5 ways to prevent breast cancer…
Let’s carry on the conversation about breast cancer in honor of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month AND so you or your loved ones can avoid becoming one of the statistics because…
According to Breastcancer.org, they estimate in 2019 alone 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer are expected in U.S. women, and about 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men.
So as I said last week, early detection of breast cancer significantly increases your chances of survival.
BUT reducing your risk factors for cancers significantly decreases your chances of getting cancer ever!
High risk factors for breast and other types of cancer can include:
- Family history/genetics
- High sugar/carbohydrate diet
- Use of plastic food and water containers
- Excess estrogen circulating in the body
- A sluggish liver and poor detoxification system
- High oxidative stress (cellular/DNA damage)
- Repeated exposures to hormone altering toxins and radiation
Contrary to popular belief, your genetics dictate ONLY 20% of your health outcomes, and your lifestyle drives the other 80%.
This is great news!
It means you have more control than you probably thought you did over whether you get cancer, autoimmune conditions and chronic or terminal illnesses.
Inflammation is what drives all dysfunction and disease in the body, so when you control inflammation it’s like containing wildfire. The more you contain it, the less devastation it can create.
In this week’s video and blog, I want to give you 5 things you can do to reduce inflammation and your risk not just for breast cancer, but for all types of cancer and chronic diseases!
To start, let’s recap on what some of the most common high risk factors for breast and other types of cancer, terminal illnesses and chronic diseases are. They can include:
- Family history/genetics
- High sugar/carbohydrate diet
- Use of plastic food and water containers
- Excess estrogen circulating in the body
- A sluggish liver and poor detoxification system
- High oxidative stress (cellular/DNA damage)
- Repeated exposures to hormone altering toxins and radiation
You can’t change your genetics but you can change how they impact your health by adopting healthy behaviors that keep them from fostering disease states.
Remember, your genetics dictate ONLY 20% of your health outcomes, and your lifestyle drives the other 80%.
So here are 5 things you can do to reduce inflammation so you can keep your genes happy and healthy, and to prevent cancer or other chronic diseases…
#1 – Eat Anti-Inflammatory & Pro-Antioxidant
You put food in your body every day that can either fuel the inflammatory fire or help to put it out. To drastically reduce inflammation every time you eat, avoid the top inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and alcohol. And then look to replace them with antioxidant-rich foods to reduce oxidative stress (aka cellular and DNA damage) such as goji berries, organic dark chocolate, artichokes, cilantro, elderberries, and wild-caught salmon.
#2 – Rest & Recover From 10-4
From 10pm to 4am is when your body performs critical repair of all of your cells, flushing of toxins and restoration of all systems. It’s like taking your body in for a tune up every night! However, if you’re not sleeping during this timeframe your body can’t perform these duties which can lead to hormone imbalances, toxic back-ups and a multitude of other issues that can trigger inflammation leading to disease. Aim to be asleep by 10pm at least 5 nights per week.
#3- Move & Release
Moving your body daily helps you to maintain a healthy weight, your strength and cardiovascular health AND to release toxins. The lymphatic system is the body’s natural sewage system to eliminate toxins and excess estrogen that can drive cancer and disease, but the problem is that it doesn’t move itself. When you move, the lymphatic system moves too. The more you move the more inflammation and cancer causing toxins can be released!
#4 – Stop & Shift
Did you know that stress can cause inflammation and genetic alterations too? Stress is inevitable but having a daily de-stress routine in place is a proactive way to prevent it from accumulating and contributing to chronic inflammation that can lead to disease. See where you can fit in as little as 5 minutes of deep breathing or meditation in your day. And at a minimum when you feel stressed – stop and shift your mindset by inhaling for 5 seconds, holding your breath for 5 seconds and exhaling for 7. Repeat this 5-10 times to instantly get out of stress mode!
#5 – Tackle The Toxins
Prioritize minimizing your exposures to inflammatory and cancer-causing toxins by focusing on the things you put in and on your body that have the largest impact on your health. You can do this by eating organic food as much as possible, drinking and cooking with only filtered water and swapping out your personal care products such as lotions, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner for less toxic and more environmental-friendly brands.
By taking action in these 5 areas not only will you drastically reduce your risk for cancer and other chronic diseases, but I can almost guarantee you’ll instantly notice an improvement in your energy, weight and overall sense of well-being.
Let’s make a pack to make cancer prevention something we’re aware of all year long, not just during the month of October!
And if you missed it, in last week’s blog I also shared two cutting-edge tools men and women can use to self screen for breast cancer and its high risk factors. You can check out that blog here.
