Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Risk Prevention & Early Detection

Time for some more breast cancer awareness facts!
 
Breast cancer risk goes up with age.
The often-repeated statistic that "1 in 8" women will get breast cancer is calculated over a lifetime to age 95. The National Cancer Institute has created a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool. Take the test here.

Educate youself!
Learn more about the risks, the different types of breast cancer, and the symptoms of breast cancer here. The more you know, the earlier you can catch signs of breast cancer in yourself or your loved ones, and the more lives can be saved.

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Here are some more featured pieces from the Amanda Sterett Breast Cancer Collection. Each piece of this collection is named in honor of a woman that has battled this disease. Amanda donates 20% of proceeds to breast cancer awareness and research. Below are a few pieces along with the stories of the women that the pieces are named for.

Virginia Earring

This earring is in honor of Virginia Adams, Amanda's Grandmother, who was diagnosed and battled breast cancer during her life.

Tara Necklace 

This necklace is in honor of Tara Hohenberger who has survived breast cancer at the age of 35 and has been cancer-free for a 2 years.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Smoking & MRI Scans

Time for some more breast cancer awareness facts!

Smoking.
Smoking hasn't been linked specifically to breast cancer risk, but a recent study of women at high risk for breast cancer found that, for those who smoked, the more they smoked and the longer they smoked, the more their risk increased. Smoking is bad for you in multiple ways anyways so just say no to lighting up.

MRI scans.
Women with dense breasts are at higher risk for breast cancer, and mammograms aren't as effective in detecting cancer in very dense breasts. Ask your doctor whether you have dense breasts and, if so, you might benefit from regular MRI scans or ultrasounds along with mammography.

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Here are some more featured pieces from the Amanda Sterett Breast Cancer Collection. Each piece of this collection is named in honor of a woman that has battled this disease. Amanda donates 20% of proceeds to breast cancer awareness and research. Below are a few pieces along with the stories of the women that the pieces are named for.

Danielle Earrings

This earring is in honor of Danielle Miller, who was diagnosed in 2009, underwent treatment, and is now cancer-free today. 

Foster Hoop

This earring is in honor of Claire Foster, who was diagnosed at the age of 81 in 2002 and after undergoing treatment, is free of breast cancer today.

Monica Earring

This earring is in honor of Monica Taylor , who has been cancer-free for 2 years.

B. Barnett Trunk Show

 If you're in the Little Rock, AK area come stop by the lovely B. Barnett and check out our trunk show!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Your Weight, Diet, & Exercise

Time for some more breast cancer awareness facts!

Post-menopause weight gain is particularly dangerous when it comes to breast cancer risk.
With extra body fat comes more estrogen, which can stimulate breast cancer growth. A normal body mass index is less than 30. Check your BMI here.

Diet and exercise.
Many studies have looked for a link between diet and breast cancer risk, but results are conflicting. Experts say it's good advice to eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in fat and red meat. "That's what I tell my patients," Swasey said. "Whatever diet is heart-healthy is probably the best one to follow."

Evidence is growing that regular exercise lowers the risk of breast cancer. "It doesn't have to be high-intensity exercise," said Rachel Burns, dietitian with Levine Cancer Institute at Carolinas Medical Center. "It can be as easy as just walking, being physically active 30 minutes a day."

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Here are some more featured pieces from the Amanda Sterett Breast Cancer Collection. Each piece of this collection is named in honor of a woman that has battled this disease. Amanda donates 20% of proceeds to breast cancer awareness and research. Below are a few pieces along with the stories of the women that the pieces are named for.

Bonnie Earring

This earring is in honor of Bonnie Sheets, a 22 year breast cancer survivor.

Bridgie Earring

This earring is in honor of Dolores "Bridgie" Cowan, who was diagnosed at the young age of 29, and after undergoing treatment, was in remission for 10 years before it took her life at a young age of 41.

Maria Necklace

 This necklace is in honor of Maria Melgarejo who was diagnosed early in 2008 and passed away just before Thanksgiving in November of 2009.

Happy Birthday, Andrea!

Happy birthday to our Andrea!

The office would NOT be the same without our little ray of sunshine!
May your day be golden!

Happy Boss's Day!

Haha! Happy Boss's Day to the amazing Amanda Sterett. We don't know how you manage do it all and do it well at the same time! Thanks for your guidance, your patience, and your encouragement!

We love you!

Balliets Trunk Show: Today & Tomorrow!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Risk Prevention & Early Detection

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in honor of it we will be sharing some facts and advice on early detection once a week with you guys.

1. A lot of people talk about preventing breast cancer, but the correct term is risk reduction.
"We don't really know how to prevent breast cancer. We know how to reduce people's risks," said Judith Swasey, a nurse practitioner at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's cancer hospital. The basics: Don't smoke, exercise a lot, watch your diet and get annual screenings.

2. Early detection.
There has been lots of controversy in recent years over the usefulness of annual mammograms for some women. The American Cancer Society and many breast cancer centers continue to recommend annual mammograms starting at 40. The cancer society also recommends clinical breast exams by physicians annually, beginning at the same age as mammograms.

For those at high risk for breast cancer because of family history, annual screening should begin before age 40. For example, if you have a sister who developed breast cancer at 45, the recommendation is to start mammograms at 35. Awareness and screening have led to more early detection. Don't forget to do self-checks once a month as well, if you are unsure on how to self-check yourself here are some step by step instructions.
 
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As you may know, Amanda Sterett also has a Breast Cancer Collection. Each piece of this collection is named in honor of a woman that has battled this disease. Amanda donates 20% of proceeds to breast cancer awareness and research. We will share a few pieces with you each week along with the stories of the women that the pieces are named for.

 

Ann Earring

This earring is named in honor of Ann Grant Anthony. She battled breast cancer for 5 years before she passed away in March of 2009.

Bev Hoop

This earring is in honor of Bev Sorenson, who was diagnosed in 2009 and is currently undergoing treatment.

Debbie Necklace

This necklace is in honor of Deborah Stephens who was diagnosed October of 2009 and is currently undergoing treatment.

Amanda on Ultimate Living with Dee & D'Andra Simmons

 

Check out more about Ultimate Living here!