Up to 60 per cent of working women have experienced breast pain at some time which is, surprisingly, a good sign, as pain is not usually associated with anything sinister. Breast cancer is a great concern to us all, though, especially as it is on the increase. Despite the fact that breast examinations and special X-rays, mammography, are now available to detect early breast cancer, there are still some 20,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK. England and Wales come top of the league for breast cancer, followed by Denmark and Scotland. New Zealand comes in eighth, the USA in eleventh place and Australia in fourteenth. Having begun in such an alarmist fashion, it should be said that for every patient with breast cancer, ten others will have a non-sinister breast lump or breast tenderness.
There are various conditions that cause breast tenderness, pain (otherwise known as mastalgia) and lumps, and they are generally covered by the term ‘benign breast disease’. This may sound unduly frightening, but noncancerous lumps, bumps and cysts are quite normal and should not be regarded as disease. The word ‘benign’ means non-cancerous, and indicates that lumps will not spread and grow to invade other tissue, or affect other parts of the body. Even so, they can be very uncomfortable and a continuing source of worry.
Breast pain can be divided broadly into two categories. In approximately one-third of cases, breast tenderness and discomfort occur throughout the month, whilst in the remaining two-thirds, breast tenderness and pain tend to worsen before the onset of a period. The premenstrual pattern of breast tenderness that occurs for up to two weeks before the period, tends to occur in younger patients in their twenties to forties, and can usually be alleviated by natural means.
All women with breast tenderness or a breast lump should have a physical examination to determine the nature of the problem. Mild breast tenderness that occurs premenstrually, and clears completely without the presence of any breast lump, is rarely indicative of anything sinister. Persistent pain, alteration in the shape of the breast, or a discharge from the nipple, are all symptoms that should make you seek an early appointment with your doctor.
• In recent years, there has been some evidence to link breast disease with the type of diets we eat. Breast cancer, for example, is more 100 THE NATURAL HEALTH BIBLE common in countries with a high animal fat intake. Countries such as Japan, where fat intake is extremely low and the diet is composed mainly of vegetables, fish and rice, there is a low incidence of breast cancer and benign breast problems.
• Other scientists in the field have suggested that cigarette smoking and caffeine intakes from tea and coffee, chocolate and cola, may be linked with breast discomfort. This is not absolutely proven, but it may be helpful to reduce your consumption of these if breast tenderness is a problem.
• Hormonal factors are also important. The oral contraceptive pill, with its content of progesterone, may help to reduce some types of benign breast disease. Giving birth to a first child prior to the age of thirty is associated with a slight reduction in breast cancer risk.
• Examine your breasts and take a history of the problem. If you feel it is a recurring cyclic problem, in that it occurs monthly before your period is due, you should make this known.
• If your doctor is not unduly concerned, the next step is to prescribe evening primrose oil, Efamast, at a dose of 3,000–4,000g for at least four months. This has been shown to help with benign breast problems.
• Your doctor should tell you to eat a low-fat diet, see page 102, but may be unaware of the research published in this area.
• If your symptoms are not sinister or cyclic, then your doctor may prescribe either painkillers or an anti-inflammatory preparation.
• Should the pain or tenderness persist, your doctor may then prescribe powerful hormones, like Danazol, which will stop you ovulating or, as a last resort, Bromocriptine, another powerful drug, which blocks the hormone, prolactin, from the pituitary gland. Both of these drugs have a long list of side-effects which may be unacceptable and should be carefully considered.
A carefully conducted study published in the leading medical journal, The Lancet, in 1988, showed that women with premenstrual breast tenderness, could benefit from a low-fat, high-fibre, high-protein diet. The diet requires a substantial reduction in overall fat intake to a level that would mean most of us reducing our fat intake by nearly 50 per cent. To achieve this, the following changes would need to be made:
• Eat leaner cuts of meat and trim all visible fat from meat.
• Don’t eat meat products, such as pies, sausages, and pâté, which are high in fat.
• Don’t eat the skin from fish, chicken or other poultry.
• All meat and fish should be grilled, steamed or baked, and not fried, or prepared with rich creamy sauces.
• Dairy intake should be limited, replacing full cream milk with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Cheese can be replaced by those with a low-fat content, such as Edam, and using low fat polyunsaturated spreads, instead of ordinary margarines or butter. Cream is to be avoided too; and low fat yoghurts or fromage frais, are good alternatives.
• Where possible eat organic food, especially dairy products and meat which can contain hormones, antibiotics and other synthetic chemicals. Other dietary guidelines that are also of benefit in helping to reduce premenstrual breast tenderness include the following:
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, which are low in fat.
• Aim to consume one portion of green vegetables, a portion of root vegetables and some salad every day.
• All green leafy vegetables, potatoes and other root vegetables should be consumed without butter or margarine.
• Eat at least two to three portions of fruit daily.
• Eat at least three servings of oily fish each week, including mackerel, pilchards sardines and salmon. These contain EFAs which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, especially important for reducing breast tenderness.
• Have a daily serving of unsalted nuts and seeds, including pecans, almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts and sunflower and pumpkin seeds. These are also rich in EFAs and form part of a very nutritious diet. Eat them sprinkled over your cereal or yogurt or eat them as a snack. • Avoid wheat and bran which can encourage water retention. When the body sees a food as ‘toxic’, such as wheat the cells fill with fluid in an attempt to dilute the toxins, manifesting as fluid retention causing breast swelling and tenderness.
• Severely reduce or avoid salt and salty foods. Salt drags fluid into the cells and exacerbates breast tenderness. Use herbs and spices to enhance the flavour of food rather than disguising it with salt.
• Alcohol, sugar, confectionery and other foods rich in sugar and honey, should be severely limited, as they provide empty calories.
All these measures are particularly important if you are overweight. It has been shown that such diets may help bring down excessive levels of the hormone oestrogen, which may stimulate breast tissue. A high-fibre diet 102 THE NATURAL HEALTH BIBLE may help combat a tendency to constipation, which itself has been associated with hormonal abnormalities and even some breast conditions. Overall, the effects of this diet in the study group were very gratifying, but the benefits took some six months to become fully apparent. There was a substantial reduction in both premenstrual breast swelling, tenderness and discomfort, and it may be that these beneficial changes could eventually lead to a reduction in breast cancer risk. Other potentially beneficial measures include:
• Reducing consumption of cigarettes and alcohol, as well as caffeine from tea, coffee, chocolate and cola-based drinks.
• Taking the supplement evening primrose oil, Efamol. This is widely available in chemists and health-food shops. The full dosage is six to eight 500 iu capsules taken daily through the menstrual cycle. It is best combined with the above dietary measures.
• Taking natural vitamin E, 400 iu per day, has also been shown to help with breast tenderness in one trial.
• Wearing a firm, supportive bra. Some women find a sports bra particularly comforting and helpful during the night.
Self-examination
It is important to have regular breast examinations, especially if you are prone to tender, lumpy breasts. Make sure you examine your breasts yourself on a regular basis to check for any lumps or changes in shape. Many women will notice that their breasts become lumpy and tender in the two weeks before their period, and that this disappears when the period has begun. These symptoms are not a cause for alarm, but should be treated. When to examine Some doctors recommend examining your own breasts thoroughly at a regular time each month, after your period has finished. However, if you happen to be one of the 10 per cent of women who do self-examine, you will know that your breasts may sometimes alter in density and texture at different times of your cycle. It is important to get to know your breasts, and get in tune with your cycle, especially if you are of childbearing age. It is probably a good idea to examine your breasts on a fortnightly basis – preferably at a regular time. If there is a set time, perhaps at the weekend, when you have a leisurely soak in the bath, maybe that would be the best opportunity, and one that you would not forget.
How to self-examine
• First have a good look at yourself undressed in the mirror. Check to make sure there are no changes in shape or colour.
• Next take each segment of your breast, like the segments of an orange, BREAST PROBLEMS 103 and with one hand supporting the breast, probe and massage the section to check for lumps and bumps.
• Finally lie down, with one arm above your head, and check the circumference of the breast, including the section that merges with your underarm. Sometimes glands under the arm may be tender and swollen, indicating that there is some extra activity occurring in the area for some reason.
• If you have any concerns or confusion, it is best to get your doctor to examine the breast for you.
Most women who self-examine never find a lump, and the vast majority of lumps that are found are normal and harmless. Cysts, solid lumps, and discharge from the nipple are all things that occur from time to time, and which are usually hormonally related and with no sinister underlying cause. Be positive about examining your breasts on a regular basis. A lump detected early, which did turn out to be cancerous, would not be life-threatening if treated quickly. The medical profession are extremely efficient when it comes to breast cancer.
Never forget, if you have a pain or lump in your breast, you should be examined by your doctor. If neither the doctor nor the specialist can find nothing wrong, then taking care with your diet and using Efamol or Efamast, helps many women with benign breast disease. You would also be advised to follow the suggested menu on page 471. Complementary therapies Homeopathy, herbal medicine and massage would be the preferred choices of complementary therapies for breast problems, once it had been established that there was no underlying sinister cause. There are a number of homeopathic remedies worth trying, such as Natrum mur, Nux, Kali carb or Silica. Herbal medicine may also be worth a try.
Geraldine was a 42-year-old mother of two grown children who worked as a secretary. She suffered from painful breasts to the point where even walking hurt.
‘My problem began when I was 33 and would occur every three months. Within three years the frequency and the pain had increased so that for three weeks out of four I was in agony. My doctor suggested vitamin B6 which helped for the first few months, but the symptoms returned. I was instructed to increase the dose, and ended up taking seven pills per day, which I thought may be dangerous. He then suggested I try some evening primrose oil which helped ease the pain a bit, but not completely. 104 THE NATURAL HEALTH BIBLE That year my husband was killed in a road accident. My children were fourteen and ten at the time and life was extremely stressful. My breast pain grew worse until, by 1984, I was in pain for the majority of the time. My breast regularly swelled from 34B to 36B, and the skin was tight and shiny. I even wore a maternity bra in bed because I felt so heavy and uncomfortable. I went to see several doctors, one of whom suggested that perhaps I had strained my muscles driving a car! Eventually I was treated with several powerful hormonal drugs. The medical theory was that the shock and stress of my bereavement had brought on an early menopause. I didn’t believe this because I knew my symptoms had been just as severe, although less frequent, before I was widowed. When the drugs lost their effect I was prescribed new ones. I gradually put on 4.5 kilos and developed severe back pain. When the doctor eventually told me that my back pain was a side-effect of the drugs I went home and threw them all down the toilet. Within a week my back was as right as rain. It was at this point I saw a magazine article about a woman with symptoms similar to mine who had been cured by changes to her diet. I really didn’t have much faith in this, but I was so desperate I was ready to try anything. I phoned the WNAS and made an appointment. My first consultation was long and probing. I was given a strict diet to follow with no dairy produce, tea or coffee or added salt, no more than two slices of bread per day, and lots of fruit and vegetables. I was also given supplements of Optivite, vitamin C and Efamol, and told to follow an exercise programme.
Within a week I was a different woman. I felt so much better I could hardly believe it. It took just four months for the breast pain to completely disappear. I’ve been pain free for six years now. I still follow my programme and feel completely in control. Being free of breast pain has changed my life. I’ve been able to take swimming lessons and judo classes which would have been out of the question before. I feel like socialising and am thrilled about finding an answer to the problem that made my life a total misery for so many years.’
“Being free of breast pain has changed my life. I’ve been able to take swimming lessons and judo classes which would have been out of the question before. I feel like socialising and am thrilled about finding an answer to the problem that made my life a total misery for so many years.”
Geraldine