Keeping Breast Cancer at Bay

In another 3 months my Mom would have left us for 11 years. She died of breast cancer. And as statistics points out to me, I am at a higher risk category. Does it scare me that I might one day be diagnosed by it? Sure it does. But I have found a few things in life to help me fight this lurking monster.

The number one thing is that I found a husband who makes me laugh every day. I love the moments that we can share a cheesy joke. So how is being happy and laughing going to help? Excellent question my friend. Last year sometime I read in the news that there was a study entitled "Breast Cancer, Psychological Distress and Life Events among Young Women," published in the journal BMC Cancer. The study suggests that traumatic events and stress can lead to an increase in breast cancer risk.

Interestingly, these findings correlate to Traditional Chinese Medicine's (TCM) theory that has been around for thousands of years. TCM describes that we all have Qi that circulates throughout our body. Some may call it our vital force or energy. Whatever we choose to call it, Qi needs to flow smoothly in our bodies. The "energetic" organ responsible for this smooth flow is our liver. If you have ever been to an acupuncturist and they have their classical acupuncture charts on the wall, you may notice that the liver meridian (energy channels along the body where Qi flows) , along with the Gallbladder and Stomach meridians all flow through the breast. When Qi stagnates in our bodies, it can lead to the development of pain and eventually breast lumps or tumours. So besides trying to get my daily dose of laughter, I will massage points along the liver meridian.

Another important yet simple thing to do is sleep in the dark and get enough sleep. I will be talking about this in another blog. Eat healthy foods which are high in anti-oxidants (usually foods that are in our vegetable and fruit groups), exercise daily and use more natural products for my skin that doesn't contain hormone disruptors ( parabens, Diethanolamine (DEA) etc.)

Most important is to keep up the fight and lessen the fear, as fear in itself is deadly.