October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It’s an annual campaign to spread awareness about this disease. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in American women, and approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with it. It is most likely everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. With early detection and treatment, most women can survive breast cancer.

 Breast cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells form in the tissues of the breast. Breasts are made up of lobes and ducts. Breast tissue is divided into fifteen to twenty lobes, and each lobe is made up of smaller organs called lobules. The lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. Lobes, lobules, and bulbs are all connected by thin tubes called ducts. Breasts also have both blood vessels and lymph vessels. If cancerous cells exist, they often form a tumor that can be felt as a lump in the breast or underarm.

 Early detection is important.

Monthly self-exams, regular clinical exams, and mammograms after age forty are all methods of early detection. Preventative measures include eating well and exercising. Cancer risk is assessed by both risk factors such as obesity, age, exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, and a family history of the disease, and by protective factors such as diet, forgoing alcohol and tobacco use, and minimizing exposure to radiation. There are some risks that are not avoidable (such as genetics) and some that are (such as tobacco use).  Chiropractors understand and support patients with nutrition information, as well as other healthy life habits. A healthy mind and body are the basis for preventative care.

 Besides the possibility of knowing a woman with breast cancer, did you know it is also possible for men to get breast cancer? Over 2,000 men are diagnosed each year, so breast health is an important topic for both men and women.

 Some of the treatments for breast cancer include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Treatments are determined by your doctor according to what kind of breast cancer you have and how advanced it is. The side effects with each kind of treatment vary.

 Since breast tissue is a soft tissue of the body and chiropractors most often deal with the musculoskeletal  and nervous systems, you may be wondering how chiropractors support breast cancer patients. In fact, chiropractic care has been shown to help manage joint and muscle pain, headaches, poor sleep, and peripheral neuropathy caused or intensified by treatments. Chiropractors focus on increasing strength, mobility, function, and flexibility. Managing the discomfort and pain of treatment is an important part of the process of healing, and chiropractors play an integral role in that.

 Some treatment teams include chiropractic care in their treatment plans, and if yours does not, consider keeping your chiropractor in the loop as your treatment progresses. Ask your chiropractor about how to obtain regular screenings, and continue to pursue good health as a priority.