8 Markers of Lifetime Health: Taking Control of Breast Cancer Risk

8 Markers of Lifetime Health: Taking Control of Breast Cancer Risk

What Can I Do Naturally to Decrease My Risk of Breast Cancer?

With a family history of breast cancer, many of us wonder: What can I do to decrease the likelihood of developing breast cancer or experiencing a recurrence in loved ones? Surprisingly, 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history. In fact, the majority of cancer deaths each year are from cancers with no recommended screening. This underscores the critical importance of creating a healthy environment on a cellular level, making it difficult for cancer to grow, regardless of genetic background. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of comprehensive screening tools to detect potential issues early, giving you the best chance at proactive health management.

Natural Strategies to Reduce Cancer Risk

Here are some evidence-based strategies you can adopt:

  • Consume high amounts of anti-oxidants and plant nutrients: : These help combat oxidative stress and protect your cells.
  • Follow a Low Glycemic Load Diet: Keeping your intake low in sugar and refined carbohydrates can help reduce cancer risk.

          

  • Reduce Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is a known contributor to various diseases, including cancer. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods.
  • Keep your gut healthy: A healthy gut is crucial for overall wellness and immune function.
  • Detoxify and Reduce Environmental Toxin Exposure: Be mindful of the toxins you encounter in everyday products.
  • Be Conscious of Your Thoughts: Psychological stress can profoundly affect your immune system. Mindfulness and stress-reducing practices are essential.

    How Do I Know if My Lifestyle Choices are Working?

    To assess whether your diet and lifestyle choices are effectively decreasing your cancer risk, consider monitoring these 8 Markers of Lifetime Health:

     
    • 8 Oxo-Guanine (8-OHdG) - oxidative damage from environmental toxins: mold, radiation, chemicals, pesticides, and others; anti-oxidant status, DNA damage
    • High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein - marker of inflammation and repair
    • Lymphocyte Response Assay - what foods and chemicals you can tolerate without stressing digestion, sleep, mood, cognition, and performance

              

    • Hemoglobin A1c - blood sugar, energy conversion, age related glycation end products. Studies have shown cancer is driven by sugar intake in the diet.
    • 1st Morning Urine pH - acid/alkaline status, mineral need
    • Omega 3 Index - essential fatty acid ratio of Omega 3:Omega 6
    • Vitamin D - plays a significant role in immune system balance
    • Homocysteine - marker of inflammation, detoxification, heart disease risk

      Are chemotherapy, radiation, surgery the only options?

      Holistic treatment approaches center around integrative strategies, combining traditional treatments with natural methods to reduce side effects and promote health. Functional medicine addresses root causes, focusing on creating a healthy environment where cancer cannot thrive.

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      What Causes Breast Cancer?

      An imbalance in the immune system where it cannot kill tumor cells that are growing. Factors such as radiation, chemical exposure, inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, infections can cause the immune system to become unbalanced.

      Is Breast Cancer Hereditary?

      Breast cancer has a hereditary component. Genetic mutations can be passed down from one or both parents. However its important to remember cancer genes are influenced by environment and can be turned on or off by your diet and lifestyle choices.

      How Can Functional Medicine Help With Breast Cancer?

      Creating a healthy environment on a cellular level where cancer is unable grow. So often today in medicine the symptoms of cancer are treated with an equal aggression as the aggression with which it attacks the cells. The cellular nature of cancer makes it difficult to imagine how to possibly predict the onset of it and even more difficult to remove from the body. Addressing the root cause of the illness is how functional medicine seeks to treat illness. In the case of cancer specifically, this means creating a healthy base within the body to ensure the development of imbalances at the cellular level is avoided.

      The imbalances that lie at the root of cancer formation are what functional medicine seeks to prevent - by enhancing immune function, ensuring optimum balance within the body is obtained, and making sure that things such as nutrition, physical activity, and environmental factors are all at their highest level of functional capacity. In short, the functional approach is creating the healthiest manifestation of the human body as possible. 

      Ultimately, functional medicine aims at preventing the onset of cancer cell-growth within the body. There are also certain actions that can be taken to decrease the rate of cancer-cell growth in those currently suffering from the disease.. These include: improving gut health, cutting out sugar, eliminating food sensitivities, reducing inflammation, decreasing toxic exposure, changing the immune system by thought-process awareness

      As each patient’s case will differ, functional health understands that generating awareness to your own stressors and particular needs is key to successfully removing and reducing the likelihood of developing symptoms altogether. 

      What causes breast cancer?

      An imbalance in the immune system where it cannot kill tumor cells that are growing. Factors such as radiation, chemical exposure, inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, infections can cause the immune system to become unbalanced.

      Is breast cancer hereditary?

      Breast cancer has a hereditary component. Genetic mutations can be passed down from one or both parents. However its important to remember cancer genes are influenced by environment and can be turned on or off by your diet and lifestyle choices.


      KNOW THE STATISTICS

      • Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women, with an estimated 43,700 deaths in the U.S. in 2023.
      • The chance of a woman getting ovarian cancer in her lifetime is 1 in 75.
      • Approximately 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, emphasizing the importance of awareness across genders.
      • One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, highlighting the need for regular skin checks and sun protection.
      • The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20.
      • Early detection saves lives: The 5-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 99%, reinforcing the importance of regular screenings and mammograms.
      • About 85% of breast cancer cases occur in women with no family history, underscoring the need for everyone to be proactive about their health.

        Understanding these statistics can empower individuals to take proactive measures in their health journey. By raising awareness and promoting preventive strategies, we can work together to reduce the incidence of breast cancer and support those affected by it.

        Resources to Help You Take Control of Your Risk

        If you're ready to take control of your health and want to understand your cancer risk better, consider the following resources:

         

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        References

        1. Cancer.org
        2. Atoum, M., & Alzoughool, F. (2017). Vitamin D and Breast Cancer: Latest Evidence and Future Steps. Breast Cancer: Basic And Clinical Research, 11, 117822341774981. doi: 10.1177/1178223417749816
        3. Robey, I. (2012). Examining the relationship between diet-induced acidosis and cancer. Nutrition & Metabolism, 9(1), 72. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-9-72
        4. Cust, A., Stocks, T., Lukanova, A., Lundin, E., Hallmans, G., & Kaaks, R. et al. (2008). The influence of overweight and insulin resistance on breast cancer risk and tumour stage at diagnosis: a prospective study. Breast Cancer Research And Treatment, 113(3), 567-576. doi: 10.1007/s10549-008-9958-8
        5. 8 Predictive Biomarkers For Lifetime Health from Dr. Russell Jaffe - PERQUE Integrative Health | PIH. (2019). Retrieved 12 October 2019, from https://www.perque.com/8-predictive-biomarkers-for-lifetime-health-from-dr-russell-jaffe/
        6. Frydenberg, H., Thune, I., Lofterød, T., Mortensen, E., Eggen, A., & Risberg, T. et al. (2016). Pre-diagnostic high-sensitive C-reactive protein and breast cancer risk, recurrence, and survival. Breast Cancer Research And Treatment, 155(2), 345-354. doi: 10.1007/s10549-015-3671-1
        7. Hope, C., Robertshaw, A., Cheung, K., Idris, I., & English, E. (2019). Relationship between HbA1cand cancer in people with or without diabetes: a systematic review. Retrieved 9 October 2019, from
        8. Krone, C., & Ely, J. (2005). Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 4(1), 25-31. doi: 10.1177/1534735404274167
        9. Krone, C., & Ely, J. (2005). Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 4(1), 25-31. doi: 10.1177/1534735404274167
        10. Nour Eldin, E., El-Readi, M., Nour Eldein, M., Alfalki, A., Althubiti, M., & Mohamed Kamel, H. et al. (2019). 8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine as a Discriminatory Biomarker for Early Detection of Breast Cancer. Clinical Breast Cancer, 19(2), e385-e393. doi: 10.1016/j.clbc.2018.12.013
        11. Wu, L., Chiou, C., Chang, P., & Wu, J. (2004). Urinary 8-OHdG: a marker of oxidative stress to DNA and a risk factor for cancer, atherosclerosis and diabetics. Clinica Chimica Acta, 339(1-2), 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cccn.2003.09.010

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