Young Women and Breast Cancer
Sep 26, 2013 05:04PM
● By Dr. John Foley
Every October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month—we hear a barrage of frightening statistics. The American Cancer Society tells us that 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year, 40,000 of which will be fatal. The escalating rate of breast cancer in young women is particularly disturbing. According to the AMA, breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women aged 15 to 39, accounting for 14 percent of all cancers in this age group. Breast cancers in younger women are usually more aggressive and have poorer survival rates.
Facts like these leave young women feeling worried about the disease and ill-equipped to prevent it. However, there’s plenty they can do to avoid that scary diagnosis.
Genetics vs. Environment
The fact is, 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are hereditary, suggesting that 90 percent are caused by chronic exposure to environmental toxins. Epigenetic research shows that synthetic hormones in birth control pills, electromagnetic radiation, and toxins in food and personal care products are fueling the increase in cancer. Despite their known dangers, many of these toxins are in items we use every day.
Children and young women are especially vulnerable to hormone-mimicking chemicals, which accumulate inside their organs at alarmingly high concentrations due to widespread and persistent use. Tiny amounts of these chemicals have been shown to disrupt normal breast development in ways that predispose young women to breast cancer later in life.
Breast cancer takes years to develop before it can be detected through medical imaging. Exposure to toxins can begin in the womb; scientists have detected hundreds of contaminants in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. New research by Tufts University links prenatal exposure to low doses of BPA, found in most consumer products, to an increased propensity for breast cancer later in life. All young and unborn children now have BPA circulating in their bodies.
Other common culprits:
• Phthalates, linked to early puberty in girls, a risk factor for breast cancer.
• Parabens, detected in breast cancer tissue at concentrations up to 1 million times higher than naturally occurring estrogen levels.
•Propylparaben, found in the underarm area, where deodorants are most used and breast cancer is most prevalent.
So the first step to true prevention—stopping breast cancer before it starts—is protecting our children from this onslaught of synthetic chemicals, for which no long-term human safety data is available.
For most of us, it’s too late for that. Fortunately, advances in bio-energetic medicine now make it possible to target, measure and gently eliminate thousands of environmental toxins at the cellular level while determining the precise nutritional needs for every organ and gland. In that way, imbalances can be easily identified and treated long before disease begins to develop.
At BodyCures, we’ve conducted clinical research showing that every child and young adult, regardless of age or symptoms, has hundreds of microscopic toxic chemicals, heavy metals, medications, chronic stealth infections and radiation trapped inside various organs. Since blood only makes up 7 percent of the total body, blood tests are a poor method for determining toxic burden.
True, the body is designed to rid itself of these toxins naturally. But nowadays our defense mechanisms are overwhelmed by constant exposure to toxins. As a result, the body retains more toxins than it can effectively eliminate, and the toxins eventually become trapped inside cells, tissues, organs, joints and bone. That’s when inflammation occurs and cancer cells multiply. These same toxins are responsible for the epidemic of chronic illness we see in children, including allergies, asthma, autism, ADHD, skin issues and autoimmune conditions.
By precisely targeting and measuring the toxicity of breast tissue and other organs, we can reduce and eliminate toxins over time. Very specific, personalized solutions are often necessary to gently and safely help the body remove toxin build-up before it causes problems later in life.
Powerful Preventive Tool
Another valuable, potentially life-saving preventive tool is breast thermography, a safe form of imaging which women can add to their regular breast health check-ups beginning with baseline imaging at age 20. A thermogram can identify precancerous or cancerous cells up to 10 years before they show up as cancer on a mammogram.
The majority of US breast cancer cases could be prevented if young people made wiser lifestyle choices, such as eating healthier, avoiding environmental poisons, and making sure that all their organ systems are functioning properly. The earlier we start, the better chance our kids have for a happy, healthy, productive life.
Dr. John Foley, DC, and Dan Court are co-founders of BodyCures, which treats the root causes of chronic illness through a whole-systems bio-energetic and functional medicine approach known as the BodyCures Healing System. To receive a free copy of “Protect your Breasts from Toxicity and Radiation,” visit BodyCures.com/breast-cancer.