October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s no secret to the ladies at Her Campus Rider that breast cancer is a real health concern for many collegiettes™ out there. In response to this, a few tips for those ladies who want to mark the month:
Know your risk
The risk for most women with no family history of breast cancer is about 12 percent. If there is a family history of the disease, make sure your doctor knows so he or she can make recommendations for how to proceed.
Stay healthy
Breast cancer, like all cancers, can be attributed partially to health factors. For example, there is a link between breast cancer and obesity according the Susan G Komen Foundation. This link found that being overweight post-menopause increased breast cancer risk. As many of us are a few decades away from that milestone, there’s time if you need to get in shape. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has countless other benefits too, such as decreasing the risk of heart disease and other cancers according to the Center for Disease Control.
Get regular check-ups
As repetitive as this sounds, make sure to get regular check-ups, either from your primary physician, the heath center, etc. With today’s technology, cancer can be discovered very early. The earlier it’s spotted, the more treatable it will be according the American Cancer society.
Give yourself a monthly breast exam
Many organizations and health professionals recommend a monthly self-exam to help spot any potential problems early. According to the Mayo Clinic, 40 percent of women discovered breast cancer cases during exams.
Support the cause
Despite the all the fundraising done for the cause, breast cancer research still remains less funded than prostate cancer research. As new research will discover new methods of prevention and treatment, supporting it seems like a good idea. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is one organization that supports breast cancer research. The American Cancer Society is another organization that supports cancer research, however it does not specialize, making it a good candidate for people who want to see their dollars fund more than one type of research.
Want to get involved? Join the Ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha and the Womyn of Lambda Tau Omega and help them to raise $1,500 in our 5th annual Breast Cancer walk.
Date: October 29, 2011
Time: registration at TCNJ student center at 9:15am
Place : TCNJ student center.
Rider students, we will be having registration during dinner hours at Dalys.
Please contact Genesis fulmer at fulmerg@rider.edu to participate.
How will you celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month?