Fourteen Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

1. Increase your consumption of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.

2. Avoid using any pesticides or chemical sprays in your home. Try to avoid new carpet.

3. Avoid drinking tap water.

4. Decrease alcohol consumption.

5. Start an exercise program.

6. Increase consumption of organic whole grains and fiber.

7. Decrease meat, poultry and fish consumption.

8. Stop smoking.

9. Increase consumption of phytoestrogens from organic sources.

10. Decrease or stop consumption of processed foods.

11. Avoid trans-fatty acids found in margarine and some vegetable shortenings.

12. Take two capsules of organic flaxseed oil daily or just add a teaspoon of flaxseed oil to your daily organic salad.

13. If you are pregnant definitely breast feed.

14. Gets lots of sunshine as breast cancer is less prevalent in areas where there is ample sunlight unobscured by fog or smog.

Discussion:

As a retired diagnostic radiologist who read way too many mammograms I am excited because I finally have a path to try to connect to so many women who are having and have had mammograms.I was always chagrined since we would really torture and radiate many breasts but it was as if these breasts were not connected to a human type person. It bothered me that so many mammography programs make no effort at all to educate their clientele about what "they can do" to reduce their risks of breast cancer. I would suggest to the directors of these programs that we try to educate the patients and their response was 100% predictable. They would always first deny the relationship between diet and breast cancer and then add that their patients would not listen anyway.

Increasing your consumption of fresh organic fruits and vegetables has been shown to reduce the risk for breast cancer.

"There is strong evidence from epidemiologic studies that eating more fruits and vegetables decreases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. This conclusion is strengthened by the similar results obtained from animal studies and experiments using isolated breast cells." Quoted from the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. They go on to recommend uncooked fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is the heating damages some of the beneficial nutrients in the fruits and vegetables. Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli and spinach top the list for being most protective. The Cornell study however does not stress the fact that these need to be "organic." Non-organic commercial fruits and vegetables besides being largely nutritionally bereft are also heavily sprayed with a wide variety of toxins.

The relationship between pesticides and other toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene and cancer has long been established. There are better ways to rid your house of undesired guests than using chemical sprays. It sounds difficult but even if you can't get rid of all your pests you will live a longer and healthier life if you refrain from spraying. New carpet is another source of extremely toxic chemicals that "off gas" for at least a year or so after it is installed. Try to avoid new carpet especially in children's rooms.

Avoid tap water unless you live either in Lake Tahoe or Ithaca, New York. The tap water here in Tucson is CAP water that travels in an open trough from the Colorado River. It is loaded with fungicides / herbicides not to mention all the chlorine added once it gets here. While bottled or filtered water may not be perfect,you will considerably reduce your risk for any cancer by avoiding most tap water.

There is a little debate about the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. However, the consumption of any simple sugars such as occur in most alcoholic beverages is associated with decreased T-cell mobility and thus some immune compromise. I still have an occasional beer but that is the only sugar I ingest. The general consensus however, is that it is best to reduce alcoholic beverage consumption as much as possible.

Exercise has been proven in multiple studies to enhance the immune system. In order to be beneficial I would recommend thirty minutes at least three times a week. This should be exercise that elevates the heart rate and keeps it there for the thirty minutes. Running is good if you are not biomechanically impaired. Cycling and swimming are also good alternative and or exercise machines.

Increased consumption of organic grains and fiber has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Decrease your meat, fish, poultry and dairy consumption. Animal protein has been linked to all the big three killers in this country as well as osteoporosis. For more on this see the "China Study" by T. Colin Campbell and "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins. Stop smoking is really a "no brainer" here. Smoking is associatedwith a variety of cancers and there is now strong evidence that cancer of the breast is one of them.

Consume more phytoestrogens from soy products like tofu. "Women with diets rich in phytoestrogens also excrete more estrogens into their urine, and have lower blood estrogen levels. Some studies have shown that women with a diet rich in phytoestrogens have longer, and hence fewer, menstrual cycles. All of these factors may contribute to reduced breast cancer risk. " This quote from the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. Please be sure that any soy products you consume are organic.

In conclusion there are many ways to reduce your chances of breast cancer. I have presented the above from a more subtle point of view. When my wife (now ex-wife) developed a lesion in her left breast back in 1995 we put her on an organic vegan diet. Soon we cut out all sugar and increased her running mileage. She still has her left breast although there is still some skin retraction. My good friend and world class flamenco dancer Carmen Heredia died in her early forties from breast cancer and its treatment. Best not to get breast cancer at all.

For more information on the relationship between diet, health and exercise please go to: http://www.drmericle.com

For more information on cooking and food preparation without animal products please go to: http://www.drmericle.com/fscook3c.php

Copyrig ht J. Mericle M.D. 2004 All Rights Reserved

http://www.DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.

---

Breast Cancer Statistics ? How Breast Cancer Survival Rates Increased 50%

Breast cancer statistics show that over 1.2 million persons will... Read More

The News You Dont Want To Hear: Youve Got Breast Cancer

For many people being told that they have cancer is... Read More

Breast Cancer - 101

The cancer is a term for diseases in which abnormal... Read More

Breast Cancer for Beginners

Introduction Because of the social changes, which has brought increased... Read More

Are Obese Women Getting Short-Changed By Chemotherapy Treatments?

How much chemotherapy does an obese woman need? Typically an... Read More

Breast Cancer Detection Unit for the Home

Detecting Breast Cancer early is a key step in protecting... Read More

Mammograms Are No Joke - They Can Save Lives!

There are so many jokes about mammograms! Have you heard... Read More

Early Breast Cancer Detection

Most women are familiar with mammography as our "gold standard"... Read More

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging In Medical Therapy

Digital technology now makes Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging available to... Read More

Breast Cancer

In December of 2001, breast cancer was the furthest thing... Read More

Finding Your Spiritual Strength in the Midst of Your Emotional Turmoil

There were so many emotions that I experienced in 2003... Read More

New Hope to Prevent Breast Cancer: What Every Woman Needs to Know

In March, 2005, a major nutritional breakthrough in the fight... Read More

Emotional Responses to Breast Cancer - Understanding the One You Love

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a life-changing event. A... Read More

Mammogram and Breast Cancer Screening

Cancer screening The term screening is commonly used for a... Read More

Victorious

There it is again. I muttered to myself, frustrated as... Read More

Breast Cancer Screening

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer women face... Read More

A Tool for Early Breast Cancer Screening

Who isn't familiar with the expression, "early detection is the... Read More

Antiperspirants And Breast Cancer

Most underarm antiperspirants contain as the active ingredient, Aluminium Chlorohydrate,... Read More

Naural Self-Defense Against Breast Cancer - Learning to Cope Successfully with Organochlorine Pollut

What are organochlorines?Organochlorines are chemicals found in some herbicides and... Read More

Fourteen Simple Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk for Breast Cancer

1. Increase your consumption of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.2.... Read More

Gift Giving for Breast Cancer Patients and Their Families

Did you know that each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed... Read More

New Advances In Early Breast Cancer Detection

In November 2003, the American Cancer Society stated that breast... Read More

Breast Cancer The Cure

You have my permission to publish this article electronically or... Read More

Do You Know Some Nutrients Help Prevent Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer today is one of the most threatening conditions... Read More

Can You Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More

Early Detection And Breast Cancer

It is generally accepted that by the time a cancer... Read More

Screening For Breast Cancer With No Compression And No Radiation

Who would have thought that a technology for detecting breast... Read More

My First Thermographic Experience

I had been a bit nervous all day wondering what... Read More

Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention Tips

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Men and women can... Read More

The Insidiousness of Breast Cancer and Its Current Treatment

In our modern world, the benefits that today's manufacturing and... Read More

Recommendations For Early Breast Cancer Screening

Women need to empower themselves about the benefits and risks... Read More

Finding the Spirit - Identifying the Enemy

In the daily fight for survival our vision is blurred... Read More

Your Risk of Cancer Can Increase With Weight Gain!

We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More