Nip the evil in the bud

health

 The Pink Ribbon Foundation (PRF) has recently

invented an early detection ‘Pink Bra’ for breast cancer. You! takes a look...

he fact is that the best cure for breast cancer is early detection. Unfortunately, in our part of the world breast cancer usually goes undetected because talking about a woman’s breasts is considered a taboo. One out of nine women is highly prone to breast cancer in Pakistan. According to statistics, Pakistan has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia. Last year, breast cancer claimed the lives of 40,000 women in Pakistan. Most of these women belonged to the lower socio economic sections of the society and lost their lives due to lack of awareness.

Fortunately, all is not lost and there are certain organizations that are doing their bit to spread the word. One such organization is the Pink Ribbon Foundation (PRF) that has recently invented an early detection ‘Pink Bra’ for breast cancer which can actually save lives of the women around the world. This unique bra will help in detecting early signs of lumps.

Since the detection bra is expensive, the Pink Ribbon Foundation has started a movement called ‘Give a Pink Bra’ Movement. The idea is for the privileged class to buy and give the bra to the women around them. The pink bra will be soon available in hospitals, clinics and dispensaries across Pakistan. Many celebs, models and socialites are also spreading the word.

“I came across the campaign #GiveAPinkBra initiated by The Pink Ribbon a few weeks ago and it caught my attention instantly. I talked about it on my TV and radio shows as well. The concept is pretty simple and clear: Give a pink bra to the less fortunate women to create awareness regarding breast cancer so they can easily self examine themselves. The problem occurs when women ignore the symptoms, don’t take precautions and go to the hospital when it is too late. This needs to be changed; all you need to do is be a little proactive. Give these pink bras to underprivileged women around you, make them understand the importance of self examination and that detecting cancer at an earlier stage will help them save their own lives. It’s a beautiful concept and kudos to the team for making this happen in Pakistan,” shares TV host and radio personality Sophiya Anjum.

The pink bra is made in such a way that people won’t be able to temper its design. It’s tried and tested by the design team of Pink Ribbon Foundation. As the women belonging to the lower socio economic group have a habit of slipping money into the bra, the pink bra has pockets inside the cups. The bra also has tactile guides inside which makes it easier to use and even less educated women can easily understand the diagrams and conduct a self test. If any woman finds signs of cancer she can call at the number written inside the bra. PRF will provide help with medical and financial assistance.

Examine yourself

“Patients with family history should try and examine themselves more frequently than those who don’t have anyone suffering from breast cancer in the family,” shares Dr. Hamda Khawaja, Consultant Radiologist at Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore.

“Examine your breasts and armpit area with your hand. Try to carefully examine the nipple areola because one can miss the lumps as there are many lymph nodes that become swollen and can feel a bit lumpy under your fingers. Any lumps should be felt twice and should be re-examined after two weeks. Any skin thickening or orange peel appearance of the skin and nipple discharge should also be thoroughly checked,” explains Dr Khawaja.

Regarding mammography Dr Hamda Khawaja says, “If someone in the family is diagnosed then the mammogram screening should be done by all women relatives especially from the maternal side - mother, grandmother, maternal aunt or sister and first cousins - above the age of thirty.”

There is also a misconception about mammogram screenings which is taken as a harmful activity by people, “The misconception about this should be cleared as one must undergo a mammogram screening yearly. People also think that one shouldn’t go for Fine needle Aspiration Cytology test (FNA) as it spreads the cancer. However, FNA is important and the way to go about is breast examination followed by mammogram and finally FNA test,” she stresses.

The diet that helps

Green healthy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, iceberg lettuce and spinach should be taken in abundance and hormone infested broiler chicken and eggs should be excluded from the diet. Dr Hamda Khawaja also advises women to regularly undergo Vitamin D tests because low value of vitamin D can be an underlying cause.

*For more information log on to www.giveapinkbra.com