​October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In our community, breast cancer is one of the many health concerns we often do not discuss.  It's time to get candid about breast cancer.

According to the CDC, “Black women and white women get breast cancer at about the same rate, but Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than white women.”

Black women younger than 40-45 years old are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer, compared to white women.

Symptoms

All women are different and can experience varying symptoms. Some common symptoms include: 
Pain in any area of the breast.
Thickening or swelling in part(s) of the breast.
New lump in the breast or underarm.
Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
Nipple discharge including blood.
Any change in the size or the shape of the nipple and breast.

What can we do?

Pay attention to your breast. You know them better than anyone else. If something looks or feels different than normal you should follow up on it, do not wait. Talk to your doctor.

Early detection is key to treating cancer when it’s smaller.  Schedule mammogram screenings regularly, and if your family has a history of breast cancer talk to your doctor about screening younger than 40, which is the recommended age according to the CDC. 

Breasts can change due to having your period, gaining or losing weight, medication, and having children.

​Take a few moments and check your breast. Read and do your research, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

By NaTyshca Pickett

Life is hard and sometimes stressful. Whether you have a job that drives you crazy or kids who are constantly fighting, taking a vacation is not always the option. So, when you can’t vacate, meditate!
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Meditation has been around for over 5,000 years, coming from the Hindu traditions of Vendantism. This was created to help connect with the mind, body, and spirit.

Meditation was once viewed as something “weird” people or hippies did. It was not a common practice among the masses. It was even frowned upon by some church groups. Today, more than 20 million adults practice meditation. It is even a practice that many public schools are looking at to help their students with behavior concerns or sensory disabilities.

Meditation is a form of concentration that allows one to focus on one thing and detach from the world around them. Although meditation is not the resolve for all problems, it can change how you approach a tough situation or how you view your issues.

There are many benefits to meditation. They range from enhancing learning, calming anxiety or controlling negative emotions. It is believed that if one starts the day with meditation, it sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Here are 3 proven benefits of meditation that can help you get through a stressful day.

Stress Reducer – When we are faced with a stressful situation, our bodies automatically go into fight or flight mode. These responses cause our body to go into overdrive. Our hormones are all over the place. Our blood pressure is up and down, our breathing speeds up and we are dealing with anxiety.

One thing we know is that stress creates agitation. Studies have proven that if you have the ability to control your emotions, you have the ability to reduce your stress. Meditation helps with that. Besides, we can all use a little less stress. in our lives.

Encourages a Healthy Lifestyle – Meditation is the practice of self-awareness and not doing harm to yourself. When you are aware of what you put in your body and the environment, you’re in, you become prone to wanting to introduce yourself to things that will be healthy for you.

Meditation opens your awareness to who and what are healthy for you, allowing you to choose positive experiences, healthier foods, and non-toxic people.

Meditation also decreases blood pressure, improves the immune system and lowers cholesterol.

Increases happiness – As it was stated earlier, meditation reduces stress. When people have less stress, they’re likely to be happier in life.

According to Ronnie Newman, director of research of health promotion, at the Art of Living Foundation, studies have shown that brain signaling increases in the left side of the brain, which increases positive emotion when a person performs meditation practices.

When people are happy, they increase their will to live a fulfilling life. They are aware of the relationships in their life and they try to live a positive life and share their happiness with others.

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