Did You Know October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
  Contributed by: Kathryn Manzel, Pharm.D. Candidate
                        University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy

As many of you may already know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer among women.  Each year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 40,000 women in the United States lose their battle with breast cancer. Currently, there are 2 million women in the United States who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  Although we commonly associate breast cancer diagnosis with women, men can get breast cancer as well.  This year roughly 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

What are some risk factors for developing breast cancer?
Risk factors increase a person's chance of getting a disease.  Although there are risk factors associated with breast cancer, it is not certain what exactly causes the disease.  Some women may have many risk factors and never be diagnosed with breast cancer, while others may have breast cancer with no risk factors.  Here are some risk factors associated with breast cancer:

• Gender: Breast cancer is 100 times

more common in women than in men.

• Age: Breast cancer increases with age.
  
• Family History: Breast cancer risks increase in those with mothers, sisters, or daughters who have the disease.
  
• Early Menstruation and Late Menopause: Women who have their first menstrual period before 12 years of age or who experience menopause after 55 years of age have a greater chance of getting breast cancer.
  
• Pregnancy: Women who have not had children or who have had their first child after the age of 30 have a higher risk of breast cancer.
  
• Diet and Exercise: Women who are overweight have a higher incidence of breast cancer.  Exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
  

all women should have a clinical breast exam every three years.  This can be performed by a family physician or gynecologist.  Beginning at the age of 40, all women should have a mammogram performed yearly and a clinical breast exam performed yearly.  Women with a strong family history of breast cancer should talk to their healthcare provider because they may need to be screened more often or sooner in life.

Where can you get more information?
Your health care providers have information regarding breast cancer and are a great resource.  There are also many websites available.  Here are a few websites with information regarding statistics, risk factors, detection, treatment, and support for those who are fighting breast cancer.

• www.komen.org
  
• www.nationalbreastcancer.org
  
• www.cancer.org
  

Is that Pink Eye? (continued)
  Contributed by: Zsuzsanna Vamos, Pharm.D.
                        Balls Food Stores

Helpful hints for applying medications to the eye.

• Giving eye drops to children who hate it: Tell the child to lie down with the eyes closed place 1-2 drops in the inner corner of the eye next to the nose one eye at a time. Tell the child to open the eye while still lying flat. When your child opens his/her eyes the medicine flows into the eye.
  
• Use eye drops and eye ointments exactly as they are prescribed.

Wash your hands with soap and water before and after applying drops or ointment in your eyes.

• An alternative way for applying eye ointments instead of squeezing directly into the eye: you can place a small strip of ointment on your clean dry finger (washed with soap and water) pull down the lower eye lid to form a little pouch and place the ointment into the eye from your finger. It is a lot less likely to touch or poke the eye with the tip

of the ointment tube this way.

• Do not touch the tip of the eye drop/ointment container to anything because it will not be sterile anymore. Do not use eye drops that were prescribed for someone else. Do not keep leftover old eye drops for later use. Chances are it will not be sterile anymore when you decide to use it again.