Breast cancer ,Lifestyle factors, Support and Prevention

 Lifestyle factors, Support and Prevention

Alternative Medicine in breast cancer treatment has left so many doubts in minds of those who practice and also in women who are suffering. Because of this fact alternative medicine is still an unregulated field. But what they can do is to play a supportive role in comforting symptoms and assisting in post conventional treatment periods. According to Donald Abraham, MD, professor of clinical medicine and Director of clinical programs for Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at University of California “a lot of patients are interested in these kind of interventions”.

If you choose to try these modalities, make sure you take your doctor along in final decision making.

Alternative Medicine for CRF

Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is quite unlike the fatigue of daily work. It is very common when you have breast cancer. It can override before, during and after your cancer treatment. You need to adopt certain physical and mental exercises to combat CRF (cancer related fatigue). In consultation with your doctor/oncologist you may follow certain healthy measures:

Ÿ  Regular slow exercising will boost your energy level. Relaxing your tense body and mind. You can indulge in yoga or breathing exercise. Going for swim will also give benefit. Yoga has shown positive impact on breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer therapies have many side effects and yoga alone is great relaxing exercise (Dr. Polly Niravath, assistant professor, Smith Breast Center, Baylor college of Medicine).

Ÿ  Organize your routine with proper charting out daily work priorities. Avoid multitasking. When at home indulge in communicating with friends and family to divert your attention from depression of breast cancer presence and scares of treatment regimen. Try taking measures to conserve energy, by arranging your daily needed items easily approachable. This in one good way to get comfort from stress.

Ÿ  Take rest between two task. Don’t hurry while performing work. Warm showers of short duration will help relax body and mind.

Coping and support

The sooner you know about presence of breast cancer in you, your mental energies may seem to reach at their lowest ebb (diminished). You have to get over this soon enough as you will be the one to make a  decision on what treatment modality you will want to go through to get rid of your breast cancer tissues.

Ÿ  Maintain a positive outlook on your  present situation and anticipate tougher circumstances in your treatment. Talk to your health care provider/oncologist in detail about stage of your breast cancer, the treatment option with associated side effects. Which of the therapies can bring most benefit with lesser mental and physical distress to you. Getting all this knowledge about your breast cancer status will make you sure about the choices you have and prognosis that each modality carries.

Ÿ  Learn to accept that there are  few things in life you just can not control. They just happen and facing them head-on is the best choice. This will also bring more positive outcome of treatment.

Ÿ  Join a breast cancer support group and share your thoughts with survivors and those who are waiting or undergoing treatment. This surely will boost your strength to go through all the hardships of your breast cancer treatment, be it surgery or chemotherapy.

Ÿ  Your breast cancer treatment may have caused some cosmetic changes. This may effect your partners physical attraction for you. Share how you feel about it and seek his closeness. Don’t let your situation leave unhappy for something not of your fault.

Ÿ  Keep your family and friends informed about your breast cancer discovery and how you are coping with it. Your family should be supportive for you. This will make you even stronger to withstand the effects of surgery and chemotherapy.

Ÿ  Eat a balance diet. Take ample rest. Keep away from alcohol or drugs to alley your stress.

Prevention

Ÿ  As well know gender, age and genetics are the most significant risk factors. The best approach for you as preventive measure would be undertake screening. This includes BSE (breast self examination), breast examination at health care clinic, and routine mammography. The schedule by American Cancer Society is, that from 20 years onwards you should undergo such examination every three years till 40 years. Then you should have a routine breast check every year.

Ÿ  Do not indulge in heavy drinking. Drink in moderation.

Ÿ  Control your weight as obesity is risk for your breast cancer. Eat a balance diet with more fresh fruits and vegetables. Keeping a lean weight will not only prevent breast cancer occurrence , but if you have had breast cancer treatment it will minimize recurrence.

Ÿ  Regular exercise for about 3 ½ to  4 hours will reduce hormones to low levels and decrease your risk of breast cancer. This routine is of great preventive value if you are in high genetic risk group and pre-menopausal age.

Ÿ  HRT (hormone replacement therapy) should be avoided as much as possible. This will limit to estrogen exposure. If deemed necessary your health care provider should give minimum dosage.

Ÿ  Preventive mastectomy or bilateral/unilateral ovarian removal is advised if you have high risk of breast cancer. This will significantly reduce estrogen levels produced in your body.

Ÿ  If you are at risk of breast cancer as detected and explained by routine examination, you will be advised drugs that will block estrogen effects on your breast. Tamoxifen is one such agent. Your  breast cancer risk will be greatly minimized. Possibility of uterine cancer may limit tamoxifen use. Instead raloxifen is much safer, as it doesn’t carry that risk.

Ÿ  Breast feeding your new born will reduce estrogen and your breast cancer development risk.

6.0 Natural Treatment

Black cumin

Black cumin, better known as Nigella sativa, is nature’s cure for just about anything. With anti-oxidative and anti-inflammation properties, it is endorsed by patients with breast cancer and leads to positive results. Black cumin oil should be rubbed on the affected area thrice a day and also be consumed as a mixture with carrot juice (The Islamic Bulletin, San Francisco, CA 94141-0186). Not only this but black cumin also protects against the damage done by radiation and Thymoquinone, a substance in black cumin, is famed for reducing the size of cancer (Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986. 1986. PMID:15210).

COQ10

Found widely in meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and canola and soybean oil, the basic function of COQ10 is to support the immune system and act as an antioxidant. If introduced in the diet, Coenzyme Q10 has a protective effect on the breast tissue (Clin Biochem. 2000 Jun;33(4):279-84). It is found in low levels in food but if foods with COQ10 are taken, they increase the body’s own ability of creating this useful, anti-cancer substance (University of Maryland: Coenzyme Q10). It is also known as Ubiquinone and helps energize the body.

Curcumin

This substance with antioxidant properties is a member of the ginger family. Its roots contain turmeric, which is an anti-inflammatory agent. Curcumin is known to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells, apart from catalyzing apoptosis (Oct. 15, 2005, "Clinical Cancer Research"). It especially targets genes related to angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell cycle, and metastasis (Integr Biol (Camb). 2012 Sep;4(9):996-1007. doi: 10.1039/c2ib20088k. Epub 2012 Jul 6).

Ginseng

Ginseng, a herb found in green tea and certain fortified drinks, is known to inhibit breast cancer cell growth (J Surg Oncol. 1999 Dec;72(4):230-9). All three kinds of ginseng - American, Korean and Chinese - are acknowledged to be equally effective. It isn’t found naturally in any food sources but can be introduced to the diet in various ways, popularly in the form of tea.

Indole-3-carbinol

An itemization of  glucosinolate glucobrassicin found in cruciferous vegetables and in the form of dietary supplements, Indole-3-carbinol restrains breast cancer cell growth (Freudenheim, J. L., Marshall, J. R., Vena, J. E., Laughlin, R., Brasure, J. R., Swanson, M. K., Nemoto, T., and Graham, S. (1996) J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 88, 340–348). It is a promising chemo-preventive agent (J Cell Biochem Suppl. 1997;28-29:111-6).

Quercetin

Commonly found in apples, grapes, berries, leafy green vegetables and pantry herbs, quercetin is a flavonoid. It holds antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which are quite beneficial for breast cancer patients. Another thing to note is that flavonoids also have chemo-preventive properties and quercetin in particular scavenges free radicals (Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 591356, 15 pages).

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone responsible for regulating sleep cycle. Found abundantly in bananas, green tea, almonds, rice and oats, melatonin is an organic sleeping pill. It increases survival in patients with advanced breast cancer and inhibits breast cancer cell growth too (International Journal of Cancer, January, 2006). An overdose of anything, however, can be harmful thus, 20-40mg of daily melatonin intake is recommended (Dr. Uzzi Reiss, Natural Hormone Balance). Melatonin s known to target estrogens and is considered an anti-estrogenic drug).

Resveratrol

A hydroxystilbene, resveratrol is found to act as an estrogen-receptor, meaning that it inhibits estrogen from causing breast cancer (J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 Mar;88(3):223-34). It is found in red grapes, red or purple grape juice, peanuts, blueberries, and cranberries. It is believed that resveratrol safeguards against the progression of breast cancer (2008 July issue of Cancer Prevention Research).

Sulforaphane

A content found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage - among other cruciferous vegetables - sulforaphane is known to target breast cancer stem cells. Not only does sulforaphane kill cancer cells but it also “prevents new tumors from growing” (University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center). Other research shows sulforaphane inhibits the growth of breast cancer and leads to apoptosis (Sulforaphane induces cell type-specific apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines. Mol Cancer Ther. (2007) 6(3): 1013-21).

Vitamin A

Vitamin A or its oxidized form, Retinol, is required for the hormone-like growth of cells. Studies prove that its intake reduces breast cancer risk by 17% (Cancer Causes Control. 2011 Oct;22(10):1383-96. Epub 2011 Jul 15). Another study by the Fox Chase Cancer Center, US, shows that the intake of vitamin A could inhibit breast cancer in its early stages. Liver, sweet potatoes, butter, carrots, leafy vegetables and dried apricots are rich with this vitamin.

Vitamin D3

An activated form of vitamin D, vitamin D3 is created by the body due to sunlight exposure. Women who have a vitamin D3 deficiency are at much greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who do not. They are also prone to malignant tumors (University of Toronto, Goodwin, 2008). It also inhibits angiogenesis in breast cancer (Braz J Med Biol Res. 2002 Jan;35(1):1-9). Vitamin D can be found abundantly in mushrooms, fish and fish products, eggs and beef liver.

Your breast cancer risk will make you take all the necessary and beneficial measures to prevent its occurrence in later life. That includes conventional as well as natural means of strengthening your body’s defense. All the natural ingredients have been used in cancer patients with good outcome. They are all being taken in foods as well as supplements. In all situation your doctor should endorse them.