According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. While there are a variety of effective treatments available for this disease, the Cleveland Clinic Health System states that a recurrence can happen at any time--typically within the first three to five years after treatment. Steps can be taken to prevent these recurrences though, increasing your chances for a long and healthy life.
Step 1
Kick your bad habits. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are not necessarily healthy habits for healthy people. Therefore, to reduce your risk of breast cancer recurrence, Dr. Rob Danoff (msn.com) recommends leaving these habits behind. If you feel the need to consume alcohol, breastcancer.org suggests limiting yourself to five alcoholic beverages per week.
Step 2
Watch your fat intake. A high fat diet, according to an interim report by the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study, can increase your chances of developing breast cancer again. To cut this risk, Dr. Danoff recommends eating less than 33 grams of fat per day; stating that women who follow this rule have a significantly lower risk of breast cancer recurrence than women whose diets contain more than 55 grams of fat per day.
Step 3
Increase your daily exercise. There are not enough good things that can be said about increased physical activity. Not only does it help control your weight and increase your energy levels, it can also decrease your chance of developing breast cancer again. To mark your progress, Dr. Danoff suggests buying a pedometer and aiming for 10,000 steps per day; the equivalent of four to five miles.
Step 4
Aim for a healthy weight. Fat cells play host to the female hormone, estrogen. It is estrogen that aids in the growth of breast cancer cells. Decreasing your body fat percentage and aiming for a healthy weight makes it difficult for estrogen to find a place to call home.
Step 5
Reduce consumption of foods with pesticides and hormones. Pesticides and hormones may play a role in the development or recurrence of breast cancer. To combat this, try eating more organic or free-range foods.
Step 6
Find another treatment for your perimenopause symptoms. Estrogen and progesterone pills are frequently prescribed to help with both perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness and irritability. However, a combination of these two hormones may increase your risk of recurrence, as they are absorbed into your bloodstream and make their way to your breasts. Speak to your doctor about treatment alternatives to decrease your risk of recurrence.
Things You'll Need
- Pedometer
- Organic food
- Free-range meat
