It’s 7:15 a.m. and you have just enough time to get a jacket off the pile of clothes on your treadmill, grab a cold toaster pastry, and get the kids out the door to school. If you’re like most women, that  scenario doesn’t leave a lot of time for thinking about your health. But, making a few adjustments to your hectic routine could help prevent breast cancer.

“Eating a healthy breakfast, taking some time to exercise and keeping the morning stress to a minimum are a few things women can do to help prevent breast cancer,” says Leela Rao, MD, Hematologist and Medical Oncologist on staff at Adventist GlenOaks Hospital.

Only about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are a result of family history, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s why taking an active role in prevention is so important. “The relatively low connection to family history leaves a lot of room for women to make breast cancer prevention a priority,” Dr. Rao says.

Make prevention part of your lifestyle
Taking steps to reduce your risk for breast cancer is easier than you might think. According to Dr. Rao, the basics are:
• Maintaining a healthy weight (a Body Mass Index lower than 25)
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days per week
• Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day
• Avoiding hormone replacement therapy
• Performing monthly breast self-exams 

While that list might seem a little daunting at first, breaking it down into smaller steps makes it simple to incorporate these suggestions into your daily routine. “Exercising and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet go hand-in-hand with maintaining a healthy weight,” Dr. Rao says.

Bring your own lunch (packed with fruits and vegetables) to work a few times a week, and take the stairs up to the office when you can.  De-stress with the kids after work by taking a walk around the neighborhood or going for a bike ride. “Small changes really do add up over time,” says Dr. Rao.

New technology helps doctors detect breast cancer early
Even if you are vigilant about prevention, there is still a chance you could develop breast cancer. If you do, detecting it early is key. “The survival rate for stage I breast cancer is 90 percent,” Dr. Rao explains. “Compare that to the 10 percent survival rate in stage IV breast cancer, and you can see how finding the cancer early is so important.”

Self-exams are one way to stay on top of your breast health. Getting regular mammograms starting at age 40 (or younger if you have a strong family history of breast cancer) in addition to your exams is the best way to detect whether cancer is present. Now, digital mammography at Adventist GlenOaks Hospital is giving physicians an even clearer picture of breast health. Just like the digital pictures you take with your smartphone, these images are easy to store and easy to share electronically among members of a medical team.

“We can zoom in and get a good look at anything concerning. And, we can easily take more than one or two images of each breast. We couldn’t do that with traditional film mammography,” says Dr. Rao. Digital mammograms also use a lower dose of radiation than traditional X-ray mammograms.

“Digital mammograms are better than traditional X-rays for women under 50 at revealing abnormalities in the breast,” explains Dr. Rao. And, she says the research has shown that they’re as good as traditional X-rays for women older than 50. 

“Finding cancer early is the most important step in saving lives,” says Dr. Rao. “It’s clear that a mammogram is one of the best tools we have to do that.”

You don’t have to wait to get screened for breast cancer. Call 630-856-7061 today to schedule your next-day mammogram through Adventist Midwest Health.