PHOTOGRAPHER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR: THE ETERNAL CHILD 

If i could choose one of my blogs for you to read, it would be this one. 

How many of you are scared of breast cancer? Do you wonder if you have it? We're you someone that was recently diagnosed? Does it seem inevitable for you to be diagnosed because the women in your family have it or have had it? 

Breast cancer is a scary thing. BUT because we the people can do amazingly powerful things when we decide to come together for a cause, we have raised awareness and we have raised unforeseen amounts of money to help treat women all over the world.

Now if you follow my snapchat (chelseyrose) you know that I am a HUGE advocate for the book, The China Study, as seen in my last post. Between the heart felt stories, multiple studies and proven benefits of nutrition in regards to breast cancer, I can't help but pass the information along to you. 

Things CAN change.

We don't have to live in fear. We don't have to accept breast cancer as a route for us just because our mothers or grandmothers had it.

Through NUTRITION WE CAN CHANGE

It pisses me off that no one is teaching us this. Why are we constantly being prescribed pills and drugs before even addressing the fact that maybe, just maybe, if we were to care more about our nutrition we could drastically help ourselves rather than hurt ourselves in other ways? 

In the beginning of this particular chapter about breast cancer, Dr. Campbell (author of The China Study) talks about a phone call he received from a woman who was looking for advice on what to do for her daughter. She was terrified that her 9 year old daughter was bound to have breast cancer since her mother, grandmother and sister had been diagnosed, and she was facing a question that i'm sure hundreds of thousands of other women face...

"Does she let her daughter grow up in a deathtrap, or grow up without breasts?"

Dr Campbell explained that even though 1 out of 8 American women will be diagnosed with this disease during their lifetimes, only a tiny minority of cancers in general can be blamed solely on genes. Interesting right? So,

Here's something to think about:

Risk of breast cancer increases when a woman has...

• Early age of menarche (first period)
• Late age of menopause
• High levels of female hormones in the blood
• High blood cholesterol

here's what A diet high in animal foods and refined carbohydrates does...

• Lowers the age of menarche
• Raises the age of menopause
• Increases female hormone levels
• Increases blood cholesterol levels

Take a second to compare those.

He notes that one of the leading breast cancer research groups in the world stated,

"There is overwhelming evidence that estrogen levels are a critical determinant of breast cancer risk. Estrogen DIRECTLY participates in the cancer process." 

Dr Campbell states,

"Increased levels of estrogen and related hormones are a result of the consumption of typical Western diets, high in fat and animal protein and low in dietary fiber. This suggests that the risk of breast cancer is preventable if we eat foods that will keep estrogen levels under control...

The sad truth is that most women simply are not aware of this evidence"

(Please note, all citations are from The China Study)

The genes BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, when mutated, can create a higher risk for both breast and ovarian cancers ALTHOUGH just because they are present DOES NOT mean that disease is guaranteed. Environmental and dietary factors play a role in whether or not the genes are expressed (162).

NUTRITION CAN AFFECT THIS!

But of course most of us are not aware of this. So when we do our part to try and PREVENT breast cancer we might first ask for a mammogram which really is only letting us know if the cancer is at an observable state yet (163). 

Another popular choice? A drug called TAMOXIFEN, which is supposed to be used to prevent breast cancer but studies show that tamoxifen raises the risks for stroke, uterine cancer, cataracts, and more. This drug is also known as an ESTROGEN DRUG which is used to reduce the activity of estrogen since estrogen is associated with the risk of breast cancer (164).

"WHY DON'T WE ASK WHY ESTROGEN IS SO HIGH IN THE FIRST PLACE?"

"We now have enough information to show that a diet low in animal-based protein, low in fat, and high in whole plant based foods will reduce estrogen levels. Instead of suggesting dietary change as a solution, we spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing and publicizing a drug that may or may not work and that almost certainly will have unintended side effects"  - Dr Campbell.

So as far as most women know, they are only granted three options

1. Watch and wait to see what happens.
2. Take tamoxifen for the rest of their lives.
3. Undergo mastectomy (remove one or both breasts).

I agree with Dr Campbell when he says, "There should be a fourth option: consuming a diet free of animal-based foods and low in refined carbohydrates, aided by regular monitoring for those at high risk."

One more thing...

Anyones mom going through menopause? For most of us all that means is that our moms are having insane mood swings and we all think they've fallen off the deep end. But it is a very serious thing that every woman will have to go through and it can be extremely hard on a woman's body - not looking forward to it...

Ask your mom if she's taking HRT (hormone replacement therapy). HRT is taken by many women in order to alleviate unpleasant effects of menopause , protect bone health and prevent coronary heart disease...and it increases risk for breast cancer (166). 

So the issue is that these women must decide is if they want to feel helpless as they go through the emotional and physical symptoms of menopause OR if they would like to start taking HRT to manage their symptoms while increasing their risk for breast cancer and possibly cardiovascular disease...(167).

Here's the breakdown:

(167-168)

- During the reproductive years, hormone levels are elevated, although the levels among women who eat plant-based diets are not as elevated. 

- When women reach the end of their reproductive years, it is entirely natural for reproductive hormones of all women to drop to a low "base" level.

- As reproductive years come to an end, the lower hormone levels among plant eaters don't crash as hard as they do among animal eaters. Using hypothetical numbers to illustrate the concept, the levels of plant eaters may crash from forty to fifteen, rather than sixty to fifteen for animal eaters.

- These abrupt hormone changes in the body are what cause menopausal symptoms. 

- Therefore, a plant-based diet leads to a less severe hormone crash and a gentler menopause. 

"It is critical that we change the way we think about this disease, and that we provide this information to the women who need it." - Dr. Campbell

We all know a girl or a mom. Even if this information doesn't affect you directly, it will be beneficial to someone you know! Will you do your part?

xoxo

Chelsey Rose