As breast cancer prevention month comes to an end, I would like to share some basic facts that most people do not know about preventing breast cancer.  I believe the billions of dollars spent on a “cure” and “treatment” could help a lot of women actually prevent breast cancer with proper education.  I am here to just provide you with facts.

First, I’d like to share with all of you that my mother is a breast cancer survivor.  She was diagnosed very early about 20 years ago, before breast cancer was tested for being estrogen positive.  I have seen my mother fight and beat cancer 5x making it look like the common cold.  Maybe I have a tainted view because so many others have fought and lost, but seeing my mothers diet, lifestyle and treatment choices had let me down the road of health and wellness I am on now.  I know we have some of the best emergency medicine in the world, and I am grateful for the numerous medical treatments that saved my mother.  But the truth is those medical treatments led to some other health issues, and in terms of health, the United States is in a sorry state.  We rank 37 in terms of health, but in the top 5 for emergency medicine.  There are actually 3rd world countries higher on the health list than the US.

So Here are some Breast Cancer Prevention Facts:

• Synthetic Hormones increase your breast cancer risk.  This includes premarin, prempro and all birth control.  Synthetic hormones can cause estrogen positive cancer.
• Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increase cancer risk.  This vitamin has over 2,000 cellular functions in the body and is the only nutrient shown to increase cancer risk.
• Exercise regularly.  Not only does exercise reduce risk of heart disease, but it also reduces your risk for developing cancers associated with an elevated fat mass, like breast cancer.  We know excess estrogen is stored in fat cells, and breast tissue is primarily made up of fat cells.  The official journal for the American Cancer Association states that women who maintain a normal weight and exercise between 10-19 hours per week.  Exercise can be anything from walking, gardening, swimming, biking, yoga to group classes. 
• Eat a plant based diet.  The problem with eating a diet rich in starches is that excess starch gets converted to sugar, and sugar gets converted to fat, not only increasing your fat mass, but also increasing your cancer risk.  When you fill up on filler foods like bread, pasta, desserts, crackers and cereals, you don’t have enough space left for the really nutritious stuff like vegetables, fruits and raw nuts and seeds.  Make a plant based diet rich in essential fatty acids like raw oils and avocados your foundation, and add natural lean proteins and complex starches as your condiment.
• Limit high sugar foods and drinks.  Desserts, sodas and high sugar drinks and foods not only increase fat mass, but also increase inflammation, which we know feeds cancer cells.  Cancer cells love sugar and inflammation and high amounts of these foods feed the cells and help them to multiply.  Keep in mind, alcohol is a sugar. 
• Breastfeeding:  Breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer.  Pregnancy alone helps secret anti-cancer hormones. 
• Detoxify:  I personally use an alkalyzing detox once a year and recommend it to most my patients to help decrease inflammation and fat.  Remove artificial sweeteners, colors and man-made fats like hydrogenated oils from your diet.  Use plant based cleaning products and skin care whenever possible.  Eating locally grown or organic fruits and vegetables and free range, wild-caught and organic meats whenever possible. 

Recent studies show that even if you have a “gene” for cancer, 70-80% of that gene actually becoming active is diet and lifestyle.  Emotional stress is a huge component to the function of the immune system, and relaxation techniques like meditation and visualization are used in “holistic” cancer treatment centers all over the world, combined with conventional cancer therapies.