How to care for breasts scientifically?

Author: Wang Jing: Professor, Chief Physician, National Cancer Center/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital, Doctoral Supervisor

Reviewer: Wang Zhongzhao, Associate Chief Physician, National Cancer Center/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital, Associate Professor

People are afraid of cancer and often avoid talking about it. They only start to ask questions anxiously when they get sick. However, prevention is much more important than treatment. Breasts are organs, sexual characteristics, and beauty, but breast cancer makes many women live in the abyss of pain. So how should women protect their breasts scientifically?

Healthy diet

On the basis of ensuring a balanced and healthy diet, female friends can take in a moderate amount of foods rich in trace elements, and increase or decrease fat intake appropriately according to their physical conditions. Selenium and molybdenum in minerals have anti-cancer effects. Foods containing selenium include mushrooms, garlic, onions, millet, corn, etc.; foods containing molybdenum include soybeans, lentils, radishes, etc. You can choose more foods with auxiliary anti-cancer effects, such as seaweed, laver, carrots, mushrooms, fungus, beans, day lily, asparagus, etc. Pay attention to improving eating habits and cooking methods, and do not eat foods contaminated by mold and toxins, burnt, smoked, pickled and high-salt foods. Reduce the intake of stimulating drinks such as strong tea, alcohol, coffee, and quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke as much as possible. This is very important for breast health.

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Good attitude

Modern women bear the dual pressures of family and work. In addition to healthy eating, female friends must also learn to control their emotions and keep a happy mood. Try to maintain a positive and sunny attitude towards life and a stable mental state, and avoid emotional ups and downs.

Here I would like to share with you a little skill that I often use: when I encounter things that make me bored, worried, angry, or otherwise unhappy, I will choose to play my favorite games for a while, or put down my phone, leave my computer, chat with someone, go out for a walk, or do something that I like and am good at, so that I can calm down quickly.

Regular work and rest schedule

Some female friends often stay up late to work overtime or watch TV dramas. In fact, it is very important for us to maintain a regular schedule, go to bed early and get up early to stay healthy.

Suitable weight

Since obesity can stimulate fat cells to release more estrogen, and elevated estrogen levels are related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer, maintaining a healthy weight is particularly important for female friends.

The standard weight calculation method proposed by the World Health Organization for women is: [height (cm) - 70] × 60% = standard weight (kg). Standard weight ± 10% is normal weight; standard weight ± 10% to 20% is overweight or underweight; standard weight ± 20% or more is obese or underweight. For example, for a woman with a height of 160 cm, the standard weight is (160-70) × 60% = 54 (kg), and the normal weight range is 48.6 to 59.4 kg. If the weight is less than 48.6 kg or more than 59.4 kg, it is underweight or overweight; if the weight is less than 43.2 kg or more than 64.8 kg, it is underweight or obese.

Based on our own calculation results, we can adjust our weight to an appropriate range in a healthy way, such as moderate exercise and healthy diet.

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Suitable underwear

The material, tightness and wearing time of underwear all affect the lymphatic return near the breasts. 85% of the body's lymphatic fluid will flow through the breasts and into the axillary lymph nodes. Too tight underwear and outerwear will hinder lymphatic return and affect the removal of toxins in the body. In addition, wearing underwear can also reduce the level of melatonin in the body by 60%. Melatonin is an important hormone that regulates the sleep cycle and has been proven to have anti-cancer effects.

Although controversial, foreign studies have shown that the probability of breast cancer increases with the tightness and time of wearing underwear. Women who wear underwear 24 hours a day have a higher probability of breast cancer than women who wear underwear less than 12 hours a day. Therefore, it is recommended that you wear underwear with comfortable material and appropriate tightness, and gently massage your breasts for 5 to 10 minutes before going to bed to promote blood circulation and lymphatic return.

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Appropriate vitamin D supplementation

Studies have shown that vitamin D can prevent breast cancer to a certain extent. The healthiest and safest way to supplement vitamin D is to bask in the sun, but everything should be done in moderation. We should bask in the sun appropriately without getting sunburned. In addition, most people need to take vitamin D supplements orally. It is recommended to take 5,000 to 10,000 U of vitamin D orally every day to maintain the level at 50 to 70 ng/ml.

Use estrogen and its products with caution

Women should try to avoid the effects of hormone drugs on the breasts. Although oral contraceptives contain very low levels of hormones, long-term use will still increase the risk of breast cancer. Choosing appropriate contraceptive measures can prevent unwanted pregnancy from stimulating the breasts.

Some women who are about to go through menopause or have already gone through menopause may take estrogen and its products to some extent because of some physical discomfort or to keep their skin smooth. Studies have shown that for postmenopausal women, increased hormone levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and there is also a causal relationship between menopausal hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer. "Everyone has a desire for beauty", but the use of hormones must be carried out under the guidance of professional doctors.

Breast Self-Exam + Breast Cancer Screening

Usually, you should choose a fixed time to perform breast self-examination and go to the hospital for treatment in time if you find any problems. According to domestic and foreign medical guidelines and doctors' clinical experience, it is recommended that ordinary women over 20 years old go to the hospital for breast cancer screening regularly; people at high risk of breast cancer need to shorten the screening interval, which will help early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of breast cancer.

marriage

Many women have to postpone marriage and childbearing due to various study and work pressures, or even choose not to marry or have children. These treatment methods are not conducive to breast health. Proper handling of marriage and childbearing is also an important part of breast health (the occurrence of breast cancer is closely related to factors such as singleness, late marriage, childlessness, non-breastfeeding or older age of first birth).

Studies have shown that with the development of medical research and the advancement of medical technology, some cancers are preventable. Female friends should learn about breast health knowledge in advance, learn to protect breasts scientifically, and prevent cancer scientifically, which is an important way to stay away from cancer.

“Three-level prevention” of cancer

First level prevention : also called etiology prevention. Its goal is to prevent the occurrence of cancer. Take preventive measures and take measures to improve physical and mental health by strengthening environmental protection, proper diet, and proper physical exercise for healthy bodies.

Second level prevention: also called preclinical prevention, "three early prevention". The goal is to prevent the development of the primary disease. Take "three early" (early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment) measures to stop or slow the development of the disease.

Level 3 prevention : It is prevention or rehabilitation prevention in the clinical stage for patients who have been diagnosed with tumors. The goal is to prevent the tumor from getting worse and prevent disability. Multidisciplinary comprehensive diagnosis and treatment are adopted, and reasonable or even optimal diagnosis and treatment plans are correctly selected to restore function, promote rehabilitation, improve quality of life, and even allow tumor patients to return to society.