Pink for October and the fight against breast cancer
I have always loved pink.
If you ask people to describe me, one of them will definitely mention pink. Love even nicknamed me “Pinky” on Facebook. I guess pink will always be part of my personality.
But this October, being pink becomes even more special as it signifies one of the ways I can support Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Head on over to the Pink for October site and grab one of the badges to show your support. If you have a blog, consider getting a pink theme (Small Potato has written an entry gathering some free pink Wordpress themes.)
I know this might be quite hard for some male bloggers but hey, maybe even a tinge of pink will do. Take a look at the site’s pink list and see some male blog power going pink. Matthew Oliphant, the brains behind the Pink for October site, has a special page just for men because, believe it or not, breast cancer can happen to men too.
Fight breast cancer!
There are some very informative articles at the American Cancer Society (ACS) site about breast cancer. One of the articles, ‘Do we know what causes breast cancer?’ cites the following:
Some genes contain instructions for controlling when our cells grow, divide, and die. Certain genes that speed up cell division are called oncogenes. Others that slow down cell division, or cause cells to die at the right time, are called tumor suppressor genes. Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations (changes) that “turn on” oncogenes or “turn off” tumor suppressor genes.
I think that’s what makes breast cancer so scary: you can never tell when your genes will suddenly go crazy and become cancerous.
The sad fact is being a woman makes you an automatic potential victim.
Race is one of the interesting factors in the article on breast cancer risks, and this maybe good news for Filipina women:
…Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
But before we even dismiss the big BC entirely, ACS warns that there are still factors beyond our control such as genetics and aging. If you have a family history of breast cancer and as you become older, you become more susceptible to the dreaded disease.
With the advances in technology and the availability of facilities for early detection, I think there is an increasing chance for women to survive breast cancer.
But wouldn’t prevention be better than cure?
The bad news is ACS mentions that there is no sure way to prevent breast cancer but the good news is certain risk factors can be reduced, specifically those related to one’s lifestyle.
I particularly find comfort in the fact that women who had babies at a relatively early age are at a lower risk than those who had babies after the age of 30.
Breastfeeding, ACS said, may also be linked to a reduction of the breast cancer risk since it reduces a woman’s menstrual cycles.
But one of the factors that I think all women can control is physical activity. Just devoting one hour everyday to exercise can greatly help to reduce your breast cancer risk and other diseases as well.
One hour a day for exercise seems such a small price to pay for such a big health benefit. Not to mention becoming fit and fabulous in the process too.
Which reminds me, I better get off my butt and start exercising.
Mantra for October: Let’s all become sexier to fight breast cancer!
ria responds:
Posted: October 3rd, 2007 at 6:11 am →
Hey, this is real nice. I’m gonna go right ahead and take the cue from you
thanks! 
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Jayme responds:
Posted: October 7th, 2007 at 3:16 am →
Hey Ria! Thanks for dropping by.
Sexy ka na ‘no, di na kailangan exercise masyado.
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