8 THINGS EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW ON BREAST HEALTH

I always advocate self-care as the first step in
preventing and treating health challenges. When it comes to breast health, the
importance of self-care is a message I can’t share often enough. It is great to
see pink ribbons everywhere in October during National Breast Cancer Awareness
Month! If I had my wish, every pink ribbon would carry an additional important
message for women.

That message would be “You can improve your breast
health and reduce the risk of breast cancer right now with a few simple
lifestyle changes.”

We may not be able to control where we live or our
genetic risk factors- it’s true. However, a growing body of research is showing
us that women really can make a difference in their breast health through diet,
exercise, and weight management.

These simple steps can help optimize your body’s hormonal
balance and reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, and provide additional
health, anti-aging, and disease-prevention benefits.

We need to emphasize that everyone should be focusing on
what we can control not what we can’t.

– We can evaluate our hormone levels with a saliva test.
The best way for premenopausal and postmenopausal women to know if their bodies
have an imbalance of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone is to do a saliva
test. Saliva Testing is the most accurate and easy way to this.

– We can use bio-identical hormones if we need hormone
supplementation. Bio Identical means that the molecular structure of the
hormones identically match the hormones made by our body as opposed to Pregnant
Mare’s Urine which is natural to horses not humans.

– We can change our habits: reduce alcohol consumption
and quit smoking.

– We can manage our weight and exercise daily. Studies
also show that maintaining a healthy, average weight is just as important in
favorably influencing the estrogen/progesterone ratio. Regular exercise is
equally important. On the other hand, obesity, high insulin levels, alcohol
intake, smoking, oral contraceptives, hormones from meat and meat products,
pesticides, and herbicides can swing this ratio in the wrong direction.

– We can eat a balanced diet choosing Eat organic to
avoid pesticides, herbicides, and estrogens in meat and dairy products. Include
one to three servings of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, bok choy,
cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage in your diet each day. Studies show
that Indole 3 Carbinol the active ingredient helps balance estrogen levels.

– We Can supplement wisely with EFA’s, essential fatty
acids and use a fruit and vegetable concentrate if you do not eat 5 – 8
servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

– We can do BSE’s- breast self exams becoming more
familiar with our own body

– We can become better informed.