It seems that finally, there is beginning to be a real shift toward wellness and prevention in the medical industry, as opposed to just putting a medication into people to fix what could have been probably totally avoided had they followed a certain diet and exercised as well.
I’m hearing a series of PSA ads from major medical facilities and healthcare providers now on the radio and television, preaching the praises of getting exercise, snacking and eating right, and making overall healthier lifestyle choices to help you live a healthier, more disease free life.
Kaiser Permanente has a series of ads right now, featuring what sounds like West Wing alum Allison Janney, doing radio spots for eating better, and exercising, directed at every day, average people, encouraging people to reduce stress, get out and exercise or even just walk on their lunch breaks at work, and to pick better foods.
I have to admit, this is definitely an encouraging sign to someone like me, who has had real doubts about the future of medicine and where we are headed with treating diseases and health issues that are lifestyle related. I’ve always been more a proponent of avoiding health issues before they occur.
With breast health, this could definitely help reduce the incidence of breast cancer, because breast cancer prevention is something that is all lifestyle related. Of course, there are cases that are heavily linked to genetics, and some women are so genetically predisposed to getting breast cancer, that it may be unavoidable.
However, lifestyle and diet changes can greatly reduce this risk, and give a person better chances against ever developing cancerous breast tumors. So, in short, it should not be encouraged to just “throw in the towel” and eat badly as well as not get any activity in your life if you have breast cancer in your family.
You can still influence the outcome by making the right lifestyle changes. There are never any guarantees in life, but it’s comforting to know that we can at least have a part in our own breast health. Of course, doing your own breast exams fairly often is also beneficial.
Get to know your own breasts, so that if something crops up, you will know it is out of the norm, and you can monitor it, or get into a doctor right away if it feels like something other than a little bit of soreness or fibrousness from being on your period or something.
