On September 26, 2011, my grandmother (on mother's side) would have celebrated her 84th birthday. It would have been amazing to see her celebrate this day, because she was a fun-loving party girl (I am putting this mildly). However, her life was cut short by breast cancer at the age of 62. I was 13 at that time. The doctors said the cause of her illness was genetic triggered by environmental factors. Since it was genetic, my mother, aunt and I may have inherited the gene. Therefore, we always did breast exams when we felt a pain or something strange in our breasts.
For a long time, I wondered what environmental factors could have triggered my grandmother's genes to cause cancer in her body. Since she was born and lived on the islands all her life, she had a healthy diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood. She also did a total body cleanse every week and made us participate in her awful concoction of freshly picked aloes and other natural herbs (sorry, I am having a mental flashback that is upsetting my stomach). Therefore, her diet could not have contributed to her illness. So who or what was the culprit?
Based on studies such as the relationship between the intake of metals such as Aluminum found in cookware and deodorants, and breast cancer, I thought "Aha" this might be the culprit because she did prepare her meals in Aluminum pots. However, I am not sure about the deodorant since I don't remember the brand she used. Therefore, I decided to stop using any products with Aluminum. Then recently, I heard a report on the connection between breast cancer and the type of bra we wear. The report stated that bras with underwire may be linked to breast cancer, and I thought back to my grandmother. She wore large underwire bras, because she was a voluptuous woman and needed a lot of frontal and back support.
After this report, I have come to the conclusion that I may never know which environmental factor may have triggered my grandmother's genes to produce cancer in her body. What I do know that our exposure to so many different environmental factors increase our risk to breast cancer each year. We have all experienced the loss of a loved (either a relative or friend) through breast cancer, and yet some of us are not taking the precautionary measures to prevent this illness in our own life. The combination of our diets and the products that we use and wear is increasing our risk of getting this illness. We have to be proactive about our health, and not reactive. Don't wait until you feel a lump or pain to change your lifestyle, change it today.
Here are some things, you can do:
1. Eat healthy; incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants and fiber in your diet. Antioxidants are known to fight free radicals which contribute to growth of cancer cells. Fruits such as pomegranate, acai berry, noni, goji and mangosteen are high in antioxidants. Also, a high fiber diet promotes natural elimination, which we should be doing daily to remove waste and toxins from our body.
2. Detox your body regularly (at least once a week); use natural products.
3. Change the products you use to environmentally-friendly and natural products such as green cleaning products, non-toxic cookware (preferably stainless steel).
4. Change the type of bra you use; if you use underwire bras, then it is time to purchase new bras. Your bra should allow proper blood circulation under and around the breast, as well as provide proper back support.
5. Spread the word about Breast Cancer. Don't wait until Breast Cancer Awareness month to get involved. This disease does not wait until a specific month to attack our family and friends. Everyday someone we know is dealing with the effects of breast cancer. Help your family and friends to be proactive about their health. Host a monthly party or participate in a local event to promote awareness and change.
Chalesea Maccow teaches healthy lifestyle classes to individuals and groups. She is also a distributor of nutritional products such as Le'vive, Ultracleanse, and Cranaloe, under garments (healthy bras- no underwire) and environmentally-friendly products such as cookware and cleaning products. For additional information, email maccow.mpenterprises@gmail.com
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