Stress Management
There’s no doubt that stress, as a pathophysiological phenomenon, unravels health. There’s a myriad of ways in which that occurs, and it’s a direct path to carcinogenesis or tumor development, which is now very well-documented. Therefore, stress can be considered a cancer-causative agent. Furthermore, when people are under a lot of stress and lack good stress management, they often find it hard to commit to a healthy habit.
That’s why I consider this the most important tip, because all of the good tips I will mention below won’t be long-lasting without having good stress management skills. Some of my favorite ways to manage stress include breathing exercises, practicing yoga, tapping techniques, spending time in nature (especially around sunrise/sunset), connecting with friends, learning new activities, keeping a journal, using herbs and essential oils (my favorite adaptogenic herb is ashwagandha and lavender as essential oil).
Movement
Exercise is so significant in almost all studies when it comes to risk reduction. If you look at breast cancer and colon cancer, movement reduces the risk of recurrence by about 50%. Much research talks about 30 minutes of brisk walk 5 days a week. If you’re someone that’s generally not very active, this is a good place to start. For people who are more fit or can do more, I recommend including weight training focusing on building muscle mass and some type of activity they enjoy once or twice a week that gets their heart pumping. Exercise is also a great way to help manage stress, especially if it includes spending time outdoors and maintaining strong social connections.
Diet
Recent expert reports estimate that successful dietary changes could prevent around 30% of cases of breast cancer. Studies on maintaining a healthy weight and lowering the risk of breast cancer suggest that overweight women have an increased risk of breast cancer after menopause compared to women at a healthy weight.
Weight management plays a key role in preventing breast cancer, as well as in rehabilitation and recovery. It reduces biomarkers of inflammation, improves lifestyle behaviors and improves quality of life. Other than maintaining a healthy weight, some dietary recommendations include eating more fiber and fermented foods, fresh fruits/vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables), foods high in vitamin C (such as peppers, kiwi, oranges, guava…), foods high in vitamin A (such as liver, carrots, sweet potato, kale, spinach, grass-fed butter, eggs…), using olive oil instead of seed oils, switching to natural sweeteners, consuming lean protein and avoiding toxins like alcohol and tobacco.
Toxins
Even if you consume a healthy diet, environmental toxins can wreak havoc on your health. You can lower your toxin load by avoiding plastics/BPA as much as possible. This is especially true when plastic is heated, which is why it’s best not to microwave plastic containers, store very hot food in plastic, or leave plastic water bottles anywhere where they will become very hot (such as in your car). You can also lower your toxin load by switching to natural house cleaners and skin/hair care products. Cooking at low temperatures and avoiding burning your food is also a great way to lower toxin-exposure.
Sleep
Sleep is my favorite way to help support all of your body’s needs, including getting rid of toxins, wastes, and oxidative stress and regenerating and repairing cells. Repeated sleep disruption may cause chronically elevated estrogen levels, which can contribute to breast cancer risk. Long stretches of work where we’re exposed to blue light for prolonged hours can disrupt your body’s “biological clock,” which controls sleep and thousands of other functions.
Exposure to blue light in the evening for long periods of time reduces melatonin levels, which is not only a hormone that is responsible for sleep but also an antioxidant that plays a key role in supporting your immune system. You can optimize your sleep by eating more carbs at dinner, keeping your bedroom cool and dark, switching your electronic devices to night mode, exercising during the day, not in the evening, and taking some supplements like magnesium, ashwagandha and melatonin if needed.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is not just a vitamin that helps regulate your immune system, it’s actually a hormone that helps support your hormonal balance. Ideal Votamin D levels should be around 80. The best way for you to get Vitamin D is to expose yourself to the sun around noon. You can also get it from fatty fish and eating egg yolks.
Make sure that you consume enough cholesterol and fats in your diet in order to make sure that Vitamin D is properly absorbed. If you have to supplement Vitamin D, make sure you take a supplement that has balanced forms of Vitamins D, A or K. A great way is to include a cod liver oil supplement which is a source of omega-3 and contains natural sources of Vitamins A & D.
المؤلفة: Berna El Khoury, Health Coach
For more tips on how to optimize your health, check out Berna’s Instagram page @yourwellnessdetective here.
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