Support Breast Health Day
Europa Donna Ireland "9 Things You Should Know About Breast Cancer"
As an antidote to this week’s Breast Cancer Isn’t Pink story, here is a breast cancer awareness activity we can all get behind this month (no fundraising involved either!).
Breast Health Day takes place today, 15th October, and this year the focus is on lifestyle choices that can influence your future breast health and help prevent breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence.
While the increase in many cancers is linked to the fact that people are living longer, around 80,000 cases could be prevented every year if people ate better, kept to a healthy weight and exercised. Around one in three of the most common cancers could be stopped if people led healthier lives. Prof Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), has issued a stark warning that millions of people around the world face an early death from cancer if more is not done to prevent lifestyle cancers. “We have seen over the past century that, as countries have become more industrialised, people in those countries have become more overweight, less active and eaten more processed foods.”
“But this does not have to happen. By giving people the information they need to make their own choices, we can avoid the typical path of developing the unhealthy behaviours that have promoted chronic diseases in the 20th and 21st centuries…But unless we can stop the rising number of lifestyle-related cancers, millions of people will die unnecessarily young.”
So why not put your walking shoes on and join the Anna Livia Mile Walk in central Dublin to mark Breast Health Day tomorrow. The walk starts at 1 pm on the riverside at 02 and ends at Grand Canal Dock where it will join with the Plurabelle Paddlers – Ireland’s Dragon Boat Team.
More information on the Europa Donna Ireland website
See also: http://www.breasthealthday.org/
Great idea! We need to raise more awareness of the link between lifestyle and cancer.
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Breast Health Day, I didn’t know that existed. Is it a world-wide designation? Lifestyle is important, but sometimes no matter what we do, it still isn’t enough to prevent cancer. So, we have to remember to not make people feel guilty if they do the “right” things, but still get cancer and then blame themselves for not doing enough. Also, people must not think that if they are eating right, exercising etc, they are immune from disease. Bottom line, however, is we all have to take better care of ourselves, that’s for sure!
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Nancy I sure do hear what you are saying. I do believe that the stats of nearly 1/3 of all cancers could be eliminated by making healthier choices. I think the loud “shout out” is for the millions of folks who live and eat like there is no tomorrow not thinking of the consequences of bad choices. I can’t help but wonder if I was one of those who, if by making better choices would not have given the cancer a chance to grow. Nothing I can do about the past but there is alot I can do about the future in this area. I am choosing to exercise and eat better. And you know what I feel better! Thanks for the post Marie!
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Hi Marie,
I think it is so important for each person to make the choice to take the best possible care of themselves. Get informed, eat right, exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
It would also be great if the companies who make all that processed food took a little responsibility to make a healthier product. All the food that is ‘bad’ for us is on sale, has the most coupons and often at the highest visibility points in the market.
People must take responsibility to say NO to the marketing pressure of overly processed food and figure out how to eat optimally for health. And to remember, “everything in moderation’, that is the lesson I am trying to teach my daughter and myself:)
Chocolate has been around for ages, it will still be around for ages, I don’t have to eat it all today! 🙂
Love, Deb
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Great comments everyone!
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