Breast Problems

Are there any symptoms?

The symptoms are grouped under a variety of different umbrella terms, including cyclical breast pain, cyclical mastalgia (which literally means breast pain), cyclical mastitis or fibrocystic breast disease. Despite their severity and the disruption they can cause, most breast problems are benign, not cancer. However, don’t be tempted to ignore them. Any unusual changes in your breasts should be reported to your doctor.

Finding out if there is a reason for your breast discomfort

If your discomfort definitely varies with your cycle, improving when your period begins, or fairly soon afterwards, then there is unlikely to be anything sinister at the root. However, it always pays to be vigilant about examining your breasts, so even if you can dismiss your pain as being cyclical, you should continue to check your breasts regularly.

If your doctor finds anything suspicious during a physical breast check, then he/she will probably refer you for a mammogram. For more information on whether a mammogram is a good idea, see the Understanding Breast problems e-book at The Natural Health Practice

Supplements

The supplements recommended below may be helpful for breast problems. For best results you should take them over a period of three months, at the end of which you should be reassessed in order to monitor improvements and changes and then adjust the supplement programme according to your new condition.

Multivitamin and Mineral

A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a ‘little bit of everything’. You then add in those nutrients in slightly higher amounts which are known to be helpful for breast problems.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E has been shown to help reduce breast pain and tenderness in a number of studies and is worth supplementing over a couple of months to see if it helps ease your symptoms. Vitamin E is found in foods such as almonds, leafy green vegetables, oats, soya, sunflower seeds and oil, wheatgerm and whole grains, but you should also take a good supplement.

B Vitamins

If there is a deficiency of the B vitamins in your body, your liver will be unable to inactivate ‘old’ oestrogens which can be playing havoc with your cycle and creating an excess of oestrogen because ‘old’ hormones are not being eliminated properly.

Probiotics

Cyclical breast changes may be due to an excess of oestrogen over progesterone. Probiotics help to increase the levels of enzymes that work to reabsorb the ‘old’ oestrogens in your body. These probiotics (beneficial bacteria) also help to improve the transit time of a bowel movement. The longer waste material stays in your system the more ‘old’ hormones and toxins can be reabsorbed back into your body.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids are not only an important part of a healthy diet, but they can make a big difference to problems associated with hormones. Aim to get plenty in your daily diet (in the form of nuts, seeds, oily fish, walnuts and oils such as corn and safflower). Apart from this, however, it’s a good idea to take a daily supplement.

Research has shown that supplementing with evening primrose oil which contains GLA (gamma linolenic acid) can have a significantly positive effect on breast discomfort. The GLA helps to control the production of a ‘bad’ prostaglandin called PGE2, which can cause heat and inflammation in the breasts if levels are too high. GLA also increases the level of another ‘good’ prostaglandin PGE1, which can help to balance the effect of prolactin on the breasts.

Although evening primrose oil, an Omega 6 fatty acid, has been shown to be helpful for breast problems, it is now thought that we are getting too much Omega 6 oils from our diet and not enough Omega 3. So you could try evening primrose oil and see if it makes a difference to your breast symptoms but if it doesn’t help, it is better to have a test to check on your levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6, just in case, you actually need to take more Omega 3 rather than Omega 6. (see Omega 3 Deficiency Test)

Warning

Check with your doctor before taking any capsules containing GLA if you have a history of epilepsy.

Will I be more susceptible to breast cancer if I have breast problems during my cycle?

First and foremost, it’s important to establish that being prone to breast problems throughout your cycle does not mean that you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. What breast pain, tenderness and lumps do tell you, however, is that your hormones are not functioning correctly.

By achieving optimum health, through diet, and by addressing any vitamin and mineral deficiencies, your body will be given the opportunity and the tools it needs to correct any imbalances you may be suffering. The key word in natural medicine is ‘prevention’. It’s a great deal easier to prevent a problem than it is to try to correct once it has appeared.

Furthermore, by adopting a healthier lifestyle you will be more likely to prevent breast cancer which is discussed in detail in the rest of this ebook which you can read by clicking on Understanding Breast problems e-book at The Natural Health Practice

Herbs

The aim of the herbal remedies is to help balance your hormones and to ensure that your liver processes oestrogen efficiently so that any excess is excreted properly. The herbs also help support the changes you are making with your diet in order to speed up the process.

Agnus Castus (Vitex agnus castus)

This herb can be enormously useful in helping to alleviate breast tenderness because of its ability to balance the female hormones.

Ginkgo Biloba

A trial conducted by a hospital in France has shown that women who took ginkgo had significantly less pre-menstrual breast pain than those who took a placebo. Ginkgo helps to increase circulation and can also reduce swelling.

Milk Thistle

The liver, which is the major organ of detoxification, helps to eliminate accumulated ‘old’ oestrogen so it is important that it is functioning efficiently. Milk thistle is an excellent herb for optimising liver function. If your body does not excrete oestrogen then you can end up with an accumulation which then further upsets the balance of oestrogen to progesterone.

Caution

You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, The Pill, Fertility drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.

Tests

There are a number of tests available that are extremely useful and are well worth considering. These tests can give you invaluable insights into understanding what is going on in your body at the moment and can tell you what vitamin and mineral deficiencies and heavy toxic metal excesses you may have. They can let you know what your general condition is and how well your digestive system is functioning and then explain what action you need to take to rectify any imbalances the results may reveal.

The analysis of these results lets you know what supplements you need to take in order to bring your body back into balance and into optimum health. This is also designed to help prevent these problems from recurring in the future. You would then be re-tested after three months to monitor your progress and to adjust the supplement programme accordingly.

Mineral Deficiency Test with Supplement Programme (hair)

Find out what the mineral and heavy toxic levels are in your body

This test measures the deficiencies and excess levels of 12 different minerals (including calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc) and 6 heavy toxic metals (including aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel) that may be present in your body. Find out more – Mineral Deficiency Test with Supplement Programme (hair)

Online Personalised Supplement Assessment Programme

Discover what vitamins and minerals you need and should be taking

The analysis of this comprehensive questionnaire will give you a three monthly supplement programme to help balance any vitamin and mineral deficiencies you may have. Find out more – Online Personalised Supplement Assessment Programme

Omega 3 Deficiency Test (at home finger prick, blood)

Signs of an Omega 3 fatty acid are dry skin, lifeless hair, cracked nails, fatigue, depression, dry eyes, lack of motivation, aching joints, difficulty in losing weight, forgetfulness, breast pain. If you have also tried to lose weight by going on a low-fat or no-fat diet, you are likely to be deficient in these essential fats. It is now estimated that we are getting ten times more Omega 6 fats from our diet than Omega 3 and over the last century there has been an 80% decrease in the consumption of these Omega 3 fatty acids. When you eat Omega 3 fats they are converted to substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Find out more – Omega 3 Deficiency Test (at home finger prick, blood).

Many of the women I see in the clinic have been taking evening primrose oil supplements – an Omega 6 fatty acid – for many years as it can be helpful with PMS. But you can end up with too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3 in your body. Some women are also taking combinations such as Omega 3, 6, and 9 in supplement form because they have heard that we need a good balance of all the Omega fatty acids. This is true, but you have to take into account what your own levels may be in the first place. It is no good adding in more Omega 6 if you have already got enough or in fact too much in your body. (You can now have a blood test to tell you if you have the correct levels of Omega 3 to Omega 6 in your body see below). To check whether you have sufficient levels of Omega 3 please click – Omega 3 Deficiency Test (at home finger prick, blood).

After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.

If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, Breast Problems options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.

Nutrition

Ensure you are getting the right nutrition. Follow the dietary recommendations outlined in the free Foundation of Health ebook. For more information on the special dietary recommendations for breast problems, read the rest of the ebook on Understanding Breast problems e-book at The Natural Health Practice

Supplements

The supplement programme below should be taken for at least three months in order to achieve best results

To avoid having to purchase numerous supplements for all of the above and to make the process easier, I have put together a supplement programme which contains all the nutrients mentioned above and in the correct dosages. For more information about these click Breast Problems Supplement Programme.

In my book ‘The Natural Health Bible for Women’ I explain the impact of nutrition on breast health and also give in great detail a list of the most important nutrients and herbs required in order to help you.

If you would like to order these special supplements now, you can do so through the Natural Health Practice by clicking Breast Problems Supplements at the Natural Health Practice

Tests

The tests below have been specially selected to be the most helpful if you are concerned about breast problems.

Mineral Deficiency Test with Supplement Programme (hair)

Online Personalised Supplement Assessment Programme

Omega 3 Deficiency Test (at home finger prick, blood)

After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.

If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, Breast Problems options at The Natural Health Practice.They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.