11 Tips for Breast Cancer Prevention

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month, so here are a few simple tips for prevention!

1. Exercise: Women who do aerobic exercise 3-5 times per week have a 37-60% less risk of breast cancer. Exercise lowers the amount of estrogen and dangerous estrogen metabolites.
2. Stress Reduction: Chronic stress is a huge risk factor not only for heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, and depression but also cancer. Breast cancer frequently follows a period of severe, constant stress…a bad marriage, the death of a child, abusive work conditions, and bankruptcy. Cortisol, the stress hormone increases estrogen dominance. Getting rid of stressors, consciously acknowledging them, and altering your response to those stressors is critical in disease prevention. Walk, talk, meditate, laugh, and BREATHE! People who ‘go with the flow' and ‘let it go' rarely get cancer. Release the anger, forgive.
3. Low Carbohydrate Diet: Elevated insulin levels from a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, increase ‘estrogen dominance' by increasing the amount of free estrogen and stimulating the estrogen receptor directly. Tumor cells over express insulin receptors allowing more glucose in to feed the tumor. Breast, and other cancers are stimulated by sugar and other refined carbohydrates. Women diagnosed with breast cancer, who have high insulin levels, have an increased risk of breast cancer coming back and are more likely to die from breast cancer.
4. Whole food, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds: “Let food be your medicine. ” Hippocrates Much of what you need to prevent cancer is a gift from the earth. It's your choice. The more refined the food, the less nutrition, the more chemicals. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds contain Phytonutrients, which naturally balance your hormones. They contain usable minerals, vitamins, and fibers which also lower the estrogen burden and create healthy estrogen metabolites. Eat 5-8 servings a day.
5. Avoid Partially Hydrogenated Oils and Tran fats: They are found in almost all processed foods. They not only increase the dangerous estrogen metabolites they stimulate the breast cancer cell directly. Use olive oil or coconut oil instead.
6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Essential fatty acids (flaxseed and high quality fish oil capsules) inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation. Flax seed (2 Tbsp. /day) has been shown to reduce the size of breast cancers between the time of diagnosis and surgery. Flaxseed also increases the good estrogen metabolites and binds to the estrogen receptor directly preventing the strong and chemical estrogens from stimulating the cell. I also recommend chia seeds.
7. Fiber: Fiber lowers the amount of estrogen and estrogen metabolites which are available to stimulate the breast tissue. It also lowers insulin and glucose levels which feed tumor cells.
8. Get the Chemicals out of your home and off of your body: Chemical estrogens are very stimulatory to the breast tissue, acting as very strong estrogen. Lotions contain all types of chemicals which get absorbed into your body through the skin.
9. Limit or avoid Alcohol: Limit alcohol if you have breast cancer. Alcohol is not only toxic to the cell but increases the amount of estrogen made in the fatty tissue.
10. Avoid obesity: This will lower the amount of estrone, a stimulatory estrogen, made in the fatty tissue. It will help prevent the conversion of testosterone (breast protective) to estrogen.
11. Sleep: A low melatonin level has been associated with an increased risk of breast and other cancers. Poor sleep affects the immune system. Hormone imbalance affects sleep.

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Are Your Gut Microbes Making You Fat!?

Are Your Gut Microbes Making You Fat!?

There are trillions if bacteria living in your gut, that we know.  But did you know that the population of your microbes may determine if you are likely to be fat or thin?! As we study this amazing microbe machine inside of us, we are discovering the many and far reaching implications of having a healthy population of bugs in your gut.

Researchers recently found pairs of human twins in which one was obese and the other lean. They transferred gut bacteria from these twins into mice and watched what happened. The mice with bacteria from fat twins grew fat; those that got bacteria from lean twins stayed lean. The study published in Science on September 6, 2013, describes the details.

It is becoming more clear that our microbial colonies play critical roles in health, with doctors now curing people by transferring microbe-rich tissues from healthy people into sick ones. Where the term "fecal transplant" used to sound like science fiction, there is now strong enough evidence of potential benefits that there are major medical centers performing this procedure to treat resistant clostridium difficile colitis infections.  Could they be transplanting gut bugs in the future to cure obesity? Sounds crazy but perhaps not too far fetched...

I don't know about you... but I'd rather change my diet than exchange fecal matter! Keep reading on for how diet can change your microbes, too...

There is a caveat: Microbes associated with leanness can’t take up residence in mice with “obese” gut microbes unless the animals eat a healthy diet.

As part of the study, the twins’ gut microbes were transferred into mice that had been raised in a previously microbe-free environment. The researchers had a chance to observe what happens when a mouse carrying a collection of gut microbes from an obese twin is housed with another mouse carrying gut microbes from the lean twin.

“Eating a healthy diet encourages microbes associated with leanness to quickly become incorporated into the gut,” said senior author Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, director of the Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University. “But a diet high in saturated fat and low in fruits and vegetables thwarts the invasion of microbes associated with leanness. This is important as we look to develop next-generation probiotics as a treatment for obesity.”

In 2009, Gordon found that the microbes in obese individuals also lack diversity and contain more pathogenic species. Individuals with healthy microbes contain a larger variety and include species such as provatella and bifidobacter. Earlier research showed that obese individuals had a shift from more Bacteroidetes to greater proportion of Firmicutes. Those that remained lean continued to have high levels of bacteroidetes. There is also evidence showing that these gut bug populations also change as we age.  Perhaps the most important idea from that past decade of research is that the diet we consume has the ability to change our internal mileau!  More industrialized nations tend to have gut populations that favor Firmicutes while less industrialized societies that still rely heavily on unprocessed food sources have guts that remain high in Bacteroidetes.

These observations were confirmed by a recent Danish clinical study that linked the risk for metabolic disorders – obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes – to a shortage of friendly intestinal.  The microbiome of bacteria-poor people were dominated by species that cause chronic inflammation in the body.

The "good" guys vs. the "bad" guys ... 

The Firmicutes ("bad" guys) and the Bacteroidetes ("good" guys)  are divisions of gut bacteria. The microbiota of the human gut is dominated by these two species, most of which are benign although a few are pathogenic.

The Firmicutes is the largest bacterial class, containing more than 250 types, including Lactobacillus, Mycoplasma, Bacillus and Clostridium.  They are a very diverse class and Clostridium species are obligate anaerobes whereas members of Bacillus form spores and many of them are obligate aerobes. Streptococcus pyogenes, the well-known cause of 'Strep throat', is also a member of the Firmicutes.

The Bacteroidetes include about 20 types. In the human gut, Bacteroidetes is probably the most abundant single genus. Species of Bacteroidetes are obligate anaerobes that are benign inhabitants of the gut. However, they are opportunistic pathogens that can cause disease if they gain access to the peritoneal cavity outside the gut, for example in bowel perforation or surgery. In addition research raises the question of how consumption of increasingly hygienic and processed food deprives our microbiota from useful environmental genes and possibly affects our health.

Could Probiotics Help?

Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain a healthful balance of microbes in the intestines, and generally benefit their host.  The average person’s digestive tract hosts about 400 kinds of probiotic bacteria, which help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and promote healthy digestion.  Now we know they may also affect our disposition towards being thin or obese!

Lactobacillus are often given to patients following a course of antibiotics, and are also found in yogurt and most other cultured/fermented foods.  Probiotics may be used in infants to populate the gut after c-section and may benefit babies with colic.  For more on probiotics and how they can benefit your health, read this!  I believe we are just on the edge of understanding how these healthy bugs and supplementation of different strains may affect health and disease and weight.  Stay tuned for the coming research and blog articles...

So What Should I Eat?

The Paleo Diet may be beneficial in reducing your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. I frequently use the basic principles of the paleo diet to help patients re-learn how to eat healthy, maintain ideal weight, and feel fabulous! Perhaps the most important thing about it is that it encourages you to get back to whole delicious real food.  It will allow you to feel better, lose weight easily and maintain muscle at any age. I challenge you to give it a try for yourself for 30 days and see if it doesn't change your life!

Does This Chemical Make Me Look Fat?! More on Obesogens...

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Obesogens are chemicals that can inappropriately alter fat storage and change metabolic set-points. This disrupts energy balance and modifies your appetite to promote fat accumulation. Chemicals in your environment can certainly have an impact on your health and often your weight. Some of these exposures may occur before you’re born but there is still a lot that you can control! Exposure to obesogens don't necessary doom you to become overweight, but it's all the more reason  to consider ways to avoid exposure and regularly use neutraceuticals and whole foods to aid our body's natural detox mechanisms through our liver, kidneys and bowel.

Here's some easy ways to do a quick check of your home a to determine where your greatest exposures may be coming from.

Here's 12 simple changes that will significantly reduce your risks:

1. Eat organic foods, especially the "dirty dozen" Researchers have found that it takes just five days of eating organic to rid the body of virtually all pesticide residues.
2. Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality purified krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and tested for purity.  My personal favorite is Wild Alaskan salmon.
3. Avoid any flexible plastics whenever possible, especially in children's toys.
4. Stop drinking out of plastic water bottles to avoid BPA.  Buy a reusable stainless steel or glass one instead.
5. Use a good quality reverse osmosis or carbon filter in your home.
6. Avoid using plastics with food or beverages
7. Choose glass jars instead of storing your food in plastic containers.  Especially don't make the mistake of freezing or microwaving in plastic.
8. Use natural toiletries and personal care items, cleaning supplies, laundry detergents and other household products.  Start by cleaning up your make-up and body lotion... a good rule of thumb is if you wouldn't put in in your mouth, don't put it on your skin.
9. Replace your non-stick pots & pans with ceramic or glass cookware
10. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric or install a glass shower door 
11. Get rid of your indoor plug-in air fresheners, candles and fabric softners.  These seemingly pleasants scents are often toxic chemicals and contribute to poor indoor air quality and may even cause breathing problems, such as asthma.
12. Look for natural, chemical-free clothing, furniture, flooring, paint and other building supplies to use in your home

PCOS - Are you one of the thousands of women who suffer from it?

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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), the most common metabolic disorder of reproductive-age women
in the United States, is generally known as a reproductive disorder but is also associated with lifethreatening  medical illnesses. In the U.S., six million reproductive-age women are affected with the
syndrome. PCOS is generally considered a syndrome rather than a disease because it manifests itself
through a group of signs and symptoms that can occur in any combination, rather than having one known cause or presentation.

• Affects an estimated 10% of all women and most don't even know they have it
• Is naturally treatable with changes in diet and exercise
• Is the leading cause of infertility in women.
• PCOS is generally considered a syndrome rather than a disease (though it is sometimes called
  Polycystic Ovary Disease) because it manifests itself through a group of signs and symptoms that can occur in any combination, rather than having one known cause or presentation.
• Affects far more than just reproduction
• PCOS is associated with increased risk for endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial cancer, insulin
  resistance, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
  
• Infertility in this condition is caused by hormonal changes and poor ovulation as well as recurrent miscarriages and complications of pregnancy.

Symptoms of PCOS

• Irregular or absent periods
• Less frequent ovulation or infertility
• Hirsutism (excessive hair growth on chin or chest, stomach, back)
• Acne or frequent breakouts
• Exhaustion or lack of mental focus (due to alterations in blood sugar)
• Abnormal cholesterol levels (high LDL or low HDL)
• Hair loss on scalp or male pattern thinning
• Decreased sex drive
• Skin tags
• Weight gain or obesity (1/3 of patients with PCOS are normal or underweight!)

LIFESTYLE RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Avoid stress and maintain balance - include stretching & breathing exercises daily and prayer or meditation
2. Avoid alcohol consumption and smoking.
3. Participate in a regular balanced exercise program. High intensity short bursts (20-60 seconds) of activity during the day is recommended to enhance growth hormone release. Also engage in resistance training that works all major muscle groups (work each group at least 2 times a week).
4. Check blood vitamin D levels. Supplement with Vitamin D - optimal blood levels are 40-100 ng/ml.
5. Practice good sleep habits and get between 8-9 hours of sleep a night.
6. Eliminate parabens and BPA and other toxins from your skin care and bath & body products - these chemicals are major endocrine disruptors!


DIET GUIDELINES
1. Avoid all sugars. Replace sugar with xylitol or stevia.  Better yet, kick the sweet habit altogether!
2. Avoid white flour and all refined carbohydrates including cereals and pasta.
3. Get a balance of omega 3's (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines) and omega 9 fats (olive oil, olives, almonds, hazelnuts, avocados).
4. Choose lean, clean quality protein at each meal such as chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, fish (especially salmon and sardines), eggs and whey protein.  Total protein should be 80-100mg per day
5. Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils and fried foods.
6. Cook with olive oil at a low heat or coconut/grape seed oils at higher heat
7. Snack on vegetables and small amounts of nuts, olives or avocado.
8. Eat 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily (fruits must be limited to 1 -2 per day due to sugar content)
9. Avoid sugary drinks, concentrated sweets, fast food and processed foods.  If it comes in a package with a label, limit it!
10.  Don't forget to start your day with a high protein breakfast!  At least 20gm will get you off to the right start.  Ideas are eggs, smoked salmon, whey or rice protein smoothies!