NATUROPATHIC APPROACH TO BREAST CANCER PREVENTION

In the wake of Angelina’s Jolie’s decision to undergo a double mastectomy to radically reduce her chances of developing breast cancer, many of you are probably wondering what you would do if faced with the same decision. The first step in determining your risk is to look at your family history, the more relatives you have with breast cancer or ovarian cancer (especially if they were pre-menopausal), the higher the risk for you. If you have a strong family history your doctor may suggest early screening such as genetic testing (to detect whether you have the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 gene mutation), mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies (when necessary).

Even if you don’t have a strong family history, there are other factors that contribute to your overall risk including being overweight, never having any children, smoking, drinking alcohol, poor nutrition, excess stress, exposure to xenoestrogens (from plastics, for example) and other chemicals in the environment, taking the birth control pill, insulin regulation issues, and chronic health conditions that increase overall inflammation in the body.   

Luckily, there are number of items on the “risk-list” that are in your control. While you may not be able to change your genetic make-up, you certainly can take your nutrition and lifestyle into your own hands to make positive changes in your life.

Nutrition plays an important role in preventing disease. If you consume the standard North American diet, you likely have chronic inflammation from a high intake of sugar and fat. My checklist for healthy eating is to eat mostly plant based foods, with lean protein and organic where possible. In fact, a study was done comparing the risks of female farmers on non-organic vs organic farms and those with working in the non-organic setting had a far higher risk of breast cancer than those women working on organic farms. While we as consumers don’t have that same initial exposure to farm chemicals, we still have to question the exposure we may be getting through the food. Organic food has also been shown to contain higher amounts of cancer fighting nutrients including anti-oxidants.

Another important nutrtitional consideration is consuming foods from the brassica family of vegetables. This includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale and collards. These contain high amounts of indole-3-carbinole, a molecule that has been shown to prevent breast cancer.  If you do not like eating these vegetables, it is available in supplement form.

You also should consider reviewing your intake of fats. Focus on high quality fats rich in omega 3 and 9 fatty acids like fish, flax seed, avocadoes, and raw olive oil. It is important not to heat your olive oil on high heat as it will destroy the helpful omega 9 fatty acids. Instead, use it as a base for salad dressings and opt for coconut or grape seed oil for your stir-frying. Ditch the mayonnaise and margarine as these are high in omega 6 oils, which can be very inflammatory.

You might notice that by switching to a plant-based diet you may start to lose some weight, which is an important factor in reducing your risk. Women who have a body mass index of over 28 and are post-menopausal, increase their risk by over 100%! So it is imperative that you start a healthy diet and exercise routine sooner than later if you find yourself in this category.

Stress is another underappreciated cause of disease in our society. Many people underestimate the amount of stress they have in their lives and the role in plays in disease. I would say that, on average, 80% of my patients acknowledge that they are stressed and the other 20% are in denial. Stress has a direct causal relationship with inflammation. Inflammation in turn leads to ideal conditions for disease (including cancer) to flourish. When working with an ND, stress always comes up and is a priority when talking about prevention. Too much stress hormones (like cortisol) make it hard for your body to balance your hormones appropriately, leading to excess estrogen in your body. Too much estrogen is one of the main reasons women get symptoms of PMS, cystic breast disease and cancer. Stress is an epidemic we can no longer ignore for this very reason.

Another easy thing for you to do is to overhaul your personal care products. Avoid products that contain parabens and BPA as these chemicals are known carcinogens. Read your labels and use resources like Adria Vasil’s EcoHolic Body blog for a check-list of chemicals to avoid in your home and beauty products.

The thought of getting breast cancer terrifies most of us, and the idea of having to make a choice between a radical proceedure and developing a deadly disease is an unfathomable one. For many of my patients, close friends and relatives, this has served as a wake up call to jump into action and take charge of their health. Anything we can do to prevent our risks for developing breast cancer seems like a no brainer, especially if it prevents us from having to deal with the scary alternative.

Dr Nicole Basque, Naturopathic Doctor, practices at Sequoia located at 114 Highfield St in Moncton (ph: 382.1560). She teaches breast cancer prevention courses at the Canadian College of Natural Nutrition and offers periodic seminars on women’s health. Fluent in French and English, Dr. Basque practices family medicine and is currently accepting new patients. Call for an appointment today or book your appointment online at www.drbasque.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.