On May 14, 2013, the world woke to the shocking news that Angelina Jolie, a young actress and humanitarian graced with exceptional beauty and fame, and a mother of six, had undergone a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. A blood test revealed that she had the BRCA1 gene mutation....
Breast Cancer on the Rise in Young Women
Since the inception of “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” the message has been about reminding women 40 years of age and older to get mammograms. But, in this country, incidences of breast cancer are still on the rise in women under 40 – an age when mammograms are not effective. Mammograms...
22 Tips to Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer
As a plastic surgeon, I witnessed the horrors of breast cancer almost every day while taking care of my breast reconstruction patients. Then, this disease became too personal—it claimed the life of my own mother in 1994. At that moment I vowed to go after her killer. My goal...
Great Things Come in Tiny Packages: The Power of Flaxseeds
If you were given only one choice of a food to take as medicine, your best choice would be the tiny seeds from flax. Flaxseeds have more potent medicinal qualities—especially those that fight breast cancer—than any other known edible plant. This small seed provides a fortress of protection against breast...
Should Mammograms be Phased Out?
For over forty years, women have been told the best way to lower their risk of dying of breast cancer is by getting a yearly mammogram. But recently, several well-designed studies have found this recommendation may not be true. Researchers say the value of mammograms has been overrated and their...