Every day I am grateful that early detection of breast cancer saved my mother’s life. As wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, it is important to make sure we are healthy and happy. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) is dedicated to just that—educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'd like to share some information that is sometimes overlooked when women talk about breast cancer… Here are five things you should know about this disease:

1. Increased exposure to estrogen can raise breast cancer risk. Dr. Oz recommends exercise to help decrease circulating levels of estrogen in the body. “Moderate daily exercise reduces breast cancer risk by 15 to 25 percent,” Dr. Oz says. Let’s get moving ladies!

2. Eating watercress can make a difference. When choosing your greens for the day, choose watercress! This leafy vegetable actually contains a compound that scientists believe may turn off an internal signal that promotes cancer cell development!

3. It’s not all about family history. Many women think that they are not at risk ofgetting breast cancer since they do not have a family history of the disease, but that is not entirely true. “Less than 10 percent of breast cancer patients get it because of a familial history,” according to breast surgical oncologist Kandace McGuire, MD, of the Breast Cancer Program of Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.

4. Smoking and second-hand smoke increase the risk of breast cancer. This is another great reason why we should not smoke and not tolerate second hand smoke either. A woman’s chance of contracting breast cancer increases by 6% if there’s any history of smoking, according to a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Click here to find out how secondhand smoke can also increase the risk of contracting the disease.

5. There is no link between deodorant and breast cancer. This myth is commonly believed among women, but the FDA has stated that there are no cancer-causing ingredients in antiperspirants and deodorants. Wear what you love most ladies!

What information can you add to this list? Tell me in the comments below.

Now you can help with the fight against breast cancer! Click the banner below to find out more:

Sources: Everyday Health, Women’s Day, USA Today, WebMD

Photo Credit: Flickr/Hummanna