10 Breast Health Tips: Armoring Ourselves Against Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer?

1.     Eating Omega-3 rich foods like salmon and other wild-caught fish has been shown to decrease risk by 500%

2.     Add Curcumin (found in Turmeric) to your diet. Powerful antioxidants, this root herb strengthens our natural immune system against free radicals.

3.     Maintain healthy Iodine levels. This is best determined through the results of blood work, and immediate action can be taken by eating more natural foods with natural salt with iodine. **note** Sea salt and most processed foods, though high in sodium, generally lack adequate levels of iodine.

4.     Set your beauties free as much as possible. According to Web MD, women who wear bras, particularly underwire, for 12 hours or more, have a 1 in 7 chance of getting cancer, women who wear bras less than 12 hrs. drop to a 1 in 52 chance of waking the terrible disease, and women who allow the twins relatively free rein drop to a 1 in 168 chance of a breast cancer diagnosis. Check here for less restrictive options.

5.     Exercise and weight management. Surprise! Right? Excess weight is bad for EVERYTHING, and exercise helps with blood flow as well as clearing the lymph nodes.

6.     Get plenty Vitamin D (natural sunlight  or supplements). Generally speaking, a few minutes of sunlight, say 15 - 20, can give us all the D we need, but some medications and illnesses cause problems with our bodies' ability to absorb it.

7.     Stop smoking. Well, the simplest answer is that like excess weight, smoking is bad for EVERYTHING. More specific to cancer is that Nicotine robs the body of nutrients, leaving our immune system more vulnerable.

8.     Drink lots of water. Water is cleansing, and helps every organ, internal and external, by flushing toxins.

9.     Drink magnesium-rich herbal teas such as Chamomile, Chai, or mint (just a few of my faves). There are actually a number of reasons for this; one is that magnesium is a natural sleep aid and expectorant, and the body needs both to maintain healthy balance, and two, the relaxing agents in magnesium help prevent high blood pressure and assist with stress management. Stress management and inadequate sleep have been shown to contribute to breast cancer.


10.               Try homemade natural deodorants with or without fragrance. Most store-bought deodorants include questionable levels of aluminum, and this mineral has been shown to cause cancer in animals. Also, high levels of aluminum have been found in cancerous tissue. Here's an easy one to try:

Shea Butter Natural  Deodorant Ingredients
3 T. Coconut oil
3 T. Baking soda
2. T Shea butter
2 T. organic cornstarch
**Optional** Your favorite essential oil fragrance (i.e., lavendar, lemongrass, etc.)

1.   Melt shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat until barely melted. UPDATE: Combine in a quart size glass mason jar with a lid instead and place this in a small saucepan of water until melted. This will save your bowl and you can just designate this jar for these type of projects and not even need to wash it out… This can also be done in the microwave if you have one.
2.   Remove from heat and add baking soda and arrowroot (If you don’t have arrowroot, use more baking soda or just omit)
3.   Mix well
4.   Add essential oils and pour into a glass container for storage. It does not need to be stored in the fridge.
5.   If you prefer, you can let it cool completely and put into an old deodorant stick for easier use, though it may melt in the summer!

NOTE: It may take several hours to completely harden and this process can be sped up by putting in the fridge for a few minutes. 

Sources: Wellness Mama, Web MD

Comments

Unknown said…
I love your musings, Sorry for your loss of your friend💕
terrndeb said…
So sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you for this list of things we can do to prevent breast cancer.
Teri said…
These are great tips. I also recently lost a dear friend to this horrible disease so I truly appreciate your efforts to help spread awareness and tips to help prevent it. I'm very sorry for your loss.
Stormy Vixen said…
This is so important for every woman to know, because every one is at risk! Thanks for sharing it, breast cancer has touched everyone's life in some way~
Jana Leah B said…
Thanks for the tips!
Unknown said…
Sorry for your lose and I know what it like lose someone to breast cancer I have lost a grandma and 4 aunts to this.
Dariel Raye said…
Thank you, Aline! I haven't been musing quite as much lately because I've been working on other things, but I'm planning to think out loud a little more soon :-D
Dariel Raye said…
Thanks, Terrndeb. One of her last wishes was for us to help get the word out to other women. She was an eagle of a woman, always encouraging and majestic.
Dariel Raye said…
Thank you, Teri :-) I think we'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn't had someone close to suffer from this disease, and most women aren't conditioned to put themselves first.
Dariel Raye said…
So very true, Eva. In every walk of life - rich, poor, every religion, every shade. I think that helping to support and take care of one another is the key to saving more lives.
Dariel Raye said…
You're welcome, Jana! I'll try to share more during the month.
Dariel Raye said…
Jacklynn, I'm sorry to hear that your family sounds like mine! This terrible disease seems to affect more than its share of my family members, too. Thank you for your condolences. She was the youngest girl in her family.
Unknown said…
Im sorry for the loss of yiur friend, my sister is a breast cancer survivor so i know how hard it can hit someone and test their strengths.
Unknown said…
Great tips. I'm always willing to try something new and the fact is I don't always do what is right for me. Thanks for reminding me that I do need to think about what my body needs and very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I've still got a handful of childhood friends I keep in contact with and cherish the fact that we have kept in touch. I
Dariel Raye said…
I commend your sister, Sheila! Surviving major illness requires a great deal of strength.
Dariel Raye said…
Linda, I'm the same way. I try, but don't always succeed when it comes to managing my health. All friends are precious, but there's a special bond that we share with the few from our childhood who remain friends as adults. They're rare, and we usually grow together, so there's an added dimension to the friendship.