Keep Abreast of Breast Health

County officials and community members came together during the ‘Paint the Town Pink” walk in Līhuʻe Oct. 26.

I want to share with the women and young ladies of our community an encapsulation of the extensive research I am doing on the prevention of and healing from breast cancer.

I am very impressed with the work of Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, also known as Dr. V, Through her own journey of conquering breast cancer. In her book, “Healing Breast Cancer Naturally,” she outlines the seven essential steps to prevent and heal breast cancer. Her website is BreastCancerConqueror.com.

Dr. V’s first recommendation is to “let food be thy medicine.” There are six superstar foods that greatly protect us from breast cancer. The first one is turmeric, or what we call olena in Hawai‘i. Turmeric’s long list of benefits is increased when combined with the second superstar, green tea.

I make a morning tea from sliced fresh olena (very easy to grow here, or you can buy it at the farmer’s market or health food store), which is simmered in purified water for 10-20 minutes. Then I add organic green tea to steep. I also like to add sliced ginger and a teabag of “Everyday Detox” by Traditional Medicinals. This combination is great for relieving inflammation and for the prevention of cancer.

The third superstar food is freshly ground flaxseeds. They contain the highest amount of cancer-fighting lignans than any other edible plant. Flaxseeds can be purchased at one of our health food stores. I grind them in a small coffee grinder, along with sesame seeds to make a super condiment to put over rice, salad, whole grain cereal, pretty much any dish. You can also add sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, to boost up the nutrition and cancer protective qualities even more.

County officials and community members came together during the ‘Paint the Town Pink” walk in Līhuʻe Oct. 26.

The fourth superstar is the mighty walnut, which contains healthy omega-3s as well as antioxidants. Other great nuts are pistachios and mac nuts.

Our fifth food that is a superior cancer preventer is anything in the cruciferous family. These include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and kale. Also, the brightly colored vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, contain carotenoids, high in Vitamin A, which is a cancer preventative vitamin.

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are the sixth superstars in breast-cancer prevention. I like to buy the frozen organic berry mixture at Costco or Cost-U-Less and include them in our smoothies.

Other great foods for breast-cancer prevention are whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal and a variety of beans, and apples, figs and raisins. Dark, leafy greens such as bok choy, collards and watercress are high in vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals that also help prevent cancer. An important thing to remember is that cooking our vegetables on high heat destroys valuable enzymes and the qualities in the vegetables that protect us from cancer.

It is also recommended that we avoid refined carbohydrates and large amounts of sugar found in many of our packaged and fast foods. Other foods to avoid are certain kinds of oils, such as corn, soy, peanut and cottonseed. Olive oil is a healthy choice as well as safflower oil, which can be used if cooking on high heat.

Other things to avoid are smoking and second-hand smoke. Also, there are many studies that prove that drinking more than one glass of alcohol a day increases the risk of breast cancer exponentially. Alcohol elevates the levels of estrogen in our blood and can damage the liver. The liver is the organ that removes estrogen from our blood. High levels of certain kinds of estrogen, is proven to cause breast cancer.

Another big recommendation is to eliminate toxic exposure. This includes the chemicals in many household cleaning products. Diluted vinegar makes a good alternative, as does baking soda.

It is best to avoid buying skin care products, makeup and anti-perspirants that contain parabens and aluminum. Another very important recommendation is to limit our exposure to electrical magnetic fields. This includes WiFi and cell phones held by our head. The cell phone heats up the brain, destroys the blood/brain barrier and weakens the immune system. Also, do not carry the cell phone on the body, especially not in the bra. There are patented protective shields that we can put on our devices. Two websites to find more info are AntennaSearch.com and Bio-Initiative.org.

The other positive things that we can do to reduce our risks of breast cancer are getting enough sleep, exercising 30 minutes a day and taking time to completely relax and de-stress.

Lastly, very early detection of breast cancer can be done safely with thermography. This is the most accurate, earliest detection breast-screening technology. No harmful radiation is used and there is no painful compression of the breasts. For more information on thermography, go to www.healthybreasts.info.

One final link that I feel is so important to share with all of our loved ones is thetruthaboutcancer.com. Their DVDs and online resources are invaluable in empowering us to be free from the fear of cancer.

Knowledge makes us free!

• Uma Sivanathan is the founder and president of Mana’olana Center for Health and Healing. She can be contacted at manaolancenter@gmail.com.