BREAST CANCER: A CONCERN OF TODAY’S LIFE

Life is a very unpredictable journey, you may not know what will happen the very next moment. And in today’s scenario, everything is happening at a fast pace that everyone has forgotten to appreciate small things in life and one of the most precious and important things is having good health. Everyone is so busy making money that they have forgotten that maintaining good health is more important as without life there won’t be any meaning to whatever they have earned in their life. Most of the diseases people are being afflicted with
are due to their lifestyle and cancer which used to be a rare disease, is becoming a common disease. One such threatening and commonly heard cancer is breast cancer. It is the second most commonly occurring cancer.

LET’S KNOW WHAT BREAST CANCER IS?

Cancer is a condition where an erratic and rampant division or growth of mass of cells in any part of the body occurs. Breast cancer is the happening of the same condition in the breast of the human being. It can occur in both males and females but is more common in females.
Cancer is of two types: malignant and benign. In benign conditions, the tumor grows slowly and doesn’t invade other parts of the body whereas in malignant conditions the tumor grows fast and spreads rapidly, and affects other parts of the body.

Ayurveda cancer or tumor is caused when aggravated by Vayu, pitta, and Kapha vitiating the Mamsa to produce round and immobile swelling having mild pain is known as Arbuda, and when pain is not present then it is called granthi.

WONDERING WHY IT OCCURS COMMONLY IN WOMEN?

We all know, men and women have different body constitution in terms of development and hormones. Women have more chances of developing breast cancer. It is common in females because of the structure and development of the breast. Chances of development of breast cancer are more in the ducts that contain milk-producing glands and structurally it is more developed in females after puberty due to the hormonal changes in the body. In females, the hormone estrogen promotes the production of more cells in the breast. These cells are sensitive to this hormone, therefore, the more the amount of secretion of this hormone the more will be the production of cells.

BREAST CANCER IS CAUSED DUE TO

There are a lot of causes that can lead to breast cancer. Genetic disorders like Klinefelter syndrome cause males to have increased estrogen levels therefore they have a high chance of developing breast cancer. It can also be caused in males due to genetic mutation, removal of testicles, and undescended testis. Whereas females have a high risk of getting diagnosed with breast cancer as they have dense breast tissue, have high estrogen hormone levels which increase the tissue multiplication and after childbirth, the change in the development of breast and hormonal variations also can be the cause of its manifestation. Another reason could be the use of birth control pills which disturbs the hormonal levels of the body. It can also occur if it is present in the lineage of family history. Some lifestyle causes are smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of exercise, and can also occur due to diseases like diabetes, obesity, etc.

LET’S KNOW SOME IDENTIFYING SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER

One can know about being afflicted by breast cancer by checking the presence of a new lump in the breast or axilla region. Some other symptoms are irritation in skin of the breast, copperish color in the area around nipples of the breast, depression of breast skin, bulging of part of the breast, change in the shape of the breast, pain in the areolar region, pulling out of nipples, discharge of pus or blood from nipples and in some cases people do not have any symptoms at all.

LET’S KNOW SOME EASY TIPS TO PREVENT IT

We can reduce the risk of getting afflicted by breast cancer by doing few changes in our day to day life, they can be reducing alcohol consumption; doing exercise, this helps a person feel relaxed as well as have good health; reducing weight reduces the fat deposition; after childbirth, breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer, and therefore longer the period of breastfeeding the less is the risk to get breast cancer and most importantly should follow a healthy diet by avoiding fatty and unhealthy food because this can lead to other problems like obesity, cholesterol, etc.

LET’S KNOW SOME AYURVEDIC REMEDIES

Ayurvedic treatment is about balancing the imbalanced characteristics of the body. Now let’s know about some mystic cures in the herbal plants which are good in preventing breast cancer. Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is an herbal plant that is rich in components like withanolides. They have anti-inflammatory actions and fight the growth of tumors. Another compound called withaferin is present which prevents uncontrolled multiplication of cells and the development of cancerous cells. Ashwagandha is available as a capsule and can be taken as a preventive measure.

Curcumin extracted from turmeric(Curcuma Longa) also has beneficial effects like they are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and reduce angiogenesis, metastasis and promote the destruction of cancerous cells. Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum) is commonly found and will be there in every house but its extract can do wonders. It is antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and has many other benefits like reducing cholesterol, good for preventing diabetes, and therefore reducing and controlling these conditions can prevent breast cancer. Some other medicinal plants that are effective in preventing breast cancer are Trikatu (Zingiber official, Solanum nigrum, Piper longum), Guggul(Commiphora Mukul), Dalchini(Cinnamomum zeylanica), Tejpatra, etc. these have a lot of medicinal qualities and are good in promoting the development of healthy cells in the body. Guggul is very useful in preventing diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, atherosclerosis, etc, and these being the causes of breast cancer, having them can reduce the risk of being afflicted by breast cancer.

Life is precious so let’s nurture it by preventing diseases rather than curing them after being afflicted by it, as it’s always better to stop the problems from destroying our core and after all, we all know prevention is better than cure.