October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and judging by the PSAs on my Facebook feed to “get your mammogram,” it appears everyone’s pretty aware of it.

And although many events have had to go virtual this year due to COVID restrictions, there are still “races for the cure” happening around the country, aiming to raise money for breast cancer research.

The largest of the breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen Foundation (or just “Komen” as it is called now) has raised $1.1 billion dollars for research since 1982.

In addition, since President Nixon declared a “War on Cancer” in 1971, over $500 billion has been raised to “find the cure.”

Despite all this money, cancer STILL remains our number 2 killer.

Am I the only one scratching their head about this? 

I’ll let you ponder that while we look a little closer into Breast Cancer Awareness Month (or BCAM) and see what’s going on behind the scenes.

The history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month was incepted in 1985 as a combined effort by the American Cancer Society and the giant pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca.

One of the primary goals of BCAM from the get-go has been to push mammograms as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.

Well, there are a few things wrong with this picture.

First of all, mammograms expose you to dangerous cancer-causing ionizing radiation!  Research is showing that the "low energy" x-rays used in breast screenings are up to 500 percent more carcinogenic than previously thought.

In addition, mammograms are frequently incorrect, showing between 20-50 percent false positives.

And as if that’s not enough, BCAM co-founder Astra Zeneca is the manufacturer of the popular breast cancer drug Tamoxifen, which is classified as a human carcinogen and increases your risk of uterine cancer, as well as stroke and fatal blood clots in the lungs.

I wonder how many of the research dollars went into that poison.

Susan’s coming up short with good advice

The Susan G. Komen Foundation (aka Komen) started as a noble effort on the part of a woman whose sister was suffering from breast cancer, as she promised her dying sister that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.  

But looking at Komen’s history, there appears to be some questionable advice coming forth.

First of all, nowhere on Komen’s site do you see any specific sections on breast cancer prevention.  They do mention healthy lifestyle habits like regular exercise, eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight (ho-hum), but that’s as far as it goes.

But then they turn around and say this:

“Dietary factors not related to breast cancer:

Studies show these dietary factors do not increase the risk of breast cancer:

• Caffeine (including coffee and tea)
• Sugar (including sugar-sweetened beverages)” (emphasis added)

EXCUUUUUSE ME?

Sugar actually FEEDS cancer cells and helps them grow!  And even in the absence of cancer, it feeds harmful yeasts in the gut, which in turn reduces your immune function, and your immune system protects you against cancer!

And then of course there is a nice long section on detection methods—mammograms, breast exams and MRIs.

Do you see the insanity here?

What you really should be aware of—PREVENTION!

Instead of getting caught up in pink ribbons, racing for miracle cures, and dumping untold sums into “research,” how about directing resources toward PREVENTING breast cancer to begin with?

This is where you can make a tremendous difference in whether or not you will be among the one out of eight women who will face the disease!

And even if you are facing breast cancer, these strategies can help make your body a less hospitable home for cancer to begin with, and support your body’s efforts to heal!

Reduce stress

Stress weakens your immune system function, and as I mentioned above, your immune system protects you against cancer!

Do whatever it takes to reduce the stress in your life.  Regular exercise is a great way to start.

Also, you can try counseling, meditation, acupuncture, prayer, deep breathing, taking up a hobby, journaling and even adopting a pet!

Support strong gut health

Sugar and refined carbs (which turn to sugar upon digestion) feed cancer cells, harmful yeasts and parasites and depress your immune system functioning, so avoiding them is key to a healthy gut and optimal immune function.

Also, concentrate on fiber-rich fresh vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts), as well as fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, pickles, kimchi and kombucha.

Lastly, supplementation with a full-spectrum probiotic formula like Super Shield is a must!

Super Shield’s effective blend of 13 well-studied, robust probiotic strains helps support a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn encourages strong immune function (and cancer prevention!).

Curb inflammation

Inflammation is a major contributing factor to our 2 biggest killers—heart disease and cancer.  So it’s crucial to keep inflammation under control.

Refined carbs are very inflammatory to your body, so this is yet another reason to avoid them as much as possible.

Also, drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of filtered water each day, keep the coffee and alcohol under control, and nix the soda. 

And last but not least, take advantage of Nature’s awesome anti-inflammatory—Omega-3 essential fatty acids!  Omega-3 EFAs have been shown to help stop cancerous growth and metastasis by actually halting the nourishing blood supply to the tumor!

In addition to incorporating more wild-caught oily fish into your diet, a pure, molecularly-distilled, pharmaceutical grade fish oil formula like VitalMega-3 can help ensure your body has healthful levels of these crucial nutrients.

VitalMega-3 provides 1,200 mg of soothing Omega-3 fats in every 2-capsule dose, including the superstars EPA and DHA!

Support healthy Vitamin D levels

Studies have shown that that women with higher blood concentrations of vitamin D had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer—to the tune of one-fifth the risk of those who had lower vitamin D levels!

Since vitamin D is a very common deficiency (especially this time of year) and food sources are limited, one of the best ways to get what your body needs is to take with a medical grade supplement like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B!

Optimum DK Formula provides a therapeutic 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3, plus its immune-enhancing partners Vitamins K1 and K2, and the mineral boron. 

Rethink mammograms

Mammograms only detect cancer once it has occurred--they do NOTHING to prevent it. 

And even if you have a negative mammogram, you don’t necessarily have a clean bill of health—you still might have breast cancer, but the tumor just isn’t large enough to be detected yet. 

A much safer, thorough and proactive approach is thermography.

Thermography doesn’t expose you to dangerous radiation of ANY kind.  Instead it measures the infrared heat emitted by your body and translates that information into thermal images.

Plus, it’s touch-free—there is no need for your breasts to be squeezed into the “torture chamber vice” that most mammogram machines are!

Thermography can detect signs of physiological changes due to inflammation and/or tumor related blood flow up to 8-10 years before a mammogram or a physical exam can detect a mass!

With thermography, you start with your initial “baseline” images, then each year the current images are carefully compared to prior years’ to see if any subtle inflammatory changes have taken place. 

I strongly encourage you to discuss thermography with your doctor.  I get thermography tests and will never, ever have another mammogram.  (As a matter of fact, I just had my annual thermography test yesterday!)

Unfortunately, it typically is not covered by insurance, but the cost is relatively reasonable—it ranges between $150-$200, which is comparable to many co-pays!

Now you can focus your breast cancer “awareness” where it really matters most—PREVENTION!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

 

The information in our articles are NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and are not intended as medical advice.