Don’t Think Pink – Think Health!

To honor National Breast Cancer Month, and celebrate the thousands of breast cancer survivors nationwide, we put together a special article for our readers to enjoy. As the holiday season draws nearer, the desire to be with loved ones grows deeper. Some people will sadly miss a family member, left only with their memories as a celebration of that person. For many, it is because of breast cancer.

Education is the greatest love that we can share, and prevention is the strongest weapon. Don’t think pink, think health! Since we like to educate our readers on the realities we face everyday, we put together some realities regarding breast cancer to make you more aware about the destruction it causes, alternative treatment options, and what causes it to occur. Up to 40,000 women lose their battle with breast cancer on an annual basis. Where only one in twenty women risked experiencing breast cancer in the 1960s, the number rose to one in eight today. Even more insidious – an individual could have breast cancer for up to six years and not know. So, whether it is you or a loved one you are worried about, here is what you need to know.

 

The Cruel Causes of Cancer

Of course, we all know that things like cigarettes can put you at a higher risk for cancer. But other factors, beyond one person’s control, play a huge role in why the body may develop breast cancer. Many doctors and other health professionals will tell you that the causes are genetic, that you inherited mutant genes from your parents. They also suggest that never getting pregnant, getting pregnant after a certain age, or late menopause can lead to breast cancer. These suggested factors make up a grand total of about 30% of potential or supposed breast cancer cases. This leaves a whopping 70% of cases left unexplained by doctor’s suggestions.

New evidence links the growth of breast cancer with the amount of toxins used in industrialized countries. Our market makes use of over 85,000 synthetic chemicals in numerous products including skin care, food, drinks, and fabrics. The usage of pesticides and herbicides also plays a huge role in the deadly effects of the chemical melting pot the environment has become, with contamination in natural water sources, soils, and air.

Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, which potentially play a role in the growth of breast cancer as well. One factor in the growth of breast cancer is the production level of estrogen. High levels of estrogen can send messages to cells to start dividing and creating more cells. This leads for a greater potential for these cells to mutate and become cancerous. What does this have to do with industrial chemicals? Well, some of the chemicals contain xenoestrogens – which mock real estrogen in the human body. This plays a key role in the potential for a breast cancer diagnosis in your lifetime.

This also helps explain why women in lower income neighborhoods and older women are at a greater risk for breast cancer. Lower income households, both rural and urban, are often located closer to a danger zone where the likelihood of exposure to toxins – pesticides/herbicides for rural, factories and traffic pollution for urban – are encountered daily. Older women also experience more prolonged exposure to hormone-mimicking chemicals and other carcinogenic toxins.

Understanding the reasons behind the steady climb in breast cancer cases helps us identify what we, as a collection of people, need to do to truly get the breast cancer rates to simmer down. But how do you know individually if you might have breast cancer? The signs and symptoms are vague, and sometimes difficult to recognize.

 

Knowing is the First Step to Recovery

Many women see their doctor for a breast exam at least once a year. Many doctors often suggest self-exams at least once a month to find any foreign lumps that may grow over time. While it is certainly important to know your body and what is normal for it, you can look out for other symptoms to stay on guard and protect yourself.

Lumps do not just appear in your breast. Sometimes swelling or a strange nodule located around the underarm could signify a potential growth as well. An alteration the size of either or both breasts may indicate a potential tumor. If you are not breastfeeding, then the nipples may secrete a strange discharge. Some evidence suggests that the discharge may contain noticeable amounts of blood. Other indicators include a rash surrounding the nipple, dimpling of breast tissues, flaking of the nipple, or nipples appearing sunk into the surrounding tissue.

Making sure that you know your body is your number one defense. If you experience symptoms like dimpled tissue, or other aesthetic qualities, but it is no new thing, then do work yourself into a panic. Only if something happens that you do not consider typical should you start to worry.

 

Alternative Approaches

Getting an actual diagnoses may prove the most frightening experience of a person’s lifetime – and understandably so. Doctors shove prescriptions, treatment options, and numbers down the throat of the diagnosed. If your doctor diagnoses you with breast cancer, and you want a second opinion on both the diagnosis and treatment options offered, then by all means do so. Do not let your doctor push you around or talk down options that may prove better for you as an individual. Some doctors will do this, while telling you that making an immediate decision is necessary. Make your decision carefully and comfortably. If you want some ideas outside of chemotherapy or radiation, then consider the options we provided below.

Instead of dealing with the stress of toxic treatments that could further frustrate the situation, take your discussion before a naturopathic clinician. Naturopathic clinicians can help you select natural, nontoxic treatments like supplements and dietary options to help your body heal itself. If you still wish to pursue Western treatment options, then a naturopathic clinician can work with the selections you make, and suggest supplements to relieve the symptoms of such treatments.

Naturopathic clinicians are educated in using botanicals and herbs safely and effectively so that they do not worsen your condition, nor react negatively with any medications you may take during the healing process. These healers work to help your body heal itself from the inside out. When your body ingests and metabolizes substances meant to enhance health and immunity naturally, it has a way of healing itself.

One specific supplement, curcumin, has proven itself an anti-cancer powerhouse, with the largest body of evidence supporting its effectiveness against cancer than any known nutrient. It is a favorite of naturopathic clinicians that has potent anti-inflammatory properties. It can inhibit tumor growth by stopping protein synthesis, and cut the tumor’s blood flow. It also supplements your body’s battle against the mutations creating the cancer cells. The benefits a body suffering from cancer offered by curcumin are proven and trusted by many.

More to that note, you may consider a nutritional therapist to help you figure out a diet plan that works to keep your body strong and nourished while it fights breast cancer. A dietician can educate you on how to keep your metabolism balanced and decrease the likelihood of complications due to lack of proper nutrition. Remember, individuals struggling with breast cancer are fighting a battle, and every army runs on its stomach! Consuming a diet rich in organic foods rich with nutrients and lacking GMOs can allow the human body to progress past the disease.

 

Prepare for Prevention

If you have never experienced breast cancer, then it is never too early or too late to start figuring out how to avoid it. This applies to both men and women, as one man for every one hundred women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. We have some ideas on how to figuratively put your body’s armor on and shield yourself from cancerous growth.

While many doctors recommend mammograms as a form of prevention, this method of discovering tumors may actually enhance your body’s capability of creating cancer. Mammograms expose your tissues to radiation – an exposure that has grown seven times more intense since 1980. Mammograms introduce the body to radiation levels up to 1,000 times greater than the x-ray.

Other ways to reduce the possibility of developing breast cancer include healthy a diet and exercise routine in general. Some evidence suggests that individuals who get regular exercise are 50% more likely to avoid cancerous growth, as well as survive it. Also, make sure to properly manage your stress levels and emotion, as they can make or break your immune system’s ability to function.

Ensuring that the body receives enough vitamin D also plays an important role in maximizing your body’s strength, and reducing your risk of breast cancer. You can take supplements of vitamin D, or take walks in the sun a few times a week to ensure that your body gets enough of this vitamin.

And of course, avoiding substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and the chemicals commonly used in most of the products available in supermarkets proves helpful as well. Make the switch to organic, non-GMO foods to ensure a healthy, cancer-free life by avoiding pesticides and herbicides. You can also avoid the dangerous chemicals often used in most skin-care products by switching to face naturals for a new skin-care regimen. We want to provide you with the healthiest possible products, so we supply high-quality organic soaps, toothpastes, deodorants, and an assortment of other intriguing items crafted from botanicals.

What’s your story? If you or someone you know have or are struggling with breast cancer, share your story in the comments below. You can provide tips and tricks to your face naturals family on how to prevent and treat cancer as well. Celebrate this month by honoring the struggles caused by breast cancer, and help us educate the public. To learn more about our products and brand, contact us with your questions!

 

References

• Breast Cancer and Environment
• Breast Cancer (Female) – Symptoms
• What Causes Breast Cancer?
• Naturopathic Medicine
• Nutrition Therapy
• Breast Cancer Breakthrough – Cut Your Risk of Death in Half