A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, self-examination of the body, and early diagnosis are the key factors to protect the lives of millions of women in Pakistan from the fatal disease of breast cancer.
This was stated by the medical practitioners and noted women while addressing an awareness seminar organized by the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) in collaboration with the Arts Council here on Friday. In her keynote speech, Dr Ayesha Hasan, Cancer Awareness Medical Officer of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, said that girls should be educated to promptly report to the doctor if there was any anomaly related to their reproductive health or physical well-being for early diagnosis of the women’s cancers.
She lamented that women in the urban areas had long forgotten the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining their health as healthy foods like green leafy vegetables and fish were seldom eaten. She underlined the importance of adopting the regular practice of self-examination of the body to detect any early signs of breast cancer.
She advised the audience that they shouldn’t ignore any early signs or symptoms of breast cancer as the timely diagnosis of the fatal disease could save many lives.She said that there were many social myths attached to breast cancer but one shouldn’t subscribe to them as they had no scientific basis as their adoption could delay the proper treatment of the disease. She said that women after developing the early symptoms of breast cancer shouldn’t hesitate from mammograms as the clinical procedure had no side effects as is as harmless as the x-ray of any body part. Dr Unaiza Niaz, a senior psychiatrist, suggested that cancer treatment facilities in the country should hire the services of a psychologist for maintaining the emotional and mental health of female cancer patients who had to face enormous stress.
She said that emotional support from the male members of the family of a breast cancer patient would go a long to show courage and keep her morale high to undergo the treatment and defeat the disease.
