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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

                               Preventive Care Plan for Healthy Breasts

Healthy Diet = Healthy Breasts
There are many components to a healthy breast program. Many aspects, such as nutrition, can be implemented daily. Others may need weekly, monthly or yearly monitoring. Adapting a healthy breast diet may be the most important tool at your disposal, since you are regularly eating 2-3 meals per day and you usually have control over what nutrients you are putting in your body. Your top concern should be eating high quality proteins such as fatty fish, organic meat or chicken, legumes, lentils, raw organic nuts, and dairy fat such as organic butter, kefir, or whole organic yogurt. Many of these proteins contain usable fatty acids needed for healthy cell function. While eating fats may sound contrary to what you¹ve read in the media, remember these "good fats" burn "bad fats," so you needn¹t be concerned about eating these types of good "whole-fat" products. Taking supplemental antioxidants, such as selenium and Vitamin E, can significantly lower your risk of breast cancer.

Carbohydrates need to be looked at closely as well. Moderate to high usage of grain carbohydrates such as wheat, rice, potatoes, may over time, lead to insulin resistance, which could lead to Adult Type II Diabetes.  A better carbohydrate choice would be dark green vegetables, which are the most usable carbohydrates we can put in our bodies. And it goes without saying that soda; candy and other fast acting sugars should be avoided.

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The new "Gold Standard," breast thermography, offers earlier detection of breast disease than self-breast exams or mammography alone.

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The Detox Factor
By drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day, we are not only hydrating our cells but also starting a detoxification process to remove impurities from our cells caused by environmental and chemical pollutants.  Contaminants such as heavy metals, insecticides and toxic plastics often get stored at a cellular level and need to be flushed out of your system. Deep breathing, colonics, liver flushes and oxygen baths are all methods that can assist the body in detoxing areas of importance such as skin, intestines, kidneys, liver, lymph, lungs. Other proactive formulas for healthy breast care include daily exercise programs such as rebounding, walking, and connecting with nature. These lead to a positive daily living environment.

Other Areas of Concern
Hidden bacterial infections, especially in the mouth, are another source of stress on healthy breast tissue. The Natural Medicine Clinic offers a dental hygiene program to its clients.  It is also important that we keep a balanced blood Ph so as not to increase fungal, viral, or protozoan pathogens which thrive in an acidic environment. A healthy diet of alkaline foods will assist in this process.  Correcting hormone imbalances has proven to slow down the rate of Angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels and/or abnormal cells). By eliminating these risk factors, we decrease the percentage of breast disease which is rising at rates never seen before. Also promoting healthy bacteria through the use of probiotics will not only increase healthy colon flora, it will also increase immunity against abherant cells.

Cutting-Edge Diagnostic Methods
Let us not forget the importance of self-breast exams. Other well-known avenues of diagnosis are mammogram and ultrasound, though studies have shown mammograms are no more effective than self-breast examination. The earliest detection device available for breast care is actually the Digital Infrared Thermography Camera. This device defines physiological responses through heat detection to find early warning signs that may not be picked up on mammograms. Detection of  Angiogenesis may be seen from 1-8 years earlier than a palpable breast nodule.  Breast thermography is a non-invasive procedure that does not require painful compression of the breasts, or touching of any kind for that matter. Plus, it provides real-time information to the doctor on the patient¹s breast health.

Thermography is sensitive to the physiological abnormalities that take place in very early-stage breast cancer. Unlike mammography, ultrasound, or MRI, which detect anatomical features such as a mass, (that is once it becomes large enough to be detected), Thermography responds to unique changes in the breast tissue that are associated with the process of angiogenesis. Studies have shown that angiogenesis, (abnormal cells begin the formation of their own blood supply), can start 10-12 years before a cancerous lesion is large enough to be detected by the above mentioned conventional means, making this one of the best methods available for early detection.

Advantageous for Young Women Too
While thermography is useful for all women, it is particularly useful for women with dense breasts (estimated to be 30-40% of women), who cannot get a reliable mammogram. Women in the 20-40 year old range (who generally do not receive mammograms) are now able to get a baseline breast health profile, with a Breast Thermogram. Since young women do not regularly monitor their breast health (except for breast self-exam or clinical breast exam), many only find cancer when it is in advanced stages. Breast Thermography will provide their doctor with more breast health information than can be provided by a clinical exam alone.  

New "Gold Standard"
At the Natural Medicine Clinic we consider this type of technology to be the new "Gold Standard" for the earliest detection available. Early occurrences can be changed or morphed back to healthy tissue by the aforementioned components of a healthy breast program. Insurance carriers are also seeing the advantages of early detection and its cost effectiveness, with an increased number now covering thermography. By focusing attention on important health details, we are assured to see the rate of breast disease decreasing over the next ten years as we build new modules of healthy breast care.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Remember to check your breasts monthly as well as obtaining an annual examination by your doctor. Early detection is the best way to stay healthy.

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