October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer screening can save lives

By Angela Reed-Smith

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month — an important time for women to learn more about how to detect breast cancer early and when to get regular checkups and screenings.

It is never too early to take charge of your health, and women of all ages should take steps to know their risks for breast cancer and get screened as appropriate. Planned Parenthood provides breast cancer education and screening to hundreds of thousands of women across the United States, and we recommend that all women take a few simple steps for early detection.

First, find out if you’re at risk for breast cancer. Talk to your family. You may be at risk if your mother, sister, or grandmother had breast or ovarian cancer, and you should tell your health care provider about your family history.

No matter how old you are or what your family history is, make healthy choices that can reduce your risk of breast cancer. Maintain a healthy weight, and make exercise a part of your life. Breastfeed if you can. Limit alcohol and don’t smoke.

We encourage women of all ages to practice breast self-awareness, which means knowing what your breasts normally look and feel like. Talk to a health care provider as soon as possible if you notice any changes.

Finally, women should get regular checkups and screenings as appropriate for their age and family history. Planned Parenthood and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend a clinical breast exam as part of a well-woman visit every one to three years for women ages 20 to 39, and every year for women 40 and over.

If a woman has a family history of breast cancer or other medical conditions, her clinician may recommend more frequent screening. Planned Parenthood and ACOG recommend that most women get yearly mammograms starting at age 40.

This year, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more women than ever will begin to have access to preventive care and checkups that can help them take control of their breast health. Millions of women are now eligible to enroll in new, more affordable health insurance plans, and will have access to preventive care, including breast exams, without a co-pay.

Twenty-seven million currently insured women have already benefited from access to fully covered women’s preventive services, including breast exams and mammograms thanks to health care reform. When the law goes into full effect, 47 million women will benefit from this provision.

The new law also means that health insurance plans will no longer be able to deny anyone coverage based on pre-existing conditions like breast cancer. This will help women who have overcome breast cancer continue medical care for a more healthy future without fear of losing insurance coverage or going bankrupt.

Early detection is critically important, and the work that Planned Parenthood health center doctors and nurses do helps to identify potential cancers early — when it’s most treatable. Every year, Planned Parenthood health centers provide 640,000 clinical breast exams at health centers across the country, helping women take charge of their health and get the care they need.

Angela Reed-Smith is the Senior Vice President of Patient Services at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, which has 19 health centers in the region. For more information visit planned.org or call 1-888-743-7526

The heartbreak of psoriasis

By Mark Parikka, National Psoriasis Foundation volunteer

Whether or not you’re old enough to remember that television ad – the heartbreak of psoriasis – you may not be aware how truly heartbreaking this disease is to the estimated 7.5 million Americans who suffer from psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, with nearly 77,000 San Diegans and one million Californians in that total.

As a volunteer with the National Psoriasis Foundation and a sufferer of the disease, I know all too well what this disease can do to a person. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that appears on the skin and is linked to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, to name a few.

Diagnosed six years ago, I have gone through my share of ups and downs, including a weeklong hospital stay in late 2007 due to a severe psoriasis flare. Recovery was slow, but thanks to heavy-duty medication, my disease is under control.

I am actively involved with the National Psoriasis Foundation. Most people don’t understand this disease, the toll it takes on you. It’s not just the physical manifestation on your skin, but what’s going on under the skin, the very deep psychological and emotional tolls you deal with everyday.

I’ve been volunteering for five years. I want to find a cure. That’s my main motivation for volunteering with the foundation and the annual San Diego Walk to Cure Psoriasis. I also want to help raise awareness about the disease, to let people know it is not just a skin disease and it is not contagious.

Fortunately people are hearing more about psoriasis now that celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Phil Mickelson are discussing their psoriasis publicly. There are pharmaceutical companies now advertising drugs used to help manage the disease and they use celebrity spokespeople. Kardashian has plaque psoriasis on her skin while pro golfer Mickelson has psoriatic arthritis, a painful inflammation of the joints that impacts about 30 percent of those who have psoriasis.

In late July, the Psoriasis Foundation held its leadership conference at a downtown Chicago hotel. The conference presented forums and workshops where participants could learn more about psoriasis. Among the workshops was an informative presentation from psoriasis researchers on the latest accomplishments toward finding a cure, a panel discussion on the opportunities and barriers for those with psoriasis and an advocacy and networking forum.

There also was a chance to walk through the exhibit hall and visit with pharmaceutical company representatives and vendors who were present at the conference. And, at a volunteer luncheon, the volunteers were thanked for their many contributions to the National Psoriasis Foundation.

Awareness is the key to understanding our disease, and that’s why August’s National Psoriasis Awareness Month is so important. I look forward to the day that a cure is found and no awareness month is needed. I urge everyone to join the seventh annual Walk to Cure Psoriasis on Oct. 12 in Old Town San Diego.

There is also an informative workshop where individuals can learn more about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This annual, no-cost event – More than Skin Deep – was Sept. 7 in San Diego. Sponsored by the National Psoriasis Foundation, it included presentations by local dermatologists and rheumatologists.

— More information about San Diego events is available at psoriasis.org or on Facebook at Walk to Cure Psoriasis SD.