Is it more appropriate to say “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”

“Breast Health Awareness Month”

The first implies a reactive position, the second a proactive position. Do you see the difference?

Maybe you’ve been touched by breast cancer in a friend or family member, even yourself. It can be confusing and daunting! I mean where does it come from and why our breasts?

I do know, that as a functional nutritional therapy practitioner, we must treat our bodies like a garden, improving the soil (nutrition and supplementation), eliminating weeds (toxin exposure), and maintaining homeostasis (exercise, sunlight, and meditation). Breast cancer doesn't happen overnight. Here are some other considerations we’d take into account if you were my client:

Nutritional deficiencies (without enough protein and B vitamins, the liver can’t process estrogen)
Xenoestrogens in the environment (compounds that can mimic estrogen)
Stress levels and radiation exposure (both have estrogenic effects)
Obesity (fat cells create their own estrogen)
Estrogen-only therapy
Elevated blood estrogen
Poor thyroid function
Removal of ovaries

Why the focus on estrogen? Well, according to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, “Studies have also shown that a woman’s risk of breast cancer is related to the estrogen and progesterone made by her ovaries (known as endogenous estrogen and progesterone). Being exposed for a long time and/or to high levels of these hormones has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.”

In addition to taking a close look at your hormonal and exposure profiles, we’d review your medications and take into consideration:

iodine levels
Vitamin D levels
inflammation
the natural aging process
and genetics.

Breast Screening Options

There are three main ways to monitor the health of your TA-TAs:

Ultrasound
Mammogram
Thermography

ULTRASOUND

Ultrasound therapy uses a wand-like device that moves over your skin to make images of your breasts. The transducer sends out sound waves that bounce off your breast tissue.

Upside:

Shows lumps, bumps, and cysts

Downside:

Does not detect micro-calcifications unless really large

MAMMOGRAM

Mammograms are x-ray images of the breasts, using low-dose radiation. It’s the method that doctors most widely recommended to middle-aged women—especially those with family histories of breast cancer.

Upside:

Detects small calcifications

Downside:

Gives off ionizing radiation
Can produce false negatives
Can produce false positives
Over-diagnosis and over-treatment (ductal carcinoma in situ)

THERMOGRAM

Thermography is a process in which a thermal camera captures abnormalities using infrared energy.

Upside:

Shows vascularity (blood supply); cancer is often vascular

Downside:

Doesn't show a clear picture of lump, bump, cyst, or calcification

Why Haven’t I Heard of Thermography?

When breast thermography (a.k.a. infrared mammography) was first explored, thermographic abnormalities in younger women were detected many times but mammograms did not detect any tumors. These results were considered “false positives,” and placed suspicion on thermography. Years later, in recall studies, 35% of these women had developed breast cancer. In addition, 41% of the women diagnosed with benign breast disease (such as fibrocystic breast) also developed breast cancer, thus validating its early warning role.

More than 800 peer-reviewed studies exist on breast thermography, involving more than 250,000 study participants describing its usefulness. The number of women in the studies range from 37,000 to 118,000, and some women were followed for up to 12 years. An evaluation of these studies revealed that breast thermography has an average sensitivity and specificity of 90% for detecting early changes in the breast that can possibly lead to cancer.

Breast thermography is able to show the early stages of a breast cancer forming which allows for prevention via lifestyle, hormone balancing and other changes as necessary. Unfortunately, many doctors are still unaware of the importance and accuracy of this technology as a preventative tool. Some doctors know how to respond when there is undeniable cancer but not where prevention is needed such as lifestyle and nutrition to avoid this disease. (REF: Guthrie, M, Thermobiological assessment of benign and malignant breast disease, Ann J. Obstet Gynecol 147:461, 1983)

Many of you know, that I stopped getting mammograms years ago, and now opt for Thermograms. If an abnormality is detected, an MRI is often the next step in detection.

In addition, for those of you with a pre-disposition, or family history, I recommend a supplement from Eco-Nugenics called “Breast Defend.” It is part of my daily supplement routine. (Click here to order it at a discount via my online dispensary Fullscript.)

Debunking Myths Around HRT and Breast Cancer

October Is Also Menopause Awareness Month! The number one reason why women avoid the use of hormone replacement therapy for relief of perimenopause and menopause symptoms is the fear of breast cancer. However, the latest news about breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy is actually quite encouraging.

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) released new guidelines this year that put these fears to rest. But first, why is it that so many women believe that estrogen increases breast cancer risk?

It’s because the medical community has been telling them that for more than 20 years, based on the flawed and misinterpreted conclusions from the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study. (This study used synthetic horse-derived oral estrogens, synthetic oral progestins, and included women who were chronically ill!)

Even with the oral synthetic horse estrogen and progestin formulation used in the WHI, the increased risk of breast cancer was less than one additional case of breast cancer per 1,000 women, per year (this risk is similar to the additional risk of drinking more than one glass of wine per day).

Even more interesting was that the group that received the horse estrogen only (without the synthetic progestin) actually showed a reduction in cancer rates.

What About Bio-identical Hormones?

The WHI study didn’t look at bio-identical hormones. but other studies have...

New studies from the UK have shown no increase in breast cancer diagnosis for women who used bio-identical estrogen and natural progesterone, and another study in France also showed that women who took bio-identical estrogen and progesterone had no increased risk of breast cancer, and actually had lower risk of all cause mortality than women who received no treatment.
How does all of this relate to the new North American Menopausal Society’s (NAMS) guidelines about the use of hormone therapy?

In their new guidelines, NAMS had said that “a preponderance of data does NOT show an additive effect of underlying breast cancer risk (age, family history, genetic risk of breast cancer, benign breast disease, personal breast cancer risk factors) and hormone therapy use on breast cancer incidence.”

In plain English, HRT and BHRT, when administered appropriately, do not increase breast cancer risk.

Now, we can’t say that women on hormone replacement will not get cancer. One in eight women, on average, get breast cancer regardless of whether they use hormone replacement therapy or not. However, those who do use hormone replacement therapy (dosed and delivered appropriately) have improved recovery rates.

In other words... We can’t look into a crystal ball and see who will get breast cancer, but we can safely say—even if you develop breast cancer while on hormone therapy, your outcome may actually be improved.

Additionally, the NAMS position statement noted a decreased risk of Alzheimers, dementia, diabetes, fractures, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality for women using menopausal hormone replacement therapy.

In other words, women who use hormone replacement therapy have less risk of dying from any chronic disease than those who do not.
Credit: Dr. Michelle Sands. The Healthy Hormone Club

IN addition to my Breast Defend supplement, I’ve been using essential oils for my breast health.

My naturopath recommended a particular blend of oils that I found in the doTERRA Immortelle blend. So every morning the “girls” get a double swipe of the Immortelle oil. It’s temporarily unavailable right now, but in a pinch, you can use Frankincense.

Here is one of a few studies that show the link between Frankincense and breast cancer prevention:

A 2011 study concluded that Boswellia sacra essential oil induces breast cancer cell-specific cytotoxicity.

References:
“The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society” Advisory Panel. The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2022 Jul 1;29(7):767-794. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002028. PMID: 35797481.

Cordina-Duverger E, Truong T, Anger A, Sanchez M, Arveux P, Kerbrat P, et al. (2013) Risk of Breast Cancer by Type of Menopausal Hormone Therapy: a Case-Control Study among Post-Menopausal Women in France. PLoS ONE 8(11): e78016. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078016

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