by Christina Smith and Karen Falbo, CN

I am just plain sick and tired of being held hostage by my mammary glands! Now, this might seem a bit perverted, but I swear it is the truth. I just wonder what kind of world did I get myself born into and why of the sexes was I born a woman? Don’t get me wrong, I love being female, even with all of its complexities. It just seems women have a lot to deal with and worry about. I and all women today, in this society at least, are reminded monthly by their “buddies”, or by the T.V. announcers, or by their doctors, or by their calendars and even sometimes by email to “self exam”, an awkward and fear producing maneuver where one palpates one’s own breasts looking for the dreaded lump or change. We are educated that “early detection is the best prevention”. How does this make sense? If we detect something abnormal, how is this preventing anything?

So we palpate once a month, we call our woman friend, our “buddy” to make sure she is subjecting herself to the same fear pattern and subsequent self- exploration and we allow our precious breasts to be traumatized and radiated by the dreaded Mammogram machine. And we still find ourselves or our friends dying or traumatized by breast surgery.

Now far be it for me to advise anyone to stop doing any of these things. I do think that we need to be aware of the strong hold of fear that breast cancer has on our womanhood. It is even more fearsome that when the experts are asked why this is happening, we get no concrete answers. If the experts don’t know why this is happening, what can poor, little old me do about it? Am I doomed to forever be a victim with a future of being squeezed and palpated until I finally find what I am looking for?

One alternative to the above is to become proactive in our own breast health. I am over 50 and I wish that I would’ve come to this realization many years ago, however I won’t bemoan that fact and I will tell you why. Absolutely nothing is enhanced by fear (nor by regret)! I know this, yet for so many years I palpated (or avoided it)…. fearing what I might find! And as we have heard, there is nothing to fear but fear itself! When one is in fear, a few things happen to the body. The “flight or fight” response kicks in. The adrenals are taxed. The breath quickens. The body can be put into a chronic stress mode. And another more dangerous attitude can set in and that is the attitude of the victim, of poor me. Fear and the victim attitude are implosive emotions. A woman is out of control and at the mercy of a big bad world or a boggy man out to get us. So we “trepidate” and palpate and fear forever. Fear makes it worse.

So how do we become proactive with our breast health? One way would be to nourish our bodies with optimal nutrients and foods. It also would help to look at the things that, as a society today, we are doing that possibly might contribute to the problem.

There is growing evidence that diet and lifestyle can decrease our risk factor for all types of cancer including breast cancer. Despite great strides in our medical knowledge, cancer rates have increased dramatically in the last 40 years. In 1960, one in 20 women developed breast cancer. Today that number is one in eight.

Prevention must involve more than self examination. Knowledge and an understanding of our bodies can transform the fear of waiting to feel something wrong into a proactive approach for women to take charge of their own health. We now know that certain environmental factors increase our carcinogenic risk factor. A carcinogen, by definition, is something which causes cancer to occur by causing changes in a cell's DNA. Normal healthy cells go through a series of steps to ensure life. They grow, divide and die in a carefully performed, predetermined symphony. During this highly complex process, the cell’s genetic code of DNA is duplicated and transferred to new cells. Normally this process takes place without error, but every once in awhile a mistake occurs. According to Dr. Susan Love, author of The Breast Book, breast cancer may be caused by a combination of genes that are mutated by cancer-causing agents known as carcinogens. Carcinogens cause uncontrolled cell growth that is strictly confined to ductal or lobular units of the breast, and these growths are known as precancerous lesions.1 Chemicals in our environment have a carcinogenic risk factor and are regulated to an amount determined as safe. We are exposed to these chemicals through our food, water, air, skin care products, hygiene products, dry cleaning, household cleaning products, etc.. Reducing our chemical exposure may have a greater impact on preventing breast cancer than self examination alone.

Leading the list of risk factors for breast cancer are exposure to toxic environmental estrogens called xenoestrogens (pronounced “zeno”-estrogens) and the use of the hormone estrogen.1 Environmental estrogens are dangerous for several reasons: they act like estrogen in the body; they cause our own estrogen to convert to cancer-causing forms of estrogen; they increase our risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer; they promote infertility by suppressing progesterone; and they cause early puberty.1 Xenoestrogens are found in soft plastic products (plastic wrap, plastic bottles, plastic containers, etc.), pesticide-laden foods (fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat), dioxins, cosmetics containing petrol chemicals, chemicals used to bleach feminine hygiene products, dry cleaning chemicals, and nail polish. Dark hair dyes contain phenylenediamine, an estrogen-mimicker and known cancer causing agent.1

The good news is that there are ways to reduce our exposure to these chemicals. These include: use plastic minimally; purchase a stainless steal water bottle or use glass bottles (with caution); avoid microwaving in plastic (pyrex is a good alternative); when using plastic never leave it in the car to be exposed to heat; allow food to cool before storing in plastic containers to refrigerate; throw away plastic containers that have been scratched or melted by heat (caused by microwave use, etc.); avoid putting plastic in the dishwasher, dishwashing detergents break down plastic faster.

Whenever possible, purchase certified organic vegetable, fruits, dairy and meat. Check your local health food store for alternative female hygiene products, natural nail polish, natural deodorants, petrol chemical-free skin care lines, and hair dye without chemicals. Hang newly dry cleaned clothes outside without the plastic cover to air out before bringing them into your home.

A nutrient dense diet will support the body’s ability to detoxify chemicals as well as make healthy new cells. Good nutrition provides a solid foundation for health. In contrast, poor eating habits make for a shaky foundation at best. Dietary principles include;

• Increasing antioxidant rich vegetables and fruit. Go for 8-10 servings of vegetables each day include a large salad with green leaf lettuce, and lots of high-water-high-fiber vegetables (celery, green or red pepper, radish, scallions, cucumber, shredded carrot or beet). The more colorful your meal, the more antioxidants you are consuming!
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts) they contain several phytonutrients (plant substances) that reduce the risk for breast cancer.1
• Include wild ocean fish, organic poultry, fertile eggs and fermented dairy (such as yogurt and kefir, if well tolerated).
• Eat 3 well balanced meals each day and 1-2 snacks if necessary. Blood sugar stability reduces stress hormone production and supports normal cell regeneration.
• Consume fiber rich foods such as whole grains (brown rice, millet, buckwheat, old fashioned oatmeal, etc.) There is evidence to suggest that dietary fiber may play an important role in estrogen metabolism and may be an important determinant of circulating estrogen levels in the body.
• Lignans are plant estrogen found in very high concentration in flax seeds. Researchers at the University of Toronto believe that daily consumption of lignans in flax seeds (which you can grind and sprinkle on your grains and salads) can help prevent and treat breast cancer.1 Lignans can also be taken in concentrated tablet form which can be convenient for those of us on the go.
• Just 30 minutes of exercise 3 times per week can reduce breast cancer risk dramatically.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
• Protect your breasts from breast traumas as they promote DNA damage. Remember the more breast X-rays you have, the more DNA damage your cells will experience.1 A good alternative to mammograms is a digital infrared imaging technology called themography.4 This allows temperature asymmetries ( a common indicator of inflammation) to be detected early and resolved before a more serious problem develops.
• Have your hormones tested. There are a myriad of labs that offer saliva hormone panel tests5 that are affordable and can alert you to a hormonal imbalance.

If all this seems overwhelming to you, relax. Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can be adopted one step at a time. Your health food store is a good resource for you and you may also choose to seek advice from a qualified nutritionist or from a naturopathic doctor. Being proactive is the best prevention and it all begins with cultivating a healthy lifestyle one choice at a time.

So my companion women in this world,…..let’s truly be the best of buddies and encourage each other to step outside of the normal fear based approach to our lovely breasts and bodies. Yes, we can still self exam, but let’s do this out of love and thankfulness for our breasts. We are woman and we are empowered to be educated, strong, proactive, and nourishing to ourselves, our bodies and our womanhood! We won’t succumb to fear and we won’t be held hostage any longer by, of all things, our mammary glands! Let’s live our lives to the fullest, in harmony with our own nature and with Nature herself.