Soapbox Alert! Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The wife showed me an article from a doctor's newsletter that she subscribes to about October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  In the article it raises some some very good points that I feel compelled to parrot here. Since most of my readership is women, this is a health issue that not only should concern each of us, but has, indeed, touched everyone at some point in our lives.  As a health topic, I think it has its place among these pages.

What does wearing pink or buying pink products do to further finding a cure for breast cancer?  Seeing NFL teams wearing pink or 5 Hour Energy selling its raspberry elixir in pink canisters is nothing more than big business capitalizing on our good intentions.  Okay, so a portion of sales may go to research, but if sales didn't increase to cover that percentage, these companies wouldn't get involved.  It's nothing more than a marketing campaign, not the corporate altruism it's couched as. The Susan G. Komen Foundation lists the likes of Tyson Foods as one of its corporate partners.  Avoiding factory-mass raised meats is one of the best things we can do to lower our risks of cancers.  KFC partnered with SGK to sell pink buckets of chicken.  REALLY?  Does anyone else see some incongruence here?  What's next?  Pink Marlboro Lights?

Shouldn't this be Breast Cancer PREVENTION Month?  Education about lifestyle changes should be the main focus.  Instead of spending your money on pink products you likely don't need, buy more veggies. Exercise more.  Swear off fast food, especially if it is wrapped in a pretty pink package that sports the iconic bow.  QUIT SMOKING! These are the things that should be highlighted in the month of October, not picking up chocolate-strawberry Kit Kats to save the boobies.

Rant over.  Thanks for listening.

Cya Staurday,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Potato, egg and lean chicken sausage. Decaf coffee
Lunch ~ Homemade chicken soup
Mid-afternoon ~ Apple with a smattering of bleu cheese (not a great choice considering I was going out to dinner tonight)
Dinner ~ Today is our 5th anniversary and The Wife and I went out to dinner.  I did enjoy one cocktail (Hey! It's National Vodka Day!), grilled shrimp and cantaloupe salad, and sesame crusted tuna with a side of broccoli rabe and roasted peppers.  Oh yeah.  I ate a roll too.  Bad Mike!
Exercise ~ My lower back is better, but between my shoulder blades has been on fire today.  I hope I can get back to the gym on Monday.