Breast Cancer - 10 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer

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Breast Cancer - 10 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer
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• "Your biopsy tests positive for breast cancer."
  These is a sentence feared by all women. In 1971
  President Nixon declared war on cancer. Since
  then billions of dollars have been spent on
  fighting cancer. It seems the only arsenal this
  war has come up with are the antiquated weapons
  of poison, slash and burn. There is still no
  cure. Very little of the money used for the war
  on cancer is used for cancer prevention. Yet it
  is far easier to prevent cancer than to cure it.
• Cancer is a systemic disease. This means that
  even if the cancer has manifested itself in your
  breast tissue, the actual problem is system wide.
  Because of this, breast cancer can't be prevented
  solely by specifics. It requires an entire
  lifestyle change.

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• Having said that, there are number of changes you
  can make to your lifestyle that will reduce your
  risk of getting breast cancer (and all other
  cancers). I have chosen, what I consider to be,
  the most effective to share with you.
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• Before I list them for you, it would be helpful
  for you to understand what cancer actually is.
  Jane Plant, "Your Life in Your Hands", describes
  cancer as "Cells behaving badly." Our cells
  operate under the control of the genes in our
  DNA. These cells grow and divide in a controlled
  way to produce more cells as they are needed to
  keep the body healthy. When cells become old or
  damaged, they die and are replaced with new
  cells.

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• However, sometimes this orderly process goes
  wrong. The DNA of a cell can become damaged or
  changed, producing mutations that affect normal
  cell growth and division. When this happens,
  cells do not die when they should and new cells
  form when the body does not need them. These
  mutated cells thrive in an anaerobic environment
  and get their energy from metabolic waste. The
  extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a
  tumour.

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• By definition, a cancer cell is a normal, healthy
  cell that has undergone genetic mutation to the
  point that it can live in an anaerobic
  surrounding (an environment where oxygen is not
  available). In other words, if you deprive a
  group of cells of vital oxygen (their primary
  source of energy), some of them will die, but
  others will manage to alter their genetic
  software program and mutate in a most resourceful
  way the cells will be able to live without
  oxygen and derive some of their energy needs from
  such things as cellular metabolic waste products.
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• Only five to ten percent of all breast cancers
  are due to genetic predisposition and over 70 of
  all gene mutations are caused by environmental
  factors. This puts you in a very powerful
  position to be able to significantly reduce your
  risk of the gene mutations that cause breast
  cancer.

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• Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet with lots of
  raw foods Diet is the most prevalent cause of
  genetic mutation. It can also provide the
  greatest protection against cancer. But which
  diet? Studies carried out by Dr Dean Ornish show
  that our blood has powerful anti-cancer
  compounds. That's a good thing. Even those on a
  Standard American Diet (SAD) have blood that
  fights cancer. However, the blood of vegans
  (those who consume no animal products
  what-so-ever) decreased cancer growth by nearly 8
  times over the blood of those consuming the
  Standard American Diet. Another study conducted
  at Loma Linda University found that vegans have
  34 lower rates of breast cancer to other women.
  Other dietary factors include sugar consumption
  processed foods, gluten, chemical additives,
  transfats and over-eating.
• Give up drinking alcohol One alcoholic drink per
  day increases your risk of getting breast cancer
  by seven to ten percent. Not only that but breast
  cancer survivors who consume three to four drinks
  a week increase their risk of a recurrence by
  34.

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• Give up smoking Although smoking is usually
  associated with lung cancer, the carcinogens in
  cigarettes affect the whole system. Women who
  smoke are 24 times more likely to get breast
  cancer. The risk doubles if those women start
  smoking before having their first baby and
  increases to 61 times more likely if they start
  smoking before their first mentrual period.
• Engage in a high level of physical activity
  Women who exercise for more than three hours a
  week reduce their risk of breast cancer by 25.

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• Don't take Hormone Replacement Therapy As many
  breast cancers are estrogen dependent, it makes
  sense to minimise your exposure to estrogen. Two
  studies published in 2002 and 2003 link HRT to a
  higher incidence of breast cancer.
• Supplement wisely Three quarters of all women
  with breast cancer are vitamin D deficient.
  Maintaining optimal vitamin D levels decreases
  your risk by 45. Ensure your vitamin D levels
  are optimal through regular blood tests and if
  they're not take a supplement. Those with diets
  rich in DHA Omega 3 fatty acids are two thirds
  less likely to get breast cancer. We usually
  think of fish for our Omega 3. But flaxseeds have
  shown special protective factors due to their
  content of dietary lignans, a class of
  phytoestrogens, which have an anti-estrogen
  effect. Conversly, artificial folic acid (in the
  form of supplements) has been shown to increase a
  woman's risk of breast cancer. So obtain all your
  follic acid from natural, food sources - green
  leafy vegetables.

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• Watch your weight Obesity is said to be the
  primary cause of 17 of all breast cancers,
  especially after menopause. Luckily, if you
  follow the dietary and exercise suggestions
  listed here, reaching and maintaining a healthy
  weight is easy.
• Don't fry or grill foods Cooking at high
  temperatures without water or steam creates
  acrylamides in carbohydrate foods (eg.chips) and
  heterocyclic amines in meat (especially chicken).
  Both these substances are highly carcinogenic.
• Have two or more children and breast feed them
  for up to two years each When we are pregnant
  and breast feeding we are exposed to lower levels
  of estrogen, which in turn, lowers our risk of
  breast cancer.

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• Avoid unnecessay radiation This includes
  radiation caused by imaging tests, such as xrays
  (including mammograms), CT scans, PET scans and
  bone scans. Remember that mammograms are not
  preventative and cumulative radiation exposure
  over a person's life time includes exposure from
  this breast cancer detection tool. Alternatives
  to mammograms, that are not publised or
  encouraged by the medical profession for breast
  cancer detection, include thermography, MRI and
  ultrasound. If you are serious about preventing
  breats cancer, this is something you should look
  into and discuss with your doctor.

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• My hope is that these suggestions will not
  overwhelm you but empower you to start making
  changes and keep making them.
• Remember that permanent change is best
  accomplished with baby steps. This is what
  holistic health coaching can help you with by
  providing information, encouragement and
  accountability to keep you moving forwards
  towards your health goals.
• Cath King is a nutritionist and holistic health
  coach who specializes in creating optimal health
  on plant-based diets. She has had success in
  helping clients reverse cancer, diabetes, crohns
  disease, ulcerated colitus, heart disease and
  obesity. Her clinic "Seeking Health" is in New
  Zealand. Contact her through http//ckinghealth.we
  bs.com/