by Jane, UK
In recent months there has been a lot of media portrayal about preventive mastectomy (also known as prophylactic mastectomy or risk-reducing mastectomy) re-ignited by Angelina Jolie’s high profile decision to have a preventive double mastectomy.
I have been wondering about this subject as I am a woman and also someone who in the past has had breast health issues.
From my own experience over many years of making lifestyle choices that support me and in taking far more care of myself, I have found that my general health and well-being has improved immensely – so too has my overall health as a woman.
Could lifestyle choices possibly play a role in supporting the prevention of diseases such as breast cancer?
“New figures show that breast cancer is now the most common form of the disease in Britain. This country also has the highest death rate for the disease in the world” (Harding 2013).
The recent media portrayal of preventive mastectomy has raised many conversations about cancer prevention and as I researched for this article I found there are many statistics, articles and blogs written about breast cancer and breast cancer prevention.
Cancer prevention is perceived as any action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer and, anything that increases the chance of developing cancer is perceived as a cancer risk factor.
In the case of breast cancer prevention in the recent media, there have been statistics that state preventive mastectomy may significantly reduce the chance of developing breast cancer in moderate and high-risk women, such as those who test positive for changes or mutations in certain genes (e.g. BRCA1 or BRCA2), bearing in mind “the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that only women with a strong family history think about getting a BRCA genetic test which is only 2% of US women” (Fox & Aleccia 2013).
In amongst the many articles and websites women are also cited to be at risk if they:
- Have had previous breast cancer,
- Have a family history of breast cancer,
- Have breast changes that increase the risk of breast cancer (e.g. abnormal cells – lobular carcinoma in situ),
- Have had radiation therapy to your chest before the age of thirty (for example as a treatment for Hodgkins Disease),
- Have diffuse and indeterminate breast micro-calcifications or dense breast tissue.
Whilst there is current research into breast cancer and its causes, “much research is still needed to understand breast cancer – and its causes – fully” (Harding 2013). Such as examples the National Cancer Institute and the longitudinal Breakthrough Generations Study Breakthrough Breast Cancer set up in 2004 to investigate genetics (via blood samples), lifestyle (e.g. diet, alcohol intake, occupation) and environmental factors that may change the risk of a woman developing breast cancer.
In looking further at the risks of getting breast cancer, there are also often cited relative risks (as cited by GenesisUK) such as:
- Age at first menstrual period;
- Age at menopause;
- Age at first birth;
- Number of pregnancies;
- History of breast feeding;
- Use of the contraceptive pill; and
- Use of Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT).
Environmental chemicals have in the past also been suggested as relative risks to getting breast cancer, though as yet there don’t seem to have been any studies that show a direct link with developing breast cancer.
Studies Linking Lifestyle to Breast Cancer
Lifestyle choices are also cited as a possible relative risk for breast cancer (e.g. American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute) and “statistics show us that nine out of ten of us are willing to make lifestyle changes to reduce our risk of disease” (Harding 2013).
The American Cancer Society suggests that women can lower their risk of developing breast cancer by considering their body weight, physical activity and diet – stating that some studies show that a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fish for instance has been linked with lower risk of breast cancer.
GenesisUK suggests “there is now evidence that physical activity has a protective effect against breast cancer”, partly through controlling body weight and also due to the positive effect on body hormone levels, which could potentially lower the risk. GenesisUK also suggest that there are several studies that have shown breast cancer has been linked to alcohol intake and that women who are tee-total have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who drink alcohol, and the level of risk rises with the level of alcohol intake.
Genetics and Epigenetics
There is another level of lifestyle choices that could be considered here too. We know that genetics were a factor in Angelina Jolie’s decision to have preventive mastectomy, however, the other aspect of genetics that hasn’t featured highly in the websites, articles and media coverage on preventive mastectomy – epigenetics.
“Epigenetics is the mechanism by which environmental changes alter the behaviour of our genes” (McKie 2013). McKie suggests all sorts of life events can affect DNA methylation levels in our bodies, including diet, illnesses, ageing, chemicals in the environment, smoking, drugs and medicines. From these, McKie concludes that epigenetic changes produce variation in disease patterns – “we have studied identical twins who have different tolerances to pain and shown that they have different states of methylation. We have also produced similar results for depression, diabetes and breast cancer. In each case, we have found genes that are switched on in one twin and switched off in the other twin. This often determines whether or not they are likely to get a disease.” (McKie 2013)
Rankin suggests that “epigenetics research proves to us that environmental influences, including hormonal factors are affected by our thoughts, beliefs and feelings that affect how your genes express themselves” (Rankin 2013). Rankin goes on to suggest that studies have also shown that environmental factors can override certain genetic mutations, effectively changing how DNA is expressed, and that scientists are now learning that the genome is far more responsive to the environment of the cell – especially the hormonal environment created by our thoughts, beliefs and feelings, in that the way we are, we think, we feel and what we do affects us more deeply than we may realise – to the extent that our genetics can change.
Is Double Mastectomy the only Preventative Option for Breast Cancer risk?
Considering this article so far, what do the many media articles and web pages suggest are the options for women in reducing their risk of breast cancer (aside from elective bilateral preventive mastectomy)?
For those with medium to high risk of breast cancer chemo-prevention is now available in the UK as recently announced by NICE, who suggest that ‘Tamoxifen or Raloxifene’ taken daily for 5 years can cut breast cancer risk by 40%, with a protective effect for up to a decade, although there can be side effects including hot flushes and blood clots.
There are also options for:
- Raising awareness – being breast aware, getting to know what your breasts look and feel like and what is normal for you in how your breasts look and feel.
- Health education – to raise awareness of diseases in the breasts and the possible symptoms, know what changes to look for e.g. lumps, pain, discharge from the nipple.
- Close monitoring – e.g. periodic mammograms and regular check-ups of a clinical breast examination performed by a health care professional.
- Avoiding menopausal hormone use (Keefe & Meyskens 2000).
In addition to the above, lifestyle choices are often cited as preventive to the development of breast cancer, e.g. limit or cut out alcohol consumption, bring a focus to diet by moving away from processed foods and undertaking regular exercise.
Where might epigenetics play a role here?
In some research on epigenetics (McKie, 2013; Rankin, 2013) there is growing suggestion that lifestyle choices do play a role in the prevention of illness and disease.
I know for myself as mentioned above, in gradually and tenderly making many lifestyle changes, such as my diet, my rest and sleep, in exercising and in stopping things that had a negative impact on my body (e.g. alcohol, dairy, rushing around, burning the candle at both ends), my health has and continues to improve. And the long term conditions I have had (endometriosis, eczema and asthma for instance) have dissipated.
In wondering about the prevention of illness and disease there is clearly much that needs to be considered in the context of each woman’s unique risk factors, level of concern and how she feels in knowing her body as only she does.
“You know your body better than any doctor does – and only you can know what’s right for you” (Rankin 2013).
Whilst I am not in the shoes of Angelina Jolie or others for instance who are at high risk of breast cancer, nor would I want to make light of the choices any woman in this position has made, for these are serious considerations, what I can say is that lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall.
And if, as epigenetics purports, lifestyle and the way we think and feel has an impact not only on our health and well-being but also on our genes, then maybe it is a worthy consideration for all women (and men) – whatever their circumstance, state of health or risk factors are.
It just may be that we could reduce the risk not only of breast cancer, but also of other illness and disease. That is worthy of further research and consideration.
Further Reading:
Endometriosis – Experiences and Observations on Women’s Health – Part 1
Mastitis – Experiences and Observations on Women’s Health – Part 2
References:
- American Cancer Society (2012) –”Breast Cancer Prevention and Early Detection“. Retrieved August 30, 2013
- Anderson, B. O. et al. (2008) “Guideline implementation for breast healthcare in low-income and middle-income countries: overview of the Breast Health Global Initiative Global Summit 2007”. Cancer, 113, 2221–43.
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer (2004) – Breakthrough Generations Study into the Causes of Breast Cancer – In Breast Cancer Risk Factors – The Facts. Joint Publication Breakthrough Breast Cancer & BMA. P 37
- Chan, Amanda. (2013, May 14) “Double Mastectomy: why Angelina Jolie had breast removal surgery“. Huffington Post. Retrieved from
- Dobson, Roger. (2013, June 9) “Professional women more susceptible to breast cancer“. The Independent.
- Fox, Maggie & Aleccia, JoNel. (2013, May 15) “More women opting for preventive mastectomy – but should they be?” NBC News.
- Genesis UK. Preventing Breast Cancer Charity – Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- Harding, Charlotte (2013, July 04) “10 ways to prevent breast cancer” (femail.co.uk). Mail online.
- Keef KA & Meyskens FL Jr. (2000) “Cancer Prevention”. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage Jo, Licther As, Neiderhuber JE, Editors. Clinical Oncology 2nd Ed. London: Churchill Livingstone, 2000
- McKie, Robin (2013, June 02) “Why do identical twins end up having such different lives?” The Guardian.
- National Cancer Institute (2006) – “Fact Sheet Preventative Mastectomy“ – Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- NHS Choices. (2012) “Breast Cancer (female) prevention“. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- NICE Guidance. (2013) “Familial breast cancer: Classification and care of people at risk of familial breast cancer and management of breast cancer and related risks in people with a family history of breast cancer“. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- Rankin, Lissa (2013, May 16) “Was Angelina Jolie ‘Medically Hexed?” Care2 Healthy Living.
- Roberts, Michelle (2013, June 25) “Breast Cancer: NHS to offer tamoxifen to at-risk women“. BBC News.
- World Health Organisation (2013). “Breast Cancer: Prevention and control“. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
Women in Livingness Blog 
“Raising awareness – being breast aware, getting to know what your breasts look and feel like and what is normal for you in how your breasts look and feel.” – Such a simple step in building our relationship as women with our own body and with our breasts. This is how it begins.
DNA cannot be changed, but the expression of the DNA is influenced by so many factors and this is where we can see that we are not victims and do not need to play any role of victim as women – it is far more about how we are with ourselves and our life choices that will either support the expression of the DNA in an harmonious and balanced way or perhaps not – this then puts the choice into our hands and the responsibility into our hands too.
Thank you Jane for an awesome and thorogh article giving us so many different options to explore – far more than is delivered through the media which only ever tends to present part of the story it seems.
We can all undertake our own personal research by choosing to live in a more caring and self-nurturing way and be aware of how this affects our health and sense of well-being.
Such a great article Jane, it makes sense to take care of every aspect of our lives would impact on our health and well being. The key is the quality of love that we live with.
As the evidence grows that lifestyle choices have a significant impact on whether or not we get e.g. breast cancer it has to be worth exploring how we can support ourselves and each other to make the necessary changes to reduce our chances of succumbing to disease due to our daily choices.
Interesting that 9/10 are willing to make changes to assist thier health but very few actually do make sustained long term lifestyle changes. I think that is the most stand out difference with students of The Way of The Livingness is the changes are long term and sustained.
Absolutely we need to support each other in making changes and students of The Way of The Livingness have shown how this is not only possible but very sustainable.
Lifestyle choices are being more and more recognised for the impact they have on our health, ‘lifestyle choices are often cited as preventive to the development of breast cancer, e.g. limit or cut out alcohol consumption, bring a focus to diet by moving away from processed foods and undertaking regular exercise.’
Even if we just have a small inkling of the possibility that our lifestyle could effect our health then surely we need to do absolutely everything we can to ensure we are not living in a way that is to our detriment. It seems to me like we do know certain things ill effect our health, yet we tend to ignore them – it doesn’t make sense.
Is there a reason many don’t want to look at their lifestyle choices, especially when we understand the impact it can have? ‘what I can say is that lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall.’
Could the way we live and the choices we make be the most significant factor in our level of health and well-being? More and more people are discovering, ‘many years of making lifestyle choices that support me and in taking far more care of myself, I have found that my general health and well-being has improved immensely – so too has my overall health as a woman.’
So, ‘Could lifestyle choices possibly play a role in supporting the prevention of diseases such as breast cancer?’
Bringing greater understanding to the choices we make with regard to prevention and treatment of breast cancer is vital. Everyone has cancer cells floating around in our bodies. Understanding why some continue to grow and cause problems is essential. Boosting our immune systems with sensible lifestyle choices makes sense to me.
We are not born with cancer. It is not natural to us body. And what do we do between birth and getting cancer? Live life. Therefore the way we live has to naturally play a significant role in why we develop cancer or any other disease for that matter
Your article is certainly worthy of more consideration and research as the statistics you have quoted here are quite alarming. The current way we address illness and disease is a band-aid affect with just treating symptoms, it is far more healing for the body if we begin to look at the underlying causes and treat the root cause.
I love that our genes express, I feel that is super significant.
“lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall.” Being aware that every choice we make can affect our health invites us to take responsibility for our own wellbeing in the way we choose to live.
We can all be our own research laboratory if we choose to recognise the impact of our daily lifestyle choices on our bodies and then we have the option to make changes that will support us to take better care of ourselves. Rather than seeing ourselves as victims fighting an aggressive invader we can choose to explore how we have been impacted by not just our physical choices but also by the thoughts that we have allowed our mind to run with and the ideals and beliefs that we have taken on.
One of the things I have noticed is that most cancer’s are a manifestation of a combinations of other undiagnosed illnesses , or some diagnosed illness. Its like when a person goes to the dentist to get a decayed tooth out. The decay did not just start today or yesterday , it’s a culmination of choices of the person not to take care of their body and teeth, the tooth extraction is just the consequences of neglect.
It would be great instead of breast care that girls were started at a young age on body care, knowing that doing so would be proactive in their future health.
A great point John. Prevention is always better than cure. Making good lifestyle choices supports good health and decreases the chances of getting many different illnesses.
It is incredible that many people do not know that there is research that shows that even our thoughts can change the expression of our DNA. I myself have experienced this too, since changing my lifestyle and also paying attention to my thoughts and being tender with myself instead of negative and judgmental my life feels totally different and I have no doubt that this could be also reflected in my expression of my DNA maybe now suppressing genes that would have caused illness if I would have been keep on going the way i was thinking about myself when I was younger.
Jane that is exactly it, how you have made different choices and you have noticed that this has affected how the body is responding for you in life. The epigenitics is such a fantastic reflection for us and it means we have to start taking responsibility for all our choices.
‘Lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall.’ For every choice that has to be a consequence, and when we make choices that come from love the consequences are positive, and equally when we make unloving choices the consequences either come out as an illness, rash, spots, something minor, or stored in the body and eventually comes out as something more serious, for example a tumour, cancer, organ disorder, or any number of other illnesses and diseases, and we therefore have a huge responsibility to ourselves.
It’s interesting that the research doesn’t more fully explore behaviours as part of the possible risk factors, I know in some research there were correlations made between loneliness and social isolation and heart disease and stroke. When I saw the high figures of breast cancer for women in the UK I wondered if there were societal customs, behaviours for example, that may contribute to so many women getting this disease. Different behaviours can put different parts of the body into stress, why should breasts be any different?
This article is still so relevant today with rates of breast cancer and other diseases increasing as is recognition of the role played by lifestyle choices. What is not yet happening is the willingness of many women to take responsibility for their own health and to look at the steps that they could be taking to decrease their risk of becoming a disease statistic. What will it take for this to happen? I feel that it will be a variety of factors including well-researched and written blogs like this one which are without any sensationalism and simply present the facts for someone to come to their own decision.
Well said Helen, awareness building is certainly the first step. Though sometimes we do learn best from the experience itself, or there is a deeper reason to undergo such an experience – I know for myself there are times when I have learned from watching others and learning from them and then there are times when I have gone through an experience to come out the other end all the wiser, and then able to share this with others so they learn without going through the experience itself. Hence why I have very much appreciated all these articles on this site – they offer so much to all of us.
‘Lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall’. I second that Jane. Sometimes illness such as cancer comes in order to deeply clear the body, but if we don’t then make lifestyle changes it is hardly surprising that secondaries (metasteses) occur.
At the end of day our every choice that takes us away from living in a way that takes full responsibility for being all that we are is going to played out in the body. We think we are getting away with our little treats, we think we deserve our down time drinks, our recreational smokes, our competitive sports, our blob out screen time, our gourmet eating or our junk foods and we think that we can swallow the frustration of being there for everyone, being the nice pleasing person at the expense of our own health and then we come down with cancer or some other disease and we all cry out ‘why me?’
Great points Kathleen – there is an arrogance we can carry in everyday life which can be so strong and yet from here we can develop the greatest humbleness when we let go of the arrogance and surrender to the healing that the illness or disease is presenting or offering us.
I love reading cancer awareness articles such as this, that bring the focus back to what we can do personally to action change. Sometimes we can get so caught up with “fighting” this disease, raising money for research, running marathons to bring awareness…. all of which are great but if we think about it, is any of it really working? Sure we have been doing it for a longtime but all the while cancer rates and statics continue to rise. What I have noticed is in all of this activity it can be easy to loose sight of the obvious and that is our lifestyle choices, and our personal and very integral role and responsibility in leading a new normal when it comes to health and well-being.
That is a classic, it has always baffled me how we justify these things. I remember a little while ago someone I know entered into a bike ride from Byron Bay to Brisbane – for those that do not live in Australia, lets just say – that’s a really long ride! It was to raise awareness for testicular cancer – I’m sorry to be crass but riding for days putting pressure on your testicals and your back, not to mention, competing and pushing yourself through extreme weather conditions, body pain, all in the name of ticking a box for cancer is exactly what hundreds of men need to do for 9 days straight? Or is it? Well maybe not but that’s what we are sold!
Two and a half years on from your post there is at last mention in the media about the importance of lifestyle in cancer prevention, namely how alcohol consumption and lack of exercise raises the risk. There is little research being done however due to the lack of incentive by drug companies, who prefer to fund pharmaceutical solutions rather than funding prevention. The latter is not a money spinner for them.
Finally it is becoming more and more widely accepted that our lifestyle affects our health, ‘Could lifestyle choices possibly play a role in supporting the prevention of diseases such as breast cancer?’
“The American Cancer Society suggests that women can lower their risk of developing breast cancer by considering their body weight, physical activity and diet – stating that some studies show that a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fish for instance has been linked with lower risk of breast cancer.”
If you take this exert alone and consider two things, the first that a fast food restaurant called Mac Donald’s is world wide the most poplar place we choose to eat. Then the miles of funding we pour into trying to cure this disease which is great but what if the answer to cancer is much simpler than we think? We can be teased at school or even as an adult for being a weirdo if we choose to eat healthy food, this culture needs to be addressed if we want to truly live a healthier life.
The reason we do not want to look at these simple life choices in regards to supporting the rise in cancer is that because we want an answer to cancer that requires zero responsibility, that allows us to continue with everything we are doing and every way we are living but solves the cancer issue. If we don’t change the current trends and culture towards pharmaceutical companies solving our problems we are going to never truly heal cancer. The pharmaceutical companies need to be a support to life style changes not the other way around.
I am reading a lot of articles that are saying similar things. Like this one they are not critical of a particular area or form of treatment but broadening our awareness around what is now a very popular disease. We often look for a one hit answer as a race of people when it would seem a rounded approach, considering and being aware of many things supports. Breast Cancer is running rampant from what I read and so this would tell us we are still missing the mark, so what’s next? It would seem from the break down in social skills and our care for ourselves and each other that a change maybe needed. Many are remembering times gone past were we acted and treated each other differently. We all need the support to return to something we are clearly walking further away from. This one, Breast Cancer is in particular direct for women, what are we or they missing because their bodies are screaming stop.
Thank you for bringing to the fore that the way we live very much determines the quality of our everyday life and that we are not just victims to our DNA . We have a choice, always. And in every moment we can make this choice to be one that is caring and loving of ourself.
Our bodies respond to an intelligence that is far more advanced than our current scientific understanding. But this not understanding does not mean it is not there and we cannot start to live it. When we connect to our body we in fact connect to an universal intelligence that is available to us all, not dependant on our level of education or mental brightness and will bring to us the choices in life that will eventually restore a natural balance in our bodies in which illness and disease will get a complete new definition.
I do know that too Jane, that there was always a feeling to do things different to what I had planned or was told to do. For instance with food. Already from young I remember disliking drinking milk, but everything in my immediate environment pushed me in a way to just do it and with that came many arguments, from ‘it is healthy for you and everybody else likes it so why don’t you’ to ‘you just have to learn to drink it’ or ‘you must finish your milk before you can go back to your playing’. All this pushing made me at the end accept milk and other diary products as part of my diet and by doing so I numbed my body so I was not that aware anymore but the fact still remained that my body did not like milk in any type shape or form as it clearly demonstrated to me with regular colds and a lot of mucus in the body. Now I have made the choice to not take any diary products anymore and my body really loves it and since then I rarely have a cold or blocked nose and I feel much more healthy and vital too.
As a society we have a responsibility to remind woman that we do have choices, things may happen in our lives that are unexpected or tragic but there are always choices within these circumstances.
What this article points out is the possibility that our lifestyle choices may have actually have an affect on our health and well being. Sure it may need more time to be proven in depths by sicence but that does not make it any less true.
If you look at the sunset with the naked eye or a baby sleeping and then try to take a photo, it often cannot capture what is there in full, meaning technology is not always able to pick up what is in front of it like we can naturally. That does not mean that the baby or sunset is any less beautiful. We need to start to view Science as an amazing support, not the be all and end all. When we consider the past, Science said the earth was flat and there was simply no other explanation besides the fact that men would sail of the edge of its dangerous waterfalls.
In truth it was known the earth was a sphere since ancient Egypt but it took a very long time for modern science to catch up.
In the 1400’s they nearly caught up but there were only very few on board with this round concept and they were considered crazy. These few were people that dared to question, they were in fact tapped in to the intelligence of the body (something we all have access to, if we treat the vessel, the body we are given with care and love). These people were guided by their hearts, they new in them with no certain proof that the earth was round.
The question is: are we brave enough to follow what we know is true when it comes to illness and disease: we all know that our choices affect us, that we cannot sit back and say that everything that happens has nothing to do with anything that we have absolutely no control…. For the human body in its wholeness, with the heart leading, holds more intelligence that any technology created by simply one organ, the brain.
Indeed Sarah, in fact it is all there, the intelligence we can connect to is waiting for us to be discovered in our own bodies as these are tapped in to a wisdom that is far more than our human brains can imagine. We do not have to wait until science matches up with this wisdom and continue to suffer the results of that waiting in our body as illness and disease. We can become our own healer if we connect to that grander whole through our body and from that make the lifestyle changes that feel natural to us.
The question on everyones lips is why do we resist and fight our body and our true intelligence so much? Why is it so hard to make the right choices that lead us home? Well…. I want to answer my own question here…When you leave home and go wayward and you are gone for a longtime, sometimes the right choices can feel wrong, foreign even, and the wrong choices feel familiar and can be feel right…. they are comfortable and this comfort feels like home. When you have been gone a longtime, home takes getting use to but when you settle back in you will wonder why you ever left.
I can agree with that Sarah, coming home, there where we actually belong ,can make us start to wonder why and for what reason have we ever chosen to leave this place. But this to me is not important, important to me is that I am back home and to celebrate that and to live this with with all who I am and to understand that any tension I may feel is because I am asked to become more and to continue with my evolution, and not to, as I might have done in the past, to choose for that comfortable life by dulling this tension with any food, thought or behaviour.
A wise man I know once said that if you cannot feel the tension in your life on a daily basis, then you have slipped into the comfort and a pattern, the tension is not overwhelming or dramatic, it does not need to be worked out or even worked on but if you allow yourself to feel it and allow others to feel it around you, it is in this place you will witness the unfolding and magic of evolution.
That is very true Jane, we are walking taking instruments of truth, when we allow our bodies to communicate to us, they are the best proof of what is healthy for us and what is not.
This is a great question Jane ‘Could lifestyle choices possibly play a role in supporting the prevention of diseases such as breast cancer?’ We all think about products face creams body lotion, living too close to chemical factories etc, but what about the everyday choices we make all the time, getting stressed about work or a situation, not being able to express what we want to say, all these choices have a profound effect on our body and our health.
There is so much to consider around cancer and lifestyle and how our lifestyle choices can support us and in the event of any disease can assist us while we undergo the needed medical treatment. The biggest stand-out here is that we know our bodies and our best support no matter how our health is to live in a way that support those bodies of ours.
There is much to consider here. While every man and woman has a choice in how they treat their body as in the case on Angelica Jolie having a double mastectomy surely it is worth studying and pondering on other approaches such as epigenetic’s to prevent illness and disease.
Since this article was written 3 years ago there has been increasing recognition that lifestyle choices impact whether people get cancer and other diseases or not but it feels like we still have a long way to go in disseminating what this actually looks like for people and supporting them to start introducing dietary and lifestyle changes that will increase their general health and wellbeing and lessen their chances of developing disease. The media could play a really positive role in this if they chose to let go of the dramatic headlines and saw their purpose as serving humanity rather than their bottom line.
“Could lifestyle choices possibly play a role in supporting the prevention of diseases such as breast cancer?” Absolutely. As Serge Benhayon has said ‘Life is Medicine’. In taking responsibility for the choices we make in the way we live we play an active part in our own health and well-being rather than relying on others to ‘fix’ us.
Great points raised here Jane. The choices we make regarding our health and well-being absolutely need to be in the context of what is right for the individual, however there is much to be said for more conversations like this where we are presented with a range of other options to consider where we can support our own health and well-being (education, breast awareness etc.) which would support the overall detection and incidence of illness and disease.
Jane, Your sharing of the findings of epigenetic’s is a consideration each of us could take when it comes to the health and wellbeing of our bodies. If we allow ourselves to be honest, we can feel the impact of each choice on our body, either we expand and feel vital from our choices, or we feel burdened and heavy. If we used this as our marker we would consider our choices more wisely and may begin to change those choices that feel burdensome and heavy. Just on choice change, could be the metabolic change in our body that prevents a disease.
what a great holistic report to read, offering a wide variety of points of views. An addition of a personal spin to top it off. If all academic papers were written like this I would read more of them in my spare time.
Through a continued commitment to caring for ourselves we begin to feel our bodies from the inside out so our breasts are felt in their fullness and/or their wholeness .This very real feeling of our breasts, in my experience, has made me even more caring of them and this extends from tender massage through to how I choose to move, what I consider to eat and the activities I choose to take part in. My whole way of being, my lifestyle if you like, was so much more male orientated and I was using male-type energy to get things done. What a huge difference when we begin to honour our beautiful womanliness and nurture this more delicate yet strong and powerful part of ourselves.
Thank you for your reply Jane, it brought me back to this page to be inspired again. It also makes me realise how much is going on in a day, how much we are processing the events that happen to us and how so important it is to treat ourselves like the precious beings we are in order for all of this unfolding to take place in the most gracious way possible.
Jane this is a super informative blog, and full of information. It made me appreciate how knowing our own breasts is vitally important as we are best placed to notice any changes to them, and building that relationship up with them has helped me appreciate my connection to my whole body too.
I agree Sally that it has been in building a connection with my breasts that this has not just been about my breasts but actually is about my relationship with my whole body. It was my lack of connection with my body for many years thus having no regard for it that contributed to developing breast cancer. Now having had surgery not just to fix the problem but as a learning to develop another way to be with myself as a woman I am learning the importance of whole body love and care which naturally contributes to the health of my breasts.
Epigenetics is a field that is growing and is being taken more seriously in understanding mainstream health and wellbeing from conception throughout the lifespan. If environmental factors do have such a powerful influence as scientific research is suggesting, why then is there such negative media attention on Universal Medicine and the ways students are adjusting their way of life and noticing better health and wellbeing outcomes? Surely what is happening is worth reporting in a positive fashion so that others have the opportunity to also learn and adjust their lifestyles if they so choose.
If you don’t know the cause of breast cancer you are reduced to finding connections. If the cause is something encompassing like how you live your entire life, then you will be overwhelmed by the large number of true connections but you will not find a comprehensive cure, let alone healing, that way.
Love what you have presented here Jane. Breast cancer and breast cancer prevention are hot topics indeed. With the statistics showing alarming numbers of women each year being diagnosed with breast cancer, we do need to look at why this is happening and begin to address the situation. But our approach needs to consider the deeper roots of why the breast cancer is happening and why it is on the rise as much as it is, and hence when we look at the “preventative” strategies, though fine at first glance, we need to ensure that they are not just band-aid mechanisms that appear to address things but only do so on a superficial level – for even if a woman has a preventative double mastectomy, if she does not change the other things in her life (lifestyle, diet, addressing the way she feels and experiences life and levels of stress etc), she is essentially still ‘at risk’. There is so much we can do as women to care more deeply for ourselves, and it is time we took greater responsibility for this. We don’t have to be ‘victims’ – and whether we get breast cancer or not, we can be pro-active with our lifestyle choices and look at how to change the way we live in a way that truly supports us as the beautiful women that we are.
The point you make here “We don’t have to be ‘victims’ – and whether we get breast cancer or not we can be pro-active with our lifestyle choices and look at how to change the way we live in a way that truly supports us as the beautiful women that we are.” is truly valuable as often articles like this are read and unless a woman has breast cancer they are not fully taken notice of. Every time we hear of someone we know or any woman with breast cancer there is an opportunity to take stock and look at how we are in relationship with ourselves as a woman.
Jane thank you for a brilliantly presented article balancing a spread of research and your personal experience. Very wise words that each woman choice is to be respected and the fact that you may have offered a very significant blog to encourage women to so their own research is excellent.
“I know for myself as mentioned above, in gradually and tenderly making many lifestyle changes, such as my diet, my rest and sleep, in exercising and in stopping things that had a negative impact on my body (e.g. alcohol, dairy, rushing around, burning the candle at both ends), my health has and continues to improve” And so can say many of us who have made major life-style changes. Just recently I was talking to a friend, who, since her double mastectomy – and currently undergoing chemotherapy – she has drastically changed her diet – giving up sugar including chocolate, caffeine, gluten, dairy and alcohol. She says she has never felt or looked better, has more energy and friends say she looks years younger. Its never too late to change.
I agree that it is never too late to make changes to the choices we make. Through the work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I have learnt how every choice we make has an impact on our body, one that either supports the body or one that harms it, and how from making more self-loving choices we are able to support our body and help undo some of the harm we have caused it.
Jane, this article is so true! I know that since learning through Universal Medicine to start making more self-loving choices, rather than self-abusing ones, I no longer get skin allergies or asthma. I also have never looked brighter or younger and when I walk in true connection to my body and myself, I know I have never felt better. Let’s hope it’s not too long before all women catch on to this idea!
This is super informative and inspiring article Jane for it asks us to consider the power of our choices in how we choose to live, so that if what epigenetics says is true, the way we look after ourselves can have a remarkable affect on our health. Having cured your endometriosis, eczema and asthma through the lifestyle adjustments you have made, you are living proof of the truth in epigenetics and another reason for people to really sit up and listen and maybe ponder over the part they play in their own ill health.
Thanks Jane for a very detailed blog on this subject which affects so many women (and men) around the world, not to mention the impact of a diagnosis of breast cancer on family and friends of the person concerned. What concerns me these days is that the idea of raising money for research into breast cancer prevention and treatment has become, I feel, quite commercialised and trendy with many well known sports stars and celebrities supporting various causes. While all of this has benefit, the part that is being overlooked is the deeper consideration of the quality of life we (primarily women) are living. This is given tokenistic consideration, if at all, in comparison to the focus on finding the ‘cure’ via drugs and surgery.
“What I can say is that lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall.” For me its the small daily choices that can make an overall difference to health and wellbeing. Simple things like the time I go to bed or taking small walks when I feel too and eating what feels right for me. Its beautiful to listen to our bodies and take responsibility for how we treat ourselves in a loving and caring way and does benefit our health immensely.
Jane it is great to have more awareness about epigenetics research. Since being inspired by Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine to make many different choices in my lifestyle from the awareness of my body and mental thoughts now, there have been many changes in my body physiology that have been experienced personally and leave me in no doubt as to the truth epigenetics offers for us all to consider our way of living.
“….especially the hormonal environment created by our thoughts, beliefs and feelings, in that the way we are, we think, we feel and what we do affects us more deeply than we may realise – to the extent that our genetics can change?”.
After reading this more questions arise like: If our endocrine system can be affected by our thoughts and emotions what about all the other systems? If that system is affected (a major system at that) then wouldn’t all the others be affected also? Cancer is a huge illness and disease for anyone but what if the smaller ones were equally approached from the same angle of our choices in and of life affect our health? If we have negative thoughts and emotions on a regular basis would that result in regular ill health? I know this as a fact for as my actions, thoughts and emotions are addressed the greater my health has become but through this blog I understand that there are deeper what if’s to consider. Thank you Jane.
What I find beautiful about this blog is that it shows that the cancer discussion is way far more open and far more close to us than the way it was portrayed to be.
When we are talking about genes (over which we have no say) and procedures such as mastectomy (only done by a specialist), we are at the mercy of what happens. There is nothing we can do.
Yet, when introducing lifestyle factors and epigenetic into the picture, you and your choices take center stage. This is a great news for some who are willing to honestly give it a go and see what happen, adjusting how they live. It is not such a great news for others who have no intention to live in a responsible way and admit that, through their choices, they have responsibility on the occurrence of the disease.
A must read for every woman. Thank you Jane for thoroughly exploring the latest research re Breast cancer so all woman can feel empowered re choices to make if faced with Breast cancer and how to prevent it.
“You know your body better than any doctor does – and only you can know what’s right for you” (Rankin 2013). Such a great quote and for me, it’s so true. We’re living in it, so we know it intimately. Yet we’ve been brought up in a culture that has us working with an outsourcing mindset, one that takes best advice from qualified practitioners in conventional and complementary medicine but often omits the third element of the medical trinity – ourselves. Either because we’re not asked or because we don’t offer. This isn’t about us all studying biology from the age of 3 and being able to self-diagnose, but it is about trusting and using that connection we all have with our bodies – to read, observe and understand our body’s markers and to bring that as an equal factor into the overall prevention and treatment equation
A thorough examination of the current approaches to breast cancer prevention that offers the reader the opportunity to deeply ponder how the lifestyle we choose, the ideals and beliefs as well as the diet we eat may also be a factor in developing disease or not. A well-researched and informative article, thank you Jane.
A brilliant article, Jane. Thank you. Very informative, factual, well researched, unbiased, and unimposing – I feel this is precisely how this subject (or anything in fact) should be discussed and presented by the media, instead of trying to incite emotional reactions or hype and influence public opinions.
Wow what an article Jane thank you for sharing such insight into a highly sensitive subject , it is beautiful to see our path to health and vitality is opening up to the choices we make and the responsibilities that go hand in hand . The research and data coming to light through epigenetics , lifestyles ,nutrition studies etc are all reflecting this needed awareness.
Jane this is a fabulous article and very well researched. How we live is so of such importance not only when it comes to living with illness and disease but also on how we feel everyday in terms of our wellbeing. We are only catching the surface of this with the new research.
Thank you Jane very your very informative article. I found the research behind epigentics fascinating. Taking responsibility for our health really is worth it.
I agree, simple changes can make a big difference in the way we feel on a day to day basis that have far reaching effects on those around us, as our moods are more balanced and our responses to difficult situations and stress more steady supporting not only ourselves but also the people around us.
Thank you Jane for this insightful article. It is getting common knowledge that lifestyle affects our heath, now it is time to support people to understand why caring for ourselves is not what we tend to choose, why do we override what our bodies are communicating to us all the time. We are so worth caring for on an ever deepening level.
Thank you Jane for sharing such a super article on this subject, and I totally agree with you, that lifestyle choices have made an enormous difference to the quality of my health and life overall. When we begin to realise that every choice has a consequence and catches up with us sooner or later, it breaks the illusion and the delusion that we get off scot free with ill choices make with regards to our health.
Thank you for compiling so much valuable information in one location – having presented all of it so clearly I really felt it when you bring home the point that our choices are our best medicine and as women we can make these choices ever so loving and deeply nurturing.
This is an excellent article and offers us all something very important to consider that epigenetics, or the choices we make and how we treat ourselves, can have a powerful effect on our overall health and our vulnerability to developing illness and disease. “the hormonal environment created by our thoughts, beliefs and feelings, in that the way we are, we think, we feel and what we do affects us more deeply than we may realise – to the extent that our genetics can change.” This is very empowering as it asks us to take responsibility for our own health and not just blame ‘bad luck’ when we are ill but to look at the way we have been living.
For me this article says “There is so much power in our own hands for our health”, and this is through the simplicity of daily choices. I love how self care was such a strong thread through this whole article, and to respect how precious we each are and take our self care seriously. Regardless of research needed, my body reflects the immense benefits is such daily self caring choices which come from observing the details of my own body. It’s simple, practical and it does work. Even epigenetics is pointing to the same thing – the power is in our own hands, not predetermined by genes.
‘the way we are, we think, we feel and what we do affects us more deeply than we may realise ‘, this is certainly my experience, and it is also my experience that my behaviours, thoughts etc have an effect on how my breasts feel before and during my period. If I have been emotional, tense, over busy and not nurturing myself at times throughout the month, my breasts around my period will swell and be sore and sensitive. There is no doubt for me that if these behaviours were intensified or continued without me sensing this correlation, and pulling myself back to my femaleness, I would end up with some form of health issue with my breasts. They already show me the small things. There has to be a reason for that.
What you have offered here Jane and Lisa is an expanded view on what constitutes lifestyle choices and then what these choices mean and then implications for all of our choices. This is huge.
Jane you have brought together here all the considerations when it comes to breast cancer and breast health. This is great as there is so much out there that can at times be confusing and often contradictory. Your ability to simply and clearly explain it all here offers the reader the opportunity to consider all aspects of their health so that if they have to make difficult decisions they in fact will have far more of a choice with the understanding of all that can factor into the situation.
Thank you Jane for this amazing article. It is so important that this writing finds its way into the medical industry and people are given an opportunity to look a little deeper when it comes to self-care and prevention in illness and disease.
I agree Kathryn, this powerful article of Jane’s would be very supportive for the wider community and the medical industry.
Hi Jane, I find epigenetics so interesting – something I never knew anything about until recently – but my what a role it has to play! It shows all the many ways we avoid looking at how we are living – but as scientists start to show people what epigenetics actually are and how they can change based on how we live, I can only hope that humanity starts to accept our role in how we live and what happens to our body.
the most in depth and sensible article i have ever read about breast cancer, more women should read and access these type of article so that they can be helped throughouat their process of treatment.
” We have also produced similar results for depression, diabetes and breast cancer. In each case, we have found genes that are switched on in one twin and switched off in the other twin. This often determines whether or not they are likely to get a disease.”
The next step might be to find out what made a difference. Is it their resilience? Their emotionality? Their diet? Their stress levels?
I am inspired that you found a researcher who presented , “You know your body better than any doctor does – and only you can know what’s right for you” (Rankin 2013), Jane. I wonder that this researcher has not been more widely published and profiled in the media. It sounds promising also that there is an acknowledged relationship between environment, hormones, thoughts and feelings and how our genes then express themselves. When will this be thoroughly investigated and made common knowledge?
Colleen that quote you have highlighted here is so important about knowing our own bodies more than anyone else. In my experience being and working with health professionals over the years the more information we have from a patient, the easier our job is. It really does pay to understand and accept that we do know our own bodies.
This a great blog Jane and worthy of attention. I feel lifestyle choices have a role to play in all illness and disease so most definitely breast cancer as much as all others. The sad thing is that many of us today find it easier to blame outside of us for why we get ill in the first place. We protect ourselves and our pride rather then humbly asking the question, what is it that I have been living that has caused this ill in my body or my life? Then we have to feel what we might have been doing to ourselves and even worse, to others. And this is a difficult pill to swallow, but well worth the healing that follows.
I love this Jane, what I get from your words is that our greatest medicine is really to let go of our pride and protection, to get honest and allow for a greater awareness, and from this to watch the miracles unfold! A little humility can go a long way, but a bucket load of humility, can take us light years! Humble pie it is!!
Great article Jane. A brilliantly researched piece on the many medical interventions and forms of treatment offered to women with breast cancer today. But as you rightly state Breast Cancer rates and rates of all illness and disease are rising. We live in a time of unprecedented ‘advances’ in science and medicine but more people are living with chronic disease than ever before. Wider and deeper questions indeed need to be asked. The field of epigenetics seems to be bringing us closer to the truth and explains much of what has eluded the medical profession for so long. I love that the fatalistic view that our genes are set in stone and we are predisposed to certain illness being debunked. The food we eat, the lifestyle we lead, how we nurture and care for ourselves are all communicated to our cells. We are constantly talking to our genes and the words are the choices we make. Leaving the future of our health and well-being is very much in our own hands.
Yes this is an awesome article Jane. You wrote a holistic, well researched, non bias story. It is a must read for everybody on the subject of breast care, as well as general health and well-being.
Awesome article Jane – thank you!
It is amazing to consider that something as simple as just making new choices in how we care for ourselves on a fundamental and daily basis can actually have such an enormous impact on not only our health individually, but then how this affects the whole of society.
A very clear and informative article a must read for all women
A brilliant and wonderfully informative article Jane. It is becoming clearer that lifestyle choices cannot be ignored when it comes to understanding the reasons for illness and disease. We cannot continue to think that we can treat ourselves in abusing and disregarding ways and then expect someone else to fix us, always expecting an “ambulance to be waiting at the bottom of the cliff” as the saying goes. I agree that this, and the many other equally amazing blogs on this site, would make a great foundation for a study on the impact on our lifestyle choices.
Lifestyle factors definitely have a huge impact on well being, I know this for myself and how I have made choices that support me and my body over the last 10 years or so. It would be interesting to have more studies undertaken concerning the health benefits of choosing a life that supports our bodies more rather than looking at ways of putting bodies back together when they are already ill or at the risk of ill health. A great article that raises a lot of questions – thank you!
A very beautiful and clear article
This a an excellent article inviting all women to look at all aspects of the way they live. So often we are encouraged to take exercise, eat well etc but there is little discussion on how we are with ourselves while undertaking these daily tasks. I have found that my general health and sense of well-being and vitality have improved greatly since I started treating myself more gently in the way I think about myself and how I live my everyday life. Thank you Jane for a very informative article.
I absolutely agree Jane that how our lifestyle, thoughts, emotions and feelings impact our health & wellbeing is worthy of further research and consideration. I love the compassionate and balanced way you approached this delicate subject, thank you.
Thank you for a clear and factual article Jane. It brings information not readily available to us into a balanced piece so thanks for your research on our behalf. It is indeed an article all would benefit from reading.
Jane, I agree, it is time for more articles on this issue, bringing to the fore the importance of lifestyle choices in relation to the development of illness and disease.
That would be great, Jane if you wrote an updated version. This is an amazing article you published here. Thank you for the clear overview supporting us all in what influences our health. I loved the sentence you quoted:
“You know your body better than any doctor does – and only you can know what’s right for you” (Rankin 2013).”
So true and by listening we can make different choices.
This is an amazing article Jane, thank you for presenting so clearly on this subject and raising awareness on epigenetics. I have found by choosing to take care of me, I have moved from having a lack of energy to having more energy and my weight has also stabilised instead of fluctuating and always being a focus of concern.
Thank you Jane a great article summing up the fact that the choices we make directly effect our health regardless of our genetic make up. “What we feel and what we do affects us more deeply than we may realise – to the extent that our genetics can change.” This takes away the hopeless feelings that can come when someone is told their condition is genetic. As you article suggests we all have daily choices to make that can emotionally and physically improve our life. Epigenetic is about taking responsibility for ourselves, being the change we want to see!
That’s awesome Jane and now you are a living, walking proof that by choosing love we can overcome anything.
What you have said Toni is so true. When we take action to looking after ourselves it is always about the physical; exercising and eating. It does seem that we miss this bit out, ”emotional, physiological and mental well-being as part of our focus to taking care of ourselves. It seems to be that as long as we are functioning and can get to work and complete all the jobs that need doing there and in the house, than we must be doing ok? We seem to accept that stress and being emotional is normal and something to put up with. We haven’t completely made the link with this to our overall health and disease. It would be really interesting if the medical field did some research in this area.
Wow Jane, this article is a must read for all women. It takes into account the science and the factors that have not yet been proved by science. When I was younger I watched a family member die of cancer and it made no sense to me because she had a healthy diet, exercised, painted, did yoga, swam every day and lived what could be seen as a very healthy lifestyle. Although she was very highly strung emotionally, had a huge need for perfection and was actually quite nasty to others. So even if we take all the physical steps to take care of our bodies I know where we are at mentally and emotionally can undo all the support we offer to our bodies physically. I guess this is also reflected in high achieving sports men and women. Our health is dependent on our connection to self, grace and the way we feel about ourselves, this is undeniable yet science has not yet caught up to prove this.
I enjoyed reading your article, Jane. It does make sense to look at lifestyle choices and this link to illness and health. Perhaps, it is a challenging area for many because it would mean changing habits and patterns and could it be said that, “generally we don’t want to until we are forced to through serious illness?” From what you have shared, and if I understand what you have explained about epigenetics we are responsible for our health and can change the outcomes through our daily choices.
Hear, hear Gayle. This article deserves to be published far & wide.
Thank-you deeply Jane, for this well researched article, and the dedication and deep respect for the issue of breast cancer – the people involved – and indeed other illness and disease you bring.
You have so clearly raised one big “what if?” here, a ‘what if’ that IS being considered in research and treatment, but perhaps not as deeply as it might be (in research perhaps, but very much in the predominant thinking of the mainstream…). “What if” our lifestyle choices, and the way we feel, we think, the quality in which we look after ourselves and ‘are’ in our everyday living, are truly of immense significance here? And “what if” WE are worthy of such deep consideration – that a true and whole picture of what prevention and healing means, can truly be ascertained?
I have also felt tremendous healing and change from deepening the care and consideration of such choices in my life and living, and I continue to learn more about what true self-care means every day. There is a strong history of breast cancer in my family, and with this in mind and heart, I have found it absolutely worthwhile to consider the way I live and its impacts upon my own body. Whether cancer presents for me at some point in my life, I do not know, but I can say with clarity now, that should it do, I am far, far better equipped to deal with it than I have ever been, and have an overall health that is more vital now (at 45) than I’ve felt at any other point in my adult life.
As is your similar sharing inspiring Jane.
And thank-you again for this article – it is of true service to all.
It feels vital that the “what if” does become part of mainstream thinking, so woman can start to evaluate if how they treat themselves is affecting their health. I used to somehow kid myself that illness and disease ‘just happen’ and had little to do with the way I treated my body. As I have re-developed my awareness of my body and the way I am with myself, I know there is a constant link between these factors and my health . Science does already know this, it just hasn’t made it to mainstream. I wonder who is stopping this?
Thank you Jane for a well researched article. I trust you will be seeking further publication of this fine piece in a medical journal or periodical. It will benefit anyone who reads it, whether patient or practitioner.
Super beautiful article Jane, thank you for taking the time to research the topic and write what you have learned. It is so important for women to continue to pay attention and learn about breast health and self-care, and you’ve made it perfectly clear here.
I also felt to add, that as a woman working in the field of cancer research and prevention, the topics you touch on here are without-a-doubt central to cancer research and prevention. Thank you again.
What an amazing article – I loved the way you brought all the facts as they are today together and presented so clearly the simple self care options that can so easily be overshadowed by the threat of breast cancer and our seeming helplessness. Thank you for widening the view to include epigenetics and the possibility that the way we live each day unfolds us to one physical reality e.g.: breast cancer….or another, not our genetic predisposition.
Great point Jane in that we can start to consider that our lifestyle can affect ‘any’ physical condition of the body, be if from an upset tummy to a migraine to a diagnosis such as cancer etc. In other words, we don’t have to wait for a full blown disease to occur before we start to consider the implications of lifestyle on our health and overall wellbeing.