Breast Cancer awareness

If you've been living in a hole somewhere you might not have realized that October is breast cancer awareness month and so for the last day of October I'm throwing this one out there. Have you seen the pink EVERYWHERE? Every item with a pink ribbon on it claiming that if you purchase that item you will be "supporting the research". Well take a moment and look past that pink ribbon, pink box or whatever packaging its coming in with a pinkish hue and look at that item. Lets think about this a minute. Is real breast cancer awareness going to happen because of that pink can of soup that you consume and the pennies going to the executives? (Dramatic pause as I step onto my soap box)Besides that you might be totally compromising on quality ingredients here. If you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't buy it. If you don't know what it is, don't buy it. There is nothing natural about natural flavor. So that now that I've had that rant against the pink ribbon, hopefully I didn't offend too many people out there...

Lets talk about real breast cancer awareness and what is going to make a difference.

1. Using quality products on your skin and body that won't damage it. I don't care how natural your lotion claims to be, drop it like a bad habit and grab yourself some organic coconut oil or olive oil. You can throw in some essential oils if your looking for a nicer smell.

2. Deodorant. I know I just covered things you put on your body but this is so important it gets its own point in my book. Under your arms are an extremely sensitive place on your body and then we throw aluminum in there and think there won't be an issue? Do you realize that many breast cancers develop in the part of the breast closest to the armpit? I will warn you that when you make this change that your body will over compensate, you'll be a sweaty mess for a little while. Your body is used to having these chemicals tell your underarms what to do, develop less sweat. So again, your body will over compensate for a short time, its like a detox. Once you get past that, and you will, it gets better. Wash under your arms, make good choices as far as deodorants by choosing good brands. I shopped specifically at my local food co-op. They tend to be very particular about the brands they carry. The two brands I have been using are Toms and Trader Joes. You might not smell quite as flowery as you used to but wouldn't you rather be on the safe side? Boom, breast cancer awareness.

3. Its not just what you put on your body but what you put into it. Making good choices about what you can consume goes a long way. Genetics may play a part in getting breast cancer but so can what you put into your body, take charge of what you can.

4. Education. Teaching even children what it means to make good choices on what they put into and on their bodies. Knowing how to do self examinations and making it a habit as well as having a relationship with your doctor that you can communicate any thing out of the ordinary.

My hope with this post isn't to be insensitive but to raise awareness of effective ways to make a difference without purchasing things that are in pink packaging that will harm your health and by sharing with you helpful ways of being aware of what you can do to minimize your chances. Take control, be aware and may the Lord protect you from such an awful thing. Boom, breast cancer awareness!