4 Ways to Fight Breast Cancer

The most commonly diagnosed tumors in American women (after skin cancer), breast cancer is expected to strike one in six women in the near future. Conventional medicine offers genetic testing and mammograms as forms of early detection. While that’s admittedly better than late detection, actual prevention means assessing risks and causes and then taking protective measures.

Risk Factors
Genes account for 5 to 8 percent of diagnosed breast cancer. Exposure to estrogen plays a critical role in this cancer, so women whose menstrual periods start early have “an increased risk for developing breast cancer, as do women who have a late menopause,” notes Michael B. Schachter, MD, a complementary physician in Suffern, NY. Other risk factors include not bearing a child, not breastfeeding, eating a diet high in fat, being overweight, high alcohol intake, and exposure to toxic estrogen mimics like pesticides and plastics.

While the breast cancer rates in Africa and Asia are one-tenth that of Europe and North America, worldwide incidence is rising, notes herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford. “The hypothesis is that we are varyingly exposed to pollution, chemical landfills, nuclear power plants, and the availability of HRT,” she explains.

A Healthy Lifestyle
Even if a woman has several risk factors, how she lives her life is what really counts. Here are several strategies to help prevent breast cancer.

1. Love your lymph. Lympathic fluid is the medium through which nutrients are delivered to the cells and bacteria. It also helps remove cancer-causing cells, debris, and toxins. Pregnancy and breastfeeding help develop the lymphatic system around the breasts. But any woman can increase lymph flow with breast massage (gently rub your breasts in a circular motion in one direction and then the opposite way).

Restrictive clothing—especially bras with constricting underwires—prevents normal lymph flow and allows toxins to accumulate in and around breast tissue. This kind of bra functions like a tourniquet, particularly before a woman gets her period. Pressure builds, the breasts can’t drain lymph fluid so they feel tender, and over time cysts can form. Instead, choose comfortable bras that fit—and go without them whenever you can. Also avoid antiperspirants, which may prevent lymph nodes in the armpits from carrying toxins out of the body.

2. Move your body. Exercise has been linked to a lower risk for breast cancer. After age 30, working out even an hour a week can reduce your likelihood of developing this cancer. Cycle, dance, garden, play sports with your kids or your friends, swim, or walk—whatever you enjoy.

Exercise improves lymph circulation and helps you maintain a healthy weight. “Any activity that removes accumulated toxins in the breast reduces the chance of women developing breast cancer,” adds Dr. Schachter.

3. Choose a cancer-fighting diet. “Cultures that have a vegetarian diet or are closest to a vegetarian diet have the least breast cancer,” says Tori Hudson, ND, medical director of A Woman’s Time clinic in Portland, OR. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Those foods are rich in dietary fiber, which is linked to decreased incidence of breast cancer.

“Certain foods are medicinal in their ability to protect against breast cancer,” adds nutritionist Gary Null, PhD. The low incidence of breast cancer among Japanese women is largely attributed to the widespread consumption of soybeans. But soy has sparked controversy with groups like the American Dietetic Association, which advises against isoflavone-containing soy for women at high risk for breast cancer. The bottom line? Enjoy one or two whole, traditional soy foods—unless you’re taking antiestrogen treatments.

Other cancer-fighting foods include flaxseed and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, and herring), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts), mushrooms (shiitake and maitake), and onions, says Dr. Null. Avoid highly processed foods and nutritionally-deficient carbs like white bread and potatoes. Women consuming the highest glycemic index diet have a 44 percent greater risk of developing estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer than those eating a low-glycemic diet, Swedish research shows.

4. Consider nutritional supplements. One large study of 88,000 women links higher intakes of vitamin D (difficult to get from diet alone) with significantly lower breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. Found in cabbage family veggies, indole-3 carbinol (I3C) appears to keep harmful free estrogen molecules from joining with estrogen receptor sites on breast cells. It also promotes production of estriol, considered the “good” estrogen.

It’s also wise to reverse unhealthy gut flora by supplementing with probiotics and calcium-d-glucarate, which binds with estrogen and harmful toxins so the body can properly excrete them.

Essential for brain function and memory, phosphatidylcholine may also stall the spread of breast cancers cell by boosting immune function. And in experimental research, a proprietary supplement Avemar (naturally fermented wheat germ) inhibited one type of estrogen-sensitive breast tumor by 50 percent, versus 34 percent with the drug tamoxifen.

Don’t forget green tea supplements, an excellent source of protective polyphenols. Dr. Hudson recommends taking 1 to 3 capsules daily for breast cancer prevention. Astragalus, curcumin (found in the spice turmeric), and rosemary may offer breast protection as well.