The mammogram industry has created a view towards dense breasts that is rather demeaning, as if having dense breasts is similar to a disease. The truth of the matter is, dense breasts are perfectly healthy and normal.
The reason dense breasts have been stigmatized is because mammograms have a difficult time identifying tumors within higher density breasts. This could be caused by the breast being as dense as the tumor, making it hard to distinguish. A way of understanding this is if you were taking an X-Ray of an ice cube that was frozen in a slab of ice. This would cause it to appear no different than the rest of the surrounding area, because the density is the same.
Standards for mammograms have been specifically created around this idea that dense breasts are a nuisance or disease. This is why a few years ago the age recommendation for a mammogram was increased to the age of 50, based on the idea that breast density lowers with age. Still, many women in their 50s have dense breasts.
Another issue is that research studies related to the accuracy of mammograms have adjusted their research perimeters to not include women with dense breasts, despite them being over half of the population. The findings of the studies have shown greater results for mammogram screening, but ultimately they do not reflect well for the general population when identifying tumors.
This isn’t to say that other tests are perfect, though. As an example, thermography has similar limitations when it comes to breast size, obesity, and breast implants. This is why it is important to discuss information with your clients, so they understand that a combination of tests provide the best results — especially when dealing with dense breasts.
Breast Density and Cancer Risk
by Kimberly Lavoie, ACNP-BC, CCRN, SCRN
Medical literature is often misleading when describing the impact of breast density on cancer risk. Many studies illustrate the risk probability by comparing women in the 10% highest density category (extremely dense) with 10% in the lowest density category (almost entirely fatty breasts). Comparisons such as these are not statistically meaningful to the remaining 80% of women in the middle, nor should risk comparisons be related to such a small subset population.
More on Dense Breasts
Dense breast tissue is a common finding and is not abnormal. Statistics have shown that approximately 50% of women have dense or highly dense breasts.
However, mammography imaging can make it difficult to detect cancer in women with breast densities. Consequently, mammography is less sensitive in women with dense breasts — that is, it is more likely to MISS cancer. This is precisely why Dense Breast Notification Laws have been implemented.
False-negative mammograms result in about 1 in 8 missed cases of breast cancer whereas as false-positive findings can result in over-diagnosis. Over-diagnosing can lead to additional diagnostic testing, invasive procedures, and over-treatment.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 50% of women getting annual mammograms will receive a false-positive finding over a 10-year period. The probability of false-positive findings is even higher when comparison imaging is not available. More than ever we need to continue to educate and help spread THERMOGRAPHIC AWARENESS !!!
MORE examples of mammograms that were reported as “normal” and less than one week later, MRI reveals “CANCER”
Has your state implemented Dense Breast Notification Laws?
Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia have enacted dense breast notification laws mandating radiologists to include language in their reports informing women of risks related to dense breasts. If you live in a state that does not have a dense breast notification laws, I encourage you to reach out to your local representative today and let your voice be heard.
Back in June, I was delighted to have the opportunity to be interviewed on The Root of Our Health podcast, hosted by Elizabeth DiCristofano, a functional medicine health coach who focuses on empowering women over 40 to get to the root cause of their health issues.
We had an amazing chat, and we went over several topics, including:
Preventative measures to thwart breast cancer
Why mammogram radiation should be avoided
Thermography: What it is and how it can benefit breast health
How breast cancer is linked to hypothyroidism and oral hygiene
Why thermography is increasingly being used to detect breast cancer
If you want to know more about techniques you can use to prevent breast cancer, factors linked to breast cancer, and how thermography can be used for better prevention of breast-related health issues, you’ve got to check out this podcast!
Interested in learning more about breast health and thermography, including the healthcare decisions you can make to improve your chances of keeping your breasts healthy? You should read my new book, Thermography and the Fibrocystic and Dense Breast.
Tips on Working with Your Doctor for Total Breast Health Care
Patients are always asking me if their doctor will understand their thermography report.
There’s a large spectrum of responses I’ve heard from my patients’ doctors.
Some doctors support thermography so much so, they highly suggest all their patients to have an annual full-body scan. The full-body scan will assess an individual’s current health status by listing any abnormal hot or cold spots throughout the entire body.
Medical thermography is infrared imaging. Ideally, you would use thermography for cancer prevention, but it can also be early cancer detection which could save your life (70% of those who have diagnosed cancers from anatomical testing, could have been found up to 10 years earlier on a thermography scan).
Other doctors have never heard of thermography. Most are somewhere in between.
Here are some tips on working with your doctor:
Let them know we are not looking to replace the traditional tests, only add to them.
Email your report to them and ask for a consult appointment to review your results. A thermologist will compose your thermography report much like how a radiologist will write a report on an X-ray or ultrasound.These reports are meant for your primary care physician to offer you further recommendations based on your results if any are needed.
If you’d like a sample report to review with a Breast Thermography International (BTI), I am happy to discuss it with you or your doctor. Contact me to set up a review.
There is a wide range of suggestions your doctor could give you to improve your next thermography report.
Here are some examples they may recommend:
Change parts of your diet or balance your hormones.
Relieve muscle and joint tension with yoga or other forms of exercise.
Have a chiropractic adjustment.
Meditate with calming music or breath practices, since most diseases can be caused by stress.
Sometimes, although we try our best to live a healthy life, we still may need to reduce toxins with a detox program.
Also your doctor may want to order diagnostics testing from the findings in your report.
These are just some of the many recommendations you and your physician can discuss to work toward a healthier life.
And go ahead and share your thermography report with your family and friends. This might encourage them to include thermography into their own annual health regimen.
Remember, early detection saves lives and prevention is ideal.
This August I was invited to be invited on Mo Akins’ podcast, Health Your Own Way.
Mo and and I had a lovely chat, covering breast cancer symptoms to watch out for, breast cancer prevention, the importance of the immune system, and everything in between. Watch it now!
Stress in this time of rapid change is a number one health concern and for good reason. In fact, the US Public Health Service has made stress reduction its number one health-promoting goal.
No one is immune to having experienced some form of stress and anxiety. Women may be even more prone due to wearing tight bras that could be undermining their capacity to breathe correctly.
If you are like me, when I get home, the first thing I take off after my shoes is my bra! I’ve been known to take my bra off even while driving.
Let’s explore the relationship between bras, stress and anxiety, and breathing.
Tight Bras and Women’s Health
As a thermographer, I see first hand the marks that tight bras leave on a woman’s rib cage, which can set the stage for chest or shallow breathing.
The tighter the constriction on the rib cage, the greater the possibility of the breath rising high into the chest.
Chest breathing calls on the sympathetic nervous system, the flight and flight breath or the breath that can create anxiety and even panic attacks.
Thermographic scan of woman who has not been wearing a bra for 15 minutes. Lymphatic backup.
Correct breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, is a parasympathetic nervous system breath. Also called the ‘rest and digest breath,’ or the calming breath, this type of breathing is difficult in tight bras.
Bras, it seems, over the years have become more constrictive, with push up pads, underwires, Spanx, super tight sports bras, and all kinds of crazy shapes and sizing. Some of these restrictive options aren’t too far-removed the archaic Victoria corset.
Sadly, during the era of the corset, many women were dying of ‘consumption,’ another term for tuberculosis during Victorian times. By wearing a corset, the breath could not reach the bottom of the lungs, where oxygen reaches the alveoli and is exchanged into the blood. Corsets were not the cause, but they contributed to the rise in lung disease.
In response, ‘health corsets’ became popular, made with elastic fabric that were introduced as a way to alleviate pressure on the ribs caused by the heavily boned corsets of the Victorian era.
Women at this time were also prone to fainting because they could not breathe. They even created fainting rooms for women. This was also a time when some women were considered ‘hysterical’ and ‘nervous ninnies.’ Doctors told women they needed to have orgasms to calm down. Imagine that!
This fascinating article from the Smithsonian explores the impact of fashion and corsets on women’s health. It’s a real head-shaker of stupidity.
But some of the bras on the market today have similar issues, creating breathlessness that leads to anxiety and stress. If you love your bras and they are tight, buy a bra extender. They come in multiple sizes of hooks and colors. Or consider wearing bralettes, which are less constrictive.
Bras and Your Breath
Many people use shallow or chest breath patterns that are undermining their physical, mental and emotional health. Bras can exacerbate this constriction, contributing to greater chest breathing and over-breathing.
The rib cage is triangle-shaped, with the diaphragm tucked under at the widest bottom of the rib cage. When breathing properly, the bottom of the ribcage expands and the diaphragm descends, billowing out the belly.
Tight clothing like bras that constrict the rib cage will force the breath high into the chest, hence the term chest breathing.
Chest breathers are often associated with Type A personalities. How do you know if you are a chest breather? Sit up straight. Place your left hand on your chest and right hand on your abdomen. Take a few deep breaths. Which hand moves first? If it is the left hand, you are a chest breather.
When you breathe with your chest, you are using your secondary breathing muscles instead of primary muscles. Efficient breathing uses the diaphragm, but in chest breathing we are using the intercostals and abdominal muscles.
Moreover, chest breathing depends on weak upper chest and neck muscles, such as the trapezius, scalenes and pectorals. Therefore, chronic chest breathing can lead to chronic tension in the upper thoracic, shoulders and neck. The abdominals are usually chronically tight and all the organs of the body suffer from poor circulation.
There is strong scientific evidence linking chest breathing to high blood pressure and heart disease. The most alarming thing that happens during chest breathing is that the diaphragm is prevented from descending completely, which has an immediate impact on the blood flow back into the heart. Tight jeans can also exacerbate this.
Are You Over-Breathing?
Panic attacks are becoming more common. This could be the times we are in, or maybe it’s due to ribcage constriction or stress and anxiety causing over-breathing.
Over-breathing, or ‘hidden hyperventilation,’ happens when you experience 16 or more breaths per minute. It can mimic serious health concerns that can result in misdiagnosis and over-medicating, which are attributed to sixty percent of urban ambulance calls!
Couple overbreathing with wearing a mask all day and you have a potent brew for anxiety and even panic attacks.
Chronic or Hidden Hyperventilation is usually not recognized except in it’s extreme forms, although it can be both chronic and subtle. In fact, it is chronic low grade overbreathing that may be one of the most under-diagnosed health problems of our time.
When you are sitting quietly you breathe 13-15 breaths per min. Women usually breathe 12-14 breaths. But when we develop the habit of hyperventilating we breathe fast no matter what we are doing. This type of breathing has the patterns of chest breathing.
When the diaphragm is not used to its full extent this results in limited lung capacity and less oxygen being taken in. Most people will compensate by breathing in more breaths, thus causing over-breathing.
The first thing that happens with over-breathing is one loses too much carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the crucial ingredient in helping maintain the right acid-alkaline balance in the blood. The slightest alterations in the pH of the body can make marked alterations in the rates of chemical reactions in the cells, slowing some down and speeding others up. When the body loses too much carbon dioxide the metabolism shifts from acid to alkaline.
Muscular tension and pain can manifest in cramps, tight occipitals, neck, shoulders, pain between the scapula, twitching and stiffness. As far back as 1978 the Journal of American Medical Association produced a list of symptoms thought to be associated with chronic or hidden hyperventilation. They include but are not limited to fatigue, exhaustion, heart palpitations, rapid pulse, numbness and tingling in the limbs, shortness of breath, yawning, stomach pains, cramps, difficulty swallowing, dry throat and mouth, belching, flatulence, abdominal bloating, acid reflux, heart burn, stiffness, anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, sweaty palms, impairment of concentration and memory and a feeling of losing one’s mind!
Focus On Your Breath
That’s why we need to wear less restrictive clothing, and bring our focus back to our breath. Breath is one of the greatest gifts we have been given, but often it goes unopened.
Breath is the simplest most effective stress-reducing tool in your survival kit, providing you are breathing correctly. By engaging with the breath, we increase our lifespan, relax chronic muscle tension, regain a clear mind and increase immune function – thus increasing our vitality. Yet, by ignoring the breath, we can lay the foundation for ill health.
Be mindful of your ribcage constriction, tight pants, poor posture and the depth and quality of your breath. Loosen your bra. And practice deep, mindful breathing, like I outline below. It is one of the fastest ways to come home to yourself and have peace of mind.
Long Complete Deep Breath
Sit straight. If the spine is in a balanced position, the ribs and muscles are able to move freely.
Begin to breathe into the abdomen, then into the chest and finish with the clavicle. All three are done in a smooth motion. As you exhale, start by relaxing the clavicle then slowly emptying the chest. Finally pull in the abdomen and force out any remaining air.
What this exercise will do for you:
Relax and calm you
Give you clarity, cool headedness and patience
Reduce and prevent build up of toxins in the lungs
Stimulate the chemicals in the brain to fight depression
Build the aura in strength
Lung capacity is expanded
Yours in radiant health and deep breathing,
Patricia
In October 2020 I was honored to be invited as a guest speaker for the Beljanski Foundation Breast Cancer Healthy Tuesdays show.
Watch my presentation below on Beauty and the Beast – the Perverse Relationship Between Breast Cancer and Environmental Estrogens along with other health specialists on the panel that day.
The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been increasing dramatically in recent years.
As a thermographer I can attest to this as I have personally seen an increase in women with fibrocystic breast, suspicious thermographic findings and breast cancer over the past 2 years.
Aren’t we getting tired of these statics?
One out of eight women is diagnosed with the disease with a staggering 4,000 new cases diagnosed weekly.
Every year in the United States, more than 186,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 41,000 die because of the disease. With the billions dedicated to cancer research only 1-3% spent in research goes to prevention.
Breast cancer is an industry that focuses on treatment, not prevention.
The rhetoric of the war on breast cancer is just that…rhetoric, women want answers to prevent, treat and gain remission from the grip of breast cancer.
Informed women are aware of the actions they can take to minimize their risk of developing breast cancer like reducing exposure to environmental estrogens and other toxins in their body, including:
eating healthy organic produce,
consuming hormone -free animal products,
using natural skin care products,
maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D,
exercising on a regular basis,
maintaining a healthy weight,
ditching their under-wire bras,
healing sexual trauma and
getting a yearly thermogram to monitor the health of their breasts.
However, there is one secret weapon many women are not aware of: the essential mineral known as iodine.
Iodine helps your hormone receptors function properly, giving your hormones the ability to communicate with ease and allowing your moods to be regulated. The breast tissue also requires iodine to remain healthy.
There is growing evidence linking iodine deficiency and:
breast cancer,
fibrocystic breast,
uterine fibroids,
thyroid nodules,
breast cysts,
pancreatic cancer,
prostate cancer,
thyroid cancer and
lower IQ.
Estrogen production becomes unbalanced and dysfunctional, and breast tissue becomes more sensitive to estrogen. Cystic changes occur, increasing the risk of breast cancer. Iodine turns on cancer cell death, apoptosis.
Dr. Dave Derry, breast health specialist, states “iodine enables the excess cells [in the breasts] to be cleared out, and the breast can return to its natural state as the fibrocystic disease slowly disappears from the breast. A lack of iodine in the body can lead to the development of fibrocystic breasts.” You can read more at www.theiodineproject.webs.com
Results obtained in studies of breast health noted that all forms tested: molecular iodine, sodium iodide and potassium iodide produced beneficial results; the best results were achieved with molecular iodine. Molecular iodine comes from sea vegetables.
Without the proper amount of iodine, breast tissue can become fibrocystic or develop precancerous and cancerous lesions.
Recent research shows prolonged deficiencies of iodine can exacerbate or be a contributing factor in the development of breast cancer. Animal studies conducted over 40 years ago showed breast tissue of animals with iodine deficiency developed cancer when the deficiency was not corrected.
The same study showed the risk of breast cancer was directly related to the length of time the iodine deficiency was present. Iodine deficiency is also known to cause fibrocystic breast disease.
It is a pre-cancerous condition of the breast tissue, which makes your breast very painful and fibrous.
Due to the fibrous and dense nature of breast tissue in a fibrocystic state, it is very difficult for doctors to detect the presence of breast cancer.
Iodine supplementation has been shown to significantly decrease breast pain, tenderness, and nodules of women with fibrocystic breast disease.
Iodine can also decrease uterine fibroids.
Japanese women consume a diet high in iodine-rich seaweed, which provides them with an iodine intake twenty-five times higher than the average American woman.
Japanese women also have breast cancer rates roughly one-third of those found in American women, and that disappears in Japanese women who immigrate to the US, where they consume considerably less seaweed.
If you have Graves Disease, or Hashimotos, please consult your physician before supplementing with iodine.
There are three beneficial forms of iodine to nourish multiple body systems. Three forms are optimal because different tissues in the body prefer different forms.
For example, your thyroid tissue absorbs iodine best as potassium iodide, while breast tissue takes up iodine in the form of molecular iodine. Additionally, there is evidence using sodium iodide enhances absorption of the other forms. Iodine supplementation is not just for preventing goiter.
Actually, only a small amount of iodine is really necessary for preventing goiter. But today, doctors have found that all tissues of the body require iodine.
The breasts, ovaries, uterus, thyroid, brain and prostate tissue require iodine.
This is far from a definitive guide to iodine as there is so much information and science out there on the subject. We need to know of its importance in breast health as well as in all endocrine health. Look for the continuation of iodine in the next blog or grab a copy of by book: Thermography and the Fibrocystic and Dense Breast that provides further information.
When we are educated about our breast health, it is empowering. No one loves her breasts as much as you do, and you want to keep them for the rest of your life!
As the holiday season approaches, a gathering would not be complete without a cheese board. Until I started researching the genetically engineered growth hormone called rBGH, I was a hard core grazer at those cheese boards. Not anymore.
This is not new news, but like news, it is released and falls by the way side. It is urgent that women in particular know the dangers that genetically engineered cheese poses to their breast health.
Please seek out organic milk and cheese at your local farmers market and health food stores. For those wanting to avoid cheese altogether, several vegan cheeses have come on the market. There are options.
Thank you Dr. Mercola for permission to share this message.
By Dr. Mercola
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. If you’re a woman, your chance of getting breast cancer in your lifetime is about one in eight.
Researchers at a breast cancer conference stated that up to one-third of breast cancers could be avoided by making different lifestyle choices, such as the foods you choose to eat.
There is one food you may be surprised to learn, that is directly linked to breast cancer—and that is pasteurized dairy in the form of milk or milk products.
The risk lies in consuming milk from cows treated with a synthetic, genetically engineered growth hormone called rBGH. Unfortunately, this applies to about one third of the dairy cows in America.
When you consume dairy products from these cows, every product made from their milk is contaminated with this dangerous hormone—be it cheese, ice cream, yogurt, butter—or just plain milk.
Cows are injected with rBGH to boost their milk production.
But science has proven this practice, although profitable to the industry, comes at a high price to you, as well as to dairy cows. RBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone, is a synthetic version of natural bovine somatotropin (BST), a hormone produced in cows’ pituitary glands.
Monsanto developed the recombinant version from genetically engineered E. coli bacteria and markets it under the brand name “Posilac.”
RBGH is the largest selling dairy animal drug in America.
But it is banned in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and in the 27 countries of the European Union because of its dangers to human health. Many have tried to inform the public of the risks of using this hormone in dairy cows, but their attempts have been met with overwhelming opposition by the powerful dairy and pharmaceutical industries, and their government liaisons.
Monsanto Lawyers Threaten “Dire Consequences” for Whistleblowers
In 1997, two Fox-affiliate investigative journalists, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, attempted to air a program exposing the truth about the dangers of rBGH. Lawyers for Monsanto, a major advertiser with the Florida network, sent letters promising “dire consequences” if the story aired.
After attempts by Fox to bribe the reporters to keep quiet failed, the station agreed to air a revised version of the report. An unheard of 83 edits later, the report was shelved and the courts took over. Although a lower court ruled in favor of the reporters for some $425,000, a Florida appeals court denied them whistleblower protection, claiming Fox (and the media in general) have no obligation to tell the truth and have the freedom to report, essentially, fact OR fiction as real news.
They tell their story in an article at PR Watch. (It was taken down)
It is stories like this that reignite my determination to bring you factual information about these important issues regarding your health.
Despite decades of evidence about the dangers of rBGH, the FDA still maintains it’s safe for human consumption and ignores scientific evidence to the contrary. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, a well-respected professional in cancer prevention and toxicology and chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, the FDA has responded to evidence that rBGH is unsafe with a wide range of “tenuous and inconsistent claims” based on “highly speculative and misleading calculations…based on a wide range of assumptions,” often citing flawed scientific studies that simply are not meaningful.
In 1999, the United Nations Safety Agency ruled unanimously not to endorse or set safety standards for rBGH milk, which has effectively resulted in an international ban on U.S. milk. The Cancer Prevention Coalition, trying for years to get the use of rBGH by the dairy industry banned, resubmitted a petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, in January 2010.
They are still waiting for a response. Although the FDA stubbornly sticks to its position that milk from rBGH-treated cows is no different than milk from untreated cows, this is just plain false and is not supported by science.
Differences Between rBGH-Treated and Untreated Milk
According to Dr. Epstein, rBGH milk differs from natural milk nutritionally, pharmacologically, immunologically, and hormonally, and he cites the following differences. RBGH milk contains:
Increased levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1)
Contamination with illegal antibiotics and drugs used to treat mastitis and other rBGH-induced diseases, as well as pus from increased rates of mastitis among the cows injected with rBGH
Increased levels of the thyroid hormone enzyme thyroxin-5′-monodeiodinase
Reduced casein content (a milk protein)
Increased concentration of long-chain fatty acids and decreased concentration of short-chain fatty acids
ALL of the factors above can cause or contribute to health problems for people. But people aren’t the only ones suffering—as it turns out, the cows getting injected with these hormones are suffering as well.
RBGH Causes 16 Different Medical Problems in Dairy Cows
As mentioned above, the cows receiving this synthetic hormone suffer massively high rates of mastitis, a painful infection of their udders. Monsanto’s own data show up to an 80 percent incidence of mastitis in hormone-treated cattle, resulting in the need for routine administration of antibiotics and other drugs. This increases the frequency of allergic reactions and fuels antibiotic resistance. But mastitis is not the only adverse veterinary effect. The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research (2003) found 16 different harmful medical conditions resulting from rBGH administration to dairy cattle, including:
40 percent increase in infertility
55 percent increased risk for lameness
Shortened lifespan
Hoof disorders
Visibly abnormal milk
From the data presented in this meta-analysis, I think it’s a reasonable conclusion that injecting animals with rBGH is cruel and inhumane treatment, besides producing milk that is not fit for human consumption.
RBGH Raises Levels of IGF-1 in Milk by Up to 70 Percent
IGF-1 is a potent hormone that acts on your pituitary gland to induce powerful metabolic and endocrine effects, including cell growth and replication. Elevated IGF-1 levels are associated with breast and other cancers. When cows are injected with rBGH, their levels of IGF-1 increase up to 20-fold, and this IGF-1 is excreted in the milk.
According to some confidential, unpublished industry studies, IGF-1 levels consistently elevate by 25 to 70 percent in rBGH milk. In reality, it is probably worse than that, since standard calculation techniques used by the dairy industry underestimate IGF-1 levels by a factor of four.
Not only are IGF-1 levels elevated in the milk of rBGH-treated cows, but a significant portion of this IGF-1 is in the free, or unbound, form, which may be about 10 times as potent as the IGF-1 in untreated milk. And not only does pasteurization NOT destroy this protein, but studies show it actually increases IGF-1 levels by about 70 percent, presumably by disrupting protein binding. There is a glaring absence of safety margins for IGF-1 in milk, and assurances by industry and government regulators to establish these parameters have been nothing more than empty promises.
Ok, so the levels of IGF-1 are higher in rBGH milk. But does the IGF get absorbed into your system when you drink it, or does your digestive tract break it down and render it inert?
Science tells us unequivocally that you do NOT break this down when you swallow it, but you DO absorb it into your bloodstream, as evidenced by both human and animal studies. Infants and young children absorb IGF-1 in even higher concentrations than adults, because their gut wall is more permeable to proteins. Infants and young children show higher levels of cow’s milk protein antibodies. The IGF-1 in dairy products appears to be protected during digestion by casein and by dairy’s buffering effects.
How Elevated IGF-1 Levels May Raise Your Breast Cancer Risk
Only one of every 10 breast cancer cases is attributed to genetics—the other nine are triggered by environmental factors, some of which are dietary. The fact that increased IGF-1 levels in hormone-treated milk increase your risk for breast, colon, and prostate cancers as has been documented in about 50 scientific publications over the past three decades. Among them is the 1998 Harvard Nurses Health study, which showed that premenopausal women with elevated IGF-1 levels had up to a seven-fold increase in breast cancer. And women younger than age 35 who have elevated IGF-1 have more aggressive breast cancer.
How does IGF-1 contribute to breast cancer?
IGF-1 regulates cell growth, cell division, and the ability of cancer cells to spread to your distant organs (invasiveness). In other words, IGF-1 has potent mitogenic effects in human breast tissue, especially in the presence of estradiol (a form of estrogen). Growth factors such as IGF-1 are “catalysts” for the transformation of normal breast tissue into breast cancer tissue, and are critically involved in the aberrant growth of human breast cancer cells. The following two findings have direct bearing on this link between elevated IGF-1 levels and breast cancer:
Specific IGF-1 mammary cell receptors are elevated by a factor of 10 in malignant human breast tissue.
IGF-1 plasma concentrations are higher in breast cancer patients than in healthy patients. (As an aside, this is how the breast cancer drug tamoxifen exerts its action—by reducing blood IGF-1 levels.)
According to Dr. Epstein, IGF-1 blocks your natural defense mechanisms against early microscopic cancers—it prevents apoptosis of cancer cells, or programmed cellular self-destruction.
The breast tissues of female fetuses and infants are especially sensitive to hormonal influences and cancer-causing chemicals. Infants and children exposed to high IGF-1 early on may become “sensitized,” leading to health problems later in life, such as breast enlargement in infants and young children, and breast cancer in adult women. Yet, despite these elevated risks to children, few schools make rBGH-free or organic milk available, nor do most state governments under low-income food programs. A study authored by Dr. Epstein demonstrated that IGF-1 in rBGH milk is a potential risk factor for both breast and gastrointestinal cancers. And a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention concluded that diet can impact cancer risk by influencing IGF-1 level.
The risks don’t end with breast cancer.
Ten studies show that consuming milk from rBGH-treated cows raises your risk for colon cancer. Seven studies document this for prostate cancer. If you want more information on this topic, I recommend reading Dr. Epstein’s 2006 book, What’s In Your Milk?
Are You Drinking rBGH Milk?
You very well may be drinking rBGH milk, or eating rBGH cheese or yogurt, as no labeling is required. This is despite the fact that surveys show that more than 80 percent of Americans want it labeled, but the government, as usual, continues bowing to industry lobbyists. The good news is, as increasing numbers of consumers and dairies choose to avoid rBGH, you can find labels that say “rBGH-free” or a similar variation. Organic milk is also rBGH-free. According to the Hartman Group, organic milk is now among the first organic product consumers buy.
Organic milk is enjoying an annual growth rate of about 20 percent, while overall milk consumption has dropped by about 10 percent.
Organic milk is certainly preferable to milk that contains this dangerous hormone. However, I still don’t recommend drinking any milk that is pasteurized—organic or otherwise. You can avoid the risks of rBGH, as well as pasteurization, by drinking only raw milk that comes from a small farmer you know and trust. The milk issue is really part of the larger problem of genetic manipulation of our food supply. The more you can avoid genetically modified (GM) and highly processed foods, the healthier you and your family will be.
HERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Do not buy milk from cows treated with rBGH. Unless the milk-label states “NO rBGH”, you can assume the milk is contaminated. rBGH has become so widely used by dairy farmers. Most health food stores sell rBGH-free milk.
2. Contact your local supermarket and find out if they have a policy regarding rBGH and milk. Make clear that you would like rBGH-free milk.
3. Write to the FDA and express your concern that they are restricting the labeling
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Let’s focus on Breast Health, exploring ways to prevent cancer at a cellular level and minimize our exposure to radiation.
While commonly performed, mammograms are uncomfortable and use ionizing and cancer-causing radiation. It is true that mammograms have saved lives and been helpful in detecting cancer. Many women are still alive today because the cancer was found at a treatable stage, and many are also firm believers in the Pink Ribbon campaigns. And rightly so, because they are survivors of this wicked disease!
Mammograms have been touted as the Gold Standard for over 35 years, yet they are far from perfect. But they’re what women are being offered, and everything else is shunned as misinformation or not scientific.
Mammograms have come under scrutiny over the past 10 years and rightly so. Millions of women are subjected to ionizing radiation every year at the directive of their health care providers. Many women, including some doctors, fear mammograms are causing over-treatment and resulting in more cases of cancer.
According to a 2012 study, The Effects of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast Cancer Incidence, published by scientists in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1.3 million women have received unnecessary and invasive cancer treatments including surgery, radiation, mastectomies, hormone treatment and chemotherapy over the last 30 years. This is largely due to mammograms detecting harmless tumors, lumps, bumps, or cysts.
Also, a study by the Journal of American Medicine found that mammography misses about 50% of tumors in women with dense breasts! This is not a good track record.
The current dialog on breast cancer focuses on finding it and treating it. Treatment and more treatment is being done. However, the risk of breast cancer is four to five times greater in women who have increased density in more than 75% of their breast tissue than in women with little or no density in the breast. One-third of all breast cancers are found in women who have increased breast density in over 50% of their breast.
What exactly is dense breast tissue?
Having dense breast tissue is very common but not abnormal. After a mammogram, ultrasound or MRI a woman may be told she has “increased breast density.” Increased breast density, as detected through these screening techniques, is a strong known risk factor for breast cancer. So what does it mean?
Let’s start by addressing dense breasts and mammograms. Dense breasts make it difficult to identify the tumor on the mammogram.
It is difficult to see a lump, cyst or tumor on a mammogram or ultrasound when there is dense breast tissue present. (See Category C and D in the chart.) Notice how white the breasts are? A tumor is white and so is connective tissue, so it’s a lot like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm!
Types of Dense Breasts
Types of Dense Breasts
Breast tissue is made up of fat, glandular, and fibrous connective tissue. Fat is less dense and appears dark on a mammogram, while glandular and connective tissues are denser and appear light. Your breast will be seen as dense if you have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue and not much fat in the tissue.
Lobules produce milk and are often called glandular tissue.
Ducts are the tiny tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple.
Fibrous tissue andfat give breasts their size and shape and hold the other structures in place.
Your breast tissue may be called dense if you have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue and not much fat in the breasts. For most women, breasts become less dense with age, but in some women, there’s little change. Although, there seems to be a link between density and older women who were exposed to Phthalates and BPS’s from hard plastics.
What about breast ultrasound or MRI?
Studies have shown that breast ultrasounds and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help find some cancers that can’t be seen on a mammogram. But the risk is that both ultrasounds and MRIs show more positive findings that turn out not to be cancer. That could result in an unnecessary biopsy.
So, getting extra tests isn’t the solution. Ultrasounds and MRI may not be covered by insurance, as such a policy for dense-breasted women would cost the insurance company a lot in extra tests and false alarms for a small benefit.
What about 3D mammography?
3D mammography, or tomosynthesis, has about a 60% sensitivity, still uses compression and will expose you to 38% more ionizing radiation, which is the most dangerous kind of radiation. This is what you are trying to avoid. So getting extra tests is not necessarily the solution.
The good news is that breast density can diminish over time. However, women whose breast density does not diminish over time are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer if they are depending only on anatomical screenings via a mammogram or an ultrasound.
Thermography detects heat and does not detect anatomical structures. So if a woman has a lump or bump and thermography does not detect heat, then it is most often benign—and up to 80% of biopsies can be avoided. Thermography is an adjunct to an anatomical screening, preferably used with ultrasound because it is radiation free—and isn’t that what you are trying to avoid?
The mammogram on the bottom right shows a woman with a very dense breast.Notice how white it is. The thermographic image about clearly shows the heat of the tumor on her breast.
What Causes Increased Breast Density?
Breast tissue develops primarily during puberty and is altered during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Dense breast tissue can be linked to genetic factors; menstrual and reproductive factors; environmental factors; exposure to higher estrogen levels in utero; dietary and lifestyle habits; and hormonal indicators.
Birth control pills can increase density. The longer you use contraceptives, the more density there will be in your breasts. Increased weight gain in adulthood is a factor, as is hormone use starting from age 22 to 28. Alcohol consumption, red meat, sugar and caffeine also increase density.
Is there anything to make your breasts less dense? If you take limited advice from mainstream medicine, the answer is no! There is no diet, no yoga pose, no type of strength training, no pills, no shots—you are stuck with what nature gave you. Unacceptable!
How can you reduce breast density?
Breast feed for at least six months.
Increase healthy fats: olive oil and flax seed oil, for example. Use these oils raw, as these have a low burn point.
Eliminate red meat or greatly reduce it.
Limit alcohol to one drink a week.
Sugar has no redeeming value, so cut it out. It feeds cancer cells.
Eliminate caffeine. Coffee turns into estrogen within 45 minutes.
Increase fiber intake through flax, chia seeds and psyllium. The more fiber you eat, the more estrogen is removed from the body
Move toward a plant-based diet. Breasts love all things green—especially the cruciferous family of vegetables.
Restrict carbohydrates as they turn into sugar.
Drink organic green tea.
Try breast massage with specific oils for breast health.
As you can see, breast density is a very common condition, and there is an environmentally safe solution for both screening and alleviation.
Be proactive when it comes to your breast health, especially if you have dense breasts. Here’s to happy healthy breasts!
Share this information with your friends. We all want to have healthy breasts and keep them for the rest of our lives!
During my many years as a thermographer, I’ve learned that a great majority of women who seek out thermography have dense breasts. Many have had years of mammograms and/or biopsies with benign results, and all of them want to avoid radiation and compression.
In fact, more than 40% of women have dense breast tissue. If a woman relies on anatomical screenings of mammography and ultrasound, her chances of getting breast cancer are around 70%. For women with dense breasts and/or breast implants this has always been a problem, but this is still the standard of screening.
The Disadvantages of Mammography for Dense Breast Tissue
A mammogram uses radiation and finds a tumor after it has been in state of angioneogenesis, or producing heat as cells are replicating. So, mammograms find tumors after they have become large enough to be seen on anatomical studies (mammogram, ultrasound or MRI).
This means that by the time a mammogram finds breast cancer, it has been in the stages of “cells on fire” for anywhere from 7 to 10 years. This is NOT prevention!
Mammography is also a highly ineffective examination for women with dense breasts, with a sensitivity between 28% and 50%.
Tumors are even harder to detect, because both a tumor and the connective tissue of dense breasts appear white on a mammogram. To find a tumor on a mammogram with dense breast tissue is like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm!
Thermography is beneficial because it picks up a tumor as heat. This gives you time to make lifestyle changes and explore early intervention—before a tumor is big enough to appear on an anatomical study.
In a 2008 study by The American Breast Surgeon Department of Surgery at the New York Presbyterian Hospital–Cornell, researchers concluded that thermography was highly beneficial for women with dense breast tissue.
So why don’t doctors give us the option of thermography? They still recommend mammograms, despite them being an ineffective screening method for dense breasts and delivering more cumulative and potentially cancer-causing radiation.
Adding the Power of AWBUS to Thermography
Women with dense breasts who screen with thermography are recommended to follow up with an ultrasound. Thermography is an adjunct to an anatomical screening. While the ultrasound is not that effective for dense breasts, a new anatomical technology is now available to improve the detection of cancer in women with dense breasts and implants.
AWBUS (Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound Screenings) is a supplementary ultrasound examination of both breasts that can find small cancers that mammography may miss. AWBUS can increase confidence in your diagnoses. When done in conjunction with a thermogram, it can find more cancers in women with dense breasts than by mammography or standard ultrasound alone.
Watch this TEDx Talk with Dr. Kelly who explains:
3D tomosynthesis is also recommended for women with a breast density grade of 2-3. 3D tomosynthesis improves the visualization of calcifications and small cancers that can be hidden by overlapping tissue. Yet it delivers 38% more ionizing radiation than a standard mammogram. Again, Ionizing radiation is the most dangerous radiation. Radiation is cumulative and can be a risk factor for creating cancer.
The combination of AWBUS and thermography are environmentally safe, radiation free and provide early detection. This makes it a game changer in breast screening technology. AWBUS is most advantageous for women with a breast density grade of 3-4.
Please share this information with your women friends!
Note: At this time, there is no guarantee that your insurance company will cover an Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound. I recommend you contact your insurance company to find out if you are covered under your specific program.
Organic milk is enjoying an annual growth rate of about 20 percent, while overall milk consumption has dropped by about 10 percent.
