No More Breast Cancer - One Simple Way To Make A Difference @BreastMilkLab

 

Each year, 19,000 new cases of breast cancer occur among African American women. That’s 19,000 too many. 

According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate of breast cancer for African American women is 77%, compared to white women's rate of 90%. In addition, African American women are more likely to develop breast cancer at a younger age, and we tend to develop more aggressive tumors, which are harder and more expensive to treat.

Enter Dr. Kathleen Arcaro from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She studies breast cancer by studying breastmilk, which is full of breast cells key in figuring out how breast cancer develops. Over the past ten years she's worked to improve our understanding of breast cancer risk, and her findings may lead to new screening, prevention, and treatment strategies. 

The problem? Black women are underrepresented in the research. As a result, findings that work for white women or women with less aggressive forms of breast cancer, don’t work for the majority of black women grappling with the disease. 

To ensure her findings are applicable to women of all races, she has been working to recruit African American women for the Love/Avon Army of Women, a project aiming to recruit one million women to sign up to participate in breast cancer research (if they choose to do so). By signing up, participants will receive an email newsletter with breast cancer research opportunities. Some research is as simple as a questionnaire or a phone interview. 

Having African American women well represented in the breast cancer research is key, for her research and many others.’ So Dr. Arcaro hopes black women will sign up for the Army of Women (and be sure to select “breast milk study” as the referral type to help track the impact). 

You can learn more about Dr. Arcaro’s work, and see if you or other women you know might qualify for one of her studies, at the website of the UMass Breastmilk Lab, and follow the lab on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Early Detection is Key.

My college girlfriend was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her early twenties. Early detection of the disease allowed the doctors to treat the cancerous areas. She like millions of other women and men are cancer survivors.

The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2010:

- About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.

- About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).

- About 39,840 women will die from breast cancer.

Early detection is key, schedule a mammogram and learn the early warning signs of breast cancer.

For more information visit http://ww5.komen.org.

10 Dating Dos and Don’ts from a Woman’s Perspective

Sex on the Beach is Danielle’s preferred cocktail, although the app Carb Tracker suggests Smartwater. Sexting doesn’t amuse her in any way, and she’s disgusted thinking about what may be peeping out of her Inbox. Boring. She, by all practical purposes, has “got it going on.” Danielle works out three times a week, watches her carb intake, eats fiber daily, and is considering taking pole dancing classes, just for the “heck of it.” Her consultant job allows her to travel in and out of state, shop and dine at high-end places, and date gorgeous and not so hot men.

Five, Six, Eight minute dates are all a blur, but “that one guy in Atlanta may get another date,” she recalls, texting him while we talk. eHarmony and Match.com solicit her with free-trial coupons, that she admits to trying once or twice. These days Danielle tells her past dates what they did right and wrong, surprisingly not charging a fee. She claims her dating wisdom is so good that former boyfriends call her for advice on a regular basis. She points out, “The first date is a deal breaker either you’re in or out.” There are no three strikes and you’re out with her. It’s either you got it, or you don’t.

10 Dating Dos & Don’ts
1. Hygiene is important. All smells are not good smells. Don’t smell like your house. Don’t over do it on cologne.
2. Be creative on where you take your date out to eat. Chain restaurants are not always advised. Try something a little more romantic, not just a place with a dollar menu.
3. If you make it to the second date, do not wear the same outfit. I”ll say it again, I strongly advise you not to wear the same outfit twice. It’s understandable to have a favorite shirt or pants, but you need to switch it up a bit.
4. If your going to pick up your date and you don’t have a nice car, it must be clean. No dust. No syrup residue from beverages, or funky gym clothes in the back seat. Clean your ride!
5. If your date doesn’t finish her meal, then do not ask for a to-go box for her meal. Do not eat her meal and yours.
6. As a part of dating etiquette, communication is key.
7. Be on time. You only get one first impression.
8. Always pay the bill. If you’re not paying, then it’s not a date.
9. Don’t expect a kiss at the end of the night. It’s always nice to try, because women like to feel desired. It’s OK, even if you get “shot down.” Sometimes a kiss on the cheek, and nice hug will do!
10. Don’t stalk her, but do call her to follow-up within three business days after the first date. You snooze, you lose.

Article Published in Elephant Journal