3 Ways to Improve Your Breast Health
Most women are aware of the importance of annual mammograms to detect breast cancer, or they know about useful tips to help if they’re breastfeeding.
But are there simple steps you can take to improve your general breast health? And how can this impact your overall wellness?
We’ll take a closer look at how you can improve your breast health and let you know how we can help you.
3 Ways to Improve Breast Health
1. A Healthy Diet and Regular Exercise
We won’t repeat what you’ve heard many times before: exercise and a healthy diet are the best things that you can do for your overall health. This philosophy also extends to your breast health. In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, physically active women are 25 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.
Diet also makes a huge difference. We recommend five to eight servings of fruits and vegetables every day. There are also cancer-fighting “power foods” that should be a part of your plate— broccoli, kale and cabbage.
Increasing your level of omega-3 acids can also contribute to a healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in fish. However, if you’re pregnant, you should be cautious about eating too much fish. Certain species are very high in mercury, which can harm your child.
If you don’t want to eat fish, walnuts, soybeans and pumpkin seeds are also great sources of omega-3.
2. Take Your Vitamins
You should especially concentrate on vitamin D for your breast health. Why? Low levels of vitamin D can increase your risk for developing breast cancer. If you’re a breast cancer survivor, having higher vitamin D levels can help reduce the chances of a recurrence happening.
The perfect source of vitamin D is the sun. However, with many people working indoors and spending much of their time inside, it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D this natural way. This is why we suggest taking vitamin D supplements.
We can also provide a comprehensive list of the vitamins you should take, tailored toward your specific needs.
One word of caution: Be careful when taking herbal remedies. These have not been FDA-approved, and in many cases, they can interact with over-the-counter or prescription medication. Some may even be harmful to developing babies. Before taking any of these herbal supplements, talk to us first.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Again, a healthy lifestyle goes a long way toward preventing all kinds of diseases. Those who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for a number of health problems. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the connection with breast health centers around the amount of estrogen in fat.
If you are obese, there is more estrogen produced in the fat tissue—especially after menopause. Therefore, estrogen-sensitive breast cancer tissues are exposed to additional estrogen. The result is that it could possibly contribute to the progression and growth of breast cancer.
If you’re overweight, we’ll be glad to work with you to craft a plan that will help you. We want you to know that change takes time, and we’ll be with you every step of the way.
Associates in Women’s Health Wants to Guide You Toward Better Breast Health
Many of the same wellness principles you’ve heard before apply toward maintaining healthy breasts. But we realize, for so many, it can be a difficult and challenging journey. In many cases, you may not know where to start.
That’s why we suggest starting with a wellness exam, where we can evaluate your risk for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. You see, we’re not just concerned with your gynecological health and your breast health—we want to help you with your overall health.
We also offer the convenience of 3D mammography that can be scheduled at the same time as your annual physical.
Ready to get started? Contact us for an appointment today.
