CREATING BREAST HEALTH
Gretchen Frey, MD
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This strikes me as odd. Who do
you know who ISN'T aware of breast cancer? We are all extremely,
anxiously, fearfully aware of that "1 in 8" statistic. It hangs over our
heads like a big cartoon anvil waiting to drop. Strangely, "cancer
awareness" seems to be equivalent to "cancer screening awareness."
But…could we take the thinking to another level? Instead of remembering
to screen for already-present tumors, how about becoming "aware" of why
we get breast cancer and how to prevent it?
My hero in this regard is Dr. Christiane Northrup, Yale-educated OB/GYN
MD and the author of The Wisdom of Menopause. Read the chapter on
breast health in this recent book for an in-depth discussion. I'll
summarize her main points and some of my own here.
- Breast are linked to nurturing. This is true in a physical sense
(nursing) and in the sense that women who neglect their own
nurturing are more likely to get breast cancer. Showing your
emotions (especially negative ones such as grief or anger), finding
and accepting support, writing "me time" right into your daytimer,
and being aware of your goals for your own life and growth are
important tools to keep your immune system healthy and decrease your
cancer risk.
- Diet is very important in prevention. High fat turns out to be
less of a culprit than high sugar. Eating lots of sweets but also
refined carbohydrates (pasta, breads, etc) leads over time to
elevated insulin and eventually diabetes. These changes promote
tumor growth in several ways. Alcohol is a separate risk factor. Eat
lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, soy, omega-3 fats (flax or fish
oil), and avoid grain products except for modest amounts of whole
grains (e.g. oatmeal or 100% whole wheat bread). Save sweets for
special occasions, once or twice a month.
- Lifestyle issues matter. Smoking increases breast cancer risk,
and regular exercise substantially decreases it (there you go,
another reason to exercise). You don't have to jog or join a club.
Brisk walking or dancing are great.
- Environmental factors are harder to assess and control. Many
authorities suspect that pollutants are increasing the risk of
several cancers. As to breast cancer, it is true that we are exposed
to several sources of "xenoestrogens" (chemicals that act like
estrogens); these may promote tumor growth just as our own estrogens
can. The main sources are hormones added to meats, and pesticides
used on produce. The only way to avoid these are to buy organic
meats and produce. A third source is plastics (especially the "soft"
kinds like plastic wrap). They give out these chemicals when heated
(like in the microwave). Using glass containers and a paper towel to
cover food sounds like a good idea.
My intent in listing these factors is to get you thinking, and help
you realize there are many things about your cancer risk that you can
control. I hope to see more women taking good care of themselves, so
they can spend less time sweating their next mammogram and more time
enjoying the important things in their lives. Wouldn't it be great if we
all became such healthy specimens that there really WAS a need to have a
"Breast Cancer Awareness Month"…because it had become so rare we'd
forgotten all about it?
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