October is traditionally a breast cancer awareness month and it usually means that every women age 40+ gets her mammogram done. Let's remember that mammogram detects existing breast cancer but doesn't do anything to prevent it.
But why wait? Why not to take action BEFORE it happens and try to reduce our risk of getting breast cancer?
We now have some testing that can enable us to look at our risk, make interventions and monitor our progress. The Estronex test looks at the 2 and 16 hydroxy-estrogen ratios. If this ratio is less than two a woman is at 40% increased risk of breast cancer. But we can intervene with dietary, lifestyle changes and targeted supplementation to improve her ratio.
Another study that we can do is called thermography. Thermography is thermal imaging. This can be done anywhere on the body and is specifically useful to image the breasts. An area of abnormality or hyperactivity will be seen as a hotspot. This enables us to have another way to image the breasts that is not radiographic and is harmless. This type of imaging has also been useful in detecting melanoma is and other superficial skin cancers.
Here is what we know about breast cancer prevention. It begins with strengthening your immune system. Follow this advice and you will not only help to reduce your risk of breast cancer but hopefully prevent it and many other illnesses, too.
1. If you smoke - QUIT - if I could think of one good thing about smoking I would tell you, but I can not. SO QUIT.
2. Exercise 30 minutes 5 days per week. Exercise is a stress reliever. It helps normalize our cortisol levels. Try Yoga, stretching, Tai Chi, etc. If it makes you feel good, do it.
3. Drink plenty of water, good old H2O. 8 to 10 glasses per day to keep our body fluid and flush toxins
4. Eat your vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts contain substances called DIM and I3C for short that actually help with the healthful detoxification of hormones. Also squash, carrots, and tomatoes contain carotenoids that fight disease.
5. Eat salmon, olive oil, lean meats, don't fry. Foods in their natural form have many "anti-oxidants" that help our body fight off "free radicals" that promote disease.
6. Supplement your diet with Vitamins E,C, Omega-3. Again, these are powerful anti-oxidants that have favorable effects on our immune system to fight off disease.
7. Stop drinking alcohol or limit is to 4 oz of red wine per night, begun after you begin your meal.
8. Avoid foods that may have stored hormones or pesticides.
9. Shed those extra pounds and work hard to keep them off and maintain your goal weight.
10. Tamoxifen and Raloxifene are in ongoing studies evaluating their role in prevention of breast cancer.
11. BE MINDFUL! Our bodies are given a special power to heal and take the opportunity each day to invoke that. Some ways that you can do this is:
a. Prayer
b. Meditation
c. Yoga
d. Laughter
e. Talking
f. Sharing
g. Loving
12. Anything that you can do to enhance your joy of life and relieve your stress to give back your body its maximum power to heal itself.
I hope you find this advise useful and will take these steps to create the healthiest you possible.
Thank you for joining us for Halloween Specials on Friday. We've all dressed up -it's almost a tradition now at the office- and had a really good time. 
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