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Postmenopausal Women With Gum Disease Seem to Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk
Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, can range from simple inflammation of the gums, called gingivitis by dentists, to periodontitis, when the gums pull away from the teeth leaving open spaces that become infected. The bacteria causing the infection and the body’s response to the infection can break down the bone and connective tissue that hold your teeth in place. If periodontitis isn’t treated, the teeth may become loose and have to be removed.
Gum disease can be prevented by regular tooth brushing and flossing.
Gum disease has been associated with several other diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Past research has found links between gum disease and oral, esophageal, head and neck, pancreatic, and lung cancer, so researchers wondered if there were any links between gum disease and breast cancer.
A study has found that postmenopausal women with gum disease were more likely to develop breast cancer than postmenopausal women who didn’t have gum disease. If the women had a history of smoking, the risk of breast cancer was even higher.
The study was published online on Dec. 21, 2015 by the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Read the abstract of “Periodontal Disease and Breast Cancer: Prospective Cohort Study of Postmenopausal Women.”
The research is part of the very large Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, commonly called the WHI. The WHI is looking for links between health, diet, lifestyle, and genetic factors and health problems, such as cancer.
In this study, the researchers monitored 73,737 postmenopausal women in the WHI who had never been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 26% of the women told the researchers they had gum disease.
After about 6.5 years, 2,124 women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Overall, the risk of breast cancer was 14% higher in women who had gum disease compared to women who didn’t have gum disease. So if average breast cancer risk is about 12%, a woman with gum disease had about a 13.5% risk of breast cancer.
“We thought that periodontal bacteria — either the bacteria themselves or the inflammation that’s part of having periodontal disease — has an effect on other parts of the body, including breast tissue. We know there are bacteria in breast tissue and we know there are bacteria in mother’s milk. Women who had periodontal disease had a small increase in the risk of breast cancer overall,” said Jo Freudenheim, Ph.D., distinguished professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the University of Buffalo and lead author of the study.
Because earlier studies have shown that the effects of gum disease can be more severe if a person smokes, the researchers also grouped the women by smoking history:
- Among women who had quit smoking within the last 20 years, women with gum disease had a 36% higher risk of breast cancer than women who didn’t have gum disease.
- Among women who had never smoked, women with gum disease had a 6% higher risk of breast cancer than women who didn’t have gum disease.
- Among women who had quit smoking more than 20 years ago, women with gum disease had an 8% higher risk of breast cancer than women who didn’t have gum disease.
“There’s been an explosion of information recently that makes it clear that many different parts of the body that were thought to be sterile contain bacteria and other microbes,” Dr. Freudenheim said. “These bacteria may influence diseases that were previously thought to have no infectious component.”
The researchers said there are several possible reasons for the association between gum disease and breast cancer:
- Bacteria in the mouth can get into the bloodstream through tooth brushing, flossing, and chewing. Even though the bacteria are cleared out of the body quickly, the cumulative exposure to tissues can be considerable. It could be that these bacteria affect breast cancer.
- Inflammation in one part of the body, such as the gums, may have an impact on other diseases.
- There may be other factors that increase the risk of both gum disease and breast cancer.
“This is a new area, so we have to be careful in how we interpret our findings,” said Dr. Freudenheim. “We can’t say, ‘if you treat periodontal disease it will reduce cancer risk.’ There are new methodologies that allow us to measure things we weren’t able to before. We are now beginning to understand how much the interaction of the microbiome affects our health both in terms of acute infections and chronic diseases.”
Doing all that you can do to keep your breast cancer risk as low as it can be makes good sense. Besides exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, avoiding alcohol, and taking good care of your teeth and gums are steps you can take to control several risk factors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, gum disease can be kept in check by:
- Brushing and flossing your teeth every day to remove the bacteria that cause gum disease.
- Seeing a dentist at least once a year for a checkup, or more frequently if you have any of the warning signs of gum disease:
- red/swollen gums
- tender/bleeding gums
- loose teeth
- bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth that won’t go way
- gums that have pulled away from your teeth
- sensitive teeth
(Article Excerpt from Breastcancer.org) – See more at: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/gum-disease-may-be-linked-to-higher-risk
Lack of Exercise Can Raise The Risk of Breast Cancer
Research shows a link between exercising regularly at a moderate or intense level for 4 to 7 hours per week and a lower risk of breast cancer. Exercise consumes and controls blood sugar and limits blood levels of insulin growth factor, a hormone that can affect how breast cells grow and behave. People who exercise regularly tend to be healthier and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and have little or no excess fat compared to people who don’t exercise.
Fat cells make estrogen and extra fat cells make extra estrogen. When breast cells are exposed to extra estrogen over time, the risk of developing breast cancer is higher.
Steps you can take
Exercise is now considered such an important part of daily life that the United States Department of Agriculture added it to ChooseMyPlate.gov, the U.S. government’s guide to healthy eating. The American Cancer Society recommends that women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer exercise regularly (about 4 to 5 hours per week) to improve their quality of life and physical fitness, as well as to reduce the risk of developing new cancers. Research shows that women who exercise the equivalent of walking 3 to 5 hours per week at an average pace after being diagnosed with breast cancer may improve their chances of surviving the disease.
Start slowly: The first thing to do is to talk to your doctor and possibly a certified fitness trainer about a safe and sensible plan designed specifically for you and your needs and physical abilities. It’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor about a healthy weight for your age, height, body type, and activity level.
You may want to start gradually, maybe walking for 15 minutes a day and then slowly increasing the amount of time you spend exercising, as well as the intensity level of each session. You may need months to work your way up to 5 hours a week, but that’s OK.
If you’re not sure how to start exercising, you might want to visit a gym or make an appointment with a certified personal trainer to learn about different types of exercise. Some people prefer exercising in their homes using videotapes or DVDs. Others find great joy in gardening or building things, as opposed to organized exercise. Some people love being part of a team and playing soccer or baseball. Walking or jogging with a friend is a great way to socialize AND get the benefits of exercise. Dancing to great music is great exercise. With so many different ways to move, you’re bound to find a way to exercise that suits your personality and schedule. If you can find one or a mix of exercises that you think are fun and not boring, you’ll be much more likely to stick with it.
(Article Excerpt from Breastcancer.org) – See more at: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/exercise.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Just being a woman is the biggest of all breast cancer risk factors. There are about 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 60,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer this year in American women. While men do develop breast cancer, less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases happen in men. Approximately 2,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American men this year.
The biggest reasons for the difference in breast cancer rates between men and women are:
- Women’s breast development takes 3 to 4 years and is usually complete by age 14. It’s uncommon for men’s breasts to fully form — most of the male breasts you see are fat, not formed glands.
- Once fully formed, breast cells are very immature and highly active until a woman’s first full-term pregnancy. While they are immature, a women’s breast cells are very responsive to estrogen and other hormones, including hormone disrupters in the environment.
- Men’s breast cells are inactive and most men have extremely low levels of estrogen.
So hormonal stimulation of highly responsive and vulnerable breast cells in women, particularly during the extra-sensitive period of breast development, is why breast cancer is much more common in women than in men.
Steps you can take
Changing your sex to reduce your risk of breast cancer is not a realistic or reasonable possibility. But there are lifestyle choices you can make to reduce your estrogen exposure and reduce this sex-related risk:
- maintaining a healthy weight
- exercising regularly
- limiting alcohol
- eating nutritious food
- never smoking (or quitting if you do smoke)
These are just a few of the steps you can take. Review the links on the left side of this page for more options.
(Article Excerpt and Image from Breastcancer.org) – See more at: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/woman
The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam
Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.Here’s what you should look for:
If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor’s attention:
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Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.Step 3: While you’re at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood). | ![]() Larger Version |
Step 4: Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you’ve reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage. | ![]() Larger Version |
Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in step 4. | ![]() Larger Version |
(Article Excerpt and Image from Breastcancer.org) – See more at: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/self_exam/bse_steps
Could Eating Pineapple 3 Times a Day Promote Breast Health?
Do you have a problem with droopy and loose breasts? It is quite a normal phenomenon that occurs with age, but now you can easily change that, and all you need to do is to eat more pineapples. Smoking, excess alcohol and coffee can increase the problem, but pineapples can quickly solve it.
“Pineapples contain a whole range of antioxidants and are also considered to be anti-cancer fruits. However, its use in women is indispensable. It contains substances that restore elasticity of skin fibers and thus rejuvenate it. This is especially visible on female breasts which lose their shape over the years. Drink enough fluids, discard the coffee and alcohol and eat pineapples daily. The results will be noticeable immediately, “doctors recommend.
An amazing smoothy which can be consumes daily:
- 1 cup finely chopped pineapple
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- 3-4 ice cubes
Mix all ingredients in a blender and drink the smoothy in the morning or before a meal.
Here is the Benefits of Pineapple :
Arthritis Management: One of the most celebrated uses of pineapple in terms of health is its ability to reduce the inflammation of joints and muscles, particularly those associated with arthritis, a truly debilitating disease that affects millions of people around the world. Pineapples contain a relatively rare proteolytic enzyme called bromelain, which is primarily associated with breaking down complex proteins, but it also has serious anti-inflammatory effects, and has been positively correlated with reducing the signs and symptoms of arthritis in many test subjects.
After You Find Out What Pineapples Can Do To Your Breasts, You Will Never Stop Eating Them !
PineappleImmune System: A single serving of pineapple has more than 130% of the daily requirement of vitamin-C for human beings, making it one of the richest and most delicious sources of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is mainly associated with reducing illness and boosting the immune system by stimulating the activity of white blood cells and acting as an antioxidant to defend against the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism that can damage various organ systems and disrupt function, as well as cause healthy cells to mutate into cancerous ones. The vitamin C content of pineapples defends against this.
Tissue and Cellular Health: One of the commonly overlooked benefits of vitamin C is its essential role in creating collagen. This is partly the reason why it is seen as a healing vitamin, because collagen is the essential protein base of blood vessel walls, skin, organs, and bones. High vitamin C content helps you heal wounds and injuries to the body quickly, along with defending against infections and illness.
Cancer Prevention: In addition to the antioxidant potential of vitamin C in the battle against cancer, pineapples are also rich in various other antioxidants, including vitamin A, beta carotene, bromelain, various flavonoid compounds, and high levels of manganese, which is an important co-factor of superoxide dismutase, an extremely potent free radical scavenger that has been associated with a number of different cancers. Pineapple has directly been related to preventing cancers of the mouth, throat, and breast.
After You Find Out What Pineapples Can Do To Your Breasts, You Will Never Stop Eating Them !
PineappleImmune System: A single serving of pineapple has more than 130% of the daily requirement of vitamin-C for human beings, making it one of the richest and most delicious sources of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is mainly associated with reducing illness and boosting the immune system by stimulating the activity of white blood cells and acting as an antioxidant to defend against the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism that can damage various organ systems and disrupt function, as well as cause healthy cells to mutate into cancerous ones. The vitamin C content of pineapples defends against this.
Tissue and Cellular Health: One of the commonly overlooked benefits of vitamin C is its essential role in creating collagen. This is partly the reason why it is seen as a healing vitamin, because collagen is the essential protein base of blood vessel walls, skin, organs, and bones. High vitamin C content helps you heal wounds and injuries to the body quickly, along with defending against infections and illness.
Cancer Prevention: In addition to the antioxidant potential of vitamin C in the battle against cancer, pineapples are also rich in various other antioxidants, including vitamin A, beta carotene, bromelain, various flavonoid compounds, and high levels of manganese, which is an important co-factor of superoxide dismutase, an extremely potent free radical scavenger that has been associated with a number of different cancers. Pineapple has directly been related to preventing cancers of the mouth, throat, and breast.
(Article Excerpt and Image from TheTruthAboutCancer.com) See more at: http://www.healthfreedoms.org/see-what-happen-to-your-breasts-when-you-eat-pineapple-3-times-a-day/
Is Your Gut Helping You Prevent Breast Cancer?

Your gut, which houses your digestive system, contains over a billion nerve endings. It has more surface area than your external skin. It is the place where the majority of the absorption of nutrients and water takes place and it interacts with nearly 20 hormones in your body. It also contains 70% to 80% of your body’s immune cells. When it comes to Breast Cancer prevention and overall health, a Healthy Gut = a Healthy Body = Less Dis-ease, including cancer.
Your Digestive System 101
Your gut is the home of all kinds of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are “good” or “helpful” bacteria; “probiotic” literally means “for life.” They protect your digestive system from unhealthy, opportunist bacteria, viruses and parasites.
To learn how your digestive health is connected to cancer prevention and overall health, let’s start with a visual of when things are NOT working well. We have all experienced the not-so-pleasant effects of a toilet backing up because of a paper clog or too much “you know what” in the bowl. Your colon is no different. It is like a sewer system and is designed to expel the waste matter from food and other metabolic processes.
If you do not have healthy intestinal flora full of happy probiotics, your “sewer system” will literally back up into your body. What should be coming out gets re-absorbed and eventually will push through the intestinal wall and re-circulate into your blood stream.
This plugging up of the digestive system also leads to increased toxicity in the body. And as the body becomes increasingly toxic, proper oxidation cannot take place on a cellular level. Without proper oxygen, the cells become stressed and your Immune System becomes compromised.
Research on Probiotics, Cancer and the Immune System
In the early 1900’s, Russian scientist Ilya Metchnikoff suggested that disease and the aging process came as a result of “auto-intoxication” due to unhealthy bacteria that produced phenols, indols and ammonia in the gut. Improving intestinal flora with fermented foods that contained “lactic acid” bacteria seemed to have many health benefits; including, improving the immune system. Metchnikoff had also observed that certain rural populations in Europe, for example in Bulgaria and the Russian Steppes, who lived largely on milk fermented by lactic-acid bacteria were exceptionally long lived. Based on these facts, Metchnikoff proposed that consumption of fermented milk would “seed” the intestine with harmless lactic-acid bacteria and decrease the intestinal pH and suppress the growth of proteolytic bacteria.
Metchnikoff had also observed that certain rural populations in Europe, such as Bulgaria and the Russian Steppes, who lived largely on milk fermented by lactic-acid bacteria were exceptionally long lived. Based on these facts, Metchnikoff proposed that consumption of fermented milk would “seed” the intestine with harmless lactic-acid bacteria, decrease the intestinal pH and suppress the growth of proteolytic bacteria. Almost a century later, modern science finally caught up. In 1989, the Journal of Applied Bacteriology stated: “There is good evidence [to support] that the complex microbial flora present in the gastrointestinal tract of all warm-blooded animals is effective in providing resistance to disease.”
And just recently, a University of Michigan study indirectly linked healthy levels of probiotics and a healthy digestive tract to Immune System function in mice. Researchers in the study gave the mice lethal doses of chemotherapy drugs and at the same time gave them a substance called “Rspo1” or “R-spondon1.” 50-75% of the mice given Rspo1 survived the lethal dose. Why?
Rpos1 produces stem cells that act like “‘super tissue regeneration machines.” These stem cells were able to rebuild damaged tissue faster than the chemo could destroy them.” The study used an injection of Rspo1 to activate stem cell production in the endothelial cells of the intestinal lining of the mice.
Our bodies, however, (and the bodies of the mice) already possess the blueprint to produce this powerful substance if our intestinal flora is healthy. More than anything else, the presence of healthy, probiotic bacteria is what determines healthy gene expression in the epithelial cells of your intestinal lining.
Although the University of Michigan study is questionable from a moral standpoint, since its aim was to prove that patients may some day be able to survive larger doses of chemo and radiation, an indirect consequence of the findings could be scientific proof of your own digestive tract’s ability to kick-start super-immunity naturally if given the ability to do so through the presence of healthy, probiotic bacteria.
Let Food Be Your Medicine
Essential #1 of The 7 Essentials™ System for healing the body naturally is to“Let Food Be Your Medicine.” This statement has never truer than with Probiotics. For thousands of years, fermented foods, the natural and nutritionally-based way to insure plenty of probiotic growth in your gut, have been a part of many cultures. Besides the Russian and Bulgarian peasants of Metchnikoff’s day that inspired him in his research, the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures have credited their relatively low rates of chronic degenerative diseases to the daily use of fermented milk and vegetable products. The Asian culture also includes high-probiotic, fermented foods like miso and tempeh in their daily eating.
To sum up, Probiotics work on several levels:
- They fight off unhealthy organisms and reduce the risk of infection;
- They regulate Immune responses;
- They support the healthy function of elimination from the colon;
- They have an effect on allergies and obesity; and, most important for you,
- They help fight inflammatory responses and reduce your risk of cancer.
Start today to incorporateProbiotics through fermented foods and/or supplementation into your daily regime. If you are proactive with prevention by incorporating Probiotics into your life, you may be on your way to prevent Breast Cancer naturally.
(Article Excerpt and Image from TheTruthAboutCancer.com), article by: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers – See more at: http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/is-your-gut-helping-you-prevent-breast-cancer/
Reflexology For Breast Health

Reflexology for Breast Health
According to Nobel Prize Laureate Carlo Rubbia, living things are only one billionth physical matter. The rest, he says, is energy! That goes for your body as well. When it comes to breast cancer prevention and breast health, it is vital that you keep your energy, or Qi, flowing.
One way to do this is through the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice of reflexology. Reflexology is a type of acupressure or massage that focuses on the feet. The idea is that by stimulating points on the feet, one can improve the health of corresponding parts of the body, including various organs and the breasts. Reflexology has been used as a healing modality for thousands of years in Asia. Archeologists have even found evidence of its use by pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
Breast Cancer and Stagnant Qi
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, when cancer of any kind is discovered, this means that energy has been stagnating for a long time, similar to how a river may get clogged and muddy with the buildup of debris like twigs and leaves. In addition to unhealthy eating and lack of movement, a big reason why stagnation occurs is because of negative emotions that have not yet been healed.
Louis Hay, author of the best-selling book You Can Heal Your Life, presents one interpretation of this connection: “When there are problems with the breasts, it usually means we are ‘over mothering’ either a person, a place, or a thing, or an experience… If cancer is involved, then there is also deep resentment.” Other emotional blocks include lack of self-love and lack of nurturing in one’s life.
According to the Wai Ke Zhang Zong, written in the 1400s: “These [negative] emotions accumulate day by day and cause Spleen and Stomach Qi deficiency and Liver Qi stagnation. These conditions will cause the body to create a lump. When Qi or energy stagnation accumulates in the meridians over time, a small seed can progress to a cancerous mass. Then the five major organs will spiral out of balance. This problem is called breast cancer.”
Of course, this is a modern translation of the words of this ancient text as there was no such thing as the current concept of cancer back then. It is safe to say, however, that throughout history people have seen the consequences of blocked Qi. The development of “blocks in the river,” or tumors are a result.
Reflexology for Breast Cancer
The connection between points on the feet and the major organs is real and this knowledge has long been used by Chinese medicine practitioners. Holly Tse, CMP, tells a powerful story of her first introduction to both breast cancer and reflexology:
“When I was first introduced to Chinese Reflexology, my [practitioner] knew simply from massaging my breast reflexology point that I had a breast lump. While I was squirming in pain, he suddenly asked, ‘Do you have a breast lump in your right breast?’ That’s how accurately your feet can reflect your body!”
In recent studies, reflexology has shown to ease the symptoms, such as shortness of breath associated with chemotherapy and hormone treatment in women with metastasizing advanced-staged breast cancer.
The point on the feet that connects to the breasts is a rectangle-shaped area on the top of the foot that extends “from the base of your toe to slightly below your big toe knuckle.” To massage the area, Tsu suggests making a fist and using all of the knuckles to rub up and down with moderate pressure for 30-60 seconds. Massaging reflexology points that are connected to the lymph glands is beneficial as well, since the breast area contains a large number of lymph nodes.
Keeping the body systems in flow through the use of ancient Chinese medicine techniques like reflexology is a vital part of “The 7 Essentials System™” for healing the body naturally and a time-tested way to stay vibrant, vital and dis-ease free.
(Article Excerpt and Image from TheTruthAboutCancer.com), article by: Posted by: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers – See more at: http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/reflexology-for-breast-health/
Suzanne Somers: How I’d Treat My Breast Cancer Differently Today
Don’t learn the hard way by “trying it first”, listen to those who have made the mistake and learn
Video Transcript: Suzanne Somers: How I’d Treat My Breast Cancer Differently Today
Ty Bollinger: Suzanne, if you could, let’s go back about 14 years now in time and tell us about your bout with breast cancer and what you did to treat it.
Suzanne Somers: When I look back 14 years, what I am so glad about is what I didn’t do. I remember that I got the recipe right away; we’ll do surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and after care drug of Tamoxifen.
And even at that time… because all of us in the alternative world, from year to year you know so much more. I can’t do that. The idea of putting chemical poison into my body to cure me just doesn’t make sense. And he [the doctor] said “you’ll die if you don’t.” And I said, “I think I’ll die if I do what you want me to do.”
So I did end up doing radiation because a doctor I respected very much, who is an alternative doctor, said, “Well, you have to do radiation.” And I said, “Really? You would do it, too?” And she said, “Absolutely.”
I think today, knowing what I know about radiation and knowing what I know about a nutritional approach to cancer, I really don’t think I would have done radiation. Because any problem I have health-wise is as a result of radiation. So, I have a whole different feeling about it.
But, we [all] do the best that we can with the information we have at the time. And that is what I knew at that time…
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(Article Excerpt and Image from Thethruthaboutcancer.com), article by: Ty Bollinger – See more at: http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/suzanne-somers-breast-cancer/posted by: Suzanne Somers
Some Breast Cancers Are On The Rise…Others Will Become Less Common
The reasons why are fascinating.
Breast cancer is already the most common form of cancer. We’ll see 234,000 new cases of the disease diagnosed this year alone — but according to new data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s 2015 Annual Meeting, that number is only set to rise substantially in the years ahead.
According to the research, breast cancer rates will increase by 50 percent by the year 2030, compared to stats analyzed from the year 2011 — a risk that’s especially potent in women over 70. Around 40 million women in the U.S., born between 1946 and 1964, will experience high absolute risks for postmenopausal breast cancer — or two to four percent risk over a decade-long span. Another 56 million women in their 20s and 30s will see a substantial risk of premenopausal cancer, around 0.4 percent to 1.5 percent over a 10-year span.
On the current trajectory, the total number of breast cancer cases will jump from 283,000 in 2011 to 441,000 in 2030. Although the number of diagnoses among women 50 to 69 should see a drop, the proportion of women seeing a breast cancer diagnosed between ages 70 and 84 will rise from 24 percent to 35 percent. This is mostly due to a jump in ER-positive, in-situ cancers, generally found by mammography, from 19 percent to 29 percent.
These numbers seem staggering, but, when you look at the reasons why, they make more sense:
1. Baby boomers are aging: There will be more women at an age where they experience a higher risk for breast cancer.
2. People are living longer. As women age, they’re more likely to develop breast cancer.
3. Estrogen positive breast cancer is on the rise.
Researchers delved into national data on breast cancer rates using projects run by the Census Bureau: NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Then they used mathematical models to help forecast incidence of the disease, gleaning insights into the eventual burden of these cases and how we should approach prevention.
According to Richard Bleicher, MD, associate professor of surgical oncology and breast surgeon at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, these statistics are a reminder that we can’t get lax about testing and symptom checks. “It emphasizes the fact that screening is important,” he tells Yahoo Health. “There’s been a lot of controversy lately about mammography, the reliability, effectiveness and false positives — but mammography is still our front lines in detecting cancer.”
Bleicher also insists that it’s important for every woman to know the symptoms of cancer — whether she has family history and other risk factors, or not. “We hear different numbers, like one in eight women, or one in 11 women will develop cancer,” he says. “But it’s difficult to provide an exact estimate of cancer risk in the absence of a genetic mutation, which we know can lead to a 40 to 80 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.”
It’s important to be aware of changes in your body. In addition to a lump in the breast, which most women know about, he says other reasons to see a doc include bloody discharge from the nipple, a lump in the armpit or changes to the contour of the skin.
However, no woman is immune to breast cancer, and all should be watchful. “It’s more common to get breast cancer in the absence of risk factors,” Bleicher says. “This is called sporadic cancer. Sometimes it’s due to various types of tissues having a high rate of cell turnover, or a hormone change, but the point is, even though you may do everything right — eat right, exercise, stay at a healthy weight — you may still get it.” Which is why you should know the signs, get regular screenings, and take active steps to reduce your risk.
On a positive note from the study, the researchers involved in the current study believe we’ll see fewer tough-to-treat cancers, like HER2-positive and triple-negative subtypes of breast cancer, as well as fewer estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors.
Why the drop in certain types? No one’s sure, but researchers are delving into clues. As an example, the trend in delaying motherhood and choosing to breastfeed may have something to do with a the reduction in the rates of these cancers, as early age at first birth and lack of breast-feeding are both risk factors for ER-negative tumors.
(Article Excerpt and Image from Yahoo! Health), article by: Jenna Birch, April 20, 2015 – See more at: https://www.yahoo.com/health/u-s-breast-cancer-rates-will-increase-50-by-2030-116923364217.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
Mind Body Healing Techniques for Breast Cancer
The diagnosis of breast cancer can send your mind spinning in a hundred different directions. Right after diagnosis, being in “panic mode” is normal. It is important, however, for you to step back at some point and simply process all the information.
This is the time when YOU must reel in all those anxiety-producing thoughts and take charge of your mind. Even though it may seem like you are in a situation that is out of your control, you DO have a choice. You can let the cancer control you and become the “victim” of cancer cells… or YOU CAN CONTROL THE CANCER.
Essential #4 of “The 7 Essentials System™ ” for healing and preventing breast cancer naturally is learning how to heal emotional wounds. What does this mean, exactly?
Healing your emotional wounds involves healing not only those wounds that we are consciously aware of – the trauma of a recent breast cancer diagnosis, for example – but also the wounds that have been imprinted deep into your subconscious brain. Emotional wounds that go unhealed are very likely connected to the development of cancer because every stress, whether we are aware of it or not, eventually manifests somewhere in the body.
The Silva Method Mind Body Healing program is one tool that has impressed me. Jose Silva, founder of the Silva Method, believed that 90 percent of all illnesses are caused by the mind. If illness is caused by the mind, he reasoned, why can’t it be healed by the mind as well?
Through my own participation in the Silva program, I discovered that a child’s brain (between the ages of zero to three years of age) functions primarily at the delta frequency. Between the ages of four and seven, a child’s brain functions predominantly at the theta frequency.
This means that from childbirth (or maybe even in the womb) to the age of seven, your brain registers things at a deep, “hypnotic” level. What is more significant is that the experiences you had during those formative years created the foundation for how you will react to the outside world for the rest of your life. That is, unless, you learn to change the programming you are running on the subconscious level.
Just how can you do this? Simply put, you can do it through meditation and visualization practices conducted at those same frequencies. Jose Silva found that people who can remain in the alpha and theta levels of consciousness are able to put their mind and body in a state conducive to healing. In this state cells repair, stress dissipates, the immune system strengthens, and physical symptoms of illness are, in some cases, reduced.
Dr. Carl Simonton was a radiation oncologist specializing in the treatment of cancer. His wife Stephanie is a counselor and trained in psychology. They are the authors of the book Getting Well Again: A Step-by-Step Self-Help Guide to Overcoming Cancer for Patients and Their Families. Through their study of bio-feedback as well as various modalities such as the Silva Method, they learned that people can influence their internal body processes. The book describes example after example of people who had been diagnosed with cancer and were told to go home to die. Yet, after learning how to meditate and “visualize their body healing,” the cancers disappeared.
Current research on the effects of meditative practices on breast cancer patients confirm that it really does work:
1. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) had a significant effect on sleep quality in Danish breast cancer patients;
2. Mindfulness-based Art Therapy decreased anxiety in women with breast cancer in an 8-week study;
3. The use of meditation and yoga improved long-term quality of life for African American breast cancer patients in a 2011 study.
Learning to harness the power of your mind can have numerous benefits – including accelerating your body’s ability to heal. I am so convinced of this fact that this process is a requirement for my coaching program. Unless you take proactive steps toward learning how to meditate and, even better, make a commitment to visualizing a positive outcome for your breast cancer journey every day, you may be missing the mark when it comes to truly healing.
(Article Excerpt and Image from The Truth About Cancer), article by: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers – See more at: http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/mind-body-healing-cancer/
Mammograms Reduce Breast Cancer Deaths…Insurance Companies Want To Restrict Access
Mammograms reduce breast cancer deaths by an average of 15%. New recommendations against routine mammograms for women aged 40-49 have been issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Other major health care providers, including the American Cancer Society, disagree with the new recommendations.
Tell state insurance regulators not to allow insurance companies to restrict access to mammograms. Sign the petition & tell a friend today!
Sign Petition ► http://po.st/75piL3
(Article Excerpt and Image from The Breast Cancer Site). – See more at: https://www.facebook.com/TheBreastCancerSite?fref=nf
Breast Cancer Treatments Expose A Huge Systematic Issue In American Health Care
The more breast cancer treatments a radiologist administers, the more reimbursements he or she typically receives. This is known, in healthcare, as fee-for-service medicine — and lots of experts don’t like it, largely because it creates an incentive to provide as much care as possible, regardless of whether patients get any healthier.

“When we see patients who have breast cancer, their first concern is if it yields the same cure rate, which it does, and the second is whether it’s more toxic, and it’s not,” says Justin Bekelman, a radiation oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania whose practice focuses on treating prostate cancer. “Then it’s like, wow, if that’s true and the new breast cancer treatment is only three weeks, its a no-brainer.”
It seemed like a no-brainer to radiation oncologists too. In 2011, their trade group, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, found that the two options were “equally effective for in-breast tumor control and comparable in long-term side effects” for a huge percent of patients.
doctors don’t have incentives to stay up-to-date on new treatments
This makes it all the more surprising that, three years later, new research published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that the vast majority of radiation oncologists aren’t using the new treatment.
The slow adoption of a faster and cheaper technology — one that delivers a better patient experience at a lower cost — isn’t just an issue with breast cancer treatments. It speaks to a lot of what’s screwed up in the larger American health care system. Doctors don’t have big incentives to stay up-to-date with new treatments. Sometimes, it’s actually financially ruinous for them to do so.
“This is the case where everyone could win, except for the radiation oncologists, who would be getting less money for fewer treatments,” says Zeke Emanuel, a bioethicist at University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the new study with Bekelman, the oncologist. “We have a persistence of no-value care, and that’s not good.”
Two-thirds of early-stage breast cancer patients get the wrong treatment
The new research looks at the insurance records of thousands of women treated for early-stage breast cancer between 2008 and 2013. It uses the billing claims that their providers submitted to see what type of treatment they got.
“We have a persistence of low-value care.”
It finds that use of the new treatment — known as hypofractionation whole breast irradiation — definitely increased from 2008 through 2013, as more research came out proving its efficacy. In 2008, when there was nearly as much research as there is today, 10.6 percent of women for whom the new treatment was endorsed ended up receiving it.
By 2013, that number had grown to 34.5 percent. That’s way more than 2008 — but also nowhere near a majority of patients getting a newer, faster, and equally good treatment as the older option. While the United States has made progress since 2008, for Emanuel, that one-third figure still raises the question: why, two years after national guidelines endorsed the new treatment, were most breast cancer patients not getting it?
Why don’t doctors pick the better treatment?
One cynical answer has to do with money: the more treatments a radiologist administers, the more reimbursements he or she typically receives. This is known, in healthcare, as fee-for-service medicine — and lots of experts don’t like it, largely because it creates an incentive to provide as much care as possible, regardless of whether patients get any healthier.
The billing records that Bekelman, Emanuel, and their co-authors examined show that insurance plans were billed more than $4,000 more for patients who received the older, longer course of treatment than those who had the newer, shorter chemotherapy sessions. Patients also had slightly higher (about $100) out-of-pocket costs for radiation-related expenses.
“In terms of the financial pressures, right now we work in an environment that rewards higher intensity care and quantity rather than quality,” says Bekelman. “It’s not the whole story, but it’s part of it. Our health-care system certainly doesn’t incentivize and may even disincentivize high-value cancer care.”
And there’s also the role of old habits being hard to kill, and radiologists relying on the same treatment they’ve used for years now. Yes, it is a bit more expensive and inconvenient for patients, but there’s no evidence that it’s actively harming their health.
“If you don’t take into account convenience, costs to patients, and costs to society, you can tell yourself that it’s not the worse option,” says Emanuel.
This could be true not just on the part of oncologists but on the part of patients, too, who might assume that the longer, more expensive course of treatment has to be better. In most other things we shop for, like cars and vacations, bigger and more expensive generally means higher quality. Why wouldn’t health care be like that too?
“In cancer care, we’ve always thought that more is better,” Bekelman says. “The fact is more isn’t always better. Sometimes less is just right. But making that change in mindset can be difficult.”
Low-value care happens everywhere in the health care system
The financial incentives, the doctor preference, and patient attitudes — all of these add up to American women getting worse breast cancer care than women in other countries. In Canada, for example, more than 70 percent of eligible patients receive the new treatment. That’s double the rate here in the United States.
This isn’t an issue limited to breast cancer care. The American health care system is replete with examples of doctors providing care that doesn’t help people get better — care that wastes time, money, and energy on the part of patients and providers. Medicare, for example, spends an estimated $1.9 billion on care that study after study shows doesn’t make people healthier.
And by rewarding volume over value, the American health are system makes this type of unnecessary, unhelpful breast cancer treatments especially easy to provide. The incentives are all there to encourage doctors to provide more care, even if, like the older breast cancer treatment methods, it isn’t the best choice for the patient.
(Article Excerpt and Image from How we treat breast cancer exposes a huge systematic issue in American health care, December 10, 2014, www.news.yahoo.com).
Can Coffee Prevent Cancer? New Study Says Yes
Whether it is a dire need or has a placebo effect, I consider it my duty to drink coffee every morning. Not just to function coherently but also because of its health and antioxidant properties.
Coffee consumption has been found to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, including endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancers, oral cancer and breast cancer. It may even reduce the risk of breast cancer returning.
Some data indicates that three cups of coffee per day reduce liver cancer risk by more than 50 percent. One study even found that older adults who drank coffee (caffeinated or decaffeinated) had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee.