It’s that time of year…October is breast cancer awareness month. You can’t miss it. There’s pink, ribbons, products, labels, and advertisements everywhere.
“Raise awareness.” “Early detection is key.” “Find a cure.”
While the current messaging may be well intended, it has missed the mark. Awareness has definitely increased, and screenings for breast cancer have too, yet breast cancer rates are at an all-time high.
Awareness and screenings are helpful but they DO NOT equal prevention.
The conversation needs to change, and it’s a conversation I am passionate about sharing with every woman!
I have personally watched my mother and sister fight this horrible disease. And my heart goes out to and honors those who are currently fighting this battle, those who have survived, and those who did not.
Here are the facts:
- In 2023, in the US an estimated 339,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed. (that’s 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed this year)
- In 2023, an estimated 44,000 women will die due to breast cancer (1 in 37)
- Every 2 minutes, a woman is hearing the words “You have Breast cancer”.
Other facts we need to take into consideration:
Less than 10% of breast cancer is inherited.
This means 90-95% is preventable by addressing lifestyle and environment!
Screening is an important part of women’s health. Regular breast exams with your physician and performing your own breast self-exams are extremely helpful in noticing changes taking place in the tissues.
But there is SO MUCH MORE we can do to prevent this life-threatening disease, and SO MANY MORE important conversations to have to make a real difference.
It’s time to move beyond AWARENESS and become EMPOWERED!
It’s important to bring awareness to all breast cancer risk factors and take action to do what we can to prevent this disease.
Here are a few of my top tips and strategies to help you take control of your hormone health and become empowered TODAY!
1. Mindset / Emotional Health / Self Love & Acceptance – Gratitude, self-love, and positive thinking promote health within the body. Negative thoughts and emotions cause “dis-ease”. Spending too much time complaining, comparing ourselves to others, people-pleasing, not speaking our mind, and feeling inadequate, we find ourselves experiencing “dis-ease”.
2. Daily movement, exercise, and working up a sweat are some of the best ways to eliminate the toxins that are linked to breast cancer. Strength training is particularly protective against breast cancer, and research indicates that increased physical activity reduces overall breast cancer risk by at least 10%! No matter what type of exercise you do, find a way to move and sweat daily.
3. Being constantly overwhelmed and exhausted affects more than our ability to get things done. Chronic stress disrupts digestion and gut health, detoxification, hormone balance, immune system resilience, mood/motivation, metabolism, energy, and more. When our body isn’t able to perform these basic functions optimally, we have an increased risk of “dis-ease”. Keep in mind that stress comes in many forms – our relationships, the food and beverages we consume, the chemicals and toxins we are exposed to, not getting enough movement, sleep, or nutrition. Each of these causes a stress response and affects our health. The Adaptiv System from doTERRA is one of my favorite ways to support the adrenal and nervous systems.
4. Studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 30-50%. Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. Alcohol consumption is one of the top risk factors for breast cancer.
5. Get honest about what you are consuming. Reduce or remove inflammatory, processed foods – especially sugar. Sugar literally feeds cancer cells. Removing sugar starves them. Begin to use food as preventative medicine. Some of my favorites that are protective against breast cancer – broccoli sprouts, cruciferous vegetables, beets, berries, sweet potatoes, wild salmon, carrots, turmeric, and ginger!
6. Get quality sleep. Nothing is better for metabolizing stress hormones, detoxing and removing toxins and metabolic waste while boosting the immune system than deep, restorative sleep. Aim for 7-9 hours each night. The Serenity Sleep System supports restful sleep and has clinical research behind it. And for extra support, wear a Castor Oil Pack nightly to promote restful sleep, enhance detoxification, support digestion, and reduce inflammation. Use code Laini10 to save 10%.
7. Test your hormones. This is KEY! One tool we have in the fight against breast cancer is the power of hormonal diagnostics. The DUTCH Test does not diagnose breast cancer, but it provides valuable information about women’s hormones, which may give insight into breast cancer prevention and risk management. It reveals whether the body is getting rid of the “bad” estrogens linked to breast cancer. It is one of the most important preventative measures you can take when it comes to breast cancer.
This is ONE of the main reasons I run a DUTCH test annually for myself. Breast cancer has affected my mom and sister, so it’s important that I understand my hormones and genetic preferences. My initial results revealed important insight into my “sluggish” estrogen detoxification, which plays a role in the risk of developing breast cancer. With this information, I was able to take a proactive approach to my health and cancer prevention plan through lifestyle, nutrition, and supportive supplementation and see significant improvements in how I metabolize estrogens.
Becoming empowered is the first step in prevention. And it’s why I recommend the DUTCH test to all my clients. If you are ready to become empowered and want to learn more – LET’S CHAT!
