Health and Wellbeing News

Breast Cancer Awareness

Every October, you likely see a wealth of information about breast cancer. And that is a good thing. Awareness surrounding breast cancer is incredibly important as early detection, often through screening, can catch the disease when it is most treatable.

About 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. There’s a good chance of recovery if it’s detected at an early stage. For this reason, it is vital that women check their breasts regularly for any changes and always have any changes examined by a GP.

In rare cases, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.

What Are the Symptoms?

Breast cancer can have several symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue. Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but it’s always best to have them checked by a doctor.

You should also see a GP if you notice any of these symptoms:
• a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
• discharge from either of your nipples, which may be streaked with blood
• a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
• dimpling on the skin of your breasts
• a rash on or around your nipple
• a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast

Breast pain is not usually a symptom of breast cancer.

What Are the Risk Factors?

The exact causes of breast cancer are not fully understood. However, there are certain factors known to increase the risk of breast cancer.
• age – the risk increases as you get older
• a family history of breast cancer
• a previous diagnosis of breast cancer
• a previous non-cancerous (benign) breast lump
• being tall, overweight or obese
• drinking alcohol

How Can I Lower My Risk?

As the causes of breast cancer are not fully understood, at the moment it is not possible to know if it can be prevented.

If you have an increased risk of developing the condition, some treatments are available to reduce your risk.

Studies have looked at the link between breast cancer and diet. Although there are no definite conclusions, there are benefits for women who:
• maintain a healthy weight
• exercise regularly
• have a low intake of saturated fat
• do not drink alcohol

It has been suggested that regular exercise can reduce your risk of breast cancer by almost as much as a third. Regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle can also improve the outlook for people affected by breast cancer.

If you’ve been through the menopause, it is particularly important that you try to get to, and maintain, a healthy weight. This is because being overweight or obese causes more oestrogen to be produced, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Useful links:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer/
https://breastcancernow.org/get-involved/breast-cancer-awareness-month
https://www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/news/put-prevention-first-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month/

If you feel you may need some support, you can also contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services.

All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support.

Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Find out more about ‘breast cancer awareness’ and join our Clinical Director – Jessica Sullivan for a webinar on Friday 23rd October 2020 at 12pm using the link below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1120174060394878991

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

Keeping in touch with friends, family and loved ones over lockdown is important for our mental health. But with COVID-19 restrictions in place over the festive period we may not be able to see everyone we want to.

We are having to adapt this year and think outside the box to make the most of the festivities by using technology and getting creative with how to celebrate. Below are a few things to consider for the upcoming celebrations.

Using technology

Technology has been utilised more than ever during periods of lockdown. This has enabled us to stay in touch with friends and loved ones. There are a huge range of different ways to use it to keep up to date with goings on in your social life, see some below:

Messaging

A good old fashioned message to a friend or loved one can go a long way, whether it’s a long conversation or just simply checking in to wish a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year, either way you’re letting people know you are thinking of them. Send a photo or two and share the festivities, this will keep everyone in touch and feel involved.

Call/Video Call

Video calling is more popular than ever, especially during lockdown and there is a reason for it. Seeing someone’s face when speaking to them makes the exchange feel more natural and engaging. It can also be the preferred method for people less technically able as it is easier to use. Video calling is a great way to get the whole family together during times of restrictions without breaking the government guidelines. You will be able to create group video calls to ensure you can get everyone in. You can get inventive and host your Christmas dinner remotely, each with their own food. Arrange a time and you can all enjoy a virtual meal together. Another possibility is opening your gifts together so everyone can share in the enjoyment. Play a game of remote charades and share bad cracker jokes, the list goes on! There is no shortage of ways to use the modern video call, you can bring this into your Christmas day to make it as inclusive and social as possible.

Social Media

Although it is argued that social media is detrimental to mental health as it exposes us to
negativity, it can also be used for good. Social media is a great way to share positivity and
festive cheer with friends and family.

You can keep friends and family updated with your festivities by posting photos, videos or
merry status’ it’s completely up to you. If you’d prefer to do so privately you can send
photos directly to whoever you’d like.

This will help people share in the festivities even if they are stuck in isolation on their own, it may help them to enjoy the Christmas period.

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Staying connected and celebrating festivities
differently’ please use the following link – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2409549357164742413

If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.