Bio-identical Hormone Therapy and Sage Advice 4 Women from
S.L. Oleson-Duncan, MSN,NP
4060 4th Avenue
Suite 640
San Diego, CA 92103
ph: 619 299-3111
fax: 619 299-3126
Breast Health
SAGE ADVICE FOR BREAST HEALTH
There are many health related changes that can be instituted by women that will reduce the risk of breast cancer. Breasts are not cancer waiting to happen and the sooner that women realize this and respect and honor this part of their bodies, stop fearing them, and start making healthy lifestyle changes that can reduce their risks, women will start to make a difference in the course of this disease. According to Dr. David Zava , PHD and the late Dr. John Lee, MD in their book, What Your Doctor May or May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer, medicine has not been able to do this in the last 50 years.
The key to addressing this disease is in prevention. We must go on the offensive and make the changes that may make the difference. Then add the other recommendations such as breast thermograms, breast ultrasound and self breast exams to our everyday strategies to insure breast health. I am waiting for the paradigm to shift to thermograms and ultrsound for breast screening and the use of mammograms and MRI’s for diagnosis of abnormal ultrasound and thermography findings. A screening tool is supposed to be able to gather the most information at the lowest risk of harm. Digital mammograms are still radiation. Radiation exposure is cumulative. (Yes, we are exposed to radiation everywhere, not just for diagnostic testing. Don't get me started on Cell phones!)
The current recommendation is for a mammogram every 1-2 years between age 40 and 50, every year after age 50 and every 3 years after age 70. (There is a British study which shows that women who have mammography under age 25 are more likely to develop breast cancer in their lives.) I believe that this is true because hormone balance is not as stable in our early years. If hormones are also not stable in peri-menopause and early menopause it seems that the same risk would exist. (I would love for research to be done on this.) With a family history of breast cancer, additional surveillance with breast ultrasound is recommended. BRACA gene testing is recommended for those women who have 1st degree relatives with breast cancer under age 50.
First of all, in understanding the concept of Body-Mind medicine, you are what your mind believes you are. The thoughts that you have affect the parts of the body that those thoughts address. So send your breasts the clear message that you love, respect and will keep them safe. Sounds pretty weird, huh? Then you need to read some of the research addressing this kind of very strong medicine.
But whether you are a believer or not, you can follow these simple tips and put yourself at lower risk for developing breast cancer.
1. Make sure your hormones are well balanced. Salivary testing can provide information regarding how well your body is making its hormones and if you have deficiencies or excess of certain hormones that increase your risks. The function of estrogen in breast is to promote growth. The function of progesterone is to mature cells so that in the presence of adequate nutrients including iodine, cells can die the way they are programmed. If cell death does not occur as it should, you have cells in DNA limbo waiting for free radicals or zeno-estrogens (these are bad estrogens in our food and environment.) to come and initiate cancer growth.
Iodine is one of the crucial minerals needed for cell death or apoptosis. Iodine sources in food come from the sea: safe sources of fish, kelp, dulse should be part of our daily diet. If our diet is not sufficient, our cells are at risk. We should be supplementing with Iodine at 5 -50 milligram doses. (Not the FDA recommendations of 150 micrograms which was set to prevent goiter, not promote health.) Supplementing with Iodine and its risks and side effects are discussed in the Thyroid section of this web site. Persons who may have autoimmune thyroid issues must take care in using iodine and be closely monitored as it may worsen their conditions.
2. Eat as many organic fruits and vegetables daily as possible. These natural antioxidants help to prevent or mitigate damage caused by the free radicals that are formed by our bodies and assault us every day from our environment- water, food, and air. (Yes, we can also try to cut them down by purifying our inside air supply, buy only organic foods, filter our water, etc.)
Use no milk products that contain Bovine Growth hormones. Raw milk that has not been pasteurized has the most nutrients. Find milk from safe sources that can be trusted.(Organic Pastures is available from Whole Foods and Henry's)
Eat only fermented Soy products like tempeh , natto and miso.
Flax seeds- whole, stored in the refrigerator, and daily ground and added fresh to cereals, salads, etc.(2 Tablespoons a day)
Buckwheat and gluten free whole grains
Organic raw vegetables and fruits( Juice Plus has 16! www.jp4wellbeing.com)
These mild estrogens are then in your body taking up all the estrogen receptor sites in your cells everywhere, not just in your breasts. Then when your body is exposed to the stronger dangerous estrogens found in pesticides like PCB’s, these estrogen sources have fewer places to be mischievous.
3. Don’t wear a bra that causes lines on your breasts. Anything that decreases normal circulation to every part of the breast deprives that tissue of its optimal health. Do not use antiperspirants and deodorants all the time or at all if possible. Our bodies are removing unwanted toxic substances in our sweat and from our lymphatic systems under our arms. We should be allowing as much of this activity to occur as possible. We want to get rid of toxins, not hold them in. There are 20 - 30 lymph glands under the arm performing this work for us. One natural remedy to use for odor can be made by applying lemon juice to the arm pit. (I carry alcohol swabs for emergencies too.)
4. If you choose to expose breast tissue to radiation, take higher than usual doses of anti-oxidants and curcumin 500 mg supplements, especially 1 week before and 4 weeks after a mammogram to minimize free radical exposure. Homeopathic Arnica 30x can be used to minimize bruising that is caused by the compression of mammography. Take it orally or topically as directed the day before and every 20 minutes the day of the mammogram.
5. If you need contraception and the best choice for you is hormonal contraception, the risks of pregnancy out weigh the risks of hormonal contraceptive methods. You should know that the goal of hormonal contraception is to prevent ovulation. When we ovulate, we produce progesterone. Progesterone is responsible for maturation of breast cells as mentioned above. Progestins which are the chemicals altered to provide for contraception are not progesterone. If you are not ovulating , you are not making progesterone (our adrenal glands only produce small amounts of progesterone). There is evidence that increases in metalloproteinases (MMPs) are responsible for the increase in breast cancer associated with progestin exposure. If you take hormonal contraception, you can use over the counter Progesterone cream and apply directly to breasts for two or three days during your menses. ( One of my patients suggested that this would be a good time to do your self breast exam. Ideally days 7 to 10 of the cycle are best. But if you tend to forget, this is a great way to always remember!) This will not interfere with contraception and will hopefully be enough to mature cells so they behave as they should. This makes physiological sense but I have not found any research to confirm this theory.(This is another study that needs to be done.)
- What is thermography?
Breast thermography was FDA approved for breast surveillance in 1982. It uses infrared technology to identify areas of increased heat patterns caused by neo vascular tissue that may be the beginning of cancer. or indicative of estrogen dominant changes that may predispose the tissue to cancer formation.
It is a type I FDA approved screening test for breast cancer. This means that it is not a stand alone screening test. Mammography is a stand alone test. Yet, statistically, mammography misses statistically 10% of masses bigger than a dime. In dense breasts, it is not sensitive enough especially if you are at risk for breast cancer because of your family history. You should add breast ultrasound to your mammogram to be most proactive.
There are many women who go without screening due to fear of radiation. For this population, thermography and breast ultrasound provide for non radiation breast screening.
Still the standard of care is mammography.
You should know your risks and learn about the screening that is available for you and make your best decision about what is most appropriate for you.
- What is the best timing of breast surgery and biopsies?
There is convincing literature about the timing of breast surgery and biopsies. If you need to have a procedure done, it should be done in the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle. That is the second half of the cycle when progesterone is most high. Day 21 of a 28 day cycle should be the best because protective progesterone is at its highest. In a study of breast cancer patients who had surgery done in the luteal phase of the cycle verses in the early part of the cycle, there was a significantly greater 5 year survival rate when cancer was found if the surgery was done in the later part of the cycle.
If you are still on oral contraception which does not provide for progesterone support or if you are menopausal and do not have cycles you should apply progesterone cream to the breasts for one week prior to your procedure. If you are on hormonal contraception, another form of contraception would be the best course during your evaluation. If your cancer is estrogen dependent, estrogen exposure is not your friend. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, balancing your hormones is very important.
- Where can I find out more infomation about Thermography?
Please do your own research to learn more about the screening tools that are available now and the many exciting new technologies being developed. Below are some of the websites I have visited to augment my understanding. I have a notebook of thermography research in my office for you to read while you wait for me at your appointment. Ask for it at the desk if you do not have anything of interest to read!
www.fda.gov/commissionersfellowship/smith_bio.html
www.iact-org.org/professional/new-therm.tech.html
www.natural news.com/022227.html
www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/thermal_imaging.asp
www.thermographicdiagnosticimaging.com
- What if I have a family history of breast Cancer?
If you have a family history of breast cancer, the age of your relatives diagnosis is important. Breast cancer developed before age 50 is more perilous. There are ways to protect yourself nutritionally. You can get tested to see if you are a carrier of the genetic markers for breast and ovarian cancer.
A supplement called indole 3 carbinol (I3C) is adaptogenic to help balance hormones that may discourage the development of breast cancer. The concentrated form of I3C is called DIM.There is one product from Zymogen called Oncoplex that is excellent for breast protection.
But balancing your hormones is crucial, I can not stress this enough.
There are many sites testing for the genetic markers. If you have family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 you should take advantage of testing if you are willing to do the surgery to remove breasts prophylactically before you develop any cancer. If you would not do the surgery, then you should be doing everything possible to protect yourself from developing cancer. Good nutrition, including iodine( if not autoimmune hypothroid), and I3C and balancing your hormones are key. Do you see a trend here?
Thermography is good at identifying areas of hormonal imbalance that may then be addressed and monitored for improvement.
Look here for the following Sage Advice Breast health tips!
How to keep our breasts as healthy as we can in our toxic world?
What breast screening techniques are best for you?
Mammogram recommendations
Breast ultrasound recommendations.
What is thermagraphy?
How to minimize breast Cancer risk?
How can you make oral and topical birth control methods as safe as possible in terms of breast cancer?
If you need a breast biopsy, how do you minimize any spread or metastasis of a cancer if you have cancer?
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4060 4th Avenue
Suite 640
San Diego, CA 92103
ph: 619 299-3111
fax: 619 299-3126
