Naturopathic Approaches to Breast Cancer
With
Kathleen Mercer B.Sc., N.D.
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

What role would a Naturopathic Doctor play in the treatment breast cancer?
The role of a Naturopathic Doctors is multifaceted. We play a significant role in prevention and awareness. In disease treatment, we play a complementary role to Oncology. One goal is to work with each individual and their choices of conventional treatment to help increase the treatment effect, decrease side effects and rebuild health after treatment with surgery and chemotherapy. We also play a large role in supporting the mental and emotional aspects of having and treating cancer.

What types of treatments do you use in the treatment breast cancer?
As Naturopathic Doctors, we work with nutrition, nutritional supplements, botanical medicine, homeopathy, Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, as well as lifestyle counselling. Unfortunately, sometimes people without knowing, take supplements and herbs that can interact with their chemotherapy. My role as a Naturopathic Doctors is to help organize a nutritional and supplement program for each individual to ensure their health is maximized and there are no interactions with conventional treatments. Much of our work is helping to decrease the side effects of the chemotherapy and/or surgery. We also offer post treatment care to help people become well and strong again.

What about your role in preventing
re-occurrence?
Absolutely. Once a person is finished their cancer treatment we put together a long-term plan that again focuses on rebuilding health and strength and cancer prevention.

What types of things do you do for breast cancer prevention?
We help to assess a person’s risk factors and put together a plan focusing on balancing and strengthening the immune system, maximizing the body’s ability to recognize and fight off cancer and pre-cancer cells, decreasing the body’s toxic load and helping people to become more balanced with consideration to mental and emotional health. Much of our work is very grass roots and basic, but often people aren’t doing them. Some examples are: drinking water, exercising, eating whole foods, relearning how to breathe, relearning how to relax, healing relationships and sleeping regularly. All of these things help a person live a very healthy and balanced life, which will help in the prevention of disease in general. More precise and involved prevention strategies include colon cleansing, liver detoxification, sauna cleansing, and rebounding.

Is there a connection between the thyroid gland and breast cancer?
There are many theories and new findings with regard to the connection between the thyroid gland and the
development of breast cancer. There is a link between thyroid imbalance and breast cancer. Iodine is needed for the synthesis of thyroid hormones and it also is present in the epithelial cells in breast tissue, where it is thought to decrease the breasts response to the stimulating effects of estrogen. I think the most important message here is that breast cancer is very intertwined with the workings of the endocrine system; the more we can learn and understand about this connection the better we will become at preventing and treating cancer.

Why do you think breast cancer is as prevalent
as it is?
I think there is never a singular cause to any disease. We are all born with a predisposition to many “diseases”. I believe these predispositions will only show themselves as disease in our lifetime our system is met with too much physical, emotional, mental and environmental stress. If these stressors become too much to handle, our predispositions will show themselves. Our environment is very polluted with chemicals that are having huge effects on our endocrine and reproductive systems. We often can see this more clearly in the animal kingdom where eagle’s offspring cannot survive because they cannot produce a hard enough shell, or beluga whales dying in the St. Lawrence of cancer; their bodies are considered a toxic hazard because of the harmful chemicals they contain.
Another reason for the increase in breast cancer and infertility may be the major imbalances which exist in our roles as women – have we had time to adjust to our changing roles over the past fifty years?

What are some ways to decrease stress and address these issues?
Ways to reduce stress include: decreasing the toxic load in our diet by increasing whole foods, decreasing processed foods, becoming aware of, and decreasing exposure to, toxins in the products we use each day at home or at work (i.e. hair dye, cleaning products, antiperspirants, plastics, etc.). It is very important to evaluate the stress in our relationships and learn how to make changes. Involvement in activities such as yoga, tai chi, dance and aerobic exercise all help to reduce stress.

Do you think breast self-examination is necessary?
Yes, I feel very strongly that self breast exams are a very good practice in conjunction with getting a breast exam from your physician one or two times per year. I feel strongly that women should become very familiar with their breasts, how they look and feel. We should also learn how to treat them. Touching and feeling your breasts is very important for self-awareness and overall attitudes about breast health. I also think that we do not move our breasts enough. We are wearing tight, constrictive, under-wire bras that hold the breast in position for maybe eight to twelve hours a day; some people even wear bras to bed. Our breasts are lymphatic tissue and there needs to be a way for lymphatic tissue to drain. Wearing the right sized bra can help with this. Seek the help of a professional for proper bra fit. We can also help our breast health by having some bra-less time each day, and allowing our breasts to shake and move through dance, yoga and aerobic exercise, especially rebounding.

Kathleen Mercer is a Naturopathic Doctor with clinics held at Pine Bud Chiropractic Clinic, 25 Allandale Rd. in St. John’s She can be reached at 687-1137.

For more information on
Naturopathic Doctors
check out www.cand.ca

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