Breast cancer prevention: The importance of early detection

Thursday, 14 November 2013, 12:00 pm
Column: Melanie Rands - ecostore

Breast cancer prevention: The importance of early detection

I caught up with Dr Kathleen Wills in a sunny cafe in Grey Lynn where she was letting her decaf trim latte go cold while talking about the importance of encouraging more women to be more proactive about breast cancer prevention. Dr Kathleen stresses that early detection and regular checks are not just for women over forty; an increasing number of women in their twenties also get breast cancer and would benefit from regular breast checks as well.

While mammography is probably the most well-known method used for breast screening, Dr Kathleen says thermography and ultrasound are both less invasive and more accurate options:

• Thermography is a painless, radiation-free, thermal imaging system that may be used to detect early breast tissue changes and has been known to detect early signs of cancer up to 10 years earlier than mammograms.
Thermographs use heat to measure increased blood supply in areas of the breast which can be an indicator for cancer to develop and are a useful tool to help keep track of changes to breast tissue over time. There are a number of clinics around New Zealand, for more information click here
• In the public system, if women are referred by their GP for breast screening, they have options for screening –  mammograms and ultrasounds, in which case, Dr Kathleen recommends the ultrasound as they are radiation-free and provides a method to examine dense breast tissue in-depth.

What to look for in a self exam

Once a month it’s a good idea to check your breasts, not just pressing them for lumps but also looking for changes. It’s important to take the next step and talk to your GP or health practitioner if you notice any of the following:

• Lumps
• Discolouration
• Puckering
• Nipple inverts
• Scaliness or dryness of skin

Over the next few days I’ll be blogging more about my conversation with Dr Kathleen, including the importance of nutrition and environment on breast cancer prevention.

Dr Kathleen Wills is a Doctor of Integrative Medicine (I.MD) (USA) which combines the best of conventional and evidence-based natural medicine. Dr. Kathleen is also a Doctor of Natural Medicine, and holds diplomas in Herbal Medicine, Nutritional Assessment and Counselling. She also holds a degree in Medical Anthropology, in which she studied skeletal bones for nutritional deficiencies. Dr Kathleen currently practices at Optimal Wellness Centre in Epsom, Auckland.
You can find out more about Dr. Kathleen Wills on her website: drkathleenwills.com

ENDS

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Melanie Rands - ecostore

Green, healthy living made easy.

Melanie Rands co-founded New Zealand company ecostore with her husband Malcolm Rands in 1993 from their home in a permaculture eco village in Northland. For 20 years ecostore has been creating plant and mineral based cleaning products, body and baby care products with no nasty chemicals, that are healthier and safer for you as well as the planet. Melanie shares her experience and interests in healthy living, reducing exposure to nasty chemicals and making a difference to the environment along with invited experts on the ecostore blog. When she is not writing, blogging or tweeting for ecostore Melanie writes poetry, plays in the garden and is learning how to stay upright on a stand up paddle board.

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