Breast Cancer Prevention

Its never too early OR too late to start using preventative measures to ensure your health continues.

With this month being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'd like to share some simple tips to help prevent breast cancer and improve your overall health. 

First of all, it's important of us to know that 25 000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually and 5000 will die from breast cancer every year. With regular screening, early detection and using presentative measures we can greatly reduce those numbers.

Estrogen dominance in linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. 

Ok, what the heck is estrogen dominance? We all know that estrogen is a hormone and can make us a little crazy during that time of the month if it's out of whack. What you may not know is that estrogen is a pro-growth hormone and our bodies need to detoxify excess estrogen in the body to maintain our health and wellbeing. Estrogen dominance can occur when our bodies (mostly the liver and the gut) can not properly process estrogen and then the estrogen is reabsorbed into our bodies and it becomes a vicious cycle. 

What are the signs of estrogen dominance?

• Irregular menstrual cycle
• PMS 
• Breast tenderness
• Fatigue
• Decrease libido
• Weight gain (particularly around the stomach and hips)
• Difficult losing weight
• Headaches 
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fibroids 
• and more...

Ok, what the heck causes estrogen dominance? There are a number of causes for estrogen dominance including but not limited to;

• Birth control pills. (sorry ladies, but it may be time to rethink that little daily pill)
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Cosmetics. (gasp!) It's true, many cosmetics and household products contain xenoestrogens which are major endocrine disrupters. 
• Commercially raised beef and poultry. Many industrial farms inject their animals with estrogen-like hormones which are passed onto the consumer. This includes conventional dairy products. 
• Commercially grown produce. Pesticides and herbicides are also sources of xenoestrogens.
• Stress
• Obesity

Alright, so what can we do to avoid estrogen dominance and prevent breast cancer? 

Helping the body to naturally detoxify and remove excess estrogen is key! The liver is responsible for detoxifying estrogen and it is then removed by the colon. So we need to support both of these systems to ensure we are not reabsorbing estrogen. 

• Drink lemon water every morning to lightly detoxify the liver. Additionally, drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day. 
  
  
• Eat cruciferous vegetables 5 times per week. Broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts etc. are rich in indole-3-carbinol which supports estrogen detoxification in the liver. 
  
  
• Eat more fibre. 30 grams a day to be exact (ideally). Fibre is important in helping estrogen move through the colon and out through your poop. Yes, I said poop. Ground flax seeds and apples are rich excellent choices of fibre. 
  
  
• Choose organic produce and pasture raised animals whenever possible.
  
  
• Reduce chemical exposure. Choose natural cosmetics and cleaning products.
  
  
• Reduce sugar.  Sugar has been known to suppress the immune system and feed cancer cells. Eek! 
  
  
• Support gut health with probiotics. Healthy gut bacteria is important in assisting with the removal of estrogen but it's also important to know that 80% of our immune system is located in the gut. So whether we're trying to prevent the sniffles this flu season or major health concerns such as cancer, gut health is extremely important. (check out my post on sauerkraut to build up those good gut bugs).
  
  
• Breastfeeding. You may have heard the term "breast is best" in regards to feeding a baby, but that also applies to breast cancer prevention. Breastfeeding had been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
  
  
• Incorporate turmeric regularly. Cucurmin (the active ingredient in turmeric) is an  anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer powerhouse! Try my Pumpkin Spice Golden Milk recipe.

As I mentioned before, it is never too early or too late to focus on prevention. Whether your 13 or 113, preventative care is crucial. October is breast cancer awareness month but prevention should last all year long. 
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