t use it when you’re going to bed or you’re at home.

Use a sports bra during work outs

Your breasts move along with the other parts of your body when you’re working out. This means that you should give your breasts enough space and sports bras are the best choice when you’re working out.

Maintain hygiene

Change your bra every day, and wash your body every day with a good soap. Cleanliness is very important when it comes to breast health. If you keep wearing the same bra without washing it, you’re breast and nippular areas may get infected by the bacteria and virus that accumulate along with your sweat and dust from the surroundings.

Get better sleep

As we’ve discussed earlier, estrogen plays an important role when it comes to certain types of breast cancers. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates sleep in our body and it is also known to regulate the estrogen levels. This means that lesser the melatonin level, the more will be the estrogen level.

Exposure to blue light emitting screens like TV, laptops, and mobile  phones are said to curb the production of melatonin in our bodies. This is why you should make sure that you get good sleep at night.

Keep your stress under control

Stress can mess up your happiness and health equally. There are increased chances for a person to over eat, drink too much, and sleep less when they are under stress. Stress and tension may create hormonal imbalances in the body as well. So, clearly stress is a good friend of breast cancer and all the other types of diseases.

Drink less

Studies have shown that women who have more than three drinks a day have higher chances of breast cancer. This doesn’t mean that you should stop drinking completely. It has also been proven that women who drank one drink a day have lesser chances of breast cancer than women who never drank at all.

Here are a few other points that you need to keep in mind to maintain breast health.

• Quit Smoking
• Include folic acid in your diet since it repairs cancer causing DNA that are damaged.
• Dark Chocolate is good for breast health, and you’ve got another great reason to eat them now!
• The skin of dark grapes are said to have anti-cancer properties and it would be great if you make them a part of your diet.
• Beware of becoming over weight because being over weight means having excess fat in your body. Excess fat produces excess estrogen which can cause breast cancer.
• Know your body well enough that you notice changes in your body which can be symptoms of harmful diseases.
• Stay away from breast implants because they involve a lot of risks. Get it done only if it’s inevitable. To know more about breast augmentation read Breast augmentation: What you need to know about Breast surgery.
• Do not use a lot of deodorants since they increase aluminum concentration in the arm pit area which is bad for the body. The chemicals present in deodorants can be harmful if used in excess.
• Talk to your doctor about breast health care and consume herbs and supplements that will keep you away from breast related diseases.

If you found this article informative, let us know in the comments section below. Also, share your breast care regiments with us!

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