10 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Getting Breast Cancer
by Staness Jonekos, The Breast Chek Kit supporter and co-author of The Menopause Makeover
Why don’t most women perform monthly breast exams? I confess, I have done three self-breast exams in my entire life! Considering I have spent a lifetime on birth control pills to manage endometriosis and ovarian cysts, and now on post menopause hormone therapy, I should be doing monthly breast exams, but I don’t – why?
Maybe it was my Catholic upbringing – “Don’t touch yourself” was the message from my Sunday catechism teacher. Maybe it was the social messages I got from the media – boobs are for babies and hubbies.
Feeling embarrassed that I don’t do monthly breast self-exams, I decided to talk with other women. I interviewed 100 women, ages 25 to 75. My first question, “Do you perform monthly breast self-exams?” I was shocked that 92 percent of these women said, “No.” I was not alone.
Curious, I asked, “Why not?” The majority of women admitted that they, too, did not feel comfortable touching their breasts. The second reason was the fear of finding something scary, a lump – breast cancer.
Breasts have many connotations: sexuality, femininity, and motherhood. We do lots of things to our breasts: strap them into brassieres, augment their size, pierce them, and use them to get attention. I actually hide mine. I don’t like people looking at them. I would rather have them look at my face. Perhaps residual Catholic fear that showing my cleavage would conjure up some form of trouble, I dress around my 34DDs with higher necklines.
I am not the only one with a story about my breasts. I have many friends who have had “boob jobs.” Most of them had breast augmentation in their 20s and 30s. They claimed it was for their self-esteem, but most finally admitted they loved the attention. Many altered their breasts after nursing. The remainder decided to have their boobs lifted after menopause in an effort to hold onto their youth. That’s a lot of attention and money spent on an area of the body most of us don’t personally touch!
My husband loves my breasts. I know it is time for me to love them too. I looked at them in the mirror just this morning. At 52 my boobs have shifted four inches south of their origins. I cupped them and held them up – unfortunately they did not look like they did in the beginning. I bent over and looked at the effects of gravity – unfortunately they did not look like they did in the beginning. Then I jumped up and down, and fortunately I felt better at the humor of actually looking at my breast move naturally after being strapped in most of the day. It was an interesting moment. Funny, curious, and insightful, and then it happened. I just stared at them without judgment and realized how beautiful they are, and how lucky I am that they are healthy.
Over ten years ago, my dear friend Leslie died of breast cancer. She decided to bypass her yearly check-up for financial reasons, and it cost Leslie her life. Leslie’s husband and two children lost the center of their universe to breast cancer, and I lost a friend. I remember weeks before her death, she grabbed my hand that was nervously knitting to avoid the inevitable truth that she was dying, and drew me near. She whispered, with the little energy she had, “Never miss your yearly check-up, I am dying an angry woman because I did.” I still weep over Leslie’s death. She was only in her 40s.
I have seven other friends who had breast lumps that were discovered during their annual check-ups. Two of those seven friends had stage 2 and 3 cancer but they caught it early enough and were able to manage it. I am happy to report they are now cancer free. The others did not have cancer. Leslie was right, early detection can save lives.
According to the American Cancer Society, “Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.” About 1 out of every 7 women will get breast cancer over a 90-year life span. All women are at risk for breast cancer.
This year about 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. About 40,000 moms, daughters, sisters, granddaughters and best friends that will die from breast cancer this year.
The American Cancer Society states, “Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.”
The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman’s death is about 1 in 35 (about 3%). At this time there are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
There are ways to reduce your risk.
What can you do to lower your risk of getting breast cancer?
1. Maintain an ideal weight: The chance of developing breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.
2. Exercise: The American Cancer Society recommends engaging in 45-60 minutes of physical exercise 5 or more days a week.
3. Alcohol consumption: Alcohol can limit your liver’s ability to control blood levels of the hormone estrogen, which in turn can increase risk. The Harvard Nurses’ Health study, along with several others, has shown that consuming more than one alcoholic beverage a day can increase breast cancer risk by as much as 20-25 percent.
4. Exposure to estrogen: The female hormone estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, so exposure to estrogen over long periods of time, without breaks, can increase the risk of breast cancer.
5. Oral contraceptive use: Recent use may slightly increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer.
6. Fruits and vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, berries and cherries are all breast cancer fighters.
7. High glycemic carbohydrates: Eat low to medium glycemic foods and avoid white rice, white potatoes, and sugar products, because these foods may trigger hormonal changes that promote cellular growth in breast tissue. Eat whole grains and legumes.
8. Smoking: Smoking is associated with an increase in breast cancer risk, and in the risk of other cancers.
9. Stress and anxiety: There is no clear proof that stress and anxiety can increase breast cancer risk, but some research suggests that practicing yoga, prayer, and meditation to manage stress can strengthen the immune system.
10. Perform monthly breast self-exams, get routine screenings and work closely with your healthcare provider.
We cannot control our gender, age, race, or family history of breast cancer, but early detection can save lives. Performing a monthly breast self-exam is something you can control.
Nearly 70% of all breast cancers are found through self-exams, and with early detection the 5-year survival rate is 98%.
Dr. Wendy Klein, leading women’s health expert and co-author of The Menopause Makeover says, “Discuss your breast self-exam technique with your healthcare provider, and report any asymmetrical changes in your breast right away. Regular breast self-exams in conjunction with other screening methods, working closely with your doctor, are simple common sense for good breast health.”
Today I celebrate my health by lowering my breast cancer risk factors. Today I honor my breast health empowered. Today I do a breast self-exam.
How to do a breast self-exam:
What is your risk of getting breast cancer?
Click here for the National Cancer Institutes Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool:
http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/
References:
Jonekos, S. and W. Klein. The Menopause Makeover. Ontario, Canada: Harlequin Enterprises; 2009.
Cancer.org. American Cancer Society: Information and Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Other Forms,“Breast awareness and self exam.” 02 October 2010 <http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/MoreInformation/BreastCancerEarlyDetection/breast-cancer-early-detection-a-c-s-recs-b-s-e
Recycle Bras and Support Breast Cancer Awareness
Recycle Your Bra This October to Support Breast Cancer Awareness
By Bridgette Meinhold
We all have them: ill-fitting, uncomfortable, or just plain unflattering bras that sit in the back of our drawer collecting lint. Instead of keeping those over-the-shoulder boulder holders mothballed, or worse, consigning them to the dumpster, consider “recycling” them to raise money for breast cancer research. In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, several nonprofits around the world are collecting your unwanted underwires to sell or donate to women in need. Millions of women across the globe are going commando not by choice but because they can’t afford proper support garments, so consider this a two-for- one opportunity—you help a well-endowed sister feel her best and you give the search for a cure a much-needed boost.
Photo by Zoom Zoom
BRAVA FOR BRAS
In the U.S., you can donate your unwanted bras to The Bra Recyclers, a division of Bosom Buddy Recycling, based out of Arizona. The charity collects and sorts the bras, then ships them off to partner locations nationwide in support of breast cancer survivors and women in transitional shelters. Since October 2008, The Bra Recyclers has collected tens of thousands of bras, backing 23 organizations across the country. And when you donate your unmentionables this month, you’ll be automatically entered to win great prizes, including gift cards from American Express and intimate-apparel companies.
Millions of women across the globe go commando not by choice but because they can’t afford proper support garments.
Millions of women across the globe go commando not by choice but because they can’t afford proper support garments.
For would-be bra donors in the U.K. and Australia, a number of retailers and organizations have partnered with BCR Global Textiles, a family-run outfit that recycles and reuses textiles. BreastTalk, Butterfly Bras, Curves of Ireland, and Down Under-based Berlei are all collecting your unwanted bras and funneling them through a BCR Textiles program.
For every kilo of skivvies collected, BCR donates money to breast cancer charities like the Breast Cancer Campaign. The bras are then sold to small independent retailers in third-world countries to shore up the economy while providing low-cost foundation wear.
If you’re planing on organizing a clothing-swap party this month, ask your girlfriends to bring their clean, good-condition bras so you can make a joint donation. Bra recyclers are looking for all manner of bra sizes and shapes, including maternity, nursing, post-surgery, sports, and plus sizes.
UNITED STATES
UNITED KINGDOM
AUSTRALIA
Article taken from Ecouterre – http://www.ecouterre.com
URL to article: http://www.ecouterre.com/recycle-your-bra-this-october-to-support-breast-cancer-awareness/
PINK RIBBON FATIGUE-THE NEW YORK TIMES
Pink Ribbon Fatigue
By BARRON H. LERNER, M.D.
Another Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us, which will mean lots of pink ribbons.
The pink ribbon has been a spectacular success in terms of bringing recognition and funding to the breast cancer cause. But now there is a growing impatience about what some critics have termed “pink ribbon culture.” Medical sociologist Gayle A. Sulik, author of the new book “Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women’s Health” (Oxford University Press), calls it “the rise of pink October.”
“Pink ribbon paraphernalia saturate shopping malls, billboards, magazines, television and other entertainment venues,” she writes on her Web site. “The pervasiveness of the pink ribbon campaign leads many people to believe that the fight against breast cancer is progressing, when in truth it’s barely begun.”
The National Breast Cancer Coalition, a highly visible activist group based in Washington, D.C., has also taken a swipe at pink culture as it tries to reconfigure breast cancer activism through a highly ambitious plan to eradicate the disease by 2020. “Peel back the pink,” the group urges its advocates, “and go beyond awareness into action to end breast cancer.”
So what’s a breast cancer survivor, or an interested citizen, supposed to think when encountering the ubiquitous pink ribbons on everything from yogurt to bathrobes? It helps to know a little of the history of breast cancer activism.
The first breast cancer activists were a series of women in the early and mid-1970s who challenged the routine use of the radical mastectomy, a highly disfiguring operation that involved removal of both the affected breast and the nearby chest wall muscles, for treating breast cancer. Building on the work of a few renegade surgeons plus the era’s feminism, these women gradually got the medical profession to rethink radical surgery. Data eventually showed that smaller operations, such as lumpectomies, accompanied by local radiation were equally effective.
Among the most persistent and effective activists was Rose Kushner, a breast cancer survivor who took on not only the radical mastectomy but also the practice in which doctors decided whether or not to remove cancerous breasts while women were under anesthesia, effectively silenced.
But even Ms. Kushner knew the next steps in breast cancer activism would be even harder. Beginning in the 1980s, she forged alliances with prominent physician-researchers in the field, such as Bernard Fisher. She also informally reviewed grant applications for the National Cancer Institute, a momentous acknowledgment by a scientific organization about the value of lay opinion. Ms. Kushner, who had taken the anti-estrogen drug tamoxifen to treat her breast cancer but who ultimately died of the disease in 1990, even forged a working relationship with Imperial Chemical Industries, the manufacturer of the drug. The company would later merge with the Zeneca Group to form a huge drug conglomerate, AstraZeneca.
This latter connection is particularly telling, as the AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation is now the major sponsor of the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink activities are hardly restricted to October, but they are particularly prominent during the month: billboards promoting breast cancer awareness; media coverage of the latest advances in breast cancer detection and treatment; and races, walks, climbs and other events for breast cancer survivors that provide emotional uplift, a sense of community and an opportunity to raise money for the cause.
So how can the pink ribbon be objectionable? Among the first salvos against the pink ribbon was a 2001 article in Harper’s magazine entitled “Welcome to Cancerland,” written by the well-known feminist author Barbara Ehrenreich. Herself a breast cancer patient, Ms. Ehrenreich delivered a scathing attack on the kitsch and sentimentality that she believed pervaded breast cancer activism.
Others added to Ms. Ehrenreich’s arguments, notably the San Francisco-based group Breast Cancer Action, which in 2002 initiated a “Think Before You Pink” campaign. The organization’s main concern was that pharmaceutical companies that manufactured breast cancer treatments, plus other industries that promoted the pink ribbon for publicity purposes, produced toxic waste that poisoned the earth — and actually promoted breast cancer. Rather than being used to study the causes of breast cancer and how to prevent the disease, a large proportion of pink money, the group argued, has been used to pay for local screening and treatment programs and research into new, expensive biological agents that have had little impact on women’s survival from breast cancer.
The head of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Fran Visco, in a recent e-mail to her membership, called for a “solution,” such as the development of a breast cancer vaccine, rather than just more hope. “We have to stop celebrating breast cancer awareness months and begin pushing for the end,” she wrote.
In “Pink Ribbon Blues,” Ms. Sulik offers three main objections to the pink ribbon. First, she worries that pink ribbon campaigns impose a model of optimism and uplift on women with breast cancer, although many such women actually feel cynicism, anger and similar emotions.
And like Ms. Ehrenreich, Ms. Sulik worries that the color pink reinforces stereotypical notions of gender — for example, that recovery from breast cancer necessarily entails having breast reconstruction, wearing makeup and “restoring the feminine body.”
Finally, Ms. Sulik closely examines what she calls the “financial incentives that keep the war on breast cancer profitable.” She reports that the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which annually sponsors over 125 annual Races for the Cure and more than a dozen three-day, 60-mile walks, has close to 200 corporate partners, including many drug companies. These associations, she warns, are a potential conflict of interest.
So should women start boycotting these very corporate events, which Ms. Sulik admits raise billions of dollars each year, and in which participants receive make-up and other pink-ribbon products in honor of their achievements? I’m not so sure. It is hard not be moved by these types of gatherings, in which survivors demonstrate their perseverance, altruism and endurance.
But one does hope that books like “Pink Ribbon Blues” and campaigns like Breast Cancer 2020 encourage all of us to examine the facts anew. Over 40,000 women still die from breast cancer annually in the United States, and strategies for preventing the disease have received inadequate attention and funding.
It is great to celebrate one’s survivorship from breast cancer, but it would be better not to have to be a survivor in the first place.
Barron H. Lerner, a physician and medical historian at Columbia University Medical Center, is the author of “The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth-Century America.”
PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ARTICLE!
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Take charge of your health and your life! Join with u
s and help spread the word that Early Detection Saves Lives. The Breast Chek Kit™ can show you how!
Susan G. Komen for the Cure® reports that Every 69 seconds a woman dies of breast cancer ! EVERY 69 SECONDS! Source: Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
In a time when the commercialization of Breast Cancer Awareness is seen as excessive; we know the fact is that there are still women who don’t know or understand the risks, or live in a culture that is to afraid to seek out information because of cultural beliefs, myths, and inadequate health care.
About 207, 090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in the U.S. in 2010. An estimated 39, 840 will die from breast cancer. While rare, about 1,970 men will be diagnosed and 390 men will die of breast cancer this year in the U.S. In addition to invasive breast cancer, an estimated 54, 010 new cases of in situ breast cancer will occur in women.
The incident rate of breast cancer varies by race, however some groups of women such as Native Americans have seen a major increase in the last 20 years. Whereas, a century ago Breast Cancer was rare. They have seen increases of both incidence and mortality rates.
In 2010, that incidence rate is estimated to be 67% per 100,000 and mortality is estimated to be 17% depending on where they live. Women living in Alaska, have the highest incidence rates, whereas women who live in the Southwest have the lowest. Native American Source: Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Additionally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women. Although the incidence rate is lower for African American women, they have a 38% higher mortality rate than Caucasian women. While the survival rate has increased in recent years, it still remains lower than Caucasian women. The 5 year survival rate for African American women was 79% compared to 91% among Caucasian women from 1999-2005. There are many reasons for the difference, access to health care, later stage of diagnosis and much more.
These sobering numbers are varied by race, and other factors. However, the fact that every 69 seconds a woman dies from breast cancer is evidence that there is still not enough education and awareness. October Breast Cancer Awareness month is only 1 month out of 12! These numbers indicate that while there is much fanfare during the month of October, there is still a great deal of work to be done.
Breast Cancer is an equal opportunity disease, it does not care about race, age, gender or social status. It is not limited to just 1 month when the world turns Pink. It is lived in the seconds waiting for chemo and radiation therapy to end, it is lived in the days and weeks after treatment, it is lived in the months and years of healing, reconstructive surgeries and finally, either survival or death.
Despite all of the progress, there is still much work to do! Prevention, Early Detection & Education is the key! No matter how over commercialized the month of October seems, the real work and the fight goes on in silence 365 days a year.
We are committed to fighting this battle and we are in it for the long haul by showing and educating women how to do 1 thing, to learn about their breast by performing a breast self exam via our product The Breast Chek Shirt & Kit.
Will you join us in the fight? We can show you how!
One Woman’s Journey
Melinda Case Knight, CEO of Womentorz shares her inspiring story on how she first discovered lumps in her breast at the age of 24. Melinda is a strong and dedicated advocate of women entrepreneurs and inventors. Visit www.womentorz.com to see other inspiring inventors and their wonderful products.
Breast Cancer runs in my family, so it’s something I’ve always been aware of and passionate about. It wasn’t something though, at the age of 24, I was actively thinking about and looking for through self breast examinations. I just so happened to find two large lumps on my honeymoon only because you could physically see them striking fear in my husband thinking
that his new wife was going to have to fight cancer and ruining a time that should have been celebratory. I called my doctor during my honeymoon and scheduled an examination for the day after we returned from our trip. Needless to say, my doctor was concerned and immediately scheduled surgery to remove the lumps and have them tested. Luckily, the tests were benign and I could breath easy with an appreciation for self breast examination.
Jump twelve years later and The Breast Chek Kit becomes part of Womentorz with their lifesaving invention. I am so honored to have such an amazing woman and product part of this network of creative and innovative women.
What they are doing for women on an ongoing basis and so many areas of the business is just astounding and inspiring. They take such pride in the product not only in its function, but also in every aspect that goes into bringing a quality product to market that truly saves lives. The inventor is defining what “early detection” means and is making a positive impact on this world and women’s health.
Have you had a Checkup lately? Find a FREE Screening near you!
National Women’s Checkup Day is off to a great start. Need to know where to go for a FREE Screening in your State this week CLICK HERE! Free Screening Location By State. Remember performing a monthly breast self exam with The Breast Chek Kit can teach you how to perform your exam accurately every time!
Lymph Node Area
Lymph node areas:
A Pectoralis Muscle
B Axillary Lymph nodes: Level l
C Axillary Lymph nodes: Level ll
D Axillary Lymph nodes: Level lll
E Supraclavicular Lymph nodes
F Internal mammary lymph nodes
Take The Woman Challenge 8 Weeks To Better Health! May 9th-July 3rd, 2010
Starting on May 9, 2010, thousands of women across the country will embark on an eight-week physical activity challenge for better health. They will be part of the Woman Challenge, a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). The Woman Challenge is a part of the OWH year-long Woman Activity Tracker program and its launch will kick off the 11th annual National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15, 2010). The Woman Challenge encourages women to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week.
What makes the Woman Challenge different from the rest of the year?
Each week that you meet or exceed your personal physical activity goals, you will receive a virtual Woman Challenge trophy. Earn 8 trophies in 8 weeks and receive a certificate of completion! From May 9 to August 21, 2010 you will receive weekly e-mail newsletters with tips on staying motivated. There will also be weekly quizzes to test your knowledge of fitness and nutrition and give you a boost towards your weekly goal. Register here for the Woman Activity Tracker. You can even form a team, with your co-workers, associates and other women and friends. Click here to register and Create Your Team!
HOW DO I SET MY GOALS?
Click here to print out your Activity Tracker Log like the ones listed below to begin to track your progress and to learn more!
Signs and Symptoms of Male Breast Cancer
Signs and symptoms of male breast cancer by alvis walter
Male breast cancer is a cancer that occurs in the breast tissue of men. Breast cancer is often viewed as a woman’s disease. However, male breast cancer does occur to a significant extent. It is important to know the symptoms of male breast cancer. The disease is more pronounced in elderly men. However, it can occur at any age.
Men diagnosed with male breast cancer are at a good chance for cure if it is detected at an early stage. The symptoms of male breast cancer must not be ignored. A breast lump is the most common symptom. Most cases are diagnosed when the disease has reached an advanced state.
The following are some of the symptoms of male breast cancer:
A lump that is painless in nature
Thickening of the breast tissue
The skin covering the breast undergoes dimpling, puckering, redness, or scaling.
Nipple may turn inward. Redness and scaling is also possible.
Discharge from the nipple
Consult a doctor if signs and symptoms persist.
The causes of male breast cancer are not very clear. Breast cells that grow abnormally are an indicator for male breast cancer. These cells tend to divide more quickly than healthy cells. The cells that accumulate form a tumor that may spread to a nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or other body parts.
All individuals are born with a certain amount of breast tissue. The tissue is comprised of lobules, which are milk-producing glands. The lobules are ducts that transport milk to the nipples. Women develop much more breast tissue during puberty in comparison with men. Men can develop breast cancer due to a small presence of breast tissue.
The following are the types of breast cancer in men:
1. Cancer of the milk ducts: Ductal carcinoma is the most common form of male breast cancer. Almost all male breast cancers originate in the breast ducts.
2. Cancer of the milk-producing glands: Lobular carcinoma is not a common characteristic in men as they have few lobules in the breast tissue.
3. Cancer that spreads to the nipple: In some instances, breast cancer can originate in the ducts but spread to the nipples. This can cause scaly skin around the nipple. This is also known as Paget’s disease.
Genes that increase the risk of breast cancer
In some cases, men inherit genetic mutations from their parents, which increase the risk of breast cancer. A mutation in a specific gene known as BRCA2 can increase the risk of breast and prostrate cancer. Generally, this gene helps in prevention of cancer by the production of proteins that prevent cells from growing abnormally. However, once they undergo mutation their roles change.
Alvis Walter is a cancer consultant and a guide for Male Breast Cancer . To know more information about malignant mesothelioma, Gamma Knife, symptoms of male breast cancer, mesothelioma symptoms, Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Mantle Cell Lymphoma visit www.cancery.com
Article Source: Signs and symptoms of male breast cancer
Black Women Wait Longer for Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment
THURSDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) — Black breast cancer patients have to wait longer for diagnosis and treatment than white patients, regardless of insurance status, a new U.S. study finds.
Researchers from the GW Cancer Institute looked at 581 breast cancer patients who were examined between 1997 and 2009 at seven hospitals and clinics in Washington, D.C. and found that:
- Insured black women and uninsured white women waited more than twice as long to be given a definitive breast cancer diagnosis than insured white women.
- Lack of health insurance slowed the speed of diagnosis among white patients, but having insurance did not lead to quicker diagnosis among insured black women.
- Overall, black patients waited twice as long as white patients to begin treatment after breast cancer diagnosis.
“We thought having health insurance would even the field and that insured black women would have had the same rate of evaluation as insured white women, but that was not the case in our study,” Heather Hoffman, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, said a news release from the school.
The findings highlight the need for improved outreach and other types of assistance for black patients.
“Black women should be the focus of breast cancer screening outreach and follow-up because they experience greater delays in diagnosis and in treatment than white women, regardless of insurance status,” Hoffman said. “We need to determine what other barriers contribute to diagnosis and treatment delays in insured black women and all uninsured women.”
New IPhone App—Breast Health GPS, A very cool tool!
“Breast Health GPS,” Pinpoints Medical Facilities and Provides Access to Latest Research
Belleville, New Jersey – There are IPhone apps for organizing a household budget, planning a vacation, even getting you from point A to point B on New York’s subway, now there’s an app designed to save lives. It’s called Breast Health GPS and it uses the latest technology to help women locate the closest medical facilities providing Mammography and other Breast Health services.
The new IPhone app is free and was developed by the Breast Health & Healing Foundation, (BHH&F) www.breasthealthandhealing.com, a 501(3)(c) non-profit foundation founded by Dr. Kathleen T. Ruddy, a breast cancer surgeon.
Using the Breast Health GPS is easy. Once you’ve downloaded the app onto your IPhone, click on the main icon to reveal medical facilities close to your current location or enter an area code to find a facility anywhere in the U.S. In addition the app contains other important features. Among them is a direction link to the Breast Health and Healing Foundation’s website, an important resource providing critical information about women’s health, Dr Ruddy’s blog and up-to-date information about the progress of breast cancer research that is bringing us closer to finding a cure.
“Now is the time to marshal our resources, refine our approach, and direct our efforts towards finding the underlying cause of the disease,” said Dr. Ruddy, Founder of BHH&F. “The Breast Health GPS is a new weapon in that fight.”
Promoting research is at the core of what BHH&F is all about. The mission of the foundation is to discover the causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease. The foundation supports research pursuing the underlying causes of the disease so that some day breast cancer will be thing of the past.
Everyday breast cancer claims the lives of scores of women around the globe. It’s estimated that in 2010 more than 1.3 million women worldwide will contract the disease and tens of thousands will die from it. Despite tens of millions spent on research the epidemic continues to grow and grim statistics remain a reality
To download the Breast Health GPS app onto your IPhone you’ll need an ITunes account and be connected to the internet. From your IPhone go to the App Store, enter “Breast Health GPS” in the search bar. Once the App appears click the download button to begin the installation process. Once you download an application it’s immediately installed on your IPhone.
About the Breast Health & Healing Foundation
The Breast Health & Healing Foundation is a 501(3)(c)tax exempt non-profit foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to discover the specific causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease.
