October is breast cancer awareness month. Below are 2016 statistics taken from Breastcancer.org:
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.
- At this time there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
- About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
- About 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2016. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
- In 2016, there are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
- About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
- In women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women. Overall, African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer. For Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women, the risk of developing and dying from breast cancer is lower.
Breast cancer holds dear to my heart. Back in 2014 physicians once thought that I too could have possibly had malignant lumps in one of my breasts. I shared this experience here where I expressed my fears and how nervous I was knowing that my physician found a lump. The following year in 2015, my cysts returned back again. It was then that I expressed on my blog how attacking this infirmity holistically was my new approach.
Since 2014, I have not had another aspiration since my inital one nor experienced any pain. Although it may take time, holistic approaches do work! One thing to remember is that early detection is key. Do not be afraid to question something on your body that may seem suspicious. Do not ignore signs or irregularities that you see. Always take action and continue to be proactive because you are your own physician FIRST before making an appointment to see a licensed physician. We only have one body – treat it like a temple so you can live a longer and healthier life!
