Complementary Approaches to Breast Cancer Treatment

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Complementary Approaches to Breast Cancer Treatment

By: William Bergman, MD

From bioimmmune.com.

 

Public debate on breast cancer in the United States has centered

primarily on the best means of secondary prevention, that is, early

detection. Experts agree on the benefits of self-examination, regular

breast examinations by a health professional, and periodic mammography.

The issue of primary prevention of breast cancer depends on an

understanding of the primary causes of the disease -- causes that have

proved elusive and that remain controversial. According to Bodenheimer

and Grumbach in Understanding Health Policy-A Clinical Approach,

" Multiple risk factors for breast cancer have been defined. The most

important are age greater than 65 years, a prior diagnosis or a family

history of breast cancer, a prior diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia on

breast biopsy, and having been born in Northern Europe or North America.

Less significant risk factors include obesity, never having had

children, age over 30 at first pregnancy, and prior radiation to the

thorax. In addition, women with more years of ovulatory menstrual cycles

are at greater risk, suggesting a hormonal influence on the disease. "

 

In spite of all these risk factors, only one-fourth of the cases of

breast cancer can be accounted for by them, making it difficult to

construct a theory of breast cancer causation on the basis of these

variables. It has therefore been suggested that unknown agents related

to modern industrialization are the primary causes of the disease, while

influences like female hormones, family history and obesity are merely

secondary contributors.

 

Again, in Understanding Health Policy-A Clinical Approach, the authors

state, " Another view that has been inadequately studied holds that

environmental carcinogens are a possible explanation for the rise in the

incidence of breast and other cancers. From the 1940's to the 1980's

industrial production of synthetic organic chemicals rose from one

billion to 400 billion pounds annually. Estrogens have been used as

additives to poultry and cattle feed, and pesticide residues are

difficult to remove from agricultural products. In a study of 14,000

women, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, breast

cancer was strongly associated with exposure to organo-chlorine

insecticides, especially the principal metabolite of DDT, which remains

in the fat for years following exposure. "

 

Reacting to concerns of Long Island women who asked why breast cancer

rates were so high on Long Island, Congress voted in June of 1993 to

fund a study to assess the possible relationship of the environment to

breast cancer. The Columbia University School of Public Health

Case-Control Study is currently under way to determine whether certain

environmental contaminants increase the risk of breast cancer among Long

Island women.

 

The possibility that environmental toxins, dietary fat, and estrogenic

additives might be fundamental risk factors suggests that a

complementary, or alternative, medical approach utilizing effective

detoxification strategies and related lifestyle modifications might help

reduce the incidence of breast cancer.

 

The body continually eliminates toxic elements through an elaborate

system that involves the lungs, liver and kidneys. Women can

significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer and other chronic

diseases by pursuing a lifestyle that promotes health and by consuming

foods that provide (1) the proper combination of essential nutrients for

optimal functioning of the detoxification pathways and (2) adequate

antioxidant protection against free-radical damage.

 

Developing a Health-Promoting Lifestyle

 

Such a health-promoting lifestyle should include, among others:

 

1. Good nutrition, including clear air and pure water

 

An article published by The American Institute for Cancer Research in

1997, " Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global

Perspective, " stated that a plant-based diet and the avoidance of

alcohol, together with the maintenance of recommended body mass and

regular physical activity, may decrease the incidence of breast cancer

by about 33-50%. Further research shows that reducing acidic foods

(especially meat and dairy) and alkalinizing the system through an

emphasis on fruits, vegetables and specific nutritional products can

further reduce cancer risk.

 

There has been considerable speculation that dietary fat may be a

significant risk factor. Although the overall evidence directly linking

dietary fat to breast cancer is inconsistent and weak, it still seems

prudent for women to reduce their fat intake as much as possible.

 

2. Adequate exercise

 

While a healthy diet provides high-quality fuel for the body's engine,

the running of that living engine is also very significant. Exercise has

many benefits: it enhances oxygenation of the blood and tissues, it

helps eliminate metabolic and other types of toxins, and it increases

health and vitality. One of the best and safest forms of exercise, which

is also easy and practical, is brisk walking. You can quite easily make

walking into a full-scale exercise for physical fitness. If you have any

specific health problems, however, be sure to ask your doctor for an

exercise program that is right for you.

 

3. Proper posture

 

Holding your body correctly facilitates proper nerve flow throughout

your system. Since the nervous system is responsible for proper

communication between every tissue and organ within the body,

compromised nerve conduction can be a factor in virtually every

disturbance within the system. It can also drain our vitality and weaken

our resistance to disease. There is evidence that chiropractic

adjustments can take vertebral pressure off nerve roots and thereby

improve not only nerve transmission but immune function as well.

 

4. Sufficient rest

 

Rest gives our minds and bodies the chance to heal and regenerate.

Growth hormone, a powerful rejuvenating hormone, is released during the

first few hours of deep sleep. Also, the body's natural mechanisms for

cleansing and detoxification occur maximally during sleep, when we are

not eating and digesting food.

 

5. A positive, peaceful state of mind

 

Because the mental and emotional pressures of most people's lives hinder

the body's efforts to maintain health and balance, it is extremely

important to learn practical ways of managing and handling stress. The

influence of the mind on health, now referred to as

" psychoneuroimmunology, " is really a modern version of an age-old

concept that recognizes the vital relationship of the mind and body in

health and disease. Herbert Benson, M.D., a pioneering researcher in

mind-body medicine at Harvard University, has written extensively on the

beneficial effects of meditation, which he refers to as the " Relaxation

Response " as it relates to immune enhancement and disease.

 

Strategies for Women Receiving Treatment for Breast Cancer

 

Once a woman receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, complementary and

alternative medical care can be made a part of her comprehensive

treatment program. The addition of detoxification diets, along with

periodic fresh fruit and vegetable juicing, can help reduce the impact

of the tumor burden and help mobilize her inherent recuperative healing

mechanisms.

 

A woman's requirements for nutritional supplements can be determined by

analyzing her functional parameters such as her detoxification capacity,

along with basic personal information. Such customized supplementation

can support a woman while she receives breast cancer treatment.

 

\Finally, a woman can make use of herbal and homeopathic medicines to

further strengthen her constitutional state, increase her immune

function, and significantly lessen the side effects associated with

chemical or radiation therapy.

 

Of course, all complementary or alternative medical care practices that

a woman who is undergoing treatment chooses to adapt must be done with

the full knowledge of her oncologist. An increasing number of medical

professionals are recognizing the potential benefits of these approaches

and the value of incorporating them into a treatment plan.