Hello all,
After much discussion with others and doing some of my own research, I was wondering what are your thoughts about whether drinking alcohol is connected to breast cancer. I know I sure enjoyed my wine on Friday and Saturday nights splitting a bottle with my husband and having friends over for nice meals. Drinking alcohol is a subject of much controversy and yet it is so much part of our culture. So, just wondering what are your thoughts and if you have read anything that discusses this or if your treatment team has discussed this with you? My oncologist has directly said that drinking alcohol, not getting enought exercise, and gaining weight are measures that we should take as a culture to prevent the disease but no one ever wants to talk about it because then people would say that we are blaming the breast cancer patient for their disease. I like my oncologist and will ask him challenging questions and after this much time treating me, he talks freely with me about hypothesis, research, and the big business of cancer treatment.
Or is it all just random? Like my primary care physician said, "I think it is just fate." I personally felt deflated when my PCP said that because what if we could prevent this horrible disease by having frank discussions and teaching the younger generations that your health care habits have more of a bearing on the dvelopment of cancer than just simple genetics such as the BRCA gene.
Then again, the wineries, restaurants, and beverage industry would go out of business and what would happen to our economy then? I know I am rambling a bit here but you all seem quite intelligent and objective so I am wondering what you are thinking.
Take care,
Jackie
Alcohol causes 20,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. annually - CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/.../alcohol-c...ancer-deaths-i...