The whole world comes to a standstill when someone comes to know that or she has breast cancer. Though there are many treatment procedures for the killer disease today, it becomes almost obvious that the doomsday is near. Leave alone the tremendous pain one has to bear with, the very fear of death makes living life an uphill task.

Adding complementary therapies in the form of lifestyle changes and alternative medicines to your treatment plan can help you feel better and improve your prognosis. Oncologists are of the view that when it comes to breast cancer, conventional treatment procedures like surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and radiation are unavoidable. But adopting a few holistic health strategies offer effective healing benefits. Here are some health care tips that make living with breast cancer a bit easier:

Acupuncture: Stimulation of certain points on body activates key portions of the nervous system, resulting in the release of body's own pain-killers and a boost to immune system.

Dietary supplements: Apart from vitamins, minerals, and herbs, taking antioxidant supplements like turmeric help to negate the side-effects of chemotherapy. Other dietary supplements that show promise to breast cancer patients include curcumin, vitamin D3, and Maitake mushrooms.

Eat anti-inflammatory foods: Anti-inflammatory foods stop metastasis or spreading of cancer. Same is true for breast cancer. Eat more of salmon, walnuts, pumpkin seeds to prevent breast cancer.

Follow a detox-diet: Adding dark leafy green vegetables to the diet keeps kidneys and liver, the two major organs of human body, working properly so they can eliminate the harmful remains of chemotherapy drugs after they’ve done their job.

Stick to organic diet: Pesticides used during farming of non-organic crops are “xenoestrogens,” which stimulate the development of hormone-dependent tumors. So, it is always advisable to go the organic way, and start eating pesticide-free food. Regular exercise: There is no alternative to regular exercise. Sticking to a daily work-out schedule keeps immune system working in proper condition and detoxify at regular intervals.

Breast cancer, sounds terrifying and yes, is a very dangerous disease, as the worst result could lead to death of the person. But, if you get treated yourself at initial stages then there are higher chances of you to survive and you might get a complete cure for the disease. But for this you need to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer:

• Retraction of nipple, nipple turned inwards or sunken into the breast.
• Irregular shape of the nipples.
• Red rashes on the nipple and areola.
• Blood or fluid discharge coming out of the nipple.
• Change in size and shape of the breast.
• Breast feels warm to the touch.
• Breast looks scaly, swollen and red.
• Pain in the breast.

If any of the above symptoms has occurred to you or any other unusual sign that you have noticed around your breast which is making you feel uneasy, concern your doctor immediately. Do remember that recognizing cancer at an earlier stage is much better than finding it out at advanced stage. And do not take the symptoms lightly. It is always suggested by the doctors to change the breast, specially the nipple portion of the breast. If you have observed retraction of the nipples or nipples discharging any sort of fluid or blood, then in this case these might be potential signs of cancer.

Moreover, another thing which is to be considered is that the symptoms for breast cancer might not come that early the moment you contracted the disease, which is why it is advisable for you to go for a regular body check up, specially older age women, as there are higher chances of contracting such cancer.