How pink are you?
October is the month of the pink ribbon.
In fact, I myself have worn the pink ribbon proudly as I know many women who have been afflicted with breast cancer. Some of them bounced back to life after surgery or treatment and a few others succumbed to the disease.
So when I decided to write a blog post about breast cancer, I was absolutely certain that it would take me less than ten minutes to do so. After all, I knew stories about all these women. And I thought I was mighty pink because as a woman I knew how to protect myself. Right?
Wrong. As I started to write this post, I realized how little I actually knew about this deadly disease though it had touched my life often enough, albeit indirectly.
Photo by merfam
Worldwide, breast cancer comprises 10.4% of all cancer incidence among women, making it the most common type of non-skin cancer in women and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. This explains the number of awareness campaigns about breast cancer during the month of October.
And yet I was finding it difficult to write about breast cancer. So I decided to take a look at Answers.
It was no surprise that I found a list of commonly asked questions about breast cancer. I decided to post these questions so it could help women and men like me who know about breast cancer but are hardly aware of the facts relating to the disease.
Links to save a life!
Understand this cancer better so you can treat it on time if need be!
Three typical doubts about preventing and treating breast cancer
Other useful links to understand breast cancer better
I may have breast cancer, what questions should I ask my doctor?
And here’s how you can help people with breast cancer. http://shine.yahoo.com/page/breast-cancer-awareness-2010!
So do you have a breast cancer story? Is there some knowledge about breast cancer you would like to share? Do send us your story at y_answrs_favorites@yahoo.com or leave us a comment.
Go pink!
Bhumika Anand – Community Manager, IN
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Why is it that people always talk about brest cancer when prostate cancer kills more people. Is it sexism
Not pink at all actually.
#1 Mammograms were found by NEJM to increase the risk of cancer in women by over 50%. Women who have had Mamo’s every year for 10 years were found to have increases there risk at an astonishing pace. Yet it was mentioned in the magazine once, made the news and went away. Shame.
If you eat anything in a box, bag or can these things cause cancer because all of these items are processed and processed food causes cancer.
Pesticides cause cancer.
Cleaning fluids cause cancer.
I want to hear things like this! Not an awareness month which doesn’t necessarily talk about the cause or offer a solution. You people act likes it’s inevitable that X amount of women are going to get cancer every year. And that’s just not the case.
How about a “How dangerous processed foods and Mammograms are for you” awareness month.
And in closing; None of these Organizations are looking for a cure. Every time there’s something out there that works they close the clinic down or do whatever they can to discredit the “cure”. So then only the rich and famous as well as actual employees of the cancer institute can afford to go to Germany, Switzerland and Mexico to get the “real treatments” that actually work. Ronald Reagan went to Germany for an example.
Sorry, I don’t do pink.
Both Breast cancer and prostate are very, very avoidable! There’s all kinds of things you can do to prevent them. Yet no one talks about that. Heaven forbid we cost the National Cancer Institute there piece of the pie by someone not needing chemo.
They just gave my dear friends 85 YEAR OLD dad chemo. Are you kidding me! Chemo kills more people that the cancer itself. Especially a fragile 85 yr. old man. Jeez.
Everytime i think about breast cancer i think of my mom. She used to have breast cancer when i was younger. i’m only 10, and i would always ask my dad when mommy was coming home from the hostiptal. And when i would visit her there i would always give her my teddy bears to help her get better. And one day when i was least exspecting it she came home, i was playing and then the next thing i know she was walking through the door and the biggest smile came on my face. i will never forget that moment. And she’s been cancer free for about 6 years now.
10/12/10 -Amber
I miss Aunt Georgi.
My Aunt Georgi was the main caregiver of my grandfather. She passed away at 62 years. She had breast cancer and ignored signs to care for grandfather (her dad) then 2 weeks later my grandfather died.
Is it true that deodorants can cause breast cancer in women?
NO, NO, and NO. STOP SPREADING LIES!
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/self/6-breast-cancer-myths-busted
Yeah, this is on yahoo…
Did you know that most of your money that you donate to breast cancer goes to raising awareness? It’s ridiculous. The cures are not improving in the slightest even with donation money either.
There are also other cancers out there. Why all the fuss about boobs? It really gets to me.
all this talk about a cancer that does not kill that many people in regards to other dieses, all the money that goes for cancer reasearch is BS, there will never be a cure for this bogas alement, if they did cure it then all that easy money would be gone, screw titty cancer
I used to think breast cancer was the most common type of cancer and caused the most deaths, seeing as it always gets the most much attention. I guess I was wrong. I don’t understand why it comprises only 10.4% of cancer (in women only, its primary host) cases but gets the most publicity.
I think it is good to be aware of breast cancer, but I do not see women wearing shirts and ribbons and bows when it comes to healing PROSTATE cancer in men, which is a real concern and I believe, like has been said, that this is pure sexism.
Yup it sexism alright considering brest cancer effects men as well they should stop paying as mush attention to the woman side and start looking into men as more are dying
1] breast cancer is fifth cause of cancer death worldwide; THIRD in US [ after lung and colon cancers ]
2] deaths 2010 in US from breast cancer – 39, 840 females; 390 males
3] deaths US 2010 from prostate cancer – 32, 050
4] mammograms do not increase or cause breast cncer – they do detect cancers earlier in some cases[ one badly done study that isn;t repatable does not make it true
5] Breast cancer andf prostate cancer are very avoidable? I did EVERYTHING I was supposed – exceprt being a bit overweight, and got it anyway
6] people got breast cancer in ancient times; BEFORE processed foods and pesticides
7] chemo does not ‘kill more people’ that the cancer itself.
Depending on location of cancer [ lung, colon, breast ]; type of cancer, and wether it is
While this blog is more of the mindless drivel that I expect to see infesting the web this time of year, I was pleased to see some comments exposing Breast Cancer Awareness month for the corporate scheme that it is.
The Pink Ribbon movement was started by a pharmaceutical company that currently rakes in over 2.2 billion dollars a year through breast cancer treatments. Only a small fraction of the multi-billion dollar business of Breast Cancer Awareness goes to research for a cure or helping breast cancer patients.
Don’t buy into the ponzi scheme, don’t let yourself be brainwashed by pink ribbons and fluffy sentiments. Stand up firm against the Breast Cancer Awareness movement. Don’t be taken in by the Pink Ribbon Scammers!
When is national breast cancer DAY in 2010?
sexism plays a huge roll in this. Breast cancer only affects .001% of men. Women get all the benifits from this. I will NOT donate a PENNY to this cause. It is a sexist charity.
Prevention better than cure..! For malaysian women, every 19 people had 1 breast cancer. We provided a breast test system that benefit for those women who are no awareness of breast cancer and never detected breast oriental women more sense of security to them.
Benefits:
- permits early detection
- no radiation exposure or side effects compare to mommogram.
- no patient age limits
- no compression or pain
- may also used on men
- convinient,simple, economical and efficient.
I would like to say, instead of all this supposed effort to end breast cancer, such as raising money to fund scientists to discover and utilize cures to end breast cancer and the like, people should actually be fighting the base cause: our current world, society, and culture. Its the heavily polluted air; the high stress life styles; the non-organic food constantly fed to organic organisms (humans); the heavy noise pollution (proven to have negative health effects). And, most of all, the over-population mostly consistent over the entirety of the world, which has been proven, over and over, to cause things to decrease population, such as cancer. If you want to ACTUALLY DO A THING, to ACTUALLY help, to ACTUALLY end breast cancer and other cancers, actually do a thing meaningful: fight the base cause — stop reproducing to end overpopulation; and so on. Trying to find a cure for a thing overpopulation caused is possible, but overpopulation will just create another thing to take its place: that is nature; balance and only balance.
How can people honestly argue about helping with Breast Cancer Prostate Cancer probably has it’s own month and if not than they need to work on that. Cancer in all forms needs to be cured but this month is dedicated to Breast Cancer. I was in the race for the Cure again with my friends from High school Jenny and Mike, Jenny found out after her 2nd child that she has stage IV Breast Cancer. She has beaten the odds many times.
this talk about being a corporate scheme and all that sounds like ignorance, how can someone honestly use such a horrid disease for their own political or idealistic purposes that is a new low of selfishness and stupidity. I feel sorry for you and wonder if you would feel the same way if it were a friend or family member who had breast cancer. The people making these comments are the scum of society.
i came across this vid on cancer awareness month, it explains it all in a short and funny way…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4GpygexOAM
Why do they call it Breast Cancer “Awareness” Month instead of Breast Cancer “Prevention” Month? I’ll tell you why: The cancer industry does not want to prevent it they just want to make money treating it. Eat an anti-cancer diet and get plenty of vitamin D and you will greatly reduce your chances of getting not only breast cancer but a lot of other cancers as well.
And to the guy who thinks it’s sexist to put the emphasis on breast cancer rather than prostate cancer- men get breast cancer too but women never get prostate cancer.
The pink ribbon is supposed to be peach…Misandry and Misopedia at it’s finest.
The ribbon was peach when first suggested, you know
never donate to any cancer scheme its a scam, theres already a cure for cancer. they fire all the good scientist and this will keep going forever don’t support them
I wont give a PENNY to this charity! Whenever, I see men wearing breast cancer stuff, I ask them, “how about us (men)” and they cower away like the weak they are.
I take care of myself and my body so I’m not at high risk of BC.
My grandmother had it when she was 49 but she’s still alive.
BIG PINK MONSTER!
How is wearing pink going to raise awareness of breast cancer…and awareness of what exactly?
Most of us are aware of breast cancer, and although we may not be as informed about things such as self-examination and prevention, I doubt a load of women dressing in pink or posting their bra colour on Facebook is going to help that.
The only people being made [painfully] aware of breast cancer during this month are victims/survivors, a sea of pink is a daily reminder through the month of October of the disease that pulled their lives apart. Few people other than those affected by breast cancer really think in-depth about the issue.
Breast Cancer gets the bulk of the ‘awareness’ and the funds ALL YEAR ROUND, other cancers or diseases get little attention in comparison. The big pink monster takes funds away from other needy causes, including other breast cancer causes.
Companies roll out pink ribbon products just to make sales, little money goes to breast cancer charities and some companies may even be contributing to the problem through their harmful manufacturing processes. Furthermore money raised from fun-runs and sales of pink ribbons goes into awareness and cures/treatment, however very little goes into PREVENTION – Breast Cancer is an environmental disease, thus preventable.
Really, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about as commercial as Christmas, and that’s really sad.
Look at sites such as thinkbeforeyoupink.org, breastcancerfund.org, pureprevention.org, and nomorebreastcancer.org.uk for more information – all in praise of prevention, none get money from the pink ribbon campaign or various awareness events/merchandising/corporate sponcership.
@ Jimi
Ignorance is being blinkered to what goes on in the world around you, try to be open-minded. The people making these comments aren’t scum, those who contribute to causes of cancer are scum – get it right.
Companies and governments actually put in place ways to keep smokers smoking – so if they’re okay with lung cancer, why not breast cancer too?
Toxins in the environment are a major cause of all cancers as well as other long-term health problems, yet nothing is done about it. Pharmaceutical companies make money out of selling products that are not in our beast interests, this isn’t conspiracy theory, particularly when it comes to female health (sorry boys, you have issues too, but a lot of sexism in the medical world is aimed at women).
When we know breast cancer is preventable, when it has seen such a huge increase in cases, and when few people actually seem to be looking at the issues involved….all too busy strapping on pink fairy wings and pretending to give a damn…you really should be looking at things more closely.
Why is everyone still freaking out about breast cancer when only a few hundred people die of it every year? Heart Disease is the number one killer of both men and women, yet there’s no “ribbon” corporate scam for that…
How blue are you, women aren’t the only ones who get cancer. I find it very discriminatory that only women diseases are covered and not male diseases
thank you so much i have realised how much these people that are suffering have people that love them
Thank you for the touching and informative post on this disease that affects so many people in the world. It is nice to know that ailments from foot fungus to severe cancers are gaining awareness so that people can practice better understanding when talking to individuals who have dealt with such things.
I’m very pink! Thanks for the post. For my Aunt, the worst part about having breast cancer was the hair loss. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have male-patter baldness!