Breast Cancer and Hormone Replacement Decreasing
If you didn’t hear the news the other day because you were spending all your time shopping for the Holidays, let me tell you what you missed. Probably the biggest health related story since 2002, which stated that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases the rate of breast cancer.
Back in 2002 the biggest study on HRT ever done was cancelled halfway through because the results were obvious. It showed that women who used HRT increased their odds of having breast cancer. They had to stop the study because the evidence was overwhelming and they couldn’t, in their right mind, continue giving women HRT knowing that it increased their risk for cancer.
This information that was front page news for a few weeks caused millions of women to stop taking HRT for fear of breast cancer. The evidence was compelling and no matter how the drug companies tried to spin the information millions of women slowly quit using HRT for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
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Fast forward to December of 2006 and a research project showed that for the first time in history the incidence of breast cancer dropped off in 2003. Researchers believe it was the declined use of HRT in 2002 that caused the sudden decline of breast cancer, because never before has the incidence of breast cancer declined.
Breast cancer has been increasing every year, but suddenly in 2003, when millions of women stopped using HRT, the incidence of breast cancer dropped off. Ladies, we’ve gone thousands of years without HRT, especially synthetic hormones which are commonly given to women to help them with hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Research also confirmed that HRT had no positive effect for osteoporosis or heart disease as was originally advertised.
Going through “the change” is a normal biological function and the difficulty some women have more so than others is directly related to how well functioning their whole body is running. If after age forty, you are struggling with a history of fatigue, headaches, constipation, PMS, irregular cycles, cravings, indigestion, obesity and the list goes on ….you’re going to have a more difficult time transitioning than someone who doesn’t’ have all those other problems. They’ve taken better care of themselves, their body is functioning better, and their hormones are more in balance and will have less difficulty transitioning into menopause.
This is why it is so important for any woman who is in her forties and not in good health to start taking care of herself. Good health is more than absence of disease! The New Year is beginning and I can only encourage you to take a good look at yourself. If you’re struggling with fatigue, PMS, irregular cycles, obesity, cravings, constant stress, poor diet, etc…there is a good chance your hormones are out of balance. The more out of balance the more difficult we can assume your transition will be. We need to look at what could be causing all these problems and then we can figure out what to do. If you’re not sure where your problems are coming from or where to begin, let me encourage you to take our online health quizzes on my website to help you figure out if stress, your diet, your digestive or elimination system is functioning properly.
Simple remedies to help with menopause
The first thing I can suggest for women who are struggling with menopause, hot flashes, PMS, irregular cycles….for that matter arthritis and heart disease are “essential fatty acids.” We’re talking about fish oils. There is so much good research showing how fish oils, the omega-3s, the monounsaturated fats that contain EPA and DHA are beneficial. The “good” fats as they are called are needed to produce our hormones. NO fats or the wrong kind of fats (NO to trans fats) only impair our body. This is why I encourage you to cook with olive oil, eat lots of nuts and seeds, and eat fish a couple of times a week – they all contain “good” fats. If you’re not consuming these essential fats, you need to be supplementing with a good fish oil capsule. I would recommend at least 1-2 grams a day of a good high quality fish oil. Remember NOT all fish oils are the same.
Second, look at the stress in your life. The more stress – the more demand for your adrenal glands to produce your stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. To produce cortisol, your adrenals will literally “steal” progesterone. This begins the imbalance of progesterone and estrogen, and answers why so many women benefit from additional progesterone. Most of theirs is being used up to produce cortisol. The better you manage your stress, the less your adrenals will steal your progesterone, which will help keep your hormones in balance. If you’re NOT sure if stress is an issue, take our online health quizzes.
I’ve already mentioned diet, but make sure your digestive system is functioning properly. This is very important. There are a few herbal supplements I would also recommend to help anyone struggling with menopause or PMS such as dong qui and black cohosh. They have been used for centuries and are very safe. Don’t forget to get the most out of these or any herbal supplement you need to help your body as much as possible. So look at your diet and blood sugar. Look at your stress. Look at your digestion. See what else you can do to help bring you body back to balance. Are you getting enough sunshine, exercise, laughter in your life? You just can’t hope that a few pills are all it takes. There are no magic bullets when it comes to getting healthy.
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Dr. Len Lopez is a nutrition and fitness expert and author of “To Burn or Not to Burn, Fat is the Question” and the host of “Action Steps for Health.” His approach to health is “treat the cause – not the symptoms.” For more information on health and wellness listen to his broadcast shows and sign up to receive his daily health blog at www.HealthTipsWithDrLen.com.
