Breast self-examination is a very simple procedure which women can perform in the confines of the bedrooms or bathrooms. This test is a very important self diagnostic tool to determine the risks of breast cancer. Nowadays, doctors are emphasizing on the point that each woman should perform breast self-examinations regularly so that they can find out if there are any abnormalities in their breasts.

One important factor that is in favor of breast self-examination is that no one will know her breasts as accurately as the woman herself. Doctors are encouraging women to become more familiarized with their own breasts so that they can immediately find out any abnormalities. Women should know the contours, the feel, the texture and the color of their breasts perfectly. This is an important part of the breast self-examination technique.

How to Self-Examine the Breasts

The first part of self-examination of the breasts is pure observation. The woman must remove her upper body garment and stand in front of a mirror. Then she should place her hands by her sides. The next step is observation of the breasts. For this, the woman must first observe her breasts in their frontal positions, then turn to the left and right sides and observe the breasts from those sides in the mirror. This observation must be repeated with the hands on the hips and finally with the hands placed over the head. Any abnormality in the breast must be noted.

The next stage of breast self-examination is actually touching the breast to find out any abnormalities. There are two methods to carry out this part of the self-examination.

(i) Circular Sweep Method

For this method, the left hand is to be placed behind the head and the right hand is used to touch different parts of the breasts. Women who are more comfortable with the right hand behind the head and the left hand touching the breasts may do so. The free hand must be kept on the top of the breast region, just where the bulge begins. Then the hand is to be moved gradually in a clockwise manner, feeling the breast carefully at each point for lumps or any other kind of deformities. When one circle is completed, the hand must be taken a little inside the breast and the circular sweep must be done again. In this way, the circle must be progressively decreased until the hand reaches the nipple area. At every point gentle but steady pressure must be applied to check that there are no anomalies in the breasts. Finally, when the hand reached the nipple tissue, the fingers must be used to squeeze the nipple in both vertical and horizontal positions to check if there is any secretion.

(ii) Pie Chart Method

Here too, the woman self-examining her breasts needs to keep one hand behind her head and examine the breasts with the other hand. The hand is to be placed on the top region of the breast and then swept downwards, towards the protuberance of the nipple. Along the way, the fingers must be used to check if there are any lumps in the breast. When the hand reaches the nipple after one sweep, then it must be taken to the top again, placed a little to the left and swept downwards again. In this manner, the whole breast must be covered, even from the lower region, checking every point. If a firmer touch is required, then the fingers can be moved in a walking type of motion over the breast. Again, this examination must be ended with a pinching of the nipples in both vertical and horizontal directions to check for any abnormal secretion.

Age to Begin Breast Self-Examination

Hormonal changes begin occurring from the onset of puberty, i.e. when the girl reaches twelve years of age in normal circumstances. When the girl is in her post-puberty, which is roughly twenty years, the estrogen amounts have generally built up to their maturity levels. This is when breast self-examination must begin.

The breast self-examination must be carried out as a routine procedure. In fact every woman who has crossed the age of twenty years must carry out the examination once a month while in the shower. When the woman has crossed the age of forty years, then only breast self-examination is not enough. At that time, the woman must have a mammogram taken at least once a year.

The Best Time to Self-Examine the Breasts

Breasts are prone to undergo several changes within the menstrual cycle of the woman. At some times during the cycle, the breasts are soft; while at some other times, they may be firm. This happens generally in the later days of the menstrual cycle. When the breasts are firm, it is more difficult to check them for any lumpy growths. Therefore, the ideal time for carrying out breast self-examination would be one week after the menstrual flow has occurred.

Read more about the How to Self Examine Breast Type and other breast care issues at mysecrethealth.com mysecrethealth.com

Also read more about the Benefits of Herbal Breast Products for Natural Breast Enlargement.

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Tags: breast cancer

Ju, a thirty-six year old lady, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. She had a lumpectomy. Ju’s cancer was at an early stage but to be sure, the doctor suggested that Ju underwent a mastectomy — a total removal of her right breast. Ju declined and did not see her doctor ever again. She did not receive any chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormonal therapy either. She decided to seek alternative healing methods. To many people in the West, what Ju did was sheer “madness” and for anyone to suggest forsaking conventional medical treatment as in her case might even be regarded as an irresponsible “criminal act”.

Ju’s father is a herbalist and naturally she turned to him for help. Ju took herbs prescribed by her father for about a year. When she felt well and healthy she stopped taking the herbs, without even telling her father about it. Besides herbs, Ju learned to meditate, changed to a healthy diet of vegetables, nuts, juices, unpolished rice, etc., besides taking many kinds of supplements.

For seven years, Ju remained healthy. Taking a cue from the medical doctrine, after you live five years with cancer without problem, you are considered “cured.” After five years, complacency started to set in. Ju went back to her previous lifestyle and started on her “bad” diet again. To her, at that point in time, “anything goes” — cancer was no more a threat. She found a job and went back to work.

Barely two years into her “misbehavior,” Ju’s health took a beating. She felt tired easily. Yet, she did not even bother to monitor her health in anyway — not even examining her own breasts. One night in 2002, seven years after she first discovered a lump in her breast, Ju noticed a 2 cm lump protruding out at the scar of her operation site. The cancer recurred. She started to take juices and went on an extensive detoxification program again. It was not to be — within six months, the lump grew into a 8 cm-hamburger-like-open-wound. One day it bled, oozing out a glass of fresh blood. Ju went to see a surgeon who immediately did a mastectomy on her. After three months, Ju regained her health. Ju was asked to undergo radiotherapy. After seven radiation treatments she developed bronchitis and decided to give up radiation. Since she was not getting better, in 2005, Ju decided to go for chemotherapy, as suggested by an oncologist. The third cycle of chemotherapy caused her to vomit the whole night. She decided to stop chemotherapy and went back to her healthy diet, juices and supplements again. As of this writing, Ju is doing well and leading a normal life. I interviewed Ju on 9 May 2007, and present the transcript of our conversation in nine parts following this article. I believe there are many lessons we can learn from Ju’s experience.

Comments

Ju is fortunate to be alive today, twelve years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the years, I know of many breast cancer cases that resulted in death, three to seven years after diagnosis, even after receiving the state-of-the-art medical treatments in the best hospitals. Chantal Bernard-Marty, et al. (in: The Oncologist, Nov. 2004) wrote: “20% - 85% of patients with early stage breast cancer will develop recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Despite more than 3 decades of research, metastatic breast cancer remains essentially incurable.”

Two examples came to mind when I think of breast cancer and medical treatments. The wife of my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She was bald and suffered severe side effects. After the treatments were completed, the oncologist said everything was fine. She and her husband went for a short holiday. She vomited on the plane while coming home. I was told by her husband that a CT scan showed that liver was “full” of tumors. Her stomach bloated and within days she died. It was most tragic because it was only nine months from the day of her diagnosis to her death. This episode made me wonder if it was the cancer or the treatment that caused her death.

The young wife of one of my distant relative was also diagnosed with breast cancer. She came to seek my help and was started on herbs. After three months, she decided to forgo herbs and went for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The cancer metastasised to her bones. She died while in the hospital, three years after her diagnosis. It was a painful death.

In comparison, Ju ought to be grateful for being alive up to this day. More importantly, she did not suffer to stay alive. A lesson to be learnt from Ju’s experience — the way of modern medicine using chemotherapy and radiotherapy is not the only proven option to manage breast cancer.

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: cacare.com cacare.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com, BookOnCancer.com BookOnCancer.com

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Tags: breast cancer, chemotherapy, healing, mastectomy

With the interface between cancerology and physics, the current technological projections to improve the assumption of responsibility of cancers rest primarily on the development of new physical methods for tracking, the diagnosis and the clinical therapy. Among those, the techniques of medical imagery based on the use of radioactive tumor tracers make important great strides thanks to the development of new and specific molecules. Beyond the instrumentation, this multi-field research extends to the clinical aspect and aims at establishing a methodology adapted in order to evaluate the advantage of the apparatus on patient. It is in this context that researchers of laboratory IMNC set up an interdisciplinary group of research with doctors of the hospital Tenon (Paris) whose work allowed the development of a hospital Program for clinical research (PHRC), national program which tallies the clinical evaluation of imager POCI on 200 patients.

POCI, a new device of medical imagery-

Within the framework of the surgical treatment of cancer, probes acting as of the meters of radioactivity were introduced in operating theatre suite to assist the surgeon in real time during the ablation of the beforehand radio-marked tumors. This technique of radio guidance gives access the precise localization and the complete ablation of tumor fabrics. It is to reinforce this technique that the team “Imagery and Modeling in Cancerology” of the IMNC undertook the development of a new generation of gamma-camera miniaturized for the assistance with the chirurgical treatment of cancer called POCI. It is about a particularly innovative application of the instrumental developments used in fundamental physics. With 13 cm2 of fields of sight and reduced dimensions , this imager was designed to be easily positioned in contact with the operational wound in order to locate the tumor lesions radio-marked during the surgical operation .

Imager POCI is currently evaluated via the protocol of the “ganglion sentinel” within the framework of the breast cancers. In practice, this last is detected thanks to the injection of a radioactive solution around the tumor. A lymphoscintigraphy then makes it possible to count the ganglia and to obtain their precise localization. Lastly, the biopsy is traditionally carried out in operating theatre suite using the probe meter of radioactivity which makes it possible to the surgeon to check the position of the “ganglion sentinel” before the incision, to identify it in the operational wound and finally, after excision, to confirm the absence of any residual radioactivity.

The clinical evaluation of camera POCI associating for the first time of the researchers of in2P3-CNRS and the AP-HP rests on a double study: to prove its equivalence compared to the gamma-cameras standards and to establish its interest in operating theatre suite in order to identify the “ganglia sentinels” not detected by the probe. Begun in January 2006 with the agreement from the Consultative Committee from protection from the people in 4engr.com/research/search/5/ biomedical research (CCPPRB) and that from the French Agency from medical safety from the products from health (AFSSAPS), this clinical study includes 200 patients. After examination of a hundred patients with camera POCI as well in service of nuclear medicine as in operating theatre suite, the first results are extremely encouraging.

Several groups of research, in particular in North America, in Japan and in Italy, were directed towards the development of portable gamma-cameras specifically dedicated to per-operational detection. It is in this context of strong international competition that the team of the IMNC remains the only one today to have evaluated, in operating theatre suite and on a significant number of patients, a system of imagery miniaturized for the assistance with the surgical treatment of cancer.

1.The topic of the per-operational imagery as private individuals with IN2P3 (LPC Clermont-Ferrand, IPHC Strasbourg).

My website : 4engr.com 4engr.com

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Tags: breast cancer, treatment of cancer

Many women consider their breasts to be their defining feature and cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases of the world. As the name signifies, cancer of the breast, or breast cancer, is a type of cancer. It is predominantly a female disease and it is one of the most common forms of cancer. In the United States alone, approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, though the figure is somewhat lower in countries like Canada and Australia. It is also a major cause of cancer deaths in women. The majority of patients are women who have crossed the menopause stage. Birth control pills also increase the chances of its occurrence as do treatments like HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). Being overweight and the excessive consumption of alcohol also contribute significantly to it. The occurrence of breast cancer in family members can increase the chances as there is a gene which can be inherited.

What is Breast Cancer? Simply put, cancer of the tissues in breast is called breast cancer. It usually surfaces in the form of a lump or tumor in and around the breast. Every lump found in the breasts is not necessarily an indicator of breast cancer; sometimes it may not be associated with breast cancer at all. It is normal for lumps to be formed, especially during the growing up stage. They can also be formed as a result of hormonal changes and they are usually temporary.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

It is not possible to detect this disease in the starting stages. The symptoms start appearing slowly and slowly as the disease progresses. They could be anything like:

. A lump or swelling in the breast or adjoining area like the underarm.
. Increase or decrease in the shape or size of the breasts.
. Dimpling or change in the color of the skin
. Discharge from the nipples.

Factors that increase the risk of Breast Cancer

. Contraceptives.

. Hormone therapy.

. Overweight.
. Alcohol.
. Age factor.
. Genes.
. Dairy products.

How To Detect Breast Cancer

Early detection of breast cancer is vital to cure the disease. The sooner it is detected, the better. The chances of curing it are more if detected in the early stages. It is very difficult to cure it in the advanced stages. There are many ways to find out if you are suffering from breast cancer. A few of them are:

. Medical examination of breasts and armpits by a doctor, at least once in a year.

. Mammogram, especially if you are above 40 years of age.
. Ultrasound, can be done separately or combined with other tests.
. BSE (Breast Self-Examination).
. Biopsy.

Types of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer occurs broadly in two places, lobules or the milk ducts. They are:

. Invasive lobular carcinoma - Cancer originated in the lobules, but has now spread.
. Invasive ductal carcinoma - Cancer, which originated in the milk ducts but has spread.

. Lobular carcinoma in situ - Cancer in the lobules.
. Ductal carcinoma in situ - Cancer in the milk ducts.

Treatments available for Breast Cancer

There are various options available for its treatment. Some of them are:

. Surgery.
. Radiation Therapy.
. Chemotherapy.
. Hormone Treatment.

Prevention of Breast Cancer

The most important aspect of this dangerous and fatal disease is prevention. The various treatment options are costly and damaging to the body. The old saying prevention is better than cure is aptly applicable to this disease. Prevention of breast cancer is more important than its cure. Routine medical examinations and immediate medical advice in case of suspected symptoms can greatly reduce the chances of breast cancer spreading.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to breast-cancer.treatment-and-guides.com/ Breast Cancer

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