In 1940, the lifetime risk of a woman developing breast cancer was 5%, or 1 in 20. Today that risk is at 13% or more than 1 in 8. This risk assessment tool is designed to estimate a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer based on well-researched risk factors. Having medium or high risk for breast cancer does not necessarily mean that you’re going to develop breast cancer. It is imperative to know that even though some risk factors cannot be changed (age or family history) still many risks associated with breast cancer can be lowered and in fact mitigated. It is my sincere hope that this risk assessment tool will educate you and inspire you to become proactive with your breast health. For additional information on breast cancer prevention please see Ten Ways to Help Prevent Breast Cancer or many other articles published on this web site.

1. Family History

Add 15 points if you, your mother, sister or daughter has had breast cancer (15 points maximum) (If you scored 15 points in #1 above, skip #1a).

1a. Add 10 points maximum if your Grandmother, Aunt or Cousin has had breast cancer (maternal only)

2. Age

Add the following number to your score:

Double your age, round to the nearest 10 and drop the zero

(ex. Age 52 = 50, drop the 0, add 5 points)

3. Pregnancy

Add 1 point if 1st pregnancy in twenties

Add 2 points if 1st pregnancy in thirties

Add 3 points if 1st pregnancy in forties

Add double your age points if no pregnancies

4. Birth Control

Add to your score the number of years on birth control, divided in half.

(ex. 6 years on birth control, add 3)

5. At What Age Did Your Menstrual Cycle Begin?

Add 1 point for 12 years

Add 2 points for 11 years 

Add 3 points for 10 years or earlier

6.Late Menopause

Add 1 point for every year after age 54 up to 5 points maximum

7. Hormone Replacement Therapy

Add 2 points for each 5 years on hormone therapy (synthetic HRT)

8. Weight

Add 3 points or each 20 pounds overweight

9. Biopsy

Add 1 point for each biopsy

10. Ethnicity

Add one point if you are African-American or Ashkenazi Jewish

11.  Nursing

SUBTRACT one point for each child nursed for at least 3 months

12. Breast Density

Have you ever been told or do you know that you have dense breasts?

BRAIDS II - add 1 point, BRAIDS III - add 2 points, BRAIDS IV - add 3 points. 

For more information about breast density please see Your Breast Density Matters. If you do not know the answer, please skip this section.

13. Alcohol Consumption

2 drinks per week, add 1 point

4 drinks per week, add 2 points

over 4 drinks per week, add 3 points

Risk increases with alcohol consumed, see Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Final Score:

30 points or above = High Risk

20 points or above = Medium Risk

19 points or less = Low Risk

Please note that other risk factors exist, but are regrettably not able to be included in this assessment. These include: smoking, radiation exposure, chemical exposures, dietary and nutritional influences, emotional health, stress, trauma, hormonal imbalances, endocrine disorders, BRACA1 or BRACA2 gene mutations, life style, etc. 

If you have these or other risk factors, then this assessment’s results underestimate your risk. You should not use these results for medical decisions, they are just estimates. 

Screening for breast cancer works best when the right people get the right test. 

Otherwise, screening, or looking for trouble, may result in just that: unnecessary trouble that could be avoided.

For example, a woman with dense breast tissue may get a false sense of security with a ‘normal’ mammography report. This is the kind of trouble that can be avoided. 

While mammograms have their use as a diagnostic tool, they also have limitations when it comes to mass screening. Specifically when it comes to the use of mammography for women who have dense breast tissue.

What is dense breast tissue?

Dense breast tissue is rated by a scale known as BRAIDS and has been used by radiologists for over two decades. There are four (4) categories in this scale ranging from 1 to 4, where 1 being low rate – fatty composition to 4 being extremely dense. As the density of BRAIDS scale increases the sensitivity of a mammogram decreases. 

This is the reason why mammography testing in younger women or women with dense breast tissue is not appropriate or even effective. Dense breast tissue has less fat and contains more connective and glandular tissue that displays white on mammographic x-ray; cancerous tumors appear white on an x-ray just as well. 

Thus cancerous tumors hidden by dense tissue can be undetected for many years leading to poor survival outcomes. Further, although most mammography reports will contain BRAIDS rating, yet this important information is seldom shared with the patient by her doctor.

It is important that women know their breast tissue composition. With this information, along with other risk factors, discuss with her healthcare providers the most appropriate testing to assess her breast health. 

It is estimated that up to 40 percent of women who have regular mammograms have dense breast tissue. Thus a ‘normal’ mammography report may be anything but normal as cancer may be hidden by dense tissue. It is not uncommon to get advanced stage III cancer diagnosis within weeks of a normal mammogram.  Although many doctors are aware that mammography’s accuracy is compromised when it comes to dense breast tissue, most do not share this information with women. 

What is the right approach for women with dense breast tissue?

MRI and Ultrasound are more sensitive to finding cancers in women with dense breast tissue that are invisible on a mammogram.  Also women with fibrocystic condition, as I have described earlier in my previous article Fibrocystic Breast Condition need ultrasound testing as it is more specific to cysts and nodules versus a mammogram. 

As with all tests, there are benefits and risks. High rate of false positives with ultrasound and MRI become problematic when suspicious findings lead directly to biopsy. 

Breast thermography can play a great role in evaluating the overall risk. Breast thermography is a non-invasive functional testing of heat patterns in the breast. Thermography provides an early warning signal if there is something going on at the very early stage of development. Women with dense breast tissue should be evaluated with breast thermography and when appropriate should be followed up with an ultrasound. Women need to be informed of the risks and benefits of mammography screening and dense breast tissue, including its impact, on delayed diagnoses and advanced cancer. 

It is time to tailor your breast cancer screening to suit your own specific needs and requirements.

The breast cancer-estrogen connection is clear. Over 60% of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive. What does this mean? This means that estrogen aids in the process of growing that particular tumor. 

So, one critical question you should get answered is: Are you estrogen dominant?

Here’s how to answer that question.

Testing for Estrogen Dominance

When we look at someone’s breast thermography results we often find that there is a hormonal influence or an imbalance and suggest further testing to properly access this well known risk factor. When a woman’s breast thermography images show a high level of hormonal activity it will display with vascular dilation of her breasts. 

Now, there are a number of ways to test for estrogen dominance and I encourage readers to do so. 

Saliva Test called "Estrogen Quotient" (or EQ). It’s a very simple test that is extremely useful. You can get one from most natural healthcare practitioners. This test calculates estriol over estradiol plus estrone, or E3/E2 +E1. If the ratio is 0.5 to 0.8 EQ, you have an elevated risk of breast cancer. If the ratio is greater than 1.2 EQ, you actually have a lower risk for breast cancer. 

Urine Test called “Estronex Test” which looks at the ratio of good to bad estrogen (E2:E16). I’m using the terms good and bad loosely because there’s no such thing as good or bad estrogen; rather, some estrogens are more cancer prolific and others are more protective. When the results come back and the ratio is less than 2 that means there is an increased risk for breast cancer. 

I like and recommend urine and saliva tests because they are very simple. 

Blood Serum Tests are another form of testing you can do through your medical doctor. These can be very useful tools if they are done properly. The problem is that your hormones fluctuate and blood tests give you only a snapshot view of your hormonal balance on a given day. 

See, hormones will fluctuate over your cycle of 28 days so if you get your test done on Day 5, you’re going to get that particular picture, which may not be accurate. I always advise women to do blood tests between Days 18 and 21, during the luteal phase when you really want to see your progesterone being active. Also, 90% of hormones are actually bound in protein and that plasma (blood) is not the best transport. Therefore, hormones are really not biologically active or detectable in plasma.

Ways to Lower and Balance your Estrogen Levels

Introduce plant-based estrogens–– phytoestrogens––and iodine into your diet. This will help to establish a proper EQ ratio. Phytoestrogens are a thousand times less potent than naturally occurring estrogens in your body. Phytoestrogens are your friends. They help in the conversion of E2 to E3. 

Progesterone Supplementation. Progesterone is essential as it acts to counterbalance the effects of estrogen. Progesterone is necessary for many aspects of a woman’s health: during pregnancy; it is anti-spasmodic and relaxes smooth muscle, is anti-inflammatory, protects your breast, protects your colon, protects your lungs, bones, and thyroid. Progesterone is also a natural diuretic. If somebody has a problem with some excess water retention, they should be looking at progesterone supplementation. Progesterone also blocks the aromatase enzyme.* It stabilizes blood sugar. Caution, synthetic progesterone, unlike natural progesterone or bio-identical progesterone will not even transport into the cell. There’s a big difference between synthetic and natural. 

Also remember that post menopause, all hormones will drop. After the fertility years, naturally occurring levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone drop. The problem is that estrogen levels are not dropping as fast as progesterone levels because we’re exposed to estrogen in our environment and through our diets. So estrogen levels may be lower but progesterone levels are non-existent. In that case, now we have an estrogen dominant state, so supplementation and appropriate therapy if necessary is a good idea.

Liver detoxification. Berries and citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, all of them are really good in terms of detoxifying your liver and helping with regulation of estrogen metabolism. Frequently Melatonin and Iodine supplements are useful in many cases.  One of my favorites that I’ve been using for many years is Indole-3-Carbinol, also made from cruciferous vegetables.  I also recommend Calcium-D-Glucorate, which should not be confused with calcium supplementation. It’s just calcium that’s bound to a molecule, d-glucorate. I also recommend using ground flaxseed on regular basis, which is a bulking agent. 

Gastrointestinal Cleanse. It is important to get estrogen out of your gastrointestinal tract and to maintain proper evacuation.  All foods rich in fiber are going to help. 

Additional Estrogen-Modulating Agents: N-Acetylcysteine for liver support, and quercetin plus nettles, are  excellent supplements that will help with proper estrogen function.  Vitamin C and vitamin D are crucial. Hemp, maca, turmeric, red clover can also be introduced to your diet quiet easily. 

While this is not a complete list it gives you a good point of departure to get you on your way to test your estrogen levels and begin to balance them.

* “Aromatase enzyme” All hormones can actually convert from one to another, a process called "aromatizing". Even progesterone and testosterone can convert to estrogen. When somebody drinks coffee or alcohol, his or her naturally occurring testosterone is converted to estradiol, a cancer-prolific hormone. We can stop aromatizing by supplementing with passion flower, chamomile, resveratrol, which is from grapes—I’m not advocating people start drinking wine at this point (see Breast Cancer and Alcohol Consumption) — nettle root, olive oil, saw palmetto, chrysin and piperine. Tribulus terrestris is a useful herbal extract and has been very effective. Good old zinc actually works as a great aromatase inhibitor. The pharmaceutical industry has discovered this a long time ago and created non-natural synthetic drugs, such as Arimidex, Aromasin, and Femara, which I do not recommend. 

According to World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, alcohol beverages are considered carcinogenic to humans. There is more and more convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer.

It is a well-accepted fact that heavy alcohol consumption will increase the risk of breast cancer in women but now research shows that even moderate and minimal use is not safe. In other words, there is no safe limit when it comes to alcohol consumption.

Many women reading this blog maybe dismayed and confused by contradictory information about the benefits of alcohol use. A word of caution here: the industry has been trying to promote alcohol consumption in women for the last two decades with great success.  Many have been convinced that moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial to their health and in particular when it comes to heart disease prevention. Thus women in mass started consuming alcoholic beverages and in particular wine at a much higher rate than ever before in history. Yet it turns out that it is not the alcohol that protects your heart but the flavonoids and antioxidants contained in wine that are beneficial.

Alcoholic beverages are known to promote an estrogenic effect in your body by aromatizing (converting) testosterone to estradiol. Estradiol is a cancer promoting estrogen fuelling as much as 80% of all breast cancers. In addition, alcohol can alter blood sugar levels, impair reproductive functions, and interfere with calcium metabolism.

Several studies presented evidence that bacteria in our mouth produce acetaldehyde, which acts as a carcinogen, when they come in contact with alcohol. Even light consumption of alcohol such as 1 glass of wine per day increases the risk; and even using mouthwash that contains alcohol is implicated in higher incidence of breast cancer. Thousands of yearly deaths are directly related to women drinking alcohol beverages.

Wine and alcohol consumption has been a part of many cultures since ancient times. It has been associated with religious rituals, celebrations, social occasions and even medicinal use. However, the sharp rise in alcohol consumption in women to unprecedented levels in history and a higher incident of cancer, particularly breast cancer rates, in the last few decades are not coincidental. Regular alcohol consumption is just as dangerous as cigarette smoking. I hope that we do not have to wait for several decades, like we did with cigarette smoking, to understand the dangers of alcohol and breast cancer.

I have always contended that it is not something that we do once in a while, like having a glass of wine at a birthday party or such occasions, that is going to be detrimental to our health. Rather it is what we do on regular basis, and I might add something that we crave, that is going to get us in the end.  Please consider having a glass of juice instead of a glass of wine next time.

Cheers – To Life Without Breast Cancer!

Did you know that over 50% of women of menstruating age will be dealing with fibrocystic breast condition? As the term implies, it’s fibrous and cystic. 

The symptoms of the fibrocystic breast often manifest as: breast swelling, tingling, thickening, lumps, tenderness, sharp or burning pain, and itching. These symptoms may range from mildly annoying in some women to extremely painful in others.  

Women with fibrocystic condition are at a higher risk for breast cancer primarily due to additional testing, x-raying and routine biopsies leading to additional physical and emotional trauma caused by the test-associated probing.  

The most appropriate diagnostic testing for fibrocystic breast condition is breast ultrasound. Mammography is not specific enough and not very useful for fibrocystic or dense breast. Breast thermography can be very useful as an overall risk assessment tool as well as for follow up and treatment monitoring of this condition.

Conventional (i.e. Allopathic) treatment of fibrocystic condition involves needle aspiration, which includes draining liquid from the breast. This approach may alleviate some immediate discomfort but it is invasive and not especially effective in the long term. Once the liquid is drained out, the underlying cause is still not altered. The root cause of why the cysts and nodules are in that breast in the first place remains unaddressed. In many cases cystic fluid will come back and can lead to more cysts developing.

A more pragmatic approach would be to address the cause of the fibrocystic condition rather than the mere symptom. Most common causes of fibrocystic breast will include: hormonal imbalances, elevated prolactin levels, insulin resistance and thyroid dysfunction. In my experience, iodine deficiency, environmental, dietary and metabolic toxins are usually present as well.  

Ways to deal with this condition are to avoid caffeine, tea, chocolate and soft drinks. Anything that will contain caffeine will promote fibrocystic breast. After treating many women with fibrocystic condition and I have to say that if you just give up on caffeine alone, 50% of your symptoms will disappear over a relatively short period of time. 

Also of benefit is a high fiber diet including a great variety of plant based foods free of pesticides and hormones will help prevent cyclical fluctuations in cyst size and breast tenderness. For detailed information on how to prevent or treat fibrocystic condition please refer to my previous article called “Fibrocystic Breast Disease”.

Dr. Michael Gershon wrote a book about the gastrointestinal system called The Second Brain. I tend to see it the same way. The gastrointestinal tract as an organ is really so important that it has its own nervous system. It’s amazing to discover that there are a hundred million neurons in the gut––more than in the spinal cord or even the peripheral nervous system! So the gut actually controls functions independently of the brain. However, I also believe that your digestion affects the way your brain works; it is influenced by the nerves in our gut. I’m sure you’ve had periods where you felt butterflies in your stomach––that’s a typical stress response. There are also cases where indigestion produces nightmares or anxiety. Moreover, people who use antidepressants often have gastrointestinal problems like nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. 

In fact, "Irritable Bowel Syndrome,"––something that we've heard quite a bit about in the last decade –– is often nothing more than a gut reaction to some other problem. For example, in my own practice, I have quite often found a connection between IBS and psycho-emotional health in those I have treated. Interestingly, 95% of serotonin –– the happy neurotransmitter –– is actually found in the bowels –– that is good reason to believe that if you take better care of your gut, your gut will take care of you! Of course, one step towards better gastrointestinal health is to pay closer attention to your diet. The ancients believed that the seed of emotion, which we call the heart, was actually in the bowels. So, perhaps Romeo's love letter to Juliet should have said, "You Move Me," rather than "I Love You!".

All jokes aside, attention to your gastrointestinal health is essential. This includes monitoring your reactions to food and paying attention to food allergies. There are several allergy pathways. There’s an IgG and an IgE pathway. With IgE, your histamine is immediately released and it is clear that you have had an allergic reaction. In contrast, an IgG is a delayed sensitivity reaction that may last up to 72 hours. If, for example, you have an apple today and you start sneezing two days from now, there’s no way you’re going to put two and two together. There is a IgG Food Sensitivity Test that we have been using for many years in our office that can help you find out what sort of food sensitivities you have. Delayed sensitivity reactions are very, very important because they produce antibodies in your blood. These antibodies in turn enter your blood stream and contribute to your reactions (symptoms). It is not uncommon to discover that many chronic symptoms just fade away after a certain food has been eliminated from your diet. 

Every woman should know about her risk of developing breast cancer and the connection between dental / oral health and cancer. Learn how gum disease and root canals increase the risk of breast cancer by more that 10 times. In this short video several case studies presented using Infrared Thermography as a method for evaluating early stages of inflammation connected to your dental health.

Breast cancer is the most feared cancer among women. This fear becomes so pervasive that it manifests itself in time. As one of my patients once remarked, “It is not if I will get breast cancer, but when I will get breast cancer.”

Sometimes women are so overwhelmed with anxiety and fear that they avoid any form of screening – even non-invasive breast thermography. Fear is cited as the major reason why many women avoid doing their breast self examination, as they are afraid of finding something. 

Like all negative emotions, fear can be destructive to one’s health. Fear and anxiety lead to a rise in cortisol levels, a hormone released by the adrenals that affects hormonal balance. Cortisol will increase blood sugar levels, increase the level of inflammation in the body and suppress the immune system.  Therefore, the emotion of fear will have an effect on your physical body by changing your body’s biochemistry. Living in fear and putting your body under chronic stress will eventually degrade the function of your immune system and allow disease to set in.

Fear of breast cancer will disempower and paralyze you into non-action. To overcome this fear you need to empower yourself with knowledge, information and a plan of action for breast cancer prevention. Breast cancer can and will become a preventable disease. By identifying your risks, and creating a plan for lowering your risk factors, you will diminish the grip that fear has on you. Preventive action will empower you and the energy consumed by fear will be transformed to create positive changes in your life leading to better health. 

How do you identify your risk factors and create a plan of action to reduce them? 

Years ago I published an article in several health magazines called Ten Ways to Help Prevent Breast Cancer, please read it and see what resonates with you. Create a plan of action or discuss it with a health practitioner who specializes in women’s health and disease prevention.  Become pro-active with your health, check your hormone levels, improve your diet, become more physically active, practice breast self examination, use breast thermography to assess your risk, and finally take control of your emotional health. Fear is an irrational emotion; your actions will create positive emotions and will liberate you from the negativity of fear.

What is the difference between mammography, ultrasound and thermography? What is the best way to screen for breast cancer? Each screening modality has it's advantages and disadvantages. Mammography has been promoted as the best way to screen for breast cancer. Yet recent studies cast doubt on the effectiveness of mammography as the primary screening test. Please watch this video and learn what is the best way for you.

The former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden announced her aggressive form of breast cancer on Twitter. However, the biggest surprise to her and her Twitter friends was the fact that just 14 days earlier a mammogram came back giving her a clean bill of health. She didn't believe it so she had an ultrasound, a test that isn't routine, which revealed the tumor.

So many women have been misguided by the notion that routine mammography screening saves lives and given false hope that as long as they follow the recommendation of annual mammography they are safe.  Yet the reality presents with the opposite conclusion. More and more studies have been published recently questioning the effectiveness of mammography screening. (1) With routine mammography cancer is frequently missed and often over diagnosed and therefore the harm might outweigh the benefit.

We need a more personalized approach to breast cancer screening. Younger women and women with fibrocystic or with high density breast tissue get little or no benefit from conventional screening with mammography. Women need to consider the use of breast thermography as a choice in risk assessment and cancer screening.  Thermography imaging is a non-invasive, radiation-free method of testing and risk assessment that compliments all other types of screening modalities. The advantage of early risk assessment with breast thermography can be life saving.

I believe that using the 10 Step Breast Cancer Prevention Program can prevent the vast majority of breast cancers. It is imperative that women are provided with accurate information that helps them understand the benefits and risks associated with different breast cancer screening modalities.  Advanced breast cancer is a terrible disease that takes a huge toll of the lives of too many women. We cannot afford to rely on the popular media or information from marketing campaigns with vested interests to make informed decisions regarding breast cancer screening.  Mammography may be useful as a diagnostic tool when necessary, but as a mass screening method it has not been effective.

1. BMJ February 11,2014

The Breast Cancer Prevention Program is a unique program for women interested in proactively improving their health. This program is distinctively designed based on three foundational pillars:

Holistic Medical Treatment, Current & Relevant Education, and Reliable Empowerment Coaching.

The entire program is designed to last 6 months and to make sure that the level of compliance is high we have a dedicated coach who is just as accountable to you as you are to them. Our purpose is to bring you to a state of health and well being to a level where prevention becomes the norm and leaves you with a sense of confidence in your future. We invite you with open arms to take this opportunity and get on the path to a better health and breast cancer prevention.

For more information please visit www.threepillarsystem.com

Did you know that lack of sleep increases your risk for breast cancer?

More and more scientific evidence points to the connection between circadian rhythm and the development of breast cancer. There are a number of epidemiological studies that show women working night shifts have a higher incidence of breast cancer. We live in a sleep deprived society while a third of us are sleeping less than 6 hours a night, and 1 and 1/2 hours less than we were 100 years ago. Yet our sleep requirements have not changed dramatically. Scientists have called a disruption of circadian clock function a Group 2A carcinogen, placing it in the same class as lead compounds and diesel exhaust fumes. 

It is clear that electric lighting and evening light levels has a strong effect on our circadian rhythm. Exposure to light at night disrupts melatonin production. Melatonin is an important hormone involved in circadian rhythmic processes. It plays an important role in cancer treatment and prevention. Melatonin helps regulate other hormones, acts as an immune modulator and helps with estrogen metabolism. People with diminished levels of melatonin are at much higher risk for developing cancer, particularly hormone related cancers.  

To help with sleep and to naturally increase your melatonin levels, I would recommend the following:

• Sleep in a dark room.
• Cover your window so that there is no exposure to streetlights. 
• Avoid any internal light, for instance - the clock next to your bed. 
• Limit your exposure to light for at least an hour prior to going to bed, this means turn your TV and computer off and dim your lights prior to going to bed.

Sleep is vital to life and plays an important role in disease prevention. If you want to dramatically reduce your risk of breast cancer make sure you get good quality and plenty of sleep.

Did you know that 2 out of 3 breast cancers are hormone receptor positive and the majority of them are estrogen positive? It is a well-established fact that one of the leading causes of breast cancer is associated with hormone imbalance that leads to Estrogen Dominance.

You may not be aware but the most common conditions associated or directly caused by Estrogen Dominance include:

Breast cancer, PMS, Endometriosis, Fibrocystic Breast, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Uterine Fibroids, Ovarian Cysts, Cervical Dysplasia, Infertility, Weight Gain, Hypo-Thyroid, Breast Tenderness, Depression, Insomnia, Uterine Cancer, Hypoglycemia, Headaches, Water Retention, Anxiety and Irritability.

The leading causes of Estrogen Dominance include:

Industrial Livestock, Foods Containing Pesticides, Xeno-Estrogens, HRT, Stress – Reduces Progesterone Input, Obesity, Trans Fats, Oral Contraceptives, Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium Deficiency, Sugar, Fast Food, Processed Food, Cosmetics, Toxic Household Products.

How can we prevent or treat Estrogen Dominance naturally without drugs and harmful medications? Take another look at the list above and see where you can reduce or eliminate exposure. In addition, you can incorporate the following natural foods and substances into your daily routine.

• Proper liver detoxification has been shown to be very effective.  
• Food like berries, citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables are natural detoxifiers and act as estrogen modulators. 
• Use fiber rich foods along with ground flax seed to help with elimination of estrogens from your GI tract. 
• Consider using estrogen modulating supplements like Melatonin, Iodine, Indole-3-Carbonol or DIM, Calcium D Glucorate, and Quercetin plus Nettles. 
• Supplement with Vitamin C, B-6, Magnesium and especially Vitamin D3, all have been shown to protect and help with breast health. 
• Use Nutraceuticals such as Maca, Turmeric and Red Clover to reduce inflammation and help with hormone balancing.

Remember that you diet, the level of stress and exposure to environmental pollutants will have an affect on your estrogen levels. However, by using the above-mentioned foods and supplements you can avoid becoming estrogen dominant and thus reduce your risk of breast cancer significantly.

Did you know there is a connection between dental health and breast cancer? 

Dr. Robert Jones, a researcher of the relationship between root canals and breast cancer, found an extremely high correlation between root canals and breast cancer. In a 5 Year study of 300 breast cancer cases:

93 percent of women with breast cancer had root canals

7 percent had other oral pathology

Tumors, in the majority of cases, occurred on the same side of the body as the root canal(s) or other oral pathology.

Root canals lead to chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, joint diseases, arthritis and cancer.

Recent research has indicated strains of “streptococcus,” “staphylococcus,” and “spirochetes” which exist in root canals. It’s home of all kinds of pathogenic bacteria.

Root canals accumulate toxins that cannot be expelled because there is no vascular system in the tooth to do it.

Bacteria formed in the root travels to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Contrary to modern dental wisdom, antibiotics will not kill the bacteria formed in your root canal because the dead tooth does not have blood being supplied to it, so antibiotics will not be able to reach the inside of that tooth.

As toxins in root canals leak into the blood stream, every time you bite down on food, these toxins travel into the blood with open access to any location of the body with weak spots.

Over the years at our clinic, we have imaged thousands of women using infrared thermography. In many cases, we have clearly seen cases of inflammation in the dental area using this heat sensing technology. Many of these cases are caused by a low-grade infection and inflammation.  And, through further testing, these cases are attributed to dental or oral issues, such as issues related to root canal treated teeth. Invariably, some cases are very subtle, even asymptomatic for many years, but these cases slowly and continuously affect peoples’ health. 

People living with a chronic source of infection and inflammation will eventually find that their immunity is affected. In some cases, this chronic inflammation and infection will actually promote the growth of malignancy. The natural defense mechanism to fight malignant development is impaired since their immune system is busy dealing with inflammation that has no chance of resolving on its own. The only way this problem can be resolved is by identifying and removing the cause. 

When was the last time your doctor asked you about your dental health? If the answer is “never”, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your health issues and consider this question. Take the initiative and investigate. It can help in restoring your health.

Did you know that breast cancer incidence is seven (7) times higher in US and Canada compared to China and Japan. Yet there is no difference in breast cancer rates in Asian women after a third generation of living in North America. Breast Cancer appears to be more of a geographically located disease. The highest incidence occurs in US and Canada, parts of Western Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. The lowest incidence of breast cancer appears to be in countries like China, India and Japan and some parts of Africa. 

Unfortunately the incidence of breast cancer has been dramatically rising in countries like India and China as their diets and lifestyle begin to resemble those of the high-risk countries. This clearly shows that breast cancer is not related to genetics but is overwhelmingly connected to diet and lifestyle choices that we make. The truth is that only 2% of breast cancer is genetic in origin while 98% is caused by lifestyle and environment and 100% of breast cancer is influenced by lifestyle.

Did you know close to 40% (88,289 cases per year) of breast cancers can be prevented?

This comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research and I feel that these numbers are very conservative. Given my professional experience, I would say these numbers are still quite conservative and the number is closer to double that. 

Prevention is the key. Tremendous progress been made when it comes to educating the public and increasing prevention of heart disease and diabetes. Why not breast cancer?

Where can we start? Let’s start by addressing well-known risk factors associated with breast cancer like:

• Hormone Imbalance
• Endocrine Disorders
• Diet & Nutrition
• Life Style
• Emotional Health / Stress / Trauma
• Overweight
• Radiation Exposure
• Environmental Carcinogens

This is not a complete list, but in my opinion, these are the most common risk factors associated with breast cancer. To get started get together with a trusted health professional to assess properly your own risk factors.  Further, create a plan of action on what you’ll need to address first and execute proper follow up. This may require some time and effort on your part but once you have made a commitment to keep improving your health there is no going back.

Breast cancer prevention does not get better by CHANCE and quick fixes, it gets better by CHANGE and lifestyle choices.

Did you know that just 3-4 h of exercise per week decreases your risk of breast cancer by up to 50%.

Even 2h of exercise per week can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 20-30%.

Lean body mass (muscle) does not generate estrogen like fatty tissue. The connection between estrogen and breast cancer has been long established.

Exercise also increases the levels of human growth hormone (HGH) while aiding the lymphatic system in detoxification of your body.

You can start improving your health by taking a walk every day for 20 minutes. Each and every week add another 5 minutes to your daily walk and in a short timespan you’ll be walking for 40+ minutes a day. As your muscles get stronger you can speed up your pace and increase your heart rate to get the most out your activity. Before you know it, you’ll look and feel better and you’ll significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.