The Breast Cancer and Estrogen Link | 18 Ways to Prevent and Manage Breast Cancer Naturally

If you had to name one of your biggest health fears, would breast cancer be top of your list? Public health campaigns have put this important health issue on our radar and obviously that’s a good thing. Because according to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is diagnosed in 1 in 7 women. If you gather a small group of your girlfriends, someone is going to get it. It is real.

Yet, when we talk about this concerning disease, the focus is often on detection (think mammograms) and treatment (think mastectomies). And far too little is said about prevention.

What about you? Are you in the know? How clued up are you about the best lifestyle habits to reduce your breast cancer risk?

The Power of Prevention (and Reduction of Fear)

Living with the fear of breast cancer, fearing it, and not understanding it is a toxic way of living. Going for a mammogram is like waiting for a sickness to happen. Like you’re waiting for the worse news of your life.  

I’m all about taking steps to promote your own wellness and prevent illness. To help prevent breast cancer, it’s important to recognize the links between elevated hormones and ill health. This is particularly true for estrogen, the female hormone that helps us develop our menstrual cycle and curves. Many women are very surprised to learn that breast cancer can be fed by estrogen. And there’s plenty of clear science to show the link.

Here is the good news: Estrogenic cancers like breast (as well as thyroid, ovarian, uterine and lung) cancer can be managed with a sensible diet and clean lifestyle options. This article is about that.

When Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School looked at women’s hormones via blood samples taken from the ongoing Nurses Health Study, they found a strong link between hormonal imbalance and breast cancer.

Their study measured levels of eight different important hormones in women after menopause. Those hormones included estrogen, androgenic hormones, DHEA, prolactin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). The results were startling. When more than one hormone level was elevated, the risk of breast cancer doubled. And when several were elevated? It tripled. But the hormone with the biggest impact? Was estrogen. You can click here to read more about this study.

This study is a reminder of the importance of keeping your hormones in balance; not too high and not too low.

What can you do to protect yourself from breast cancer right now?

Knowledge is power, so first up, I want you to understand how cancer and breast cancer form and grow.

Next, you will learn how you can control some breast cancer risk factors if you take steps to make the right lifestyle changes to reduce them.

Most Breast Cancers Are Not Genetic

Only five percent of breast cancers are related to genetics and even then, that doesn’t mean that all women with the BRAC genes that make them more vulnerable, will go on to develop breast cancer.

Though you can’t alter risk factors like your age or parents, simple lifestyle changes can do a great deal to protect you from developing breast cancer.

One of the least discussed but most important steps is to reduce risks caused by too much estrogen.

In my experience working with women, estrogen dominance (ED) is very common, but often women don’t know the signs or even realize that ED is a concern or that it kick starts substantial health risks.

You can learn how to rebalance your hormones with food in my books, Cooking for Hormone Balance and Overcoming Estrogen Dominance.

How Breast Cancer Forms and Multiplies

Cancer cells are triggered when a mutation in normal cells occur. This can happen due to well-known problematic lifestyle factors like living on junk food, chronic sunburn and cigarette smoking, but hormones can also play a big role. Once cancer cells are born they grow and divide to make more cancer cells, which form a tumor that may contain millions of cancer cells.

Cancers need a blood supply to provide them the oxygen, nutrients and hormones like estrogen, which help them grow and multiply. But as they get bigger they are often further away from the blood vessels so they need to set up their own supply. They do this by sending out signals that tell your body to grow new blood vessels like capillaries. This process is called angiogenesis. And it is ongoing, so once it occurs the cancer keeps getting bigger and then may start to spread to organs like your liver (where the cancer is called a secondary). That’s why scientists are working on cancer vaccines and drugs to try to halt the process of angiogenesis.

Breast cancer is often caused by cancer cells growing in the lobules, where milk is produced or the ducts, where the milk travels to the nipple. Breast cancer cells may then spread to surrounding breast tissue, then move to the lymph nodes under the arms and migrate to other parts of the body.

How Estrogen Feeds Cancer

A high proportion of breast cancers are Estrogen Receptor Positive. This means they have a large number of estrogen receptors, indicating that estrogen is helping to feed their growth.

The American Cancer Society explains Estrogen Receptor Positive cancer like this:

Estrogen Receptors (ER) and Progesterone Receptors (PR)

Receptors are proteins in or on certain cells that can attach to certain substances, such as hormones, that circulate in the blood. Normal breast cells and some breast cancer cells contain receptors that attach to estrogen and progesterone. These 2 hormones often fuel the growth of breast cancer cells.

An important step in evaluating a breast cancer is to test the cancer removed during the biopsy (or surgery) to see if it has estrogen and progesterone receptors. Cancer cells may have neither, one, or both of these receptors. Breast cancers that have estrogen receptors are often referred to as ER-positive (or ER+) cancers, while those containing progesterone receptors are called PR-positive (or PR+) cancers.

All invasive breast cancers should be tested for both of these hormone receptors either on the biopsy sample or when they are removed with surgery. About 2 of 3 breast cancers have at least one of these receptors. This percentage is higher in older women than in younger women. Ductal carcinoma in situ (abnormal cells inside the milk ducts) should be checked for estrogen receptors, as well.

Hormone receptor-positive: If the breast cancer cells contain either estrogen or progesterone receptors, they can be called hormone receptor-positive (or just hormone-positive). Breast cancers that are hormone receptor-positive can be treated with breast-cancer-treating hormone-therapy drugs that lower estrogen levels or block estrogen receptors. This includes cancers that are ER-negative but PR-positive….. Hormone receptor-positive cancers are more common in women after menopause.

Breast cancer that involves estrogen and progesterone receptors is likely to respond to treatments known as “endocrine therapies”. In medicine, drugs such as Tamoxifen are used to block the estrogen receptors and help prevent the cancer from recurring. In post-menopausal women, drugs called aromatase inhibitors may be more beneficial to help stop production of estrogen.

But what women with breast cancer are rarely told? That as well as taking medication (which creates its own set of problems and serious side effects), they can adopt diet and lifestyle strategies which can effectively reduce high levels of the antagonistic estrogen, estradiol.

And addressing estrogen dominance through lifestyle is equally important if you don’t have cancer. By reducing your estradiol levels you stabilize your progesterone levels too – which in the long-term, could reduce your risk of breasts cancers that are ER Positive and PR Positive.

Reducing Estrogen Dominance is also important to reduce the risk of other ER Positive cancers of the:

• Ovaries
• Uterus
• Thyroid
• Lungs (in non-smokers)
• Prostate, in men

Signs of Estrogen Dominance (ED)

Estrogen can be metabolized in your body in different ways. Some pathways lead to estrogen metabolites that can compromise your health. This can be a particular problem if your liver is not functioning well. Then your liver doesn’t process estrogen metabolites (or byproducts) and help remove them from your body, and you end up with more estrogen circulating, causing havoc and estrogen excess.

ED can mean one of two things: you either have too much estradiol in relation to progesterone, or an imbalance in your estrogen metabolites (some are protective and some are dangerous).

This can lead to the following symptoms:

• Worsening PMS
• Low libido
• Fertility issues
• Ovarian cysts
• Heavy periods
• Cellulite
• Fluid retention (swollen hands and feet)
• Endometriosis
• Fibroids
• Lumpy, painful or swollen breasts
• Weight gain, particularly around the hips

Not All Estrogens Are Bad

Let me not vilify all estrogens, as they are not the same. There are 16 forms of estrogens but today’s science has only gone deeper into understanding three estrogens: estrone (E1), estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). Out of these three, estradiol tends to be the most aggressive estrogen that has been linked to breast cancer multiplication. In fact, estriol is a protective estrogen that is often prescribed for women with estrogen dominance.

Another thing I need you to know is that it is also certain metabolites (or by products) that are broken down in the liver that can be antagonistic. In fact, one of the breast cancer risk tests used is a blood test called 2:16 hydroxy-estrone which measures the relationship between estrone’s metabolites to determine the risk factor. In my practice, I like to look at three markers to identify the risk factor of a women (this is apart from her health history and diet):

1. 2:16 hydroxy-estrone ratio (blood test)
2. Estrogen quotient (EQ) which is the ratio of E3/E1+E2 (saliva test)
3. Estradiol-to-progesterone ratio (saliva or urine test)

The first test can be ordered by your physician, while you can order the saliva test online from Canary Club. The urine tests need to be ordered by an integrative physician, one of whom you can find near you from the listing here .

You Have More Power Than You Have Been Told

You have more power over your risk of breast cancer than you think. There are many steps you can take to protect yourself. Each one of them has other positive domino effects for your hormonal balance and overall health:

1. Help with Estrogen Metabolism (“Clean” vs. “Dirty” Estrogens)

If there’s one trio of supplements I recommend for preventing breast cancer and promoting overall hormone health, it’s the combination of DIM, sulforaphane, and calcium d-glucarate. Here’s a breakdown of these major estrogen metabolizers.

DIM: Also known as diindolylmethane, DIM is a compound generated when the body breaks down cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. It is best known as a nutrient that supports healthy estrogen metabolism as well as the prevention of hormone-related cancers by its anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. It supports:

• Phase 1 liver detoxification
• The breakdown of estrogen into “clean” estrogens, not the antagonistic “dirty” ones
• A healthy balance of testosterone and estrogen by acting as an aromatase inhibitor, blocking some testosterone from converting to estrogen
• The cells from the damaging effects of oxidation

I personally use and recommend our DIM. The recommended dose is 100 mg to 200 mg per day.

Sulforaphane: In addition to helping aid in the body’s detoxification, sulforaphane has been shown to have long-lasting antioxidant effects, offering protection from oxidizing free radicals and anti-estrogenic cancer properties. It is also the most powerful anti-inflammatory and is showing an impressive anti-carcinogenic potency. Research shows when it comes to supplementing with sulforaphane:

• Premenopausal breast cancer risk was decreased with higher broccoli consumption.
• Oral supplementation with sulforaphane reached the mammary glands of test subjects and increased activity of detoxification enzymes.
• There is potential for sulforaphane to protect from tumor resistance and relapse or recurrence of cancer. This nutrient has also been shown to be effective for thyroid cancer and is an anti-tumor agent.
• It raises OH-2 estrone, which is the protective form of estrogen.

I personally use and recommend our Brocco Power (Sulforaphane). The recommended dosage is 500 mg a day.

Calcium D-Glucarate: As an activator of the glucuronidation liver pathway, calcium d-glucarate is a potent liver detoxifier that clears “dirty” estrogens and other harmful toxins. This detoxifier supports:

• Liver detoxification: Supplementation with calcium-d-glucarate has been shown to inhibit beta-glucuronidase, a specific enzyme produced by microflora in the large intestine and involved in phase 2 of liver detoxification that lowers the occurrence of breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
• Estrogen detoxification: Calcium d-glucarate removes the harmful “dirty” estrogens, which are the harmful metabolites of estrogen that may be responsible for conditions such as fibrocystic breasts, breast lumps, ER+ breast cancers, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, mood swings, and PMS.

I personally use and recommend our Calcium-D-Glucarate. Recommended dosage of calcium d-glucarate ranges from 150 mg to 300 mg per day, taken with meals.

By the way, you can purchase this trio as a complete set and save money with our Estrogen Reset Kit.

2. Correct Key Deficiencies

If you want to achieve balanced hormones and lower your risk of breast cancer, you need adequate levels of these key nutrients.

Magnesium: Researchers have estimated up to 75% of Americans may be deficient in magnesium. This mineral is needed for over three hundred enzyme reactions in the body, helps clear estrogen, lowers inflammation, and promotes good sleep. It also helps regulate bowel movements, which expels the “dirty” estrogens from the body. As you’ll learn, these are all important steps in your breast cancer prevention regimen.

I personally use and recommend our Magnesium Replenish. Take the highest dosage until you reach loose stools—some women need up to 1200 mg a day when they’re seriously depleted.

Vitamin C: This potent antioxidant helps with progesterone production, which opposes estrogen. This is because the corpus luteum has some of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body. In the Nurses’ Health Study, premenopausal women with a family history of breast cancer who consumed an average of 205 mg per day of vitamin C from food had a 63% lower risk of breast cancer than those who consumed an average of 70 mg per day. In the Swedish Mammography Cohort, overweight women who consumed an average of 110 mg per day of vitamin C had a 39% lower risk of breast cancer compared to overweight women who consumed an average of 31 mg per day.

I personally use and recommend our Vitamin C Burst, which you can take the highest dose before you have a loose stool. I take 1200 mg a day when I’m depleted, and reduce to 600 mg on a normal day.

Vitamin B Complex: This complex consists of eight different B vitamins combined together into one super formula. When it comes to hormonal health, B vitamins are integral to the proper production and balance of a majority of our hormones. B vitamins are crucial to balancing the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in the case of estrogen dominance. Vitamin B6 in particular is essential for the development of the corpus luteum. This gland is produced in the ovary after the egg has been released and it is what makes progesterone. I personally use and recommend our B Maximus, which you should take in the morning, as it can be stimulating for some.

Zinc: As an essential trace element, zinc is utilized by multiple bodily systems and processes. Unfortunately, we are not able to produce it on our own and it therefore needs to be obtained from outside sources, either from food or supplements. Zinc is involved in the metabolism of estrogen and progesterone. It also plays a role in the production of these hormones, by stimulating the production of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). I personally use and recommend our Zinc Complete. A healthy adult needs 30 to 40 mg of zinc daily from both food and supplement sources.

3. Add Bioidentical Progesterone

When progesterone levels drop below a certain level, estrogen becomes the dominant hormone, and this change in the balance between these two hormones leads to many of the symptoms you are experiencing. This is the “unbalanced partners” scenario. Topical bioidentical progesterone can be a good way to rebalance while bypassing the digestive system and liver. Numerous studies indicate progesterone helps ER+ breast cancers, including the fact it induces apoptosis (death of cancer cells).

I personally use and recommend our ProgestPure Cream. The recommended dose is 20 to 40 mg per day.

4. Help Liver Detoxification Along

A sluggish liver does not carry out its important job of filtering toxins, chemical byproducts and hormonal metabolites from your body. This can leave you with high circulating levels of the dangerous estrogen metabolites.

For Breast Protection:

• Add bitters in the form of dandelion leaves and root, burdock, chicory root, parsley, radicchio or bitters in tincture form. They stimulate bile production which then helps “flush out” estrogen and other steroid hormones.
• Add fiber, my favorite being 2 tablespoons of freshly ground golden flax seed. Fiber promotes good bowel movement which is essential in carrying out the toxic estrogens. Chronic constipation can contribute to the re-absorption of antagonistic estrogens back to the blood stream.
• Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or half a lemon to a glass of warm water and drink it before breakfast in the morning. This helps stimulate the gallbladder to release the bile which is instrumental in “flushing out” estrogen.
• Minimize your intake of alcohol, sugar and processed oils like trans fatty acids, which all put a load on the liver. Sugar not only feeds bad bacteria, unbalancing your belly microbiome, it also feeds candida. An increasing number of studies are starting to confirm that candida may have a pro-tumor effect, helping cancer to thrive.
• Avoid use of medications where possible (and don’t mix drugs and meds together).
• Maintain a healthy weight to avoid fatty liver disease.
• Consider a liver detox. In my post, The Role of the Liver in Female Hormone Balance, I explain how to do this using the six different liver pathways.

Try these supplements from Wellena for breast health support: Happy Sisters Kit, a duo of a supplement and topical cream to address the root causes of fibrocystic breasts, benign breast lumps and cysts, and breast pain.

5. Try Seed Rotation

Seeds can be used to balance your hormone levels by boosting estrogen in the first part of your menstrual cycle and progesterone in the second half. If you are going through menopause, start any day and do each cycle for 14 days.

For Breast Protection:

• Cycle seeds into your diet: Eat a mix of different seeds such as flaxseed, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame. To find out which seeds to eat for your hormonal status, take a look at my post, How To Use Seed Rotation to Regulate Your Menstrual Cycle.

I’ve had women report PMS getting better, their periods returning, and menopause symptoms lessening in a matter of two to three months of being on the seed rotation.

6. Increase Plant Intake

Vegetables are packed with phytonutrients that have powerful cancer-fighting properties. Women who eat more vegetables are particularly protected against ER Positive breast cancer, shows 2013 research published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

For Breast Protection:

• Vary your vegetable intake to include cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. They are rich in Indole 3 Carbinol, which has been shown to block cancer growth.
• Bring on the tiny, tender, and crunchy broccoli sprouts as they contain di-indolyl-methane (short form: DIM, also found as a supplement) which detoxifies us of estradiol. Broccoli sprouts also contain the highest amounts of sulforaphane, which has been linked by numerous studies to not only prevent but also reverse breast cancer. Sulforaphane can also be found in smaller quantities in other cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli or cauliflower.
  
  Depending on one’s health condition, studies have shown that ¼ cup to 1 cup of broccoli sprouts can create profound health improvement and decrease in breast cancer tumors.
  

Try this: Our own Wellena supplement line – Brocco Power:  The potency of sulforaphane available in one capsule is equivalent to consuming 500 grams of fresh broccoli or 100 grams of sprouts.

• Add a dash of olive oil: This does more than help you absorb more nutrients. Oleic acid in olive oil may be as effective as medication in killing some cancer-causing proteins. A large-scale Spanish study has shown women who regularly consumed olive oil have less incidence of breast cancer.
• If you take vitamin B supplements, be sure it contains folate and not folic acid which is the synthetic, cheap and harmful form.  Do not buy foods that are fortified, such as breakfast cereals and bread – they often contain folic acid. Even though folate is vital to our overall health, this study showed that women taking more than 400mcg/day are at a higher risk of breast cancer. This does not mean not to take folate – it’s just a reminder that there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.”

Avoid taking vitamins containing folic acid which is the synthetic form – studies such as this one shows a link to breast cancer. 

• Put a rainbow on your plate. This ensures you a getting a wide variety of different vitamins and minerals, which support your immune system.
• Go for red. Enjoy tomatoes regularly if you are not sensitive to the nightshade family. Research published in 2014, found that women who eat tomatoes regularly had positive impacts on the hormones that regulate fat and sugar metabolism, helping to reduce breast cancer risk.
• Choose the right foods for your body. That may mean that rye sourdough, kombucha, soy milk, and kale smoothies are not the best choices for you.

I hope you’ll check out our recipe collection created to help you detoxify from estrogen the natural way. 

7. Add Good Gut Bacteria to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Another interesting data point is the recent findings on the estrobolome – a subset of the gut bacteria that helps metabolize estrogen. Who would have thought that the poor gut bacteria would bring on estrogen dominance and breast cancer?

“The estrobolome provides a framework for understanding how an individual’s resident gut bacteria may modulate lifetime estrogen exposure,” said Dr. Plottel. “States of estrogen excess are associated with an increased risk of developing estrogen-related cancers, so knowledge and characterization of the estrabolome represent a novel area of promising scientific and biomedical research.” 

I am a fan of combining the forces of fermented foods with pill-based probiotics that are high in lactobacillus and bifidobacteria groups, soil bacteria as well as sporebiotics that I have personally had amazing results with.

8. Watch Your Meat Intake

When meat is chargrilled, the amino acids change to a form that is more carcinogenic (cancer-forming). This is because, in the cooking process on high heat, chemicals called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) are formed. Emerging evidence indicates that eating too many of these chemicals may fast-track the aging process in your body and may be linked to conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and narrowing of the arteries.

The main problem with AGEs? Just as the sun ages our skin from the outside, these chemicals age our bodies from the inside. The main impact occurs from AGEs crosslinking with other strands of protein, causing inflammation, loss of flexibility, and stiffening of tissues. This occurs everywhere from the collagen in skin and the inside of arteries to the myelin-protecting nerves in the brain.

There is a strong relationship between the levels of AGES in our diet and insulin levels. Research conducted in 2013 at the University of Queensland in Australia found that even short-term consumption of processed foods high in AGE’s can have detrimental effects on insulin sensitivity, which may hasten the development of weight gain and diabetes Type 2. In turn, this may increase levels of fat cells that then pump out bigger amounts of estrogen.

In addition, higher intake of red meat can increase breast cancer risk, according to a review of data from over 88,000 women in the Harvard Nurses’ Health study.

For Breast Protection:

• Buy organic meat: This will help ensure your meat is free of hormones. Research has shown that meat and chicken sold in the US, has almost the same levels of E2 estrogen as the levels found in human fat tissue.
• Marinate meat before you BBQ – this can help meat cook faster, which may lessen the dangerous charcoaling effect.
• Choose healthy whole grains: A lightly toasted sourdough rye produces fewer AGEs than a darkly toasted white bread. Wholegrains in muffins or cakes, also help lower AGE content. Toasted muesli has higher AGEs than a cereal like porridge made from whole oats.
• Lower the cooking temperature: Cooking at lower temperatures, below 250oC, reduces AGE formation. For example, scrambled eggs prepared in an open pan over medium-low heat have about half the AGEs of eggs prepared in the same way but over high heat.
• Cut back on red meat. Instead, mix up your forms of protein so you eat organic chicken, wild-caught fish, and plenty of plant proteins like legumes. Eating red meat ramps up a woman’s risk of breast cancer and processed meat is the worst choice, shows research from the University of Leeds.
  

The take-home message? Eat meat, especially red meat, in moderation – preferably no more than twice a week. And remember – you only need a palm full, not a plateful!

9. Lose The Daily Wine

In the afternoon or evening on most weeknights, fridge doors are flung open with gusto by rushing women. Seconds later a familiar glug, glug, glug marks the start of a daily drinking ritual enjoyed by countless wired working moms and career women. In our modern world, women are so chronically busy that alcohol has become the emotional anesthetic we use to feel less overwhelmed from the daily juggle of being super worker or supermom – or both.

Sound familiar? Then it’s important to find healthier ways to unwind. Obviously, there will be special occasions where you let your hair down and sip until you’re tipsy – but don’t make a habit of it.

Whether you prefer wine, beer, or cocktails makes no difference – all alcohols add equally to breast cancer risk. One of the most recent studies confirming this link involved five Spanish universities and more than 300,000 female volunteers. The 2015 study confirmed that the risk of breast cancer quadruples with the intake of each daily glass of wine or beer. 

For Breast Protection:

• Drink Less: Have alcohol in moderation and aim for several alcohol-free days each week.
• Meditate or listen to soothing music instead of using chardonnay or a G&T to unwind.
• Aim to drink no more than one glass of wine a day.
• Swap higher alcohol drinks such as spirits for lighter options including wine spritzers and low-alcohol wine.
• Save alcohol for special occasions: And I don’t mean the end of the week! Enjoy a glass of wine or champagne at events like weddings and big-number birthday parties, but aim to give it a miss most of the time.
• Seek stillness: Whether you meditate, enjoy yoga, or simply listen to soothing music, doesn’t matter, as long as you are taking out some quality ‘me’ time just to unwind and ‘be’.

10. Cut Chemical Exposure

We live in a big chemical soup. This means we are exposed to chemicals daily through food, outgassing from furniture and paint, or are absorbed from cosmetics on our skin. Many of these chemicals act like xenoestrogens in the body, which means your body treats them like estrogen. This can tip you over into estrogen dominance or add to an existing ED problem.

For Breast Protection:

• Clean with kitchen ingredients: Women who report the highest use of cleaning products to control issues like mold and air freshness may have an increased risk of breast cancer.  Instead, use ingredients like lemon, oil of cloves and vinegar when cleaning your home. I offer DIY recipes in the detox workshop here.
• Throw away the insecticide and use a fly swatter instead; women with greater pesticide levels in their body have been shown to be at greater risk of breast cancer.
• Use low chemical cosmetics: I talk more about how chemicals in make-up can cause hormones imbalance (and even earlier menopause) here. 

11. Cool Internal Inflammation

If you’re often stressed, eating foods you shouldn’t, skimping on sleep and throwing back a few wines, you could be burning out on the inside. Internal inflammation is one of the body’s first defense mechanisms, for example, producing a fever when you’re fighting a virus or bacteria. But repeated lifestyle fall-out can cause your body to go into self-defense 24/7, causing chronic low-grade inflammation which erodes your health.

Inflammatory chemicals such as C-reactive protein and cytokines are now known to lie at the heart of most health conditions such as heart attack, diabetes, and arthritis. Cancer is one of their biggest knock-on effects. Inflammation also plays havoc with hormonal balance and it can even cause estrogen to become pro-inflammatory. 

For Breast Protection

• Reduce pro-inflammatory food factors such as sugar, salt, refined carbs (e.g. white bread), and unhealthy fats, such as trans fats or fats that have been reheated, as their molecules can change shape.
• Home-cook your meals. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen. Take a look at some of my simple recipes for estrogen-balancing meals.
• Pick proteins carefully: Eat fish at least three times a week – it is high in omega 3s, which help fight inflammation. Cut right back on processed meats like bacon, which should be eaten no more than once a week.  For an excellent supplement, try our very own Wellena supplements.

Try this: Quercetin Plus Nettles and Essential Omegas

• Don’t let the scales creep up. The more weight you gain the more your fat cells release inflammatory chemicals and estrogen.
• Kick bad habits such as smoking, stressing out, drinking, and overdoing alcohol or illegal/prescription drugs, which all cause inflammation.
• Treat inflammation-causing chronic conditions like food intolerance, acid reflux and gum disease.
• Avoid antibiotics: Chronic or prolonged use of antibiotics is linked to increased breast cancer risk, so rest up when you’re unwell, to avoid symptoms worsening and avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.
• Address molds and other environmental triggers like dust, which can prompt inflammatory reactions via your respiratory system.

12. Move Every Day

Women who work out are more protected against breast cancer, though it’s not clear whether the benefit stems from lowered weight, increased metabolism, or how exercise impacts on hormones like insulin. Exercise appears to change estrogen metabolism by promoting good estrogen metabolites and reducing the less healthy forms in premenopausal women.

Breast Protection:

• Mix it up: Over the week, rotate some cycling and swimming with yoga and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), so that you include exercises to boost aerobic capacity, flexibility, and stamina.
• Just do a little: You don’t have to be an Olympian to enjoy the health perks of exercise. Regular physical activity, mild or intense, before or after menopause helps to reduce breast cancer risk.
• Limit excessive exercise. Running a marathon can suppress immune function and promote inflammatory chemicals such as Interkelukin-1 and 6, which encourage tumor growth and autoimmune diseases.

13. Stop Smoking

That means you should avoid smoking dope too. Smoking messes with your balance of estrogen and progesterone and can cause earlier signs of menopause. Nicotine can also lead to mammary cell changes, which appear to promote the growth of cancerous tumors. Many of the over 4,000 other chemicals in cigarettes have also shown to be carcinogenic.

Compared with non-smokers, postmenopausal women who smoke or used to smoke have up to a 16% higher risk of developing breast cancer shows research published in the British Medical Journal. The same research also showed that people exposed to side stream smoke have a 9% increased breast cancer risk just from breathing in that toxic smoke. And non-smoking women exposed to passive smoke for more than ten years in childhood, at work or at home (through a smoking partner), had a 32% excess risk of breast cancer.

For Breast Protection:

• Quit Smoking: I used to be a smoker who quit many times but always went back to it. Hypnosis was what helped me kick it for good and I highly recommend it. Different people quit differently but I need you to know that it’s possible, just try various methods to find out what resonates with you.
• Move away from smokers: You don’t need to make a scene. Just say the smoke can bring on hayfever-like symptoms and move away until the person is finished. If you live with a smoker, make a firm rule that they step outside when they light up.

14. Avoid Birth Control Pills

Yes, I know it seems very convenient to take a seemingly harmless pill to prevent pregnancy. But think about what it is doing to your body. The birth control pill tricks your body into thinking it is pregnant most of the time. That means that instead of getting the dips in your menstrual cycle where estrogen drops, your estrogen levels remain high all the time. This is a classic way many women first develop estrogen dominance. It’s hardly surprising then that according to the National Cancer Institute, the birth control pill increases breast cancer risk.

For Breast Protection:

• Use condoms or a diaphragm for contraception.
• Learn about the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)
• Research various fertility monitors like Lady Comp.

Your body will thank you.

15. Sleep Soundly

Less sleep means higher hunger, elevated insulin and blood glucose levels, and weight gain. I explain this in greater depth in this article. 

These impacts are all bad news for your hormones. When you’re not sleeping well, you suffer adrenal exhaustion which then depletes you of progesterone and this is a potent cause of ED.

For Breast Protection:

• Nod off earlier: Women who get less than six to seven hours of sleep or less a night have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to 2008 Japanese research.
• Avoid shift work: Shift work has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, so if you are in a career like nursing or flight attendance, consider retraining or looking for a related job that doesn’t require night shifts, such as training others in your field.
• Check out my 10 Surprising Sleep Hacks to boost sleep quality and duration.

16. Minimize Lights At Night

Light at night can bump up breast cancer risk. This is most likely because it messes with your production of hormones, particularly melatonin, the sleep hormone. Chronic issues with getting to sleep can then lead to stress that reduces levels of progesterone, increasing risk of estrogen dominance.

For Breast Protection:

• Light some candles: Enjoy the soft relaxing glow, which will also help you unwind at the end of the day.
• Turn off computer/television monitors as early as possible in the evening. If you need to use them, keep them on a low light setting.
• Cut the light spill from other homes or street lights with thick blinds or curtains.

17. Minimize or Modify Use of HRT

An overview of almost 40,000 menopausal women by the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK in 2016, has found that using combined Hormone Replacement Therapy can triple the risk of breast cancer, and that risk goes up the longer the HRT is used.

Breast Protection:

• Try natural therapies: Many women find they get great relief from issues like hot flushes through non-drug therapies like acupuncture, herbs, and diet changes. 
• Address hormonal balance through choosing the right foods for your body and avoiding foods like caffeine and sugar, which can exacerbate menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.
• Take HRT for a limited time: Breast cancer risks go up when HRT is used for more than 5 years and are lower if used for 2 years or less.
• Speak to your doctor about adding bio-identical progesterone to oppose estradiol.
• Use an estrogen-only HRT which appears to carry less risk. Studies show the risk of breast cancer is higher in women who use combined HRT (estrogen and progestin).
• As a last resort, talk to your doctor about switching to bio-identical hormones.

18. Stress Less

Is “I’m stressed” or “I haven’t had a minute to myself” your daily mantra? Do you often feel so pushed and rushed that you’re close to tears or feel you’re just not coping? In our modern world, being stressed to the max is normal for many women. But the fallout from adrenal hormones can do your health a great deal of harm (and it can stop you from reaching your healthy and ideal body weight).

Blame it on cortisol, a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. Not only does cortisol cause fat storage, it also uses the same metabolic pathway as progesterone. As it is released during your fight and flight response, your body thinks you’re in danger, so naturally, your body favors the cortisol, which may lead you to have lower progesterone levels. This can then cause estrogen dominance.

For Breast Protection

• Cuddle up: Snuggly, intimate, and life-affirming, a cuddle can stimulate the production of a hormone called oxytocin, which helps reduce blood pressure and lowers your levels of stress hormones, which compromise your immunity. Enjoy a big bear hug with your partner before you both leave for work, and hug your friends when saying hello, it makes all the difference.
• Soak up some sun: Sun exposure can help increase serotonin levels, boosting your mood and helping you cope better with stressful days. Aim for 10 minutes of exposure morning or afternoon to arms and legs (without sunscreen).
• Slow down: Learn to say ‘no’, delegate, and leave the washing up until you’ve had a break. During the day, try to walk and not sprint through every task or you will burn yourself out.

Signs Of Breast Cancer

Take time to get to know the normal look and feel of your breasts while showering, dressing or looking in the mirror so you can detect any changes that may indicate cancer such as:

• A lump, lumpiness, or thickening.
• Changes to the nipple such as a change in shape, crusting, a sore or an ulcer, redness or a nipple that turns in (becomes inverted) when it used to stick out.
• Changes to the skin of the breast such as dimpling of the skin, unusual redness or other color changes.
• Change in the shape or size of the breast – either an increase or decrease.
• Unusual discharge from the nipple without squeezing.
• Swelling or discomfort in the armpit.
• Persistent, unusual pain not related to your normal monthly cycle, which remains after a menstrual period and occurs in one breast only.

Though not necessarily cancer, these signs should be checked by your doctor without delay.

Other resources I’ve put together for you:

1. If you’re experiencing symptoms estrogen dominance, you can find out more by taking my Free Estrogen Quiz here.
2. Check out my collection here of estrogen-detoxifying recipes. 
3. Thermograms: benefits and limitations, with Dr. Rind.
4. 5 Ways to Move Your Lymphatic System (including a lymphatic breast massage demo)
5. The Pink Ribbons (and Komen) – True Help or Scam? 
6. Interview with Dr. V, the founder of Breast Cancer Conqueror 
7. Interview with Dr. Mache Seibel, the author of “Estrogen Window” on when do hormones cause cancers and when they do not.
8. Interview with Kirstin Nussgruber, the “healthiest sick person” and patient advocate who beat a very aggressive breast cancer not once but twice.

Learn more with Overcoming Estrogen Dominance