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Hey, happy Friday to everyone. October is not just the start of Hallowthankmas; it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thought we could look closely at breast cancer awareness this week and see how it all fits into the Pounce Pot Protocol.

The pink ribbon that we’ve all come to recognize is not just a little decoration to put on your lapel. This month, I truly encourage you to take action:

🤍 Commit to a monthly self-breast exam. “Know your normal.”
🤍 Donate to breast cancer research.
🤍 Schedule your mammogram, as young as 30 if you’re at high risk.
🤍 Remember those whose lives have been lost to this cancer by helping raise awareness of women in your friendship circles and family.
🤍 Review the tips below to see what resonates with you.

Boost Your Brain

Breast Cancer History Homework

Last week, we talked about setting up a personal curriculum. Tackling something complex to study and learn, and actively learning during times you might otherwise just be passively scrolling.

Explore why curiosity and education is so good for your brain health here in this article from UNESCO.

What began in 1985 as a week-long program by the American Cancer Society was taken on as a personal grass-roots mission by Charlotte Haley, the granddaughter, sister, and mother of women who had battled breast cancer.

According to The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Charlotte “passed out thousands of [handmade] peach-colored ribbons with a card that read: ‘The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billon, only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help up wake up our legislators and American by wearing this ribbon.’”

After being rejected by Charlotte for being “too corporate,” the editor of Self magazine changed the ribbon color to pink and was able to proceed with a national campaign using Charlotte’s design without her permission.

Self worked in collaboration with Estee Lauder who herself was a breast cancer survivor, and in October of 1992, a national movement connecting the pink ribbon to breast cancer awareness was born.

Corporate tactics notwithstanding, in the long run, Ms. Charlotte’s efforts and original intentions were successful and obviously continue on to this day.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, try out these links to breast cancer history and its prevention. Perhaps you can use them this week for your “homework.”

Connect & Thrive

Connecting with a Simple Card

You might not think of your friends as a part of your medical prescription for recovery, but researchers find time and time again that patients supported by friends and family recover faster.

I love this quote from the Harvard article: “Weaving yours [friendship connections] a link at a time is good for you, and, if one of those links is with a lonely person, it’s good for him or her, too.”

One of my close friends takes this weaving well beyond her personal friends and even past country borders. She connects with others in need worldwide through an international Facebook group founded in 2012 with over 1,000 members.

Using an app that easily sends personalized greeting cards to just about anywhere, she uses her own beautiful photography, and designs thoughtful, loving cards of support to women she’s never even met.

By sending cards to those who need emotional support for cancer, recovery, illness, or family issues, my friend reaches out and connects with others in need. It’s amazing what a short note, a few words of sincere encouragement, and a photo of a gorgeous flower bouquet can do to raise a person’s hope and spirits.

Could you think of someone going through treatment or who’s in recovery that you could send a card to or call this week?

Harness Hidden Powers

Increase Your Sleep, Lower Your Stress

Numerous “hidden” functions in our body can negatively influence our cancer risks.

For example, the American Cancer Society notes that long-term sleep problems can increase cancer risk, and that shift work (ask me how I know…) disrupts melatonin production. Melatonin, in turn, can affect our hormones such as estrogen.

Researchers also believe that high levels of stress can also raise our cancer risks. While research outcomes are mixed due to the many factors that increase cancer risk, it’s absolutely certain that increased cortisol and adrenalin levels caused by stress lead to inflammation in the body.

As this review of studies explains, “Chronic inflammation is an essential component of chronic diseases.” I think you’ll agree with me that chronic disease, and breast and other cancers, is something we’d all very much like to avoid.

So, what to do this week? Recommit to your sleep and stress management. I’ll continue to provide encouraging, weekly strategies to help. Yes, it takes some work and research from both of us, but YOU ARE WORTH IT.

Fuel Your Journey

Top 5 Foods Linked to Cancer

When asked what foods to avoid help lower cancer risks, the Mayo Clinic wisely answers that it’s all about a dietary pattern.

Research from around the world agrees avoiding certain foods will help lower our risk of cancer. MD Anderson reports that these are the top 5 foods directly linked to cancer that we should try to reduce as much as possible:

❌ ultra-high processed foods and drinks
❌ hot dogs, deli foods, and sausages
❌ red meat
❌ alcohol
❌ foods and drinks with added sugar

Dr. Dawn Mussallem from the Integrative Medicine and Health Center at Mayo Clinic spells it out nicely: “You can have a role in your cancer journey when you think of food as medicine, and that’s exciting and empowering.”

I get it. It’s hard to know what to eat. What not to eat. When to eat. How much to eat. What order to eat. It can be really overwhelming.

This week, focus on simply removing one carcinogenic food from your refrigerator or pantry, like that pack of hotdogs sitting in the back of your meat drawer. Just toss them; they’re probably expired anyway!

Next week, select something else to purge. Baby steps toward reducing your food-based breast cancer risks.

Stay Active

Lowering Risks with Activity

Woman who are active have a 10 to 20 percent lower chance of getting breast cancer than those who aren’t active.

The Susan G. Komen website is a reliable source of this and other information about how staying active not only lowers cancer risks, but also helps survival after treatment.

While any amount of activity is better than none, the current U. S. guidelines are a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week, plus two sessions of weight-bearing, strengthening exercises.

Take a look at a quick, top 10 summary of what you should know about the current guidelines.

I found this sentence particularly insightful:

“For adults, physical activity helps prevent 8 types of cancer (bladder,* breast, colon, endometrium,* esophagus,* kidney,* stomach,* and lung*); reduces the risk of dementia* (including Alzheimer’s disease*), all-cause mortality, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and depression; and improves bone health, physical function, and quality of life.”

(By the way, the asterisks* represent newer research.)

Your key take away: Keep moving this week. Take advantage of this gorgeous fall weather and milder temperatures and get outside for several walks this week. Invite a friend to walk with you!

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Pounce Pot Perspective

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