By Sarah LoBisco, ND
This blog is a continuation of my theme on my
homepage. October is what I like to term, “Breast Health Month”. Over the
years, I’ve gathered information about the power of natural approaches in
modulating cancer risk. Here are some more updates and tools for support.
Walking
an Hour a Day Aids Breast Health
You knew walking helped your thighs and stress, but
did you know it modulates cancer risk?
“Our
findings are particularly relevant, as people struggle with conflicting
information about how much activity they need to stay healthy,” said lead
researcher Dr. Alpa Patel, senior epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society
in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Without
any other recreational physical activities, walking on average of at least one
hour per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of breast cancer. More
strenuous and longer activities lowered the risk even more.”
AFP RELAXNEWS. Walking an hour a day can reduce
breast cancer risk: study. NY Daily News.October 4, 2013.
Breast
Health Month & the Power of Lifestyle Medicine
Dr. Mercola had a beautiful summary on the power of
lifestyle medicine and breast health during his interview with Dr. Horner. Dr.
Horner is an oncologist and plastic surgeon who is a renowned expert on this
topic.
He summarizes:
- Thousands of
studies show that simple lifestyle strategies can be tremendously
protective against cancer. This includes food, supplements, herbs,
exercise and sun exposure - Many lifestyle
strategies tested have the ability to cut your risk of cancer by about 50
percent; sometimes more. Optimizing your vitamin D levels, for example,
has been shown to cut breast cancer incidence by 77 percent in four years - Protective
strategies that are effective against breast cancer also work on these
other types of cancer. Cancer prevention strategies will also virtually
eliminate most other chronic disorders - Thermography can
be an empowering screening tool, as it can detect the potential for
cancer. By identifying areas of high inflammation, you can address the
underlying cause of the inflammation before cancer has a chance to develop
Most Natural Prevention
Strategies Cut Your Risk in Half
- What’s
most important, however, is Dr. Horner’s discovery that most of the
lifestyle strategies that have been scientifically tested have the ability
to cut your risk of cancer by about 50
percent; sometimes more. And yet virtually no one in conventional
medicine talks about and shares such findings with their patients. Why? For example, turmeric
can slash your risk by about half, while optimizing your vitamin
D levels has been shown to cut breast cancer incidence by 77 percent1
in four years! - Of
course, other lifestyle factors are also important in preventing cancer,
such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, and managing stress. However, vitamin
D’s critical importance seems to grow with every emerging study. Carole
Baggerly, founder director of GrassrootsHealth–an
organization dedicated to increasing awareness about vitamin D and the
crucial role it plays in health–believes that as much as 90 percent of
ordinary breast cancer is related to vitamin D deficiency, which is 100
percent preventable!
I encourage everyone interested in breast cancer
prevention and breast health to watch the 15 minute video with Dr. Horner on
mercola.com (Mercola, J. How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk Naturally.
mercola.com.October 20, 2013.)
The
Power of Vegetables on Breast Health
According to an update by the American Association
of Naturopathic Physicians (October 21, 2013 AANP Daily Clips), a compound found
in certain vegetables, DIM (3, 3′ diindolymethane) was shown to be effective protection
against lethal doses of radiation:
Scientists
have reported that a compound known as DIM, found in a class of vegetables
known as cruciferous or brassica, may protect normal tissue during radiation
therapy or during a nuclear plant accident or mitigate against radiation
sickness. (The compound, known as DIM, which is short for
3,3′-diindolylmethane, is derived from cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage,
cauliflower, and broccoli.)
Mice
and rats were irradiated once with a lethal dose of gamma ray radiation and
then treated with a daily injection of DIM for two weeks. All of the untreated
rats died, but well over half of the DIM-treated animals were still alive
thirty days after the radiation exposure. DIM provided radiation protection
whether the first injection was administered 24 hours before, or up to 24 hours
after, radiation exposure. This study points to two potential uses of the
cruciferous compound. DIM might protect normal tissues in patients receiving
radiation therapy for cancer. It might also protect against lethal consequences
of a nuclear disaster.
What especially interested me when I referenced the
original article was the mechanism involved the BCRCA gene! This is gene in which
a mutation is found to increase cancer risk. The researchers reported:
DIM
works, in part, by a mechanism distinct from other radioprotectors and
mitigators involving stimulation of the DNA damage response, including DNA
repair, and activation of cell survival signaling through the transcription
factor NF-κB…
…Studies
suggest ATM acts as a redox sensor and is activated by oxidative stress (48,
49). Thus, DIM-stimulated ATM/BRCA1 signaling to the DNA repair and antioxidant
machinery could contribute to tissue radioprotection.
What this means clinically, is that it is probable
that these researchers have demonstrated that DIM could help protect someone
who has inherited a faulty DNA expression (BRCA mutation). This is accomplished
by protecting cells from destructive oxidative stress and assisting with DNA
repair. This is empowering information for women with a family history of
breast cancer. It gives a whole new meaning to eating your vegetables.
Fan, S, Meng, Q, Xu, J, Yang, J, Zhao, L, Zhang, X,
et al. DIM (3,3′-diindolylmethane) confers protection against ionizing
radiation by a unique mechanism. PNAS. October 14, 2013, doi:
10.1073/pnas.1308206110
