Tag Archive: dense breasts

1. Why Are Dense Breasts Stigmatized?

   February 16, 2022 5:00 am Leave a Comment

   

   by Anthony Piana, DC, FPACT
   

   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.

   

2. How Medical Thermography Can Be Used to Improve Breast Health

   December 22, 2021 5:00 am Leave a Comment

   

   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.

   Yours in radiant health!
   Patricia

3. Is Iodine Deficiency Putting Your Breast Health at Risk?

   February 25, 2021 2:46 pm Leave a Comment

   

   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!

   Here’s to your health, happy breasts!

4. The Connection Between Dense Breasts and Breast Cancer

   October 2, 2020 11:00 am Leave a Comment

   

   October is Breast HEALTH Awareness Month!

   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 and fat 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!

   Warmest regards,
   Patricia