Angelina Jolie, Breast Cancer, and Me

In May of this year, Angelina Jolie shared her decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of cancer, noting an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. According to Jolie, "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could."

As I read her story, I could not help but think of my own preventative breast cancer journey. I too am a prime candidate for breast cancer. My mother had breast cancer and both of my grandmothers were diagnosed with it. As I processed her decision, I was struck by how much we have in common:

• Both of us are intent on surviving for the sake of our kids.
• Both of us are linked with a man who supports our decisions. (My husband even looks like Brad Pitt—at least in my eyes!)
• Both of us have made the decision to be proactive.

My preventative journey started in 1987, the year I turned 30. My doctor ordered a mammogram because of my risk factor. I obediently had a mammogram every year for the next 20 years.

I had one scare in those years, when I was in my late 40s. I contemplated anticipatory removal of one or both breasts. But my scare ended with good news, so I put the thought on the back burner.

The year I turned 50, my world collapsed. A botched mold remediation launched our family into multiple emergency rooms, operating rooms, and waiting rooms. I had little time to think about my annual mammogram. For the first time, I let it go.

In 2008 we abandoned our home, along with our possessions, and sought refuge in the desert. I awakened to new possibilities for breast cancer prevention.

I turned to natural living and serious detoxification. I began a healing regimen that I continue to this day.

I live with less fear than ever with regard to my high risk factor. Not because I have any guarantees. Much like Angelina Jolie, I'm confident I'm being proactive.

Here are six ways I'm fighting breast cancer—ahead of time.

1. Limit my exposure to toxins, especially mold toxins. I am grateful now for my crash course in environmental health. I understand the significance of high indoor mold counts and the need for ventilation, and vigilance when it comes to water leaks and water intrusion. Species of aspergillus mold metabolize aflatoxins which are recognized by the World Health Organization as carcinogens. As much as possible, I avoid pesticides and synthetic fragrances.
2. Remain meticulous about my diet. Sugar feeds pathogens in our bodies. I avoid sugar in all forms, including starches. I adhere to a grain-free, nutrient-dense diet with an emphasis on green juicing. I include fermented foods to help boost my immune system.
3. Consistently practice colon cleansing. I consider this the most proactive of all my decisions. I base this on the Gerson Therapy, an alternative cancer treatment. Coffee enemas are used to stimulate the liver to detoxify and cleanse the body of pathogens. For more on coffee enemas, see A Candid Colon-Cleansing Conversation.
4. Wear loose-fitting bras or no bra at all. It makes sense to me that tight-fitting clothing, especially a bra, can constrict the valuable lymph tissue from flushing toxins from the body. A controversial study linking bras with breast cancer is documented in the book Dressed to Kill by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer.
5. Practice dry skin brushing daily. Skin brushing stimulates the lymphatic tissue to do its job of clearing toxins. It's one of the simplest yet most effective ways to detoxify and boost the immune system. As a bonus it softens your skin, and is especially beneficial for aging skin. For more details, including methods and sources, see The Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing.
6. Use only personal care products that are safe enough to eat. Synthetic deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminum have been linked to breast cancer. The underarm contains key lymph tissue. Why take a chance? I now use a homemade herbal deodorant when needed, rhassoul clay for shampoo, homemade tooth powder for toothpaste, and homemade soap for general cleansing. I have such a passion to help others enjoy the rewards of all-natural personal care, I have launched a line of chemical-free products, including deodorant, at Just So Natural Products.

There are many other natural preventative measures, as outlined in the recent article by natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, Why Medicine Won't Allow Cancer to Be Cured.

Angelina and I have made different choices when it comes to our genetic predisposition. Neither of us wants to live in fear. Our hope is to live life to its fullest, embracing each day as it comes. A worthy goal—breast cancer or not.

(Photo courtesy of Dreamstime)

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Environmental Link with Breast Cancer

A report issued this week by the Breast Cancer Fund, a national organization working to eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer, presents evidence that toxins in the environment are contributing to the rising breast cancer rate. Contributing factors include synthetic hormones in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and meat; pesticides in food; solvents in household cleaning products; flame retardants in furniture; radiation from medical treatments; and BPA in food containers.

I pay close attention to information regarding breast cancer. My mother and both of my grandmothers battled breast cancer. When my family tested positive for aflatoxins soon after leaving our home, I aggressively pursued nutritional and environmental elimination of toxins with heavy emphasis on aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are recognized as a known carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization.

According to Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog for October 5, 2010:

The report, State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment, is the sixth edition published by the Breast Cancer Fund. “With each new edition of the report, the growing scientific evidence compels us to act to prevent breast cancer,” said Jeanne Rizzo, RN, president of the Breast Cancer Fund. “This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our message is clear: we must move beyond awareness to prevention.”

The report states that a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1 in 8—representing a dramatic increase since the 1930s, when the first reliable cancer incidence data were established. Between 1973 and 1998 alone, breast cancer incidence rates in the United States increased by more than 40 percent. Strikingly, the increasing incidence of breast cancer since the 1930s parallels the proliferation of synthetic chemicals. Today, approximately 85,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for use in the United States, more than 90 percent of which have never been tested for their effects on human health.

The report’s lead author, Janet Gray, PhD, professor at Vassar College, said that widely understood risk factors for breast cancer such as primary genetic mutations, reproductive history and lifestyle factors do not address a considerable portion of the risk for the disease. “A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that exposures to common chemicals and radiation also contribute to the unacceptably high incidence of breast cancer,” Dr. Gray said. “This report focuses on these environmental issues.”

The report dedicates several chapters to pesticides, focusing on various studies linking triazine herbicides (atrazine, simazine), organochlorines (aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, heptachlor) and the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D, as well as the link between hormones used in meat production to breast cancer. The report reviews both epidemiologic and animal studies and routes of exposure, with an emphasis on exposure to farmworkers and other vulnerable populations. Toxic synthetic pesticides and hormones are prohibited in organic agriculture.

“At a time when virtually every American has been touched by breast cancer,” said Ms. Rizzo, “we need individual, corporate and government commitment to eliminating the environmental causes of breast cancer. Action now means fewer of our children and grandchildren will face the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer. We simply can’t afford not to act.”

To read the article in full, click here.

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