Provider Article Collection

My Dashboard > Provider Article Collection

This past week a government task force recommended that screening mammograms should not be started until after age fifty and only performed only at two year intervals. Self-breast exams were left off the list completely as part of effective screening.

This recommendation comes as a shock to many women under forty who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and leaves many women between 40 and 49 feeling defenseless. Conclusions of the task force are not, however, unfounded—mammograms every two years before age 40 and self-breast exams are not very effective screening tools and in many cases offer only false security. 

Though the recommendations of the task force are understandable, they will not be accepted well by our society. The incidence of early-age breast cancer is on the rise and under present circumstances, mammograms and self-breast exams are all we’ve got. The cost of mammography is not unreasonable and the amount of radiation exposure is minimal, but to be able to pick up the more aggressive cancers that occur before age fifty, they should be performed yearly instead of every other year. Even so, the time has come to be proactive about reducing the incidence of breast cancer.

Early age breast cancer is, for the most part, a preventable disease and breast cancer before the age of fifty should be uncommon. The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise because the causes associated with breast cancer have increased. Reduce the causes and the incidence of the disease will also decrease.  This seems like a simple solution to a complex problem, but the answer comes in a single word—estrogen. 

Estrogen is the primary causative factor behind breast cancer and over the past hundred years we have become a very estrogen-dominant society. Women start having periods earlier in life and take fewer breaks from estrogen by becoming pregnant less often. Excessive fatty tissue, which has become a normal part of American life, contributes to higher estrogen levels. The average American diet that causes excessive fatty tissue contributes to increased estrogen in other ways. In our food and in the environment at large, the world has become saturated with synthetic chemicals, a large number which are very estrogenically active. 

Though I wouldn’t suggest returning to the days when women spent most of their adult lives pregnant (I, for one, happen to like a society where women and men can exist as equals), there are ways to dramatically reduce estrogen and the effects of estrogen in the body. One of the most obvious ways is to eat better. Vegetables and beans, especially soybeans, contain plant compounds commonly called “phyto-estrogens” that partially block estrogen receptors. In Japan where the consumption of soy is very high, the incidence of breast cancer is very low. Beans and seeds also contain plant substances called “lignans” that block estrogen receptors. Flaxseeds contain the highest concentration of lignans and a couple of tablespoons of ground flax added to your oatmeal or yogurt each is day is another way to reduce breast cancer risk.

Unlike natural phyto-estrogens which oppose estrogen dominance, synthetically-made chemicals are often highly estrogenic. Commonly called “xeno-estrogens”, man-made chemicals with estrogenic activity are very present in the environment and include everything from pesticides used in agriculture and homes to chemical residues inside plastic containers. Xeno-estrogens do contribute to breast cancer risk and learning to reduce exposure is prudent, but if you really want to stay ahead of cancer, you need to be kind to your liver.

The liver is the main organ of detoxification and over an average lifetime of exposure to alcohol, pharmaceuticals and many other toxins, it takes a real beating. Many vegetables and herbal substances are not only protective of liver function, but also enhance the detoxification process. For xeno-estrogens, vegetables in the cruciferous family (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale) are particularly beneficial. Regular consumption of vegetables from this family expedites removal of estrogens and estrogen-like substances from the body and concomitantly reduces risk of hormonally-active cancers. 

Benefits to be gained from the above measures are not limited to breast cancer and are not limited to women. Other hormonally-active cancers including uterine, cervical and prostate cancer in men are also reduced by following cancer-opposing practices. With just a little effort, the incidence of hormonally-active cancers could be reduced dramatically. Screening would still be necessary, but could be more targeted toward higher risk populations.

Dr Rawls’ recommended liver protection, flax seed lignan, and cruciferous vegetable supplements are all available on Part 1: Basic Essentials or Part 2: A Step Beyond portion of the First Do No Harm Health Systems website. These supplements can also be located using our search feature.

Categories: Disease Prevention,

Previous Comments

Shelley Keitzman- Dec 08, 2009

Thanks for the great information, Dr. Rawls! I will look into the flax lignan supplement.