Estrogen and Its Role in Cancer

Recent studies demonstrate that an imbalance of the hormone estrogen may cause breast cancer. More disturbing is the fact that the imbalance can occur equally in women and men.

An imbalance of hormones in our bodies results in hormone-related health problems such as PMS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, weight gain, increased blood clotting, thyroid dysfunction, even breast and uterine cancer in women and in men breast cancer, prostate problems and prostate cancer.

The proper terminology to describe the condition is called Estrogen Dominance and it can be detected by taking a saliva test. This simple test can accurately reveal hormone levels.

A saliva test will either move a man or woman to take action to bring balance to their own hormones or cause them to sit back and reflect on their good hormone health. Those over 50 can take an annual saliva test to keep track of their hormone levels.

Hormonal balance is essential for good health and immunity. There are also more natural, gentler ways to treat the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Treatments such as herbal and homeopathic remedies are gentle on delicate body systems, but still effective and improve your overall health helping to restore balance to hormonal levels.

Depending on the type of hormonal imbalance, a proper diagnosis must be established to determine the best treatment options to correct it. However, most everyone can benefit from the benefits of a holistic and healthy lifestyle, which includes diet, exercise, sleep, and stress reduction.

Men and women who experience hormone imbalance feel often very sick. The act of bringing balance to their hormones is often a key to their wellness. Preventative measures can often be essential to ward of the progression of illnesses or diseases and hormonal imbalances to the body.

If you need assistance in finding health insurance coverage that provides preventative care services to detect the presence of abnormal tendencies within the body, please visit our website at and leave your contact information so one of our licensed agents can respond to your inquiry and help you in your search.

Carla Jimenez is a journalist for Health Insurance Buyer, a health insurance agency that provides benefits and coverage for health insurance normally not found within the usual healthcare marketplace. For additional details or a free quote please visit

Radiotherapy For Breast Cancer - Truly Beneficial

Linear accelerator in radiotherapy converts radioactive components into high-energy radiation beam which is used to check or treat specific body parts. How radiation works actually? Radioactive particles with affecting little the non-cancerous cells treat the affected cell particles at large.

Usually, non-cancerous cells have the power to reform or repaired but cancerous cells are not easy to get repaired. Apoptosis is a cell death cycle where cancer cells are put during the time of next cell division. Radiotherapy in breast cancer is gaining popularity all over the world for its high level of treatment.

Best advantage of radiotherapy is that it can cure if the cancer is spread up to lymph nodes or through surgical margins. And, it helps in reducing the chance of any recurrence risk. Thus, radiation is very much important to cure breast cancer.

One factor which is responsible for radiotherapy is the excess fat content. More fats increase the chances of radiology treatment. There are several adverse effects of radiation to the breast. Skin color may change to red which get reduced with the time.

Radiotherapy for breast cancer has been using in almost every known medical care units. And, women are getting benefited a lot. As per a survey, 90 % of women have not been noticed any complication after the treatment. Rest 10% have been noticed with certain complications like formation of fibrous tissue, breast shrinkage, reduction of skin elasticity as well as breast sensitivity. And, these changes are quite normal and vary from women to women.

Several websites are available thee days which have been serving people in this regard. They provide all required information of radiotherapy for breast cancer. And, thus it creates more awareness and knowledge about the same.

Lee Bond shares his views about radiotherapy for breasts. He is a renowned radiology expert who has over 10 years of experience in the field, and another 10 as a regular surgeon. He has relieved thousands of patients of their diseases and currently writes to spread awareness on the importance of selecting the right equipment to treat patients properly. For more information, please visit Radiotherapy for breasts cancer

Fibrocystic Disease Breast and Breast Cancer - A Case Study

A diagnosis of breast cancer tends to strike fear in the heart of every woman, but when it's your mother who receives the diagnosis, emotions go into overdrive.

Case History of Fibrocystic Disease Breast

My mother has a history of fibrocystic disease breast, and has had several breast lumps aspirated over the years, none of which were malignant. She has had a mammogram every year, and always gets a good report. This year was different. This year she had to have a breast biopsy.

She had a partial hysterectomy in the mid-70s, and afterward they put her on Premarin. They did not remove her ovaries, but still put her on Premarin, which was standard medical practice at that time. Unfortunately, they left her on Premarin until the early 2000s.

Ten years ago, as I started into peri-menopause, I began reading about HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and all the problems associated with it. I was interested in the topic personally (for myself and my mother), and also because I am a nurse. Having had problems when I took the birth control pill, I was concerned about HRT and menopause. After compiling all the information, which was by no means positive, I advised my mother to get off the Premarin. At the time she was in her late 60s. Her female physician fought to keep her on the drug. After all, the drug company representatives were still telling physicians that women needed the drugs. Despite pressure from the medical community, my mother did eventually did quit taking Premarin.

The Relationship Between Drug Companies and Physicians

As you may or may not know, drug companies fund many medical schools, and the drug representatives give information to the physicians on new drugs coming to the market. The physicians are taught early in their career that what the drug companies tell them is gospel. For them to go against that philosophy takes time and money, neither of which most of them are willing to give up. I had one physician tell me many years ago, as I was first looking into alternative medicine, that if he didn't learn it in medical school, then it couldn't be good!

Case Study Today

Fast forward to today, 10 years later, when my mother is diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. The fact that the cancer is Stage 1 is the good news. The bad news is that she has more than one type of tumor. The breast biopsy shows two different types of tumor, located in more than one area of the breast:

* DCIS - ductal carcinoma in-situ. This kind of tumor is the lesser of the two types. It comes out intact and nothing else is needed.

* IDC - invasive ductal carcinoma. This is the most common type. It begins in the milk ducts and invades nearby tissues.

There are 4 different stages of cancer, 1 through 4. (Stage 0 is pre-cancerous, with no invasion of surrounding tissues.) My mother's tumor is 1.8 cm, and anything under 2 cm is considered Stage 1. The biopsy shows some lymph involvement and the margins were not clear, but they were well differentiated. The margins are the edge of the tissue surrounding the tumor that the surgeon removed. To simplify, Mother's margins showed some micro calcifications and an infiltration of cancer cells, but they were not of the aggressive type. Micro calcifications are tiny bits of calcium found wherever cels are dividing rapidly; it's considered a first sign of breast cancer, pre-DCIS.

She had 2 options for treatment: modified radical mastectomy or lumpectomy. She chose to have a mastectomy because of the multifocal aspect of the tumors (meaning the tumors were in more than one area of the breast), the invasive aspect of the tumors, and the lymph involvement. Stage 1 breast cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 100%. The 5-year survival rate refers to the number of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is found.

Based on this case study, I would advise women to think twice, or maybe six times, before taking prescription HRT. The incidence of breast cancer continues to increase, in spite of the latest technologies and medicine. Twenty years ago the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer was 1 in 10. Today it's 1 in 8! Studies have shown that synthetic hormones INCREASE a woman's chances of breast cancer 25-30%. Contrary to popular belief, the minuscule amount of good that HRT does for the heart is far outweighed by the cancer risk. In fact, my mother had to have a pacemaker put in last fall. There are other risk factors such as age, family history, specific genes, obesity and such. The National Cancer Institute provides an online tool to help you figure out your risk.

There are a lot of great natural hormones out there, you just have to try them and find one that works for you. Ask your current physician to work with you, or find one that is open to alternative medicine. Statistics don't mean much until you or someone in your family is diagnosed with breast cancer.

My mother is 77 and still working full-time, although she will retire for the second time this fall. She is healthy, on a good supplement program, and has a great attitude. Her faith in God is strong and she has the love and support of her family and friends. I wish the same for all women.

Breast Cancer Superfoods - Foods That Will Prevent Cancer

Food relations with the incidence and development of cancer cells in the human body already widely known. Fast food eating habits and bad human life style, lack of exercise and always eat acidic foods, smoking, consume drugs and narcotics and get polluted by environment will trigger cancer and accelerate the growth of cancer cells.

Today, many health food manufacturers claim that their products can prevent cancer and even cure cancer patients who already have advanced stage. This is not entirely true and even some only to promote the product without clinical trial result. This fact is confusing for consumers who are seeking alternative treatment for cancer that they are suffered, and can even worsen the disease process.

From current research and clinical data on cancer patients, most cancer patients have a habit of eating acidic foods such as chicken, turkey, beef, pork, milk and dairy products like cheese, yogurt, chocolate, liquor, soft drinks, tea and coffee. They have bad life style and eating pattern, such as lack of exercise, smoking and consuming drugs and narcotics and other drugs. This will trigger faster growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.

Breast cancer is currently the biggest killer among women in the United States and other developed countries. Today breast cancer is also the number one killer in developing countries. This is very frightening for women all around the world.

Currently it is known that alkaline foods will be able to prevent and kill cancer cells. By consuming alkaline foods every day cancer cells will not be able to grow and when cancer already exist it will die with alkaline food because cancer cells will only grow in acidic environments.

Alkaline foods that can prevent and kill cancer cells, among others are fresh organic vegetables, fresh fruits, fish, brown rice, seeds, grains, seaweed and the like. Get used to consume three liters of water a day, do regular exercise and last but not least lived happily always. If you could change your lifestyle and your eating patterns, then you will be prevented and even will recover from breast cancer.

If what is contained in this article scares you, then you need to pick up a copy of my e-book Breast Cancer Awareness. Once you do this, you will learn How To Prevent And Avoid Breast Cancer.

Fear, Not Breast Cancer - Know the Different Treatments

Breast tumors, even if biopsied malignant, are no longer causes for so much alarm and anxiety. Breakthroughs had resulted to put a stop on the malady's spread - that is, if your breast cancer is detected at an early stage. There are 4 known treatments for breast cancer, depending upon the stage or grade of the affliction. If it is at an early stage and you had treatments, then you may be lucky not to die of breast cancer.

The 4 treatments are mastectomy, chemotherapy, radio therapy and hormone therapy. Remember, if you are a breast cancer patient, do not choose your therapy - let an oncologist do it for you!

•Mastectomy

This procedure is very depressing to any woman. It involves removing a part or in some cases, the whole breast where the cancer cells form into a lump. What is your choice - life or breast? You want to live longer, so let that breast go!

•Chemotherapy

This is a method where drugs get into your system, intravenously. It entails a series of cycles. The number of cycles, the kind and dosage of drugs are dependent upon the stage of your breast cancer. Today, chemotherapy side effects are controlled - gone are the dreaded nausea and vomiting. You can take tablets and pills to combat the side effects. But the worst thing that can happen is inevitable - you get bald. Your hair will fall by leaps and bounds. How soon? This depends on the drug's potency. The good thing however - it is temporary baldness. A few months after your last session, your hair will grow and before you know it, you have a cap of beautiful strands.

•Radiotherapy

To destroy the cancer cells in your breast, this treatment uses X-ray. It may be done before or after surgery, depending upon the oncologist's assessment of your condition. Radiotherapy may be centered on your breast, your chest or your lymph nodes in the armpit, wherever the cancer cells could have spread.

•Hormonal therapy

Not all breast cancer patients can have hormonal therapy. Pathology report stating that you are progesterone positive (PR+) or estrogen positive (ER+)will definitely mean hormonal therapy as additional precautionary measure. This is taking a pill daily, usually for 5 years. This will stop the positive hormone receptors from multiplying. This is very convenient and a good chance of killing whatever cancer cells are left or are developing.

With all these available treatments, there is no reason to have that great fear of breast cancer. Survival rate is very high if and only if your breast cancer is detected early and appropriate treatments are instituted.

Dealing With Breast Cancer

Like any other cancer, breast cancer also results in an uncontrolled growth of cells in a woman's breast. The most common type of breast cancer occurs in the milk producing ducts and less commonly, it may occur in the fibrous connective tissues. If breast cancer is not diagnosed in time, the cancer cells may invade the lymph nodes and travel to other areas of the body. While most of it is always due to genetic abnormality, 5-10% could also be because of an abnormality inherited from the parents. You can understand this better with the help of breast cancer pictures, which are provided on various helpful websites.

According to the American Cancer Society, the following symptoms are an indication of breast cancer:

1. Swollen breasts

2. Skin irritation

3. Pain in the breasts

4. Nipple pain

5. Redness or thickening of breast skin

6. Nipple discharge other than milk

7. An underarm lump

Any unusual changes in the breast should always be handled with immediate attention. In some cases, this might just be a cyst or an infection but you must always consult a doctor as soon as you notice something wrong. Early detection is possible with the help of a routine mammogram exam, which uses low dose X-rays to examine the breast.

Information about life saving treatments can be obtained on breastcancer.org. There are several types of treatments available and all of them depend on the stage of the cancer. Depending on the MD's diagnosis, you will either be advised a single treatment such as radiation therapy or a combination of two treatments. Hormonal therapy, for example, is a new therapy that target hormonal receptors which lead to cell growth.

Each cancer is different and while you may get a sense of comfort by sharing your story, remember that you must never make a decision based on what treatment someone else is getting. A treatment that is working for them may not work for you. Your doctor knows best.

The breast cancer organization has helped spread a lot of awareness about breast cancer. Diagnosing it in time will help in getting treatment when it is still possible. Breast cancer also proceeds through different stages and a routine mammography will help in early diagnosis.

Once the cancer has been diagnosed, your doctor will show you a series of pictures and photographs on how the cancer will proceed and the areas it can affect. Unfortunately, there is not much he or she can do if it is diagnosed in the last and final stage other than helping you adopt a healthy life style, which can help some women live longer. When the treatment is administered, you will see each mammogram becoming clearer when the cell growth starts subsiding.

This can be a tough and harrowing time for all women. If you are a man reading this and your wife or mother have been diagnosed with this disease, remember to show your love, support and care by always being there for them. Perhaps the most helpful way is to show breast cancer pictures which indicate their progress towards better health. There are several resources you can use to understand the various treatments and how you can help them in their day to day life.