HEALTHY BREAST BASICS

Lifestyle Choices to Lower Disease Risks

by Sandra Yeyati

One in eight women in the United States develops breast cancer in the course of her lifetime. “Notably, only five to 10 percent can be blamed on inherited gene mutations, and merely 13 percent of women with breast cancer have a first-degree relative with a history of disease,” says Kristi Funk, a board-certified breast surgeon in Santa Monica, California, and medical director of PinkLotus.com. “It’s empowering to realize that the causes for the vast majority of breast cancer are under our control in the choices we make every day.” “Whenever you lift fork to mouth, you move closer to cancer, or farther away,” says the author of Breasts: The Owner’s Manual—a vegan proponent. “Plants, legumes and whole grains provide nutritional armor for your cells, decreasing cancer risk. They release molecules that scavenge free radicals, eliminate carcinogens, prevent and repair DNA damage, identify and destroy harmful cells, inhibit the supply of blood to tumors, stimulate the immune system, regulate hormone metabolism and reduce inflammation.” Funk recommends regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, soy, ground flaxseed, berries, matcha green tea, mushrooms, turmeric, aloe vera, garlic, onion, chives and cacao. Functional doctor Elizabeth Boham, the medical director of Dr. Mark Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, proposes a balance of animal and vegetable protein, as long as the animal sources are good, like eggs, salmon or grass-fed beef without antibiotics. “Organic, non-GMO soy like tofu

or edamame may decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer, but avoid bad soy that’s added to processed food, including soybean oils and soy lecithins,” she advises. “I also suggest cutting back on dairy for women at high risk of breast cancer because it naturally contains growth hormones, which may cause things to grow in our body that we don’t want to grow.”

Citing a clear association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk, Boham recommends eliminating or moderating drinks to no more than fi ve a week. She also highlights the importance of seven to nine hours of sleep and relaxation techniques to improve stress response.

Maintaining a healthy weight is also important. “Our body fat is where hormones get turned into estrogen, which has been associated with an increase in breast cancer,” Boham says, adding that 35 grams of fiber per day will feed healthy bacteria in the gut which helps eliminate used-up estrogen and other toxins. “Avoid xenoestrogens, too, which can act on the estrogen receptor, such as BPA in plastics and store receipts, parabens in skincare products and pesticides and herbicides on lawns and in non-organic foods.”

Boham suggests eliminating refi ned and processed carbohydrates like bread, white rice and cookies, which cause blood sugar to spike and the body to produce insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar aft er every meal. “Over time, people develop insulin resistance, causing it to produce even more insulin to do its job. Th ose high levels of insulin can encourage cancer growth,” she explains.

Carlos Garcia, M.D., director of the Utopia Cancer Center (UtopiaCancerCenter.com), in Oldsmar, Florida, and author of Cancer is a Symptom, uses liver and gallbladder fl ushes, colonic irrigations and coff ee enemas to help the body purge toxins. “Gut fl ora imbalances compromise the immune response and nutritional absorption. Yearly colonic irrigation with recolonization is essential in the prevention of disease,” he explains.

Some women experience breast tenderness or pain and lumpy, bumpy breast tissue; having dense breasts can increase breast cancer risk, Boham says, noting that too much caff eine or an iodine defi ciency can exacerbate these symptoms. She recommends consuming less coff ee and more iodine-rich foods like nori, kelp powder or seafood.

According to Boham, there isn’t enough good research to say that we should never wear underwire bras, but good lymphatic fl ow and circulation to the area is important and can be facilitated with daily movement, exercise and sweating to remove stuck toxins and support the detoxifi cation system.

Boham says many women fi nd their breast cancer during a self-exam. “Know your own body. If something looks or feels diff erent, if you feel a lump that shouldn’t be there or see a shift in the skin, a dimpling or a pulling, have it checked. It’s oft en nothing, but you could fi nd the cancer early, which makes all the diff erence in the world.”

Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati@gmail.com.

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Using Thermography for Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

by Sheila Julson

Breast thermography is a form of thermal imaging that uses an infrared camera to sense heat and record Breast thermography dates to 1956, when Dr. Ray Lawson, a Canadian surgeon, published “Implications of Surface Temperatures patterns of infl ammation and blood fl ow on or near the surface of the skin. Because it is noninvasive and does not involve radiation, thermography can be used as a risk assessment tool by identifying where infl ammatory problems are developing. Techniques such as mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rely primarily on fi nding an existing physical tumor. Th ermography works by detecting the heat produced by increased blood vessel circulation and metabolic changes associated with a tumor’s growth. By tracking variations in normal blood vessel activity, it may locate areas that suggest a precancerous state of the breast. Breast thermography is performed in a temperature-controlled setting. Patients will disrobe from the waist up, allow the surface of the breasts to cool to room temperature, and then raise their arms to have the images taken. On the thermogram images, “hot spots”, or infl ammatory responses from the body, appear red compared to surrounding tissue, which shows as yellow, green or blue. Th e fi rst session provides a baseline, or “thermal thumbprint”. Patients return for subsequent sessions to check whether patterns have changed. in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.” Th is paper included a picture of a large breast mass demonstrating temperature variation with surrounding breast tissue. Lawson’s hypothesis kicked off decades of research to advance breast thermography as a supplemental risk assessment tool for preventive wellness. Th e U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared thermography for use with another screening or diagnostic test such as mammography. It should not be used in place of mammography to detect, diagnose or screen for breast cancer.

Local Resources

Advanced Th ermal Imaging is located at 550 Coventry Dr., in Mechanicsburg (1-866-5223484; ATh ermalImaging.com). See listing, page 34.

Aqua Blue Wellness Center is located at 2435 Old Philadelphia Pike, in Smoketown (717656-8615; AquaBlueWellnessCenter.com).

Shalom Th ermography is located within Heath Chiropractic & Wellness Center at 14 W. Main St., in Landisville (717-530-5555; HeathChiropracticAndWellness.com).