How to examine your breast- on TV for the first time!
With the sharp rise in breast cancer, there is a great need to make the public aware of this cancer, which affects close to 1 in 9 women after the age of 65. The cancer can be cured when it is picked up early and one of the chief ways to identify it early is self examination of the breast. Many women still do not regularly examine their breasts and often present late to the physician. This morning ABC 7 News announced the airing of a live breast self examination show. For some time, several journalists and health care workers have been working at ABC 7 to bring the first such visual presentation on Washington TV,” Touch of life: the guide to self breast examination.”
Recent surveys indicate that many women still have no idea how to do a proper breast exam. Breast self examinations are vital if one is going to identify the cancer at an early stage. The other reason is that many health insurance companies do not pay for routine mammograms in women under the age of 40. While breast cancers are not common in this group; when they do occur the prognosis is usually poor.
Says Surgical oncologist Shannon Lehr of the Inova Breast care institute, “It’s recommended a women do a self exam in the days after her period ends. For those who are post-menopausal, it can be the same day each month.” She further adds, “Breast cancer knows no age,” and early diagnosis gives the best chance for survival.
This episode of “baring the breast” hopefully won’t be rated as lewdness by the FCC since the Janet Jackson fiasco a few years ago. To ensure that the TV channel does not get into trouble with FCC rules, the show is set to be shown after 11 pm.