Fourteen Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

Home
>
Breast Cancer
>
Fourteen Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

Fourteen Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

1. Increase your consumption of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.

2. Avoid using any pesticides or chemical sprays in your home. Try to avoid new carpet.

3. Avoid drinking tap water.

4. Decrease alcohol consumption.

5. Start an exercise program.

6. Increase consumption of organic whole grains and fiber.

7. Decrease meat, poultry and fish consumption.

8. Stop smoking.

9. Increase consumption of phytoestrogens from organic sources.

10. Decrease or stop consumption of processed foods.

11. Avoid trans-fatty acids found in margarine and some vegetable shortenings.

12. Take two capsules of organic flaxseed oil daily or just add a teaspoon of flaxseed oil to your daily organic salad.

13. If you are pregnant definitely breast feed.

14. Gets lots of sunshine as breast cancer is less prevalent in areas where there is ample sunlight unobscured by fog or smog.

Discussion:

As a retired diagnostic radiologist who read way too many mammograms I am excited because I finally have a path to try to connect to so many women who are having and have had mammograms.I was always chagrined since we would really torture and radiate many breasts but it was as if these breasts were not connected to a human type person. It bothered me that so many mammography programs make no effort at all to educate their clientele about what "they can do" to reduce their risks of breast cancer. I would suggest to the directors of these programs that we try to educate the patients and their response was 100% predictable. They would always first deny the relationship between diet and breast cancer and then add that their patients would not listen anyway.

Increasing your consumption of fresh organic fruits and vegetables has been shown to reduce the risk for breast cancer.

"There is strong evidence from epidemiologic studies that eating more fruits and vegetables decreases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. This conclusion is strengthened by the similar results obtained from animal studies and experiments using isolated breast cells." Quoted from the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. They go on to recommend uncooked fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is the heating damages some of the beneficial nutrients in the fruits and vegetables. Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli and spinach top the list for being most protective. The Cornell study however does not stress the fact that these need to be "organic." Non-organic commercial fruits and vegetables besides being largely nutritionally bereft are also heavily sprayed with a wide variety of toxins.

The relationship between pesticides and other toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene and cancer has long been established. There are better ways to rid your house of undesired guests than using chemical sprays. It sounds difficult but even if you can't get rid of all your pests you will live a longer and healthier life if you refrain from spraying. New carpet is another source of extremely toxic chemicals that "off gas" for at least a year or so after it is installed. Try to avoid new carpet especially in children's rooms.

Avoid tap water unless you live either in Lake Tahoe or Ithaca, New York. The tap water here in Tucson is CAP water that travels in an open trough from the Colorado River. It is loaded with fungicides / herbicides not to mention all the chlorine added once it gets here. While bottled or filtered water may not be perfect,you will considerably reduce your risk for any cancer by avoiding most tap water.

There is a little debate about the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. However, the consumption of any simple sugars such as occur in most alcoholic beverages is associated with decreased T-cell mobility and thus some immune compromise. I still have an occasional beer but that is the only sugar I ingest. The general consensus however, is that it is best to reduce alcoholic beverage consumption as much as possible.

Exercise has been proven in multiple studies to enhance the immune system. In order to be beneficial I would recommend thirty minutes at least three times a week. This should be exercise that elevates the heart rate and keeps it there for the thirty minutes. Running is good if you are not biomechanically impaired. Cycling and swimming are also good alternative and or exercise machines.

Increased consumption of organic grains and fiber has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Decrease your meat, fish, poultry and dairy consumption. Animal protein has been linked to all the big three killers in this country as well as osteoporosis. For more on this see the "China Study" by T. Colin Campbell and "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins. Stop smoking is really a "no brainer" here. Smoking is associatedwith a variety of cancers and there is now strong evidence that cancer of the breast is one of them.

Consume more phytoestrogens from soy products like tofu. "Women with diets rich in phytoestrogens also excrete more estrogens into their urine, and have lower blood estrogen levels. Some studies have shown that women with a diet rich in phytoestrogens have longer, and hence fewer, menstrual cycles. All of these factors may contribute to reduced breast cancer risk. " This quote from the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. Please be sure that any soy products you consume are organic.

In conclusion there are many ways to reduce your chances of breast cancer. I have presented the above from a more subtle point of view. When my wife (now ex-wife) developed a lesion in her left breast back in 1995 we put her on an organic vegan diet. Soon we cut out all sugar and increased her running mileage. She still has her left breast although there is still some skin retraction. My good friend and world class flamenco dancer Carmen Heredia died in her early forties from breast cancer and its treatment. Best not to get breast cancer at all.

For more information on the relationship between diet, health and exercise please go to: http://www.drmericle.com

For more information on cooking and food preparation without animal products please go to: http://www.drmericle.com/fscook3c.php

http://www.DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.

In The News:

Medical Tactile, Inc. Announces a 3G-Wireless System for Breast Cancer Screening
MarketWatch (press release)
According to a publication funded by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, 1.6 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and 425000 women died from the disease. Although early detection is the best means to a good prognosis for breast ...

and more »

Al-Arabiya
Rusty Link: The Lackluster Science Behind the Abortion–Breast Cancer Connection
Slate Magazine
Now, providers there must inform pregnant women about “the possibility of increased risk of breast cancer following an induced abortion,” the so-called ABC link. In the decade following Roe v. Wade, the occurrence of breast tumors in the United States ...
Saudi women take fight against breast cancer to Mount EverestAl-Arabiya
Breast cancer advocacy organizations target the under 45 patientThe Imperfect Parent
A woman's journey: destination Mount EverestPakistan Daily Times
New Zealand Herald -The Voice of Russia -HealthTechZone
all 12 news articles »

Jagran Post
Moderate Weight Loss Can Decrease Breast Cancer Risk
ABC News
Could moderate weight loss lower your chance of developing breast cancer? Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center think it's possible. The connection between obesity and breast cancer risk in women after menopause has long been ...
Dropping a Few Pounds Could Lower Breast Cancer RiskTIME
Small weight loss effectively reduces sex hormones linked with breast cancerFox News
Dieting May Lower Hormone Levels Tied to Breast CancerU.S. News & World Report
Jagran Post -Globe and Mail -Seattle Post Intelligencer
all 54 news articles »

ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)
Questions about Valley breast cancer charity, where donation money is really used
ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)
When Pat Elliot of Phoenix received what she called an "aggressive" call from a telemarketer representing The Breast Cancer Society, Inc., she was concerned. “It does not appear that patients with breast cancer are being served,” she said.

and more »

Firstpost
New breast cancer test to predict return of tumour post surgery
Daily News & Analysis
A breast cancer test that could spare thousands of women the ordeal of chemotherapy could be available in the UK this year. The test costs just £120 a time and can accurately predict whether a tumour is likely to return after it has been surgically ...
Now, a breast cancer test to predict if tumour will recurBusiness Standard
Find out cheap if breast cancer tumour will returnFirstpost

all 10 news articles »

Galena Biopharma's Breast Cancer Vaccine Sprouts More Red Flags
TheStreet.com
By Adam Feuerstein 05/22/12 - 02:23 PM EDT LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon (TheStreet) -- More red flags have been found staked into Galena Biopharma's(GALE) breast cancer vaccine NeuVax. Updated, 60-month follow-up results from a Neuvax phase II study scheduled ...
Galena Biopharma With Near Term ASCO CatalystSeeking Alpha

all 2 news articles »

Breast cancer clinical trial tests combo of heat shock protein inhibitor and ...
Medical Xpress
Researchers have theorized that inhibiting HSP90 just might render breast cancer cells less likely to escape the challenge posed by cutting off their ability to use estrogen. Such is the rationale for a new clinical trial that has begun enrolling ...

and more »

Breast MRI helps predict chemotherapy's effectiveness
Medical Xpress
Women with breast cancer often undergo chemotherapy prior to surgery. Research has shown that women who receive this treatment, known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, are more likely to achieve breast conservation than those receiving chemotherapy after ...
Breast MRI and Chemo EffectivenessIvanhoe

all 5 news articles »

Keeping breast cancer at bay: Doctors from China train at CentraState
News Transcript
PHOTO COURTESY OF CENTRASTATE MEDICAL CENTER Seven physicians from China traveled to New Jersey recently to learn about the latest imaging and interventional techniques to diagnose breast cancer as early as possible. From April 30 to May 5, ...

Sydney Morning Herald
Benefits of Hormone-Replacement Therapy Outweigh Risks, Reviews of Studies Show
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Much of that big government study was halted in July 2002 after data suggested that women taking estrogen-and-progestin replacement had a higher rate of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer than those on a placebo. Millions of women and their ...
Doctors rethink hormone therapySydney Morning Herald
Call for 'rational use' of hormone therapy near menopauseNew Zealand Herald
The rollercoaster ride of menopauseFond du Lac Reporter
WebMD.Boots.com -Telegraph.co.uk
all 191 news articles »

Google News