Six Early Warning Signs of Breast Cancer

There are six crucial early warning signs of breast cancer that I’m going to share with you and what to do if you have breast cancer.

What is breast cancer?

Cancer occurs when mutations occur in genes that regulate cell growth cells. These mutations will trigger the division and multiplication of cells in an uncontrolled way.

Breast cancer develops in the breast cells. Cancer usually forms either in the ducts or lobules of the breast.

Lobules are milk-producing glands, while ducts are the pathways that allow milk to flow from the glands to the nipples. Cancer can also occur in the breast’s fibrous or fatty connective tissue.

These cancer cells will invade other healthy tissue in the breast and can spread to the lymph nodes under the arms. Once cancer invades the lymph nodes, it can move quickly to other body parts.

Photo by Angiola Harry on Unsplash

Six Early signs of breast cancer

1. Enlargement or change in the shape of one of your breasts

So, if you start noticing that things are not symmetrical or there’s some swelling, that could be an indication.

2. Palpable nodules

If you start to feel a nodule close to your armpit, it could be a swollen lymph node. But, on the other hand, maybe you’re coming down with some infection. So, just because you feel unnatural doesn’t mean it’s cancer.

3. Tenderness

Tenderness could be cancer, but sometimes cancer has no pain. So, this is a very vague symptom. It potentially could be an indicator but not necessarily.

4. Change in color

If the breast tissues change to reddish color, that could be an indication.

5. Skin changes, especially around the nipple

If it is flaky or has some rough areas, that could indicate breast cancer.

6. Blood discharge from the nipple

If there is a bloody discharge coming from the nipple, that can also indicate breast cancer.

Even if you have one or more of these potential symptoms of breast cancer, it doesn’t mean that you have breast cancer. There are other explanations for these symptoms, but it is still worth checking out.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Mammograms and thermography

Health authorities and doctors recommend that females have a regular breast screening mammogram. When they would have it depends on their age and individual risk factors.

However, some facilities offer thermography as an alternative to mammography.

While both tests screen for breast abnormalities, thermography does so by detecting variations in temperature in breast tissue, while mammography takes an X-ray of the breast.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

The resulting image from a thermogram is like a heat map with different temperatures represented by different colors. A mammogram X-ray is an image of the inside of the breast that can show abnormalities such as cysts, fibroadenomas, and calcifications.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that doctors only use thermography to complement mammography, with mammography being the primary screening method.

Breast cancer prevention

While there are risk factors you can’t control, following a healthy lifestyle, getting regular screenings, and taking any preventive measures your doctor recommends can help lower your risk of developing breast cancer.

Lifestyle factors can affect your risk of breast cancer.

For instance, people who have obesity have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Maintaining a nutrient-dense diet and regular exercise as often as possible could help you lose weight and lower your risk.

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, alcohol misuse also increases risk. This can be having more than two drinks per day or binge drinking.

If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about what amount they recommend.

Natural things you can do to help prevent cancer include potentially:

· Decrease inflammation

· Lower your stress

· Consume cruciferous vegetables

· Get on the keto diet and do some intermittent fasting

Photo by Charles "Duck" Unitas on Unsplash

Takeaway

People around the world are increasingly aware of the issues associated with breast cancer.

Breast cancer awareness efforts have helped people learn:

what their risk factors are
how they can reduce their level of risk
what symptoms should they look for
what kinds of screening should they be getting

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is held each October, but many people spread the word throughout the year.

Disclaimer: Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Correction to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this article or others.