October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Founded in 1985, the conception of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was to promote mammography and early dedication in women. Now over 30 years later, October is the month where we paint the town pink. From the popularized pink breast cancer ribbon to NFL players sporting pink cleats, it is hard not to be aware that the month marks Breast Cancer Awareness. But is awareness enough to make an individual impact? Can we be simultaneously aware and disillusioned? Are we culturally aware, but not self-aware? What role do you play in early detection and fighting for a cure?  

As a women’s health therapist and of course, as a woman, I have always been interested in women’s health, specifically what contributes to good overall health. When we think of women’s health, we tend to focus on a woman’s physical health, such as the biological structures (think: female anatomy and reproduction); the hormonal conditions, specific to women (menstruation and menopause), and life events (pregnancy and childbirth). However, a woman’s health is not exclusive to her biological and hormonal symptoms, it also includes social determinants that contribute to good health and mental health.