Self Care Tips for Breast Care:
1. Eat organically produced foods. Both animal and plant food sources. Plant foods grown
conventionally are laden petroleum based pesticides, which are estrogen mimickers and confuse the
body into accepting them into their cells. Meat that is non organic contains harmful synthetic
hormones that are injected into the animal and pesticides from the food it consumes.
2. Add Healthy Fats: Your body needs fat and oils to stay healthy. The cells in your body have
membranes that are made from fat. Omega3 fats found primarily in flaxseed oil, fish oil and walnuts,
possess anti-tumor qualities, prevent cell division and are anti viral. Use organic and unrefined olive
oil and coconut oil for cooking, use flaxseed oil as a salad dressing, and eat fish or take a high quality
fish oil supplement.
3. Eat 30 Grams of Fiber per Day: A diet that is high in fiber lowers your risk of cancers by 30%.
Regular elimination removes toxins from your body minimizing the absorption of them through the
large intestine. Constipation increases cancer risk. High fiber foods include whole grains (quinoa,
millet, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, etc.) beans - especially kidney beans, nuts, seeds, and raw fruits
and vegetables.
4. Center your diet around plant based foods: think of meat as a side dish. Consume plenty of body
protective foods like ground flax seeds, split peas, legumes, soy, foods rich in beta carotene (carrots,
parsley, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, asparagus, kale, mango, peaches, apricots, and sea
vegetables), foods from the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, bok choy,
watercress, collards) beans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and drink green tea. Eating 2 apples a day
reduces your risk of breast cancer by 40%. Make sure to choose organic.
5. Avoid drinking out of plastic water bottles, using plastic wrap on your food, putting hot beverages
or foods in plastic, and microwaving foods in plastic containers. Chemicals can leach from the
plastic, especially when the containers are heated, cleaned with harsh detergents or exposed to acidic
foods or drinks. Plastic contains xenoestrogens also called environmental estrogens or hormone
disruptors. Bisphenol A, or BPA, has been detected in nearly all humans tested in the U.S. It is a key
building block in the manufacture of hard, clear polycarbonate plastics, including baby bottles, water
bottles and other food and beverage containers. These synthetic estrogens bind to breast cells and can
stimulate them to produce new blood vessels needed for tumor growth and spread, they sit in receptor
sites and cannot be made into protective estrogen by the body. They also accumulate in our bodies
and are stored in our fat cells because they are difficult to breakdown and eliminate.
6. Move your body! Studies show that exercising 3 hours a week can cut risk of recurrence by up to
50%! Exercise oxygenates cells. Use a gentle steady type that focus on fluid movements and deep
breathing thereby decreasing stress and inflammation in the body. See:
http://youcanthrive.org/
7. Green your cleaning products: Look at the chemicals you are exposed to in your home. Laundry
detergent, dish soap, anti bacterial soaps with the ingredients triclosan or triclocarban, air fresheners
and candles are all places dangerous ingredients can lurk. Natural food stores are great places to find
better options. You can clean almost anything in your house with vinegar and baking soda.
8. Pay attention to what you put on your body - your skin will absorb it! What you put on your body
winds up in your bloodstream. The average woman uses 12 different personal care products
everyday, exposing herself to approximately 168 different synthetic chemicals. Many of these
chemicals are known to cause cancer. Make the switch to natural or organic body care. Avoid all
products that contain sodium laurel and or laureth sulfate they are both cancer promoting substances.
Look carefully at all products you use on your body: including hairspray, shampoo, conditioner,
lotions, moisturizer, toner, shaving cream, all cosmetics, nail polish, and especially antiperspirants.
Antiperspirants are strong chemicals, usually containing aluminum, which prevents sweating and had
been found in breast tumors. Sweating is the way your body eliminates toxins and unwanted
materials with the help of the lymphatic system. So let your body do the job it was meant to and use
a natural deodorant. Ask people at our center for effective alternatives.
9. Go braless for 12 hours everyday: Tight bras restrict the lymphatic system from removing cellular
debris in the breast tissue. For proper movement and lymph circulation, wear your bra less, and never
sleep in your bra. There could be a decreased risk of breast cancer in women who do not wear bras.
10. Natural Rhythms Dark and light: Your body releases melatonin while you sleep, melatonin has
been shown to slow breast cancer growth by up to 70%. Melatonin is triggered by our circadian
rhythms (internal time clock) and darkness. Sleeping in total darkness during appropriate hours can
reduce breast cancer risk. This means: no TV, or any other peripheral light, or open blinds. Consider
wearing black out eyeshades to bed. It is also important to go to sleep by 10:30PM this is when your
body produces the most melatonin. During the day, catch some rays!! Sunlight is a great way to get
vitamin D, and vitamin D is a hormone that has been proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer. But
beware of estrogen mimicking chemicals in sunscreens, limit your exposure or make sure the active
ingredients are titanium dioxide or zinc. Avoid sunscreens with the harmful chemicals:
benzophenone, benzophenone-3, oxybenzone, homosalate, octyl-methoxicinnamate, octinoxate,
PABA (Para-Amino-Benzoic-Acid), Padimate-O. Sun blocks that do not use the harmful chemicals
are California Baby and Aubrey Organics.
Disclaimer: As is the case with all other information given here, this information is being offered
for as educational material, and is not a substitute for medical advice based on full clinical evaluation of the case.
See your doctor and do your research.
