Breast Health & Breast Cancer Prevention

Holistic breast health and breast cancer prevention focuses on nurturing the body, mind, and spirit to promote overall wellness and prevent breast-related issues.

By integrating these practices into your routine, you can help maintain healthy breasts, dramatically reduce your risk of developing breast cancer or detect it early which proves to have the best outcomes.

Here are some holistic strategies:

1. Maintain a healthy body fat percentage, increase muscle mass and improve metabolic health

Factors that increase risk for breast conditions and breast cancer:

• Obesity – having high body fat percentage and low muscle mass especially after menopause

• Other metabolic diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Work with your health care provider to create a comprehensive plan to address your metabolic health. Your plan should include incorporating a nutrient dense diet, resistance training and stress management.

2. Regular Exercise

Exercise helps regulate hormones, reduces inflammation, and boosts immune function, all of which contribute to breast health. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week that incorporates moderate to vigorous aerobic activity and resistance training to help build muscle. Consider joining a group for accountability and support, or meeting an experienced trainer one on one.

3. Eat a Nutrient-Rich Diet

Avoid foods that contain additives, artificial dyes, are high in sugars or heavily sprayed with pesticides can cause inflammation and increase risk for all cancers.

Focus on whole foods such as:

• Fruits and vegetables

• lean proteins like grass fed-beef, free range chicken and eggs, wild caught fish

• healthy fats like those found in fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and coconut products like coconut oil and coconut milk

• organic cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and cabbage as they contain compounds that help the body metabolize estrogen in a healthy way.

• Foods rich in antioxidants (berries, dark leafy greens, and nuts) protect cells from oxidative stress, which can support breast tissue health.

4. Reduce Environmental Toxins

​Some chemicals, like BPA and parabens mimic estrogen in the body, which can negatively impact breast health.

Limit exposure to these harmful chemicals that may be found in:

• household cleaning products

• cosmetics like make up, face lotions, body lotions, shampoos and body soaps

• Plastics eg. Bottled water, food sold in plastic, freezing food in plastic

• Deodorants and antiperspirants with aluminum, which has shown interfere with lymphatic function near the breasts.

• Aluminium foil can leach aluminium into our foods when heated. This can increase blood levels of aluminium that have adverse effects on our lymphatics

To find organic products, check out https://www.ewg.org/ewgverified/ to search for all safe skin and cleaning products.

5. Improve your body’s ability to Detoxify The body detoxifies effectively through:

• Sweating which can be achieved through exercise & infrared sauna therapy.

• Regular Bowel movements which help eliminate excess estrogen and toxins from the body. A sign of healthy gut function is well formed bowel movements 1-2 times per day.

• Lymphatic Drainage which removes toxins and waste from cells and can be achieved through gentle massage of the breasts and dry brushing.

•Herbal Teas like dandelion, milk thistle, and burdock root teas support liver function, aiding detoxification, especially in eliminating excess estrogen.

6. Minimize Alcohol & Quit Smoking ​

​It is well known that alcohol & smoking increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Reduce your risk by minimizing alcohol intake and quitting smoking.

7. Regular Screenings for breast cancer and assessing breast health

Physical Breast Exams: ​

• Self breast examinations allow you to become familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel and will help you notice any changes early, such as lumps, swelling, or skin changes. Self breast exams are however not a substitute for a clinical exam.

• Clinical breast exams allow your health care provider to check more deeply than you may be able to for abnormal breast changes. Imaging: Imaging methods recommended will depend on your age, family history, and risk factors. Some methods are:

• Mammography where radiation is used can detect cancer when there is no palpable lump. It is generally recommended only for women over the age of 40 and less than 74.

• Ultrasounds used at any age may help identify fibrocystic breast and if a cancerous lump present.

• Thermography is radiation free and is useful for any age and is generally recommended annually as a preventative tool to detect changes in blood flow, lymphatics and inflammation that can be present up to 9 years before the actual development of cancer. Early detection is key to addressing any potential problems.

8. Stay Hydrated

Hydration may comes from drinking plenty purified water and from soups, teas, and foods that have a high water content such as fruits and vegetables. Hydration improves

• Detoxification

• hormone regulation

• Supports cellular health

• reduces water retention, which can lead to breast discomfort

9. Wear Wireless Bras

​Wearing tight underwired bras can impede the body’s ability to drain lymph from the armpit area. This may cause a stagnation of toxins and affect breast health. The right bra size can help prevent discomfort and breast pain. Ensure that bras fit well, especially during exercise, to avoid strain on breast tissue, and go wireless !

10. Manage Stress

Psychological and physical stress causes hormones like cortisol to spike which leads to a cascade of hormonal disruptions. Here are a few ways to help reduce stress:

• Gentle Practices like prayer, meditation, and breathing exercises

• Spending time in nature like the beach or going on hikes disconnected from devices.

• Join a supportive community for example a church, bible study or exercise group who are health oriented and have similar goals.

Dr Noumeh’s Favourite products for general breast health

​•​Evening Primrose Oil: Known to help alleviate breast tenderness, especially related to hormonal changes.

​•​Flaxseeds: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, which may support breast health by balancing estrogen levels.

​•​Turmeric: Contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound that may reduce breast inflammation and improve immunity.

​•​Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry): Often used to balance hormones and relieve symptoms of breast discomfort, particularly related to PMS.

• Vitamin D: There is a strong association between vitamin D deficiency breast cancer and so it is imperative to optimize our Vitamin D levels through supplementation where necessary and safe sun exposure.

The above information is not intended to be used as a substitution for medical advice. Be sure to discuss any use of supplementation and screening schedules for breast cancer with your health care provider.