Breast Cancer Prevention, Detection and Treatment

By Tracy Soltesz, LAc, MAc

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast is the most common form of cancer in women, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer. Breast cancer, while more prevalent in women, can also occur in men. The CDC reports that 1,764 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, and 375 men died from it.

The bad news is that breast cancer is in the top ten leading causes of death for women. The United Breast Cancer Foundation (UBCF) states that nearly one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The good news is that breast cancer is a slow growing disease, which means that early detection and treatment can greatly increase survival rates.

Cells damaged by cancer double over time, slowly multiplying into masses called tumors. Diagnosis techniques that detect damaged cells or changes in blood supply to an area, such as thermography, can show breast cancer growth up to 8 years prior to conventional technologies that only detect tumors such as mammograms.

Thermography is a painless, safe procedure no radiation, no compression, and no body contact occurs. Thermography can even be used for women with breast implants. While thermography still is not covered by many insurance companies, the affordable price and reliability of it far outweighs the out of pocket costs associated with treatment of advanced stage breast cancer that exists by the time tumors are visible.

By the time cancer is detected it is too late for prevention. One great prevention strategy is to receive regular health screenings to detect illnesses that may lead to cancer, such as cardio-vascular disease. Did you know that women are far more likely to have heart disease than breast disease? By properly treating cardio-vascular disease, you may prevent numerous other diseases from developing.

Alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, can be used along side conventional medicine during treatment of breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, studies have shown that acupuncture is effective not only in curbing the side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy, but can actually increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and help to boost the body's immune fighting ability to destroy cancer cells.

The UBCF offers free screenings, education, and grants for treatment services available through local health and wellness centers for patients suffering from, in remission, or with a family history of breast cancer.