Blog

Research Inspired by Marin Women with Very Low Breast Cancer Risk Could Lead to New Prevention Strategies

Details: Published: Tuesday, 26 September 2017 13:56

pregnant woman

Research that began with the Marin Women’s Study has now been duplicated in the larger California Teachers Study, demonstrating that women who develop hypertension in pregnancy and carry a common gene variant have up to a 90% lower breast cancer risk.

“This research could contribute to understanding the key impact of pregnancy on breast cancer risk, and may help explain why some women are protected while others are not,” said lead researcher Mark Powell, MD, MPH, visiting scientist at the Buck Institute and Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Project.

Waiting: The Hardest Part

Details: Published: Friday, 25 August 2017 13:14

Jo Gordon Reflections

Waiting to see if your new pain, out of nowhere, will resolve itself. Waiting for the surgeon’s office to return your distress call. Waiting to hear when you can be squeezed into the jammed CT scan schedule. Waiting to eat because if they can fit you in today, you need to be fasting. Waiting in a room filled with other waiters, all stoically counting minutes until it’s their turn to be stuck, probed, imaged. The longest wait – waiting for results. Waiting for the medical team to decide what happens next. Listening to an internal clock, ticking in a terrible silence. Waiting.

Talking about Breast Cancer Risk: It's Complicated!

Details: Published: Tuesday, 18 July 2017 16:31

Rose blog image

My favorite way to mix work and pleasure (or work and health if you prefer) is to walk and talk. I can't exactly do that in a digital medium so I am inviting you to sign up for the Dipsea Hike for Zero Breast Cancer and to read more about putting breast cancer risk information into context so that we can talk about it in a realistic way.

Website Recommendation: EWG.org

Details: Published: Monday, 17 July 2017 16:10

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. With breakthrough research and education, we drive consumer choice and civic action.” By providing integrated and detailed information on toxins in a variety of products, EWG encourages readers to advocate for themselves and their health by making educated purchasing decisions. Their staff covers a wide variety of disciplines, including a team of scientists, policy experts, lawyers, communication experts and programmers all focused on reducing our environmental exposures. In the past, they have found that their education efforts have enabled the public to put pressure on companies to remove potentially hazardous chemical ingredients as well as improving their overall practices. Overall, they diligently work to inform the public, provide specific tips to reduce exposure, and influence policy to create a healthier world for us all.

ZBC Teen Volunteer Janessa's Stress Management Tips

Details: Published: Thursday, 06 July 2017 16:04

Janessa Blog

Reducing stress is a key component in helping manage daily tasks. It doesn’t matter if you are in high school, college, or an adult, it can always be a battle to deal with stress. Specifically, the stress that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis can be the biggest battle of them all.

One of the best things to do is to take your mind off of whatever is bothering you. For example, when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, she would attend weekly yoga classes and would go to any seminars offered at the hospital in order to gather information and meet others going through the same battle as her. She felt that attending weekly events really helped her through her treatment and post-treatment stages.

Website Recommendation: BreastCancer.org

Details: Published: Monday, 15 May 2017 16:38

When dealing with breast cancer, and looking to prevent breast cancer, the vast amount of information and the decisions that need to be made can be overwhelming. In 1999, Dr. Marisa Weiss, a renowned breast oncologist, founded breastcancer.org to address these needs. As a non-profit organization, breastcancer.org is dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer. It is an excellent resource. Their mission is to help women and their loved ones make sense of the complex medical and personal information about breast health and breast cancer so that they can make the best decisions for their lives. The people behind breastcancer.org bring with them a diverse set of skills and experience, from medical experts, writers, editors, and business development experts, to designers and web producers. A Professional Advisory Board (PAB) reviews all the medical information on the website. The PAB includes over 70 practicing medical professionals from around the world who are leaders in their fields. Breastcancer.org also provides a Spanish translation of its pages on the website.

Join the Wisdom Study: Help Improve Mammogram Screening Guidelines

Details: Published: Friday, 28 April 2017 14:55

Wisdom Study

Breast cancer screening advice can be confusing. A new study in California aims to find a better way forward and is actively recruiting participants. Please consider how you can help. Click on the image below to visit the study website.

Food for Thought

Details: Published: Tuesday, 28 March 2017 15:07

USA food blog

Do you know what a family of four in North Carolina eats in a week? Do you know how the proportions of items vary between fresh produce, dairy products, animal protein, processed and junk food between families in the United States and Kuwait? Have you ever thought about the different packaging our weekly groceries come in? Where would you suppose the weekly shopping bill is the highest? Where would you suppose it is the lowest? Do you think there are correlations between health and different eating habits/cost of food?

ZBC Teen Volunteer Keisha's Exercise Tips

Details: Published: Thursday, 09 March 2017 14:41

keisha blog

There are many different ways to reduce the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, one of which is living a healthy lifestyle. One factor of a healthy lifestyle includes having daily exercise. Anyone can reduce their risk at any age, but it is especially encouraged to have an early start to prevent breast cancer.