The New Way to Prevent Breast Cancer
Preventing breast cancer isn't about professional breast exams or other screening tools—it's about stopping the disease before it takes hold in your body in the first place. The truth is, while more treatment breakthroughs for breast cancer continue to enter the healthcare system, a plan for stopping the physically and emotionally draining disease before it starts is sorely lacking. In terms of laying out national ground rules for truly preventing breast cancer, we're in the Dark Ages.
Now, a groundbreaking 2013 report outlines what really needs to be done to combat this all-too-common disease that affects about 227,000 women and 2,200 men annually. A top priority? Keeping toxic chemicals found in everyday products off store shelves. "This report carefully documents the science that shows we are missing significant opportunities to save lives and reduce suffering," says Julia Brody, PhD, executive director at the Silent Spring Institute, a public health research organization focusing on breast cancer. Her research played a role in the report's findings. "Prevention means keeping women from getting sick in the first place, not just improving treatments."
