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The
Health Zone Newsletter
Vol
4/2003
In
this issue:
October is Breast Cancer Awareness
Month
Supplements
For Heart Health
October
is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Myths
and truth about Breast cancer
Overweight
is a risk for breast cancer.
True. Obesity in general is a risk factor for several important cancers
as well as a number of otherdiseases.
Fibre-rich
diets will prevent breast cancer.
Not True. It is important to eat a balanced diet. Fibre-rich diets will
help to prevent diabetes and heart disease.
A
blow or injury to the breast can cause breast cancer.
Not true, but such injuries often draw attention a pre-existing lump in
the breast.
Eating
too much fat can cause breast cancer
Not True. However, it is important to eat a balanced diet and avoid obesity.
Limited animal fat will help avoid heart disease.
Deodorants
cause breast cancer
This is a myth that was spread anonymously on the Internet. There is no
scientific evidence to support this claim. If the claim were true the
incidence of breast cancer would have increased significantly after the
advent of anti -perspirants. This is not the case.The incidence of breast
cancer has not changed much between 1930 (before anti-perspirants) and198
0 (after anti-perspirants). It is claimed that there are toxins in perspiration
that are deposited in lymph nodes under the arm if one does not perspire
and that these toxins can then cause breast cancer. This is Not True.
Toxins are metabolized in the liver and excreted through the kidneys.
Men also get breast cancer but the incidence is 100 times less. Men use
more anti-perspirants than women do. One would thus have expected an explosion
of breast cancer in men after the advent of anti-perspirants. This has
simply not happened. The incidence of breast cancer in men has remained
stable over many years.
Also see: http://www.snopes.com/toxins/breast.htm
Also see: Oncolink FAQ: http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu
A
woman has a higher risk for breast cancer if her mother has had breast
cancer before menopause.
True. Women whose mothers or sisters had breast cancer before menopause
are more likely to develop breast cancer than women with no family history
of the disease. Those whose aunts or grandmothers had the disease before
menopause, are also at a higher risk. A woman falling into any of these
higher risk categories should seek advice and be followed closely by consulting
her doctor, self-examination and regular annual mammograms.
Keeping
a baby on the breast for too long can cause breast cancer
Not True. On the contrary, indications are that breast feeding reduces
the breast cancer risk.
The
birth control pill increases the breast cancer risk
Not True. Scientific evidence has shown that overall, oral contraceptive
use does not increase the risk of breast cancer. These studies included
large numbers of women who have used oral contraception for at least 15
years. Other studies have shown that women using contraceptive pills have
a reduced risk of developing cancer of the uterus and ovaries.
All information with courtesy of CANSA - Cancer
Association of South Africa
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Supplements
For Heart Health
From:
http://www.MayoClinic.com
Fish
Oils:
Increasing your consumption of fish oils — omega-3
fatty acids or long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids — decreases
your risk of dying of a heart attack. Eating more fish or taking fish
oil supplements is a safe, worthwhile investment for both men and women,
whether or not you've ever experienced heart disease. However, women still
capable of having children should limit their intake of fish with a high
mercury content, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish,
or fish containing traces of industrial pollutants, such as polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). Most states and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
publish fish advisories and bans.
See
Herbalifeline.
Antioxidents:
Antioxidants are substances that slow
oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules
that can oxidize, or damage, other molecules. Oxidation causes the cells
in your arteries to more easily absorb the "bad" low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol in your blood. The more LDL cholesterol absorbed, the
greater your risk of plaque formation and narrowed arteries. By slowing
the oxidation process and reducing the amount of LDL absorbed, antioxidants,
in theory, may reduce your risk of heart disease.
See
Roseox.
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