Cells growing in a body and that captures a group of disease and increased out of control is called cancer. An original body part is named after cancer thus; breast cancer refers to the unpredictable growth and multiplication of cells that begins in the breast tissue. The group of cells that move in great speed may form a mass of extra tissue better known as tumors. Tumors are difficult to predict. It can either be very dangerous or not malignant. Harmful tumors enter and kill healthy body tissues. There is also a great risk of the cells within a tumor to separate itself and spread to various parts of a body.

Breast cancer has been the most common reason of cancer in women followed by the second most common reason of cancer death in women in the world. Breast cancers are determined by an unusual activity seen on a mammogram, a mass or consistency changes of the breast tissue and all these indications served as a warning sign of this deadly disease. Breast cancer awareness has since played an effective role towards educating the women today of the risk of breast cancer and ways to prevent it from happening. The increased number of women taking up the mammogram screening leads to an early detection of cancer has help tremendously towards increasing the rate of survival among women.

Breast cancers however are most common towards women in their forties and fifties. Research and studies has given many information related to the cause of breast cancer and doctors have reasons to believe that hormonal and genetic factors are breast cancer's major risk factors. Doctors from all over the world implemented and developed staging systems to mark the extent of a specific cancer spread so that necessary treatment options can be made prior to doctor's decision. The treatments for breast cancer take into consideration upon all factors including those that has spread to other part of the body. The available options for treatment includes surgery to remove the cancer alone, hormonal or radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy.

The fatal rate has since reduced by almost twenty percent over the past 10 years with many improvements conducted in diagnosis, treatment as well as screening and ongoing research is still being put into practice for a more advanced treatment and screening programs. The American Cancer Society has reported an estimation of one hundred and seventy thousand American women being diagnosed with breast cancer every year but fortunately, early detection with advanced treatments will definitely bring down the number of death in women with breast cancer. The American Cancer Society has also urge women between the ages of 35 and 40 years to have a standard mammogram schedule while women between 40 and 50 years old are advised to go for screening once in every two to three years. Women above 50 years of age should go for screening at least once a year.



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Should We Take a Closer Look at our Environment and Daily Choices?

There is not a day goes by that we are not reminded of the increasing rates of cancer. Funds, foundations and associations are raising money for research into the causes of all the various types of cancers. They are looking for the magic bullet (or drug) trying to find the "Cure for Cancer"

Has anyone taken the time to consider prevention? What about all the chemicals we are exposed to each and every day? Some chemicals have been shown to cause cancer in animals, such as several pesticides and some cosmetic ingredients are known endocrine disruptors. There are chemicals that have been tested alone, reported to be safe, but not tested in combination with other chemicals. We are exposed inadvertently by way of car and industry fumes, and the off-gassing from plastics, furniture, and car interiors.

Many exposures come from our own hands - from the cleaning products we choose to use. There seems to be enormous range of household cleaners, a separate one for every job. And each as toxic as the other; There is one for the kitchen, that 'cuts grease and kills bacteria' and one for the bathroom 'leaves tiles sparkling and kills bacteria' and a special one for the toilet to ' kill bacteria' Have you noticed a theme here?

Also advertised are several sprays for smelly rubbish tins! Has anyone considered emptying the bin instead of spraying a toxic chemical to mask the smell? There must be big business when you take into account the cost of producing ads for TV and magazines to make us feel insecure about our natural world.

We are bombarded with advice to make our homes (and cars!) 'germ-free' and 'fresh smelling' but we are endangering our immune systems with the onslaught of synthetic fragrances as well as chemical cleaners and germicides that kill the 'good' as well as the 'bad' bacteria. The body needs bacteria in the right balance, by killing bacteria we inadvertently kill the good ones, leaving an imbalance. In fact there are more bacteria in the human body than there are cells.

Then there are Personal Care and Cosmetic products. This subject is a particular favorite of mine! I have become obsessive about reading labels and researching the lists of chemical ingredients in the many products we apply to our bodies daily. Many women use as many as 9 products a day, exposing themselves to up to 126 different chemicals that can be absorbed directly into the blood stream. This is how nicotine and HRT patches deliver the medication.

A facial cleanser, body wash, toothpaste and shampoo are all likely to contain sodium lauryl sulphate or the more toxic sodium laureth sulphate or both! That is 4 applications of a chemical toxic to marine life, so that might give you an idea why you should avoid it.

Next, the body lotion, moisturizer, anti-age cream and foundation will possibly include Dimethicone and/or mineral oil/wax Dimethicone has been found to cause tumors in laboratory animals. Mineral oil and paraffin wax are from the petro-chemical industry. They coat the skin like plastic wrap, not allowing it to breathe or eliminate toxins. They slow skin functions and cell development, resulting in pre-mature aging. Alcohol is often added as an emulsifier. It dries the skin.

All these products will also contain preservatives. Some as many as 3 or 4. Paraben preservatives are widely used even though they are known to be toxic. In my reports is the quick, easy way to recognize these chemical preservatives. Access the reports from the link below.

Propylene Glycol is still a popular ingredient with manufactures of cosmetics. A petrol derivative, it penetrates the skin weakening cellular structure. The EPA warns against skin contact because of detrimental effects to organs such as liver and kidneys.

So ... back to the question, to help prevent cancer ... should we take a closer look at the many daily exposures to chemicals?

There is that old chestnut "Prevention is Better than Cure" and a few personal changes such as making informed decisions when deciding on the type of cleaning products used and switching to personal care and cosmetics with less, or better, NO chemicals could put us on the right track to avoid the accumulation of toxins in our bodies and the bodies of those we buy for.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Armitage

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer. Five hundred and nineteen thousand people died due to breast cancer in 2004. It is more frequent in women than in man. The first symptom of this cancer is when a woman feels a lump that is different from the surrounding breast tissue. Another indication may be formation of lumps in lymph nodes located in the armpits. Other indications may include changes in breast size or shape, nipple inversion, skin dimpling, single nipple discharge.

There are various causes for the occurrence of breast cancer.

1. If a woman has suffers with cancer in one breast, then there is a high possibility for getting it in another.
2. It's also a genetic disease. If the girl's mother or sister is suffering from breast cancer, then the risk is high for the person.
3. Having certain type of abnormal cells will cause changes in the size of the breast. This kind of changes indicates that the risk of getting this cancer is more.
4. If a woman does not do any physical activity like a normal human being there is a chance for getting cancer in her breast.

Traditionally there are four major options are available for the treatment of this cancer. They are Surgery, Radiation, Chemotherapy, and hormonal Therapy. The common treatment method for breast cancer is Surgery. When tumor expresses estrogen receptors adjuvant hormonal therapy is given. For more advanced stages of disease Chemotherapy is given. To destroy microscopic tumors that have escaped after surgery Radiotherapy technique is used.




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A whole raft of scientific studies carried out over the past few decades has shown conclusively that turmeric's principal antioxidant phytonutrient, curcumin, has powerful cancer fighting properties. This new research is yet a further endorsement of this spice's fantastic disease fighting capabilities.

Curcumin

Curcumin is found in turmeric, ginger and a number of other spices. It is a widely acknowledged to be one of the most important cancer fighting, food-based compounds as it has also been shown to help prevent a number of cancer types as well as neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Researches at The Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center and the College Of Veterinary Medicine in the USA have discovered another string to this wonderful spice's medicinal bow. In a recent paper published in the journal Menopause the scientists describe how curcumin blocks the carcinogenic effects of hormone replacement therapy in post menopausal women.

The culprits

Most hormone replacement preparations prescribed for post menopausal problems include a combination of estrogens and progestin hormones. It is the latter synthetic progesterones that increase the risk of breast cancer in those who have such bad menopausal symptoms that they cannot do without hormone replacement therapies.

Progestins increase the risk of breast cancer by stimulating the blood supply to developing cancer cells. They do this by enhancing the production of a growth factor that is responsible for the formation of new blood vessels.

By blocking the production of the progestin-stimulated growth factor, curcumin attenuates the blood supply to breast cancer cells without which they cannot survive.

Anti-obesity activity of curcumin

Coincidentally another recent bit of scientific work indicates that curcumin's ability to inhibit the growth of blood vessels may also make it a useful in the fight against obesity! In a similar fashion to its cancer-fighting effects it does so by inhibiting the blood supply to new fat cells. By inhibiting the formation of fat cells curcumin slows down the rate at which the body stores fat. More importantly it makes it easier for individuals to lose weight as, once a fat cell has formed, the body can't get rid of it.

It is important to note that curcumin taken on its own is not well utilized by the body - i.e. it has a low bioavailability. This is because enzymes in the intestines and liver break it down before it has had a chance to do its good work.

Spicy synergism with curcumin

Fortunately other spices contain compounds (like black pepper's piperine) that increase the bioavailability (and thus efficacy) of curcumin by several thousand per cent. Therefore taking a capsule of curcumin on its own is unlikely to be of much benefit in terms of the prevention or treatment of disease. It is far better to follow the culinary wisdom of thousands of years and use a wide variety of spices with curcumin-containing turmeric as phytonutrients in plant foods tend to have synergistic effects with one another.



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