Expert Busts Breast Cancer Myths
Talking on your cell phone will not cause you to get breast cancer.
That is just one of the myths about breast cancer dispelled by Dr.Kristi Funk in her new book, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual.
In the United States, 236,968 women and 2,141 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although breast cancer is often seen as a genetic disease, fewer than 10 percent of breast cancer victims carry an inherited genetic mutation associated with the ailment, noted Funk, a renowned surgical breast-care specialist.
“There will always be senseless cancers that happen in someone who is young or someone who does everything right," Funk said. "But for the vast majority, a solid 80 percent, of these cancers around the world...it comes from the daily choices that women are making."
Here are some busted myths about breast cancer causes, according to Dr. Funk:
1. Cellphones, microwaves, TVs and power lines.
2. Deodorant and antiperspirants.
3. Birth control pills: "[There is] a tiny, tiny little bump in breast cancer but once you go off your birth control, it doesn't matter."
4. Fertility drugs: "Don't matter at all."
5. Caffeine, coffee, tea an, chocolate: "Totally safe."
6. Bras: "With or without a wire, don't care."
Funk's four tips to "maximally reduce" breast cancer risks:
1. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet.
2. Get to an ideal body weight.
4. Limit alcohol: "No more than one drink a day."
Four ways to lessen your exposure to environmental toxicities:
1. Wash your hands frequently, and always before you eat.
2. Dust and vacuum.
3. Have house plants.
4. Use chemical-free cleansers and air fresheners; the role of various chemicals in cancer risk is still not well understood.