Featured In: The Coalville Times, Friday, 28th October 2022

HEALTH MATTERS WITH DR HANNA ROBBINS

October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world.

• Men get it too
• 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer 
• 1 in 4 breast cancers are preventable

WHAT MIGHT PUT US AT RISK OF BREAST CANCER

Some things we can't change

• Being Older
• Being Female
• Our family history of cancer
• Having had breast cancer

Some things we can change

• Exercise regularly - 30 minutes a day
• Keep a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy balanced diet
• Keep alcohol occasional
• Stop smoking

WHAT IS A HEALTHY DIET FOR REDUCING BREAST CANCER?

• Plenty of fruit and veg
• Red meat (beef, lamb, pork) twice a week or less
• Limit processed meat - ham, bacon, burgers, sausages, canned meat

How to be breast aware:

• Attend your breast screening appointments
• Get used to how your breast feel and look
• Know what's normal for you
• Report any changes to your GP surgery right away

What should I look out for?

• A change in size, outline or shape
• A change in the look or the feel of the skin, such as puckering, dimpling, a rash, redness, a sport that won't heal.
• A new lump, swelling, thickening or bumpy area
• Fluid coming from a nipple
• Nipple looking different
• Crusting, scaly, itchy or red skin
• Discomort or pain in one breast
• WHAT ELSE?

  Anyone registered with a GP as female will be invited for NHS breast cancer screening. This happens every 3 years be- tween the ages of 50 and 71. You will get a letter of invitation in the post. This brings the chance to catch cancer early while it is still easily treated, and this improves your chances of beating it.