The good news is that breast cancer is a disease of long duration, and we have daily opportunities over a lifetime to make decisions that will encourage the body to get rid of cancer. ~ John R. Lee, M.D., “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer”
Cancer
Does breast cancer run in your family? Did you know that breast cancer is the second most common cancer found in women, accounting for one of every three diagnoses?[1] While this devastating disease calls for physician guidance, you may be able to prevent it by empowering yourself with numerous lifestyle choices and knowledge of certain nutrients.
Breast Cancer Defined
New cells constantly replace most body cells, requiring the replaced cells to die after a certain period of time. As new cells grow, they differentiate into the special type of tissue they were meant to be.
While there are numerous types of breast cancer, it generally occurs when breast tissue cells, which lose their ability to differentiate and die at a genetically predetermined pace, divide and grow without control and accumulate into a mass of extra tissue called a tumor. A malignant/cancerous tumor grows by eliciting new blood vessel growth and diverting the blood supply and nutrients from the surrounding healthy tissues (called angiogenesis). Usually more than one “insult” from a carcinogen (which may be a hormone, chemical, virus, radiation, and/or trauma) causes the damage to a normal cell’s genetic material that causes it to develop into a cancerous cell.
By the time a malignant breast tumor can be felt as a lump, it may have been growing for 8-12 years. Preventive measures such as a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle, nutritional supplementation, and exercise, are of primary importance against the development of cancer.
The Conventional Approach
Traditional medicine focuses on reducing the risk of dying from breast cancer. To promote early detection and treatment, conventional medicine strongly emphasizes annual clinical breast exams, mammograms, other diagnostic tests (i.e., sonograms, MRIs, and digital infrared thermal imaging), and monthly self-examinations. Unfortunately, mammogram frequency guidelines are varied, controversial & confusing: (1) American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists- women aged 40+ with average risk should be offered them annually (previously said women in their 40s could be screened every 1-2 years); (2) American Cancer Society/American College of Radiology- women aged 40+ with average risk should receive them annually; (3) U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2009) – women and their doctors should discuss whether to start mammograms in their 40s based on specific risk/benefit analyses (previously recommended women 40+ should be tested every 1-2 years); women aged 50-74 with average risk should receive them every 2 years.
Early detection is critical because early-stage invasive cancer is considered very treatable since the tumor is relatively small and the cancer cells have not spread to the lymph nodes. A tumor is far less treatable, however, once it has greatly enlarged or spread to other organs (liver, lungs, bones).
If breast cancer is detected, a multimodality approach is ideal. This approach would incorporate nutritional supplementation, dietary modification, and detoxification. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and/or vaccine therapy may also be warranted.
The Natural Approach – Key Breast Cancer Risks
Some breast cancer risk factors are beyond your control. Women in their mid-30s to mid-40s have the highest escalating risk. The disease occurs more frequently in industrialized countries. Europeans and North Americans are thought to have five times more breast cancer than non-American Asians because their genes cause them to process hormones differently. Women whose mothers, sisters, or daughters had breast cancer before age 65 have at least twice the risk of getting it themselves. Those who become pregnant after age 30 have as much as five times more risk than women who have had a child before age 24. In the January 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reported that “a substantial fraction of breast cancers” can be attributed to extensive mammographic breast density. Women in the study who had at least 75% dense breasts showed five times more likelihood of cancer than women who had less than 10% density.
Although you may not be able to control age, geography, or genetics, there are some things you can do to minimize your breast cancer risk. Eat a healthy diet that is low in refined carbohydrates/sugars, trans- and saturated fats, and most soy products, but high in stable monounsaturated fats (olive/canola oils), fish, antioxidants, cruciferous (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale) and other vegetables, and low-sugar fruits. Exercise regularly to control stress and maintain a healthy body weight. Avoid excess estrogen [e.g., from oral contraceptives, pesticides, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)], milk from cows given recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), excessive alcohol, underwire bras, and antiperspirants. Make a concerted effort to avoid X-rays (especially of the chest), which have cumulative effects.
Finally, visit your doctor regularly to ensure proper management of your blood sugar, thyroid, and hormones. Both insulin resistance and hypothyroidism increase breast cancer risk. ’Estrogen dominance‘ over progesterone levels, and DHEA & melatonin deficiencies, also increase risk.
Cutting-Edge Researched Nutrients
Like appropriate doses of vitamins A and D, the plant-derived nutrients discussed below may lower your risk of breast cancer.
Natural Transdermal Progesterone Cream
In “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life”, John R. Lee, M.D., writes that breast cancer is unique in that excess estrogen can promote and stimulate it, and natural, bioidentical progesterone cream supplementation can slow and stop it. ’Progesterone cream restores balance with estrogen levels by reestablishing normal physiologic levels (what your body would normally make) of bioavailable progesterone.’ Select a product that contains a total of 900-1,000mg of progesterone in two ounces, or approximately 20 mg in ¼ teaspoon, ideally from one of the companies that Dr. Lee recommends, such as Products of Nature, Emerita, or LifeFlo.
I3C (indole-3-carbinol)/DIM (diindolylmethane)
Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) from cruciferous vegetables is especially effective at simultaneously detoxifying and blocking activation of dietary and environmental carcinogens. It switches on protective genes while switching off factors that contribute to inflammation and cancer formation.
I3C converts to a compound known as diindolylmethane (DIM), which many scientists believe is responsible for many of I3C’s protective effects. For example, numerous lab and animal studies have established DIM’s ability to block angiogenesis and dramatically increase the rate of programmed breast cancer cell death.
Sulforaphane
Molecules known as free radicals can damage cells and cause cancer by wearing down the immune system. Several studies have documented the cancer-preventive activity of sulforaphane, a chemical in cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli sprouts), which combats the injurious effects of free radicals by switching on a set of antioxidant genes and enzymes in specific immune cells. Sulforaphane thus can control many cancer-related events, including carcinogen detoxification, promoting cancer cell death, blocking the cell cycle required for cancer cell replication, preventing tumor invasion into healthy tissue, and battling metastasis.
Resveratrol
Found in more than 70 plant species, including red grapes, many reports have shown that resveratrol can prevent or slow the progression of cancer. Resveratrol specifically appears to be a promising chemopreventive agent for both hormone-dependent and hormone-independent breast cancers. It has displayed antioxidant activity and the ability to prevent gene mutation that can lead to cancer. In fact, it provides greater protection against DNA damage than vitamins C, E, or beta-carotene, restores glutathione levels (which some consider to be the most essential antioxidant), and greatly reduces inflammation, which is linked to tumor promotion. Dosage, delivery method, tumor origin, and other components of the diet could all contribute to the efficacy of resveratrol treatment.
Curcumin
Curcumin is a polyphenol in turmeric that has been used in traditional Indian medicine for more than 3000 years. Hundreds of studies have shown that this potent, safe antioxidant protects against cancer-causing inflammation, and is particularly chemopreventive in hormone-independent breast cancer (the most difficult to treat). In fact, curcumin targets ten causative factors involved in cancer development.
With respect to curcumin and cancer data she reviewed, Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., professor at the well-respected University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, stated, “It was clear that this agent was just as potent at killing tumor cells in the lab as any experimental drug I’d seen from pharmaceutical companies.”
Human clinical studies have shown that a patented curcumin formulation (BCM-95) greatly enhances the bioavailability of this nutrient, which is generally difficult to absorb. This form not only delivers up to 7 times better absorption than ordinary 95% standardized curcumin, but also remains in the bloodstream for 8-12 hours, almost twice as long as conventional supplements.
Conclusion
According to a 2010 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, Connecticut has the second highest incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. If you believe you are at risk for breast cancer and wish to lower that risk using chemopreventive nutrients, empower yourself by seeing an alternative practitioner with an extensive history of working with them successfully.
The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Unless otherwise stated herein by John Lee, M.D., or otherwise supported by specific research, the natural remedies discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Submitted by Michael Dworkin, P.D.,M.S., a Registered Pharmacist and State Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CT Certification No.232), with J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Health Coach and Dip.C.N./Board Cert. Holistic Nutrition (pending). Owner of the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe (860.646.8178, 378 West Middle Turnpike, Manchester), Pharmacist Dworkin has been guiding patients since 1956 and is available for consultation by appointment. Erika is available to speak to groups. All statements in this article are research-based and refer-ences are available upon request.
Don’t miss Dr. Michael Dworkin’s presenta-tion on “Cancer Prevention & Immunity” at the Natural Nutmeg Empowering Me… Naturally conference on November 12th, 2011 at the Connecticut Convention Center. Register at http://empoweringmenaturally.eventbrite.com.