Breast cancer is being addressed nowadays on a worldwide educational information program due to its alarming rate of incidence. According to reliable sources, one out of nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. This is the type of most cancer women dread most because of its high possibility of having it anytime, yet there is still no assured ways of preventing it. Moreover, traditional treatment is too expensive and the worst of all is that it often involves the loss of a breast, a procedure women find more frightening that the cancer per se.
The natural purpose of the breasts in women is for milk production.
Milk-producing glands otherwise known as mammary glands, fat, supporting ligaments and milk ducts that lead up to the nipple comprises the breasts. Fat and connective ducts surround the glands and ducts as the breast itself does not contain
muscle. But it does have erectile tissues made of muscle fibers which lie underneath. A dark pigmented area surrounding the nipple called the areola releases oil from sebaceous glands to protect the nipple and prevent chafing.
Within the menstrual cycle, there are certain times that a feeling of “lumpy” breasts occurs. An occasional leak may also be observed during child-bearing years.
These are considered normal as they are responses to biological hormonal fluctuations. But then, these are also symptoms of possible breast cancer, so seeking medical help is highly advised especially if these are abnormally recurring in nature. A definitive diagnosis can only be done by a qualified physician.
Inflammation is the root cause of ALL diseases.
Wouldn’t it be nice to find out where the inflammation is located in your body before it becomes an illness? This is where 
Functional Thermography comes in. Thermography was created according to the theories of Hans Selye. A few years ago Dr Belin along with Dr Petra Blum developed a method for measuring skin temperature behavior from cool-air stress induction. Disease patterns were clinically documented and a system of classifying those patterns was developed, “AlfaSight 9000 infrared sensor system” This Regulation Thermography represents a major step forward in the field of Medical Imaging. It can provide physicians with increases diagnostic and pre-diagnostic capabilities.
There are several risk factors for breast cancer, here are some:
• Age: The risk of developing breast cancer rises with age but increasing number of diagnoses of women under age 50 than those over are recently being reported. Due to this, it is very important to habitually practice breast self-examination (BSE) and undergo mammogram or Thermograms regularly.
• Genes: Women with a family history of breast cancer are likely to develop the disease themselves two to three times likely.
• Menstrual and reproductive history: Women who started menstruation early or menopause late (age 55up), women who never had children and women who had their first child after age 30 are more prone to having breast cancer. It has also been noted that women who never breast-fed are at a higher risk to develop the disease.
• Weight: Weighing more than 40% of ideal body weight is considered being overweight. Excess body fat helps convert androgens into estrogen resulting to hormonal imbalance. Having accumulated body fat around the abdomen and waist, those figuratively called “pear-shaped women”, has also been studied as raising the risk of breast cancer.
• Diet: Dietary fat in women’s diet may play a role in breast cancer prevention as studies show that limiting fat intake to 
between 20 and 25 percent of total daily calories does the trick. Studies also reported that Vitamin D may also be a protection. Vitamin D can be obtained through fair exposure to sunlight and from foods, mainly fish, egg yolks and Vitamin D- fortified milk.
• Estrogen: Estrogen is the driving hormone affecting women’s age at menarche, age at first birth and menopausal age as it appear to affect the risk involved in having breast cancer. Studies found no increase rate in majority of women taking birth-control pills but those who used the oral contraceptives for more than eight years beginning at an early age have greater tendency to have the cancer.
• Alcohol consumption: Only a small amount of rate increase in developing breast cancer is reported, but then prevention is better than cure so it is greatly advised to alcohol drinking women to at least cut down on their consumption.
• Exercise: Women who exercise regularly have lower risk that sedentary ones.
Diagnosis and its consequent treatments are the only option left if determined positive of breast cancer. Surgery is inevitable for a positive biopsy. Lumpectomy followed by local radiation is for small lumps restricted to a single area whereas mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast. Postsurgical treatment follows after which reconstructive surgery will be an option.
Health is simply a State of Balance. The secret to prevent and/or detect illnesses is to get to know your own body. Do regular self-breast examinations and/or find an alternative practitioner who can help you, such as Nurse practitioners, Chiropractors, Dietitians, Thermogram practitioners and others.
Johanna Oosterwijk
