October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.   In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

I am writing to you about this very important topic as it hits home for me and my family.  Both my mother and her mother were breast cancer survivors. My mother had breast cancer at a fairly young age, in her 30s. Being a survivor was rare for that time as the treatments were still in their infancy stage.  Years after my mother’s treatment, doctors told her that she received way too much radiation and that this caused her to have balance issues.   Nonetheless, she was grateful to be alive.

While doctors and scientist are still not 100% clear on what causes breast cancer, I believe that we can reduce our risk factors.  I am happy to say that my sisters and I have not had breast cancer and we are all well past our 30s.  I like to attribute this to the way I lead my life, focused on optimal health & wellness. I try to limit exposure to chemicals & pollutants by buying organic produce, drinking good water, using natural things to clean my home (vinegar & water, baking soda) and natural products (especially aluminum-free deodorant).   I also exercise daily and use daily meditation to calm down my nervous system, which impacts other systems in the body.   All these habits are beneficial to the body; however, they do not replace getting annual breast exams by your doctor, and/or mammograms.   

Here are the recommendations for when to have an exam.

Recommendations For All Women:

• Women 40 and older should have mammograms every year.
• Women under 40 who have risk factors for breast cancer, such as a significant family history of breast cancer or a genetic mutation, should ask their healthcare provider whether mammograms are advisable and how often to have them.

For more information on assessing your risks, here’s a link for a free resource from The National Breast Cancer Foundation: Causes of Breast Cancer – National Breast Cancer Foundation