I’m going to keep beating this drum until everyone hears it – you can improve your health without prescription drugs or surgical procedures.
I mentioned the recent findings of a breast cancer study to a woman I know. Rather than taking the information as good news and a great way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, she shrugged off the information and stated that, if the gene for breast cancer runs in the family, there’s basically nothing you can do to prevent it. All that can be done is go to your doctor for
regular mammograms, hope you detect the cancer early and then undergo surgery, chemo and radiation therapy.
First of all, if your mother or father has a gene that predisposes them to a certain disease, you only have a 50/50
chance of having that gene yourself. However, if your grandmother or
grandfather has a certain gene, you only have a 25% chance of having that gene.
Furthermore, only 5-10% of all cancers are attributable to genes with
90-95% caused by environmental factors like exposure to carcinogens,
improper diet and too much stress.
Secondly, if you put so much stock in how genes can affect health, you should be
getting enough
sun exposure to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D (which is
actually a steroid that controls 10% of the body's genes) and eating foods that are best for your genotype. I’ve mentioned
the book by Dr.
D’Adamo before but his latest book, The GenoType Diet, is even
better but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The most shocking information about breast cancer is that a woman’s bra may actually be the biggest culprit. Medical anthropologists Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer, authors of Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras, conducted a study of over 4,000 women, and found that women who do not wear bras have a much lower risk of breast cancer. In case you’re wondering, there is no information to date that links breast size with breast cancer risk.
Their study showed that women who wore a bra:
24 hours a day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer
More than 12 hours a day but not to bed had a 1 in 7 risk
Less than 12 hours a day had a 1 in 52 chance and
Rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer
Based on the results of this study, the link between bras and breast cancer is about three times greater than the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
It may sound preposterous at first but please think about it. The lymph system has no pump of its own. Lymphatic fluids are circulated through the system by normal muscle contractions.
An ill-fitting bra acts like a tourniquet, cutting off the circulation of lymph fluid. Toxins build up in the breasts and that increases the risk of disease.
According to Karleen Habin, R.N., Breast Oncology Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, breast density is linked to breast cancer and, according to Dr. John McDougall, M.D., nutrition expert and founder of the nationally renowned McDougall Program, constricting bras have been implicated in the rise of non-cancerous but often painful breast cysts and lumps.
An increase in the number of cysts and lumps leads to an increase in the number of trips to the doctor, which lead to more mammograms and biopsies.
Even though, statistically, mammograms are no more accurate than
self-examination, they are routinely prescribed.
In fact, according to Noel T. Brewer, PhD, assistant professor of
health behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 10% of all
mammograms in the United States find something abnormal and 90% of
those findings are false positives. The false-positive rate in the
United States is double that of Canada and 10 times higher than it
is in the Netherlands.
False positives lead to unnecessary worry, stress, and unneeded
surgical procedures, which only worsen health.
Remember, there are no safe surgeries. You must weigh the
potential gains against the potential risks.
Also, unlike self-examination, by compressing the breast with the equivalent force of a 50-pound weight,
mammograms can dislodge cancerous cells and spread the disease. Recent information shows that biopsies
may contribute to the spread of cancerous cells as well.
Additionally, according to Dr. Samuel
Epstein, a top cancer expert, mammograms expose the body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that
of a chest x-ray
and, the premenopausal breast is highly
sensitive to radiation.
Another cancer expert, Dr. Michael Baum of University College Hospital, London, recently stated, “Very simply, the latest statistics show that mammograms don't save lives. And half of all women diagnosed with 'early breast cancer' may be having mastectomies for nothing”.
Understand, however, that self-exams are not particularly accurate either for early detection. Breast tissue is naturally lumpy. It is glandular tissue. Even if you were to detect a lump the size of a pea, this would not constitute early detection. A lump that size contains millions of cells.
Thermal imaging is, potentially, a much safer and more reliable method for early detection of breast cancer but it is not widely used nor is it covered by most health insurances.
So, if early detection is not the answer, what can you do to reduce the risk of breast cancer? First, buy a bra that fits. Most women wear the wrong
size bra. Weight gain, weight loss, pregnancy, and more can affect your bra size. Just two measurements and a little addition will determine the proper size. There are many online tutorials on how to determine bra size. Getting the proper fit will greatly improve the circulation of lymphatic fluids and the elimination of
toxins in the breasts.
Next, be sure the underwires are made of plastic and not metal. It may sound insignificant but metal affects the body in a number of ways. I, for instance, cannot wear an electric watch on my left arm without killing the battery. Also, the knuckle on the finger I wore a ring on for years is the only knuckle on either of my hands that developed arthritis.
The body is bioelectrical. Any metal continuously applied to any given point on your body can have an effect. According to John D. Andre, D.C., N.D., there are two important neurolymphatic reflex points below the breasts. The one below the right breast corresponds to the liver and gallbladder. The one below the left breast corresponds to the stomach. Improper stimulation of these reflex points can affect the functionality of these organs, affecting the body’s pH. If the body’s pH levels are incorrect, a person is more prone to disease.
What have you got to lose? At worst, you’ll be more comfortable. At best, you will have greatly reduced your risk of breast cancer.
Once you have replaced your ill-fitting, metal underwire bras, get back to the basics: proper nutrition and exercise. Flush toxins from your system and balance the pH levels throughout your body. Get plenty of sunshine for a natural source of vitamin D
(click
here for more on this topic).
Get plenty of calcium from raw milk, bone broths and green tea (studies
have shown that tea antioxidants called catechins seem to shrink cancerous tumors).
Drink water free of chlorine and fluorine
but not from plastic bottles (plastics contain chemicals that can
mimic estrogen like BPA).
Naturally, if you have a family history of breast cancer, you will want to be extra vigilant and take even better care of yourself.
Remember, everyone carries cancerous cells. It has been stated that, on average,
a person’s immune system is compromised to the point that cancerous cells are allowed to multiply unchecked about six times in
one’s life. If your immune system recovers in time, the cancer is beaten back and you are none the wiser. If not, the cancer spreads. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
As always, I hope you found this article thought-provoking and helpful.
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