Perth Naturopathic Nutrition Expert Perth Western Australia | Women`s Health | Weight Loss | Detox Programs | Counselling

Protecting your Breasts 

Statistics on breast cancer are pretty frightening. In fact, according to recent figures one in 11 women up to age 75 are likely to develop breast cancer within their lifetime.

Breast cancer is usually a hormone driven cancer. This means that an imbalance in hormones can make your risk of developing the disease higher.

Other factors that contribute to an increased risk in breast cancer include: weight gain; age (most breast cancer occurs in women over 50 years and the risk increases in later years); family history of breast cancer; late child bearing or no child bearing; regular alcohol intake; poor oestrogen metabolism; high fat diet; lack of exercise; and, race (African American and Asian women are less likely to develop the disease).

Blood tests for hormones tell some of the story, however, salivary hormone testing shows the amount of "free" hormones, or those actually available to do their job on a cellular level. For this reason, it’s a more accurate measure of your hormone function. Another very useful test for breast cancer risk is an oestrogen metabolism urinary test. This urine test shows how your body is processing estrogens and gives your practitioner further information to help them tailor your program of care.

Some easy dietary and lifestyle changes you can put in place right now to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer or to help prevent recurrence are:

• Eat a good serving of one of the cabbage family vegies every single day (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoflower, broccolini, brussels sprouts); 
• Go for organic fruit and veg as much as possible to reduce your intake of chemicals; 
• Go for lean organic meat and poultry and low fat dairy food to reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat;
• Eat legumes such as chick peas, lentils and beans several times a week as these are thought to help with oestrogen metabolism; 
• Avoid overly browned or charred food as the dark ‘bits’ contain compounds thought to be carcinogenic;
• Never use plastic of any kind in the microwave oven; 
• Seek help to reduce your weight if you can’t manage it on your own; and 
• Exercise most days of the week for at least 30 minutes.

Most women should have a salivary hormone test to ensure their levels are balanced and to ensure they are not sliding into a high risk category for breast cancer. Simple measures can bring your hormones into balance and may include herbal medicine and / or nutritional medicine along with a few dietary changes.

Salivary hormone testing should also be used if you are: noticing hormonal changes; going through menopause; post menopausal; feeling tired all the time; often stressed; having problems conceiving; suffering with mild depression; have a low libido; suffering with acne; or, having menstrual problems. It is amazing the changes that natural medicine can make to your state of health and mind.