Women's Health

Think Pink and Red

Did you know breast cancer and heart disease are two of the leading causes of death in women? Though treatable, they often go undiagnosed. In part, this is due to fear of diagnosis, lack of common symptoms and misinformation.

Women are often hesitant to be diagnosed with breast cancer, because the outcome is often over exaggerated, with the most drastic treatment being a mastectomy. While there are a variety of diagnostic procedures to detect breast cancer, the mammogram is still the most effective.  Arguably, the most well known warning sign of breast cancer is a lump in the breast tissue. But do you know the other warning signs? Localized breast pain, change in size, and redness or swelling of the breast tissue, just to name a few. Unfortunately, warning signs are not universal for every person.

Heart disease symptoms are different for men and women. For example, women with heart disease do not have the typical chest pain. Women’s symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, shoulder aches and jaw pain. Because of this, many women aren’t being diagnosed with heart disease for years.

All hope’s not lost, there is a bright side. With regular doctors visits and a change in lifestyle, both breast cancer and heart disease can both be prevented and maintained. Altering diet and including regular exercise can cut down many risk factors. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Meaning that it’s easier to stop something from happening than to repair the damage after it has happened.

Check out these websites to learn more.

National Breast Cancer Foundation [nationalbreastcancer.org]

The Mayo Clinic [mayoclinic.org]

Breast Cancer [breastcancer.org]

American Cancer Society [cancer.org]

Seconds Count [scai.org]