Health Tips

Breast Cancer Awareness

Age and health history can affect the risk of developing breast cancer.

Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor.

Risk factors for breast cancer include:

• Older age.
• Early age at menarche (menstruation).
  Older age at first birth or never having given birth.
• A personal history of breast cancer or benign (noncancer) breast disease.
• A mother or sister with breast cancer.
• Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
• Breast tissue that is dense on a mammogram.
• Hormone use (such as estrogen and progesterone).
• Drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Caucasian race.

Visit these web sites for more information:

• Komen.org
• Cancer.org
• Nationalbreastcancer.org
• National Cancer Institute – What is screening?

Protect Your Eyes and Skin

July is National UV Safety Month

Did you know?

• You can sunburn your eyes in addition to your skin
• The same UV-A and UV-B rays that can damage your skin can harm your eyes
• Prolonged UV exposure may be linked to cataracts and macular degeneration, and eye cancer
• Select sunglasses for their ability to block UVA&B rays instead of style
• Remember sunglasses don’t have to be expensive to do the job
• Stay indoors when UV rays are strongest between 10am and 4pm
• Wear a wide brimmed hat
• Reflected sunlight off water, snow, sand, or pavement is the worst
• Avoid tanning beds
• During summer months the level of UV radiation is 3 x greater than winter