National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 10 Tips To Prevent Illness

October marks the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To help spread the awareness about this illness, Dr. Kristi Funk spoke about what breast cancer is and the ways to prevent it on the popular show Good Morning America.

Dr. Funk, who has successfully treated Angelina Jolie, said she recommends women avoid foods such as tofu, tempeh, edamame and soya milk. Although studies have shown that soya is actually beneficial for those suffering from cancer, Dr. Funk says: “It's a myth, let's bust it. I was part of the myth, telling you just stay away, better safe than sorry. Wrong, wrong wrong,” the Daily Mail reported.

“Five huge studies since 2009 show that if you consume whole food soy these are anti-estrogens in your body,” she further stated.

To mark the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Funk also hailed a 3D mammography, which is also known as tomosynthesis. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast and is used to detect breast cancer.

According to Dr. Funk, 3D mammography is way better than the usual 2D mammography in terms of accuracy.

“There are 1.7million invasive breast cancers being diagnosed globally this year. I promise you, over one million of them I know how to control and prevent. It starts with the diet. Diet, nutrition, exercise, obesity, alcohol - there's so much we can control.”

To raise awareness about this illness and to help prevent it, here are some health tips courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and prevention.com:

1. Maintain your weight.
2. Exercise on a regular basis
3. Sleep properly during the night. Less sleep can be a risk factor.
4. Avoid drinking alcohol or control the intake of alcohol. Limit to not more than one drink a day.
5. One should avoid exposing themselves to chemicals that can cause cancer
6. Avoid exposure to radiation such as X-rays, CT scans, and PET scans unless they are recommended by a doctor.
7. Before consuming any kind of oral contraceptives, always consult a doctor for its dosage and side effects.
8. Limit Hormone therapy and always consult a doctor for the risks associated with it.
9. Breastfeeding helps prevent breast cancer. Women who time and again breastfeed their babies for a period of over six months have a 10 percent reduced risk of contracting breast cancer as compared to those who don't.
10. Eat healthy food. According to prevention.com, “Harvard researchers recently found that women who had the highest carotenoid levels in their blood had a 19 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels.”

The CDC, on its website, also states that those who have a family history of breast cancer are at a high risk of contracting the illness, and therefore, they should speak with their doctor about the symptoms of the disease, reducing the risk, and ways of staying fit and healthy.