Health - Breast Cancer Prevention

October is Breast Cancer awareness month.  It would not be right for me to let the month pass and not pass along what I have learned about breast cancer.  Breast Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for women after skin cancer.  It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States, next to lung cancer.  Last year alone, there were over 200,000 new cases diagnosed and over 40,000 deaths from this disease.

The risk of developing breast cancer doubles if a close family member has had it and while we have all heard of a strong genetic link to breast cancer, 70-80% of these cancers develop in women who have NO family history.  The incidence is on the rise.. 30 years ago, 1 in 10 women developed, breast cancer, but did you know that now 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime? It does not just affect women, although they are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer, the incidence in men is growing as well, with over 200 new cases in med diagnosed each year.

While we all know that early detection is certainly important to long term survival, what the doctors do not teach you is that there are ways to assist your body to prevent it.

We all carry health insurance in order to limit our financial liability in case of just this sort of tragedy.  But even more important is to have some sort of plan or insurance to lower our risk of acquiring it in the first place, thereby preventing the pain and suffering that no health insurance can affect.

So what are the risk factors for developing breast cancer?  How can we lower our risk of acquiring this disease?

Risk factors can be divided into those we can control and those we cannot control.  There are four kinds of risk factors.   Genetic, Environmental, Lifestyle choices and Nutritional

Genetic risk factors are things you cannot control and include

• Family history of breast disease,
• Personal history of benign breast conditions,
• Early onset of puberty & menstrual cycle
• Late onset of menopause

Environmental factors include 

• radiation exposure, especially to the chest
• exposure to estrogen hormones in our food,
• Exposure to vehicle exhaust and air pollution.
• Exposure to the aluminums found in our anti-perspirants has been implicated in the development of breast cancer. (3/4 of all breast cancer tumors are located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast - suggesting deodorant usage may just be influencing this)
• Most recent literature suggests that even wearing underwire bras can limit the lymphatic drainage of the breast tissue, thereby threatening breast health.

Lifestyle behaviors that increase the probability of developing this disease include

• smoking,
• lack of exercise,
• alcohol intake
• late childbearing or not bearing children
• Hx of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement use

Nutritional factors contributing  to the incidence:

• high fat diet,
• high sugar,
• diet low in fruit and veggies
• Weight gain near menopause,
• obesity and excess body fat

 Recommendations for diet

• Low fat diet with 15-20% of calories from fat
• Increase fiber foods 20-35 grams a day
• Nine + servings of fruits/veggies per day
• Cruciferous and carotenoid veggies and fruits… carrots/broccoli
• Higher protein diet
• Eat organic meat
• Dairy products from grass fed cows that are not fed the hormone rGBH

 The following individual nutrients have also been identified as important in the prevention of breast cancers.

• Good quality Anti-oxidant supplements including recommendations for:  bioflavanoids such as green tea, bilberry, grape seed extract, bromelain, and all the B vitamins.  Anti-oxidants fight the damage from free radicals that can alter genetic information and cause cellular mutation.
• Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 and other essential supplements are needed.  (Carotenoids:  lycopene, lutein, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene)
• Mineral supplements are very important.  It is said that 90% of all diseases can be traced to deficiency in one or more essential minerals.  Important ones include calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, chromium, copper, manganese, iodine, silicone, boron.

Additional recommended supplements include:

• Coenzyme Q10
• Grape Seed Extract
• Vitamin E
• Flax Seed oil or Fish oil for Omega 3s   also called essential fatty acids.
• Melatonin
• Selenium

So we must:

• Limit alcohol intake
• Quit smoking
• Exercise regularly
• Lose weight.
• Change our diets

 We can also choose to:

• Reduce our exposure to toxins and environmental danger and help our immune system by cleansing ourselves of impurities and toxins. 

• Give our bodies the right nutritional building blocks to create a healthy immune system and improve our overall health and these must come from adequate supplementation.
•  Change our mindset about anti-antiperspirants and use a natural deodorant... especially important to begin our teenage and pre-teen girls out with something that won't harm them in the long run.
• Limit our wearing of underwire bras... If you have not tried a Coobie Bra yet, you owe it to yourself to give one a try.  The most comfortable bra there is... support, coverage, cute, and no underwire.  I know they are sold at a little store in Des Moines called Finders Keepers in many styles and colors!  At least give your body a break from the underwire once in a while when you can.

When deciding on supplementation, one challenge is that many of the supplements on the market are not pharmaceutical grade, not independently tested for potency, and not formulated for maximum absorption.  They are not all created the same! You need to find a good nutritional system that provides all the above with high grade, high quality, whole food based supplements.  If you are using chemically based over the counter vitamins, you may even be doing yourself more harm than good. 

They need to be safe, free of contaminants and contain consistent and accurate dosage.

In conclusion, breast cancer is a potentially fatal form of cancer that will destroy the lives of many women and men.  While early detection is important to survival, prevention of breast cancer and all other cancers is the ideal solution. 

By controlling both our internal and external environments, making lifestyle changes, and finding the right nutritional support, we can help our bodies to have optimum health and resist the onset of many diseases, including many breast cancers.

I am so grateful to have found good quality nutritional supplementation.  I have found a kind of health insurance even more valuable than the type I purchase through Blue Cross.  A healthy and active immune system is key to healthy aging, disease prevention, and long term survival.  I want to be here to see my great great grandchildren graduate from high school and get married.  There is just a whole lot more of this life that I want to live.

Why not make October the month you choose to commit to change and begin your journey to living to a healthier old age?