Breast Cancer Symptoms - What Are They and How Can I Get Rid of Them?

I imagine just about every woman after a certain age has some fear of breast cancer.  That's not to say it's on our minds night and day.  But with all we hear in the media and from doctors, it certainly has to be in there somewhere.  We all know someone who has it, has had it, or maybe has even died from it.  But as with all things like this, breast cancer starts with symptoms.  Here's what to look for if you're concerned and what to do to fix it if you find anything:

Lumps - Everyone knows this one.  Any odd shaped, irregular lumps in your breasts that you haven't noticed before could be a symptom of breast cancer.  They're normally painless, and usually not cancer, so don't panic.

Discharge - Any kind of spontaneous, clear or bloody discharge from one or both nipples.

Retraction - Any indentation or retraction of the nipple that wasn't there before.

Size - Any noticeable change in size or contour of the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer.

Flattening - Any flattening or indentation of the skin over the breast.

Redness - Any redness or pitting of the skin over the breast (it looks like an orange peel) can be cause for alarm.

Now...these are symptoms.  They don't mean you have anything.  This would normally be the time that you would be strongly advised to schedule a mammogram to find out for sure.  Whether or not you do that is entirely up to you.  Through my various research, I've been convinced that mammograms will usually do more harm than good, but the decision is ultimately up to you.

What I would suggest at this point is some good old fashioned education.  breast cancer doesn't just appear out of nowhere.  It's your body's way of telling you that everything is not right.  You're out of balance.  You're likely very acidic.  You have low oxygen levels.  You use lots of commercial personal care products.  Live or work under fluorescent lights.  Don't get nine hours of sleep in total darkness.  Don't get enough sunlight.  Don't drink enough water.  You may have a weakened immune system.  There are lots and lots of reason these symptoms may have cropped up. 

If you can reverse the conditions that have caused them in the first place, they will go away.  If you choose to blast everything will mammograms, chemotherapy drugs, and radiation, you may kill any cancer, but if the underlying conditions are still present...you know it'll come back.

Just be sure to educate yourself whatever is going on.  If you have any of the above breast cancer symptoms, don't panic.  Learn about all the different treatment options available to you before you rush into anything.  Everyone and their dog will pretend to be an expert on breast cancer, but unless you really find out for yourself, you'll never know what's best for you.