Get enough sleep, people!

Responding to Wendy Chen's comment on our first blog, I went on to read the article.  In the Sleep duration and the risk of breast cancer: the Ohsaki Cohort Study article that Wendy referred to us, it said that among Japanese women, "those who slept 6h or less having a significantly increased risk."

According to answers.com, "Natural melatonin production decreases with age and the decrease is associated with some sleep disorders."  And the Ohsaki Cohort Study said that with a lower melatonin level in our body, there is an increased risk of breast cancer.  Melatonin tends to inhibit cell growth on breast cancer cell lines.

The study stated its limitation, which is that "we had no information on such factors as sleep quality, the timing of sleep, the use of sleep medication, or the presence of sleeping disorders that can influence sleep duration and thereby might affect breast cancer risk."

I can only say that let's not underestimate the importance of longer sleeping time.  Shorter sleep duration not only can increase risk of breast cancer, but also can weaken our immune system and decrease our work productivity the following day. 

I'll repeat myself again: Get enough sleep, people! 

Think twice before you take another sip

Since we started this blog, I started digging for more information on breast cancer.  I came across this Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk article last night and I just can't ignore it. 

Many of us probably put very little attention on the relationship between alcohol and breast cancer.  We probably associate more with heart disease.  Well, it's about time we start thinking that alcohol can risk us breast cancer as well. 

After reading this particular article, I continued on reading more articles and studies on this matter.  Mostly I found that low-level consumption of alcoholic beverages does not really increase the incidence of breast cancer.  However alcohol intake does increase the risk of breast cancer when taking into account a getting older, family history of breast cancer, and an earlier age at menarche. 

According to the "Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk" article, here are couple of facts you can keep in mind:

• Compared with those who do not consume alcohol at all, "women who drank the equivalent of a half glass of wine a day were 6% more likely to develop breast cancer"
• Compared with those who do not consume alcohol at all, "women who drank more than two drinks a day were 37% more likely to develop breast cancer"

My friends, I personally suggest you to start limiting your alcohol intake to reduce the risk factor for breast cancer.  Please remind your friends, families and relatives as well.  Spread the word. 

Touch to Love..

What's your thought on TOUCH?

Feel free to share your inputs with us.. : )

Is there a way to prevent breast cancer?

Is there a way to prevent breast cancer?

Unfortunately, there is not a guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer. This is why awareness is the most effective source for prevention. Here are things you can do to lower your risk.

Live a healthy lifestyle
Do not smoke
Limit alcohol consumption
Increase physical activity
Limit stress
Eat nutritious and balanced meals

Know your family health history. If a family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may be genetically predisposed to the disease.

You should speak with your doctor to learn your risk group.

If you are interested in more facts, please consult the National Breast Center.

Not just a woman issue

People might think that breast cancer is a woman only issue, but it's really not.

First of all, men can have breast cancer too. Second, when a person is inflicted with breast cancer, everybody around him or her is also affected by it.

Breast cancer is an issue that we should all care about. Here are some more thoughts that Kim Cornwell shared with us.

Men can help prevent too.

For husbands, fathers, brothers and sons out there, would you agree if I say that the health of your wives, mothers, sisters and daughters is as important as yours?

When you heard the word 'breast cancer', you would think it's only a woman's problem.  That is not entirely true.  Men also play significant roles in breast cancer awareness.  Men could partake by actively reminding and encouraging their women to routinely self-check their breasts. 

Doing self-examination every month gives women the best chance to find cancer as early as they can.  Finding breast cancer early makes treatment much easier and more effective.

Guys, if you're reading this note, please spread the word.  Support the women in your life to touch early and touch often.  Help prevent breast cancer. 

How to do your self-examination?

1. Look into the mirror with your shoulders straight and hand on your hips.

It's OK when:

- Usual shape, color and size of breasts

- Evenly shaped breasts

Consult a doctor when:

- dimpling, puckering or bulging of the skin

- the nipple(s) changed position

- an inverted nipple(s)

- redness, soreness, rash or swelling

2. Look into the mirror and raise your arms.  Consider the conditions for step 1.

3. Lie down and touch your breasts.  Use your right hand to touch your left breast and your left hand to touch your right breast.  Use your finger pads, keep them flat and together, and move them up and down vertically in rows.  Use light pressure to feel the tissue just under your skin; add a little more pressure to feel the tissue in the middle of your breasts; and finally a firm pressure to feel the tissue near your ribcage.

4. Stand up or sit down, then repeat step 3. 

Touch Early.  Touch Often.  Prevent Breast Cancer.

A Personal Sharing

Kim Cornwell, a staff member of Medill, lost her best friend to cancer. She is sharing her personal story with us because she understands the pain and sorrow of losing a close friend. Kim'd like to spread the idea that we should be more mindful of our bodies and by doing that we can prevetnt the unfortunate fate of her best friend.

Why should we all learn to TOUCH

There is a misperception about breast cancer in our culture. Young people tend to think of breast cancer as an older women’s disease. Actually, this disease has been increasingly on the rise in young women. We are a group of Northwestern students dedicated to spreading breast cancer awareness to young adults. We hope to increase awareness by advocating our TOUCH campaign. The mission of TOUCH is to encourage everyone to perform routine breast self-exam.

Now here are a few facts:

•  Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women ages 15 to 54

•  Breast cancer is more aggressive and result in lower survival rates in young women

• There are more than 250,000 women 40 and under in the U.S. living with breast cancer, and over 11,100 young women will be diagnosed in the next year

• More than 11,100 women under age 40 will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 1,100 will die

•  Men are susceptible to breast cancer too – it is estimated that in 2008 some 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men

• Women who perform regular breast self-exams find 90% of all breast masses