Mammograms
While mammograms are seen as an essential part of breast cancer examinations, they have their risks.
In fact, a 25-year follow-up to a 5-year study published in The British Medical Journal determined that in younger women, annual mammography doesn’t reduce the risk of death from breast cancer any better than regular self-examinations. In addition, 22% of active cancers found were over-diagnosed by mammograms (6).
What’s more, mammograms are known to expose breast to cancer-causing radiation and often result in false positives (7).
If you suspect you may have a lump in your breast, ask you doctor for an ultrasound instead, which is 80% more sensitive than a mammogram. Plus, it doesn’t smash your breast uncomfortably like a mammogram machine does. Another great option is thermography.
Exercise And Diet
The best way to prevent breast cancer is to exercise, eat right, relax, and get enough sleep. In fact, one study found that obesity, lack of exercise, and eating to0 many saturated fats increase your risk of all cancers (8). That’s partly because these bad habits negatively impact your hormone levels, increasing your risk or breast cancer.
Eating plenty of antioxidant and inflammatory foods is also a necessary part of preventing and recovering from cancer.