Looking at Breast Cancer, Naturally :: Health and Disease :: Cancer

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Looking at Breast Cancer, Naturally
by author Sat Dharam Kaur, ND

Along with conventional treatments, the following natural therapies can help you recover from breast cancer, or they can be used as preventive medicine.

Develop Your Spiritual Life

Spend time twice daily in prayer and/or meditation. Identify what would give you the greatest joy and fulfillment and begin it–your immune system will follow. Meditate before bed to increase melatonin levels. Several studies suggest that melatonin may be useful in treating insomnia.

Lifestyle Practices

Exercising 40 to 60 minutes daily has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk by up to 60 percent (New England Journal of Medicine, May 1997). Walk, swim, jog, do yoga or Pilates, weight or resistance training–the choice is yours. Just do it!

Choose a bra that does not have an underwire, is loose-fitting, and leaves no red marks when you take it off.

Apply topically to the breast a mixture of herbal oils containing phytolacca, calendula, red clover and essential oils of palmarosa, lavender, rosemary, juniper, lemon, sweet orange, and frankincense. These oils may improve lymphatic circulation and slow down cell division in breast cancer cells.

Detoxify

See a biological/holistic dentist who can: 1) assess toxicity levels in teeth with root-canals and remove them; 2) identify and clear any infection in the jaw with surgery or other methods; and 3) replace potentially toxic silver-mercury amalgam fillings with methacrylate or porcelain. Follow this with a mercury detox program under the direction of a natural health practitioner.

See a naturopath who can test your six-hour urine sample for toxic metals. Nickel, lead, and mercury are estrogenic and can stimulate breast cancer cells to divide. Do a metal detox cleanse, again, under the direction of a natural health practitioner.

Cleanse the bowels by increasing fibre intake to 45 grams/day, taking a probiotic-containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus, and by doing a parasite and yeast cleanse. Use psyllium and wheat bran–1 Tbsp (15mL) each daily– to ensure three bowel movements daily.

Begin a sauna detoxification program to eliminate estrogenic chemicals that may be stored in your breast tissue (PCBs, pesticides, dioxin, PBDEs, phthalates, bisphenol-A, parabens.).

Cleanse the kidneys using cornsilk, hydrangea, gravel root, uva ursi, dandelion, goldenrod, and nettle. Detoxify the liver using milk thistle, dandelion, Schizandra, globe artichoke, Bupleurum, and Chelidonium. Eat 2 tsp (10 mL) of turmeric daily or take 1,500 mg of curcumin. Detoxify the lymph using red clover, cleavers (Galium aparine), burdock, calendula, and phytolacca.

Avoid antiperspirants and cosmetics containing aluminum, lead, phthalates, or parabens. Do not store food in plastic, or drink from plastic bottles. Drink filtered water.

Use Supplements

Activate the immune system with a herbal formula that includes astragalus, codonopsis, schizandra, ligustrum, and pau d’arco.
Use a combination of medicinal mushrooms which include maitake, shiitake, reishi, Agaricus blazei, and Coriolus versicolor.
Use indole-3-carbinol, modified citrus pectin, a good multivitamin/mineral formula, coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine, selenium, IP6, fish oil, and take bromelain between meals.

Dietary Tips to Decrease Cancer Risk

Avoid all animal products and fats, hydrogenated fats, and trans fats.
Use extra virgin olive oil, unheated flaxseed oil, and uncontaminated fish oil.
Eat eight servings of organic fruits and vegetables daily.
Avoid sugar and all sweeteners (except stevia).
Eat onions and garlic daily.
Use turmeric, rosemary, dulse powder, and seaweed daily.
Use organic soy products regularly if you are not allergic to them.
Eat 2 to 6 Tbsp (30 to 90 mL) of freshly ground flaxseed daily.
Drink organic green tea several times daily.

Sat Dharam Kaur, ND, is the author of The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer (Robert Rose, 2003) and The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Womenâ€™s Health (Robert Rose, 2005). Visit healthybreastprogram.on.ca.

Source: alive #288, October 2006

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