A Functional Medicine Approach to Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies

Many people confuse detection with prevention.

And while detection is a part of prevention, it shouldn't be what we rely on to truly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Detection Methods Include:

Mammography has been the medical industry’s “gold standard” breast cancer prevention tool for nearly five decades, and the procedure has been pushed on women by physicians, public health programs, and cancer organizations. 

However, mounting scientific evidence indicates that mammography may not only be far less effective than we have been led to believe, but that it also has numerous drawbacks that are affecting women on a massive scale. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Thermography. Breast Thermography Screening uses infrared technology to detect inflammatory patterns in breast tissue. It is noninvasive, delivers no radiation and can be done during pregnancy or while nursing. Thermography has the ability to effectively visualize dense breast tissue, unlike mammography. Thermography screening has demonstrated a high sensitivity and specificity. However, a high rate of false positives has been recognized as one of the drawbacks of this tool. Still, these false positives may in fact be abnormal thermal patterns that are foretelling a future cancer that has not yet begun to grow to a physically detectable size. 

Ultrasound of the breast tissue is another noninvasive diagnostic tool. Ultrasound has the ability to detect breast cancer at rates comparable to mammography. A drawback to ultrasound is that it cannot detect tumors less than 1 cm in size. 

Self-examinations of breast tissue. It's very important to become familiar with your breasts by occasionally inspecting them during a breast self-exam. Doing this enough, will help you to pick up on subtle changes in breast tissue, lumps or other unusual signs.

Breast Cancer prevention includes:

Optimize Fiber Intake. Fiber is critical for gut health which houses more than 80% of your immune system and therefore impacts overall health. Your goal should be 35 grams per day. High-fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and whole grains such as brown rice and ground flax seed. 

Eat Your Meat (get enough protein). Good protein sources include fish, lean poultry, beans, nuts, eggs, and fermented soy. A 2017 nurses study found a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence and death from breast cancers with a higher intake of protein (especially from animal sources). [16]

Let me say that louder for the people in the back..

Eating animal protein appears to reduce the risk of breast cancer deaths and recurrence in women.

Be Smart with Supplements. Not all supplements are good for you, especially when they're made with low quality ingredients and fillers. So if you're going to supplement, choose a premium, high quality product regardless of cost. At the very least, take a good whole food multivitamin, high quality fish oil and optimize your B vitamins.

Develop Stress Management Skills. Studies connect chronic stress levels with increased breast cancer risk. Whether it's meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or any other de-stressor, find something that works for you and do it.

Focus on Building up Gut Health. Leading researchers in digestive health have discovered that the gut microflora influences cancer genes and immunity. [17] [18] [19] [20]

We all know that food is a powerful form of medicine, but if your gut is not healthy, you will not digest, absorb and utilize the nutrients from the food you're consuming.

Reduce Toxic Load. The fact is, toxins are every where and the accumulation of toxins in our body contributes to a wide variety of diseases and dysfunctions. Increasing evidence from epidemiological studies all reinforce the conclusion that exposures to toxins – many of which are found in common, everyday products – may lead to increased risk of developing breast cancer. [21] [22]

Exercise Every Day. Studies show regular exercise can decrease your breast cancer risk. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, helping you balance estrogen and maintain a healthy body weight. No matter what your fitness level, you’ll find an easy-to-apply exercise plan here. [23] [24] [25]

Go Easy on the Alcohol. One glass of wine a day increases your breast cancer risk 40 percent. Increased alcohol load means your liver can’t metabolize estrogen well. And if your gut is also not healthy or your fiber in take is low, the risk increases dramatically. [26] [27]

If you drink, limit wine to one glass three times a week. One drink is five ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol, or 12 ounces of beer.

Optimize Sleep. Studies show an inverse association between sleep duration and breast cancer risk. Aim for eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep every night. [28]