Study compares bacterial composition in healthy vs. cancerous breast tissueDate:October 6, 2017Source:Cleveland ClinicSummary:Researchers have uncovered differences in the bacterial composition of breast tissue of healthy women vs. women with breast cancer. The research team has discovered for the first time that healthy breast tissue contains more of the bacterial species Methylobacterium, a finding which could offer a new perspective in the battle against breast cancer.Share:FULL STORYBacteria that live in the body, known as the microbiome, influence many diseases.In a newly published study, Cleveland Clinic researchers have uncovered differences in the bacterial composition of breast tissue of healthy women vs. women with breast cancer. The research team has discovered for the first time that healthy breast tissue contains more of the bacterial species Methylobacterium, a finding which could offer a new perspective in the battle against breast cancer.Bacteria that live in the body, known as the microbiome, influence many diseases. Most research has been done on the “gut” microbiome, or bacteria in the digestive tract. Researchers have long suspected that a “microbiome” exists within breast tissue and plays a role in breast cancer but it has not yet been characterized. The research team has taken the first step toward understanding the composition of the bacteria in breast cancer by uncovering distinct microbial differences in healthy and cancerous breast tissue.”To my knowledge, this is the first study to examine both breast tissue and distant sites of the body for bacterial differences in breast cancer,” said co-senior author Charis Eng, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute and director of the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. “Our hope is to find a biomarker that would help us diagnose breast cancer quickly and easily. In our wildest dreams, we hope we can use microbiomics right before breast cancer forms and then prevent cancer with probiotics or antibiotics.”Published online in Oncotarget on Oct. 5, 2017, the study examined the tissues of 78 patients who underwent mastectomy for invasive carcinoma or elective cosmetic breast surgery. In addition, they examined oral rinse and urine to determine the bacterial composition of these distant sites in the body.In addition to the Methylobacterium finding, the team discovered that cancer patients’ urine samples had increased levels of gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Actinomyces. Further studies are needed to determine the role these organisms may play in breast cancer.Co-senior author Stephen Grobymer, M.D., said, “If we can target specific pro-cancer bacteria, we may be able to make the environment less hospitable to cancer and enhance existing treatments. Larger studies are needed but this work is a solid first step in better understanding the significant role of bacterial imbalances in breast cancer.” Dr. Grobmyer is section head of Surgical Oncology and director of Breast Services at Cleveland Clinic.The study provides proof-of-principle evidence to support further research into the creation and utilization of loaded submicroscopic particles (nanoparticles), targeting these pro-cancer bacteria. Funded by a grant from the Center for Transformational Nanomedicine, Drs. Grobmyer and Eng are collaborating with investigators at Hebrew University to develop new treatments using nanotechnology to deliver antibiotics directly to the bacterial community in breast cancer.Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women (after skin cancer) in the United States, where 1 in 8 women will develop the disease in their lifetimes.The study was funded by a Clinical Research Mentorship Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Society of Surgical Oncology Foundation, Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute, Earlier.org, and Randy and Ken Kendrick. Dr. Eng holds the Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair of Cancer Genomic Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.Story Source:Materials provided by Cleveland Clinic. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.Journal Reference:Hannah Wang, Jessica Altemus, Farshad Niazi, Holly Green, Benjamin C. Calhoun, Charles Sturgis, Stephen R. Grobmyer, Charis Eng. Breast tissue, oral and urinary microbiomes in breast cancer. Oncotarget, 2017; DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21490

The stress response: why it can make you fatigued, negatively impact your blood sugar handling, why it affects your blood pressure, why it can contribute to hormone imbalance and why it can cause weight fluctuations.

But adrenal fatigue also sets you up for estrogen dominance. Long term exposure to unopposed estrogen is the single biggest risk factor for developing Breast Cancer. This predisposes women to:

• PMS: irritability, weepiness, anxiety, depression, mood swings
• Breast tenderness
• Severe menstrual cramping
• Heavy, prolonged bleeding (menorrhagia)
• Spotting between cycles
• Thick clotting in blood
• Acne
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Water retention
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Fibroids
• Migraines
• Endometriosis

This is because all of the adrenal hormones have a common ancestor:  cholestrol (see the chart below. This is a MAJOR reason why it’s not a good idea to drive cholesterol too low, by the way!)

As you can see, progesterone (the main hormone that counteracts estrogen) is a precursor in the adrenal glands for both cortisol and another adrenal hormone, aldosterone (the one responsible for blood pressure changes).

What Progesterone Does

While estrogen encourages tissue proliferation (i.e. makes more of your endometrial lining, which can lead to heavy periods), progesterone does the opposite, nourishing the endometrial lining in case you get pregnant. It also counterbalances the estrogen dominance symptoms above, helping to lift the mood, restore libido, improve memory, assist with sleep, and protect against endometrial cancer.

In a Competition against Progesterone, Cortisol Wins

Of the adrenal hormones, cortisol is the most important. Too much is a problem, but too little is disaster. If the body has to choose which of the steroid hormones to make, it’ll pick cortisol every time. This means in times of high stress, when we need more cortisol to counterbalance adrenaline, our bodies will pass right on through the progesterone stage and make cortisol.

The Take-Home Message:

In times of high stress, PMS and menopausal symptoms are likely to get worse. I recommend Balancing Hormones Naturally. I use HTMA & A Specific Blood Test to establish the Root Cause of the Hormonal Imbalance.

In my line of work I hear complaints about inflammation and pain all day long. I’ve had many women come in complaining of spontaneous joint pain and body aches they’ve not experienced before and how debilitating it can be. Many are on prescription drugs and others try alternative therapies to help alleviate the inflammatory process thus reducing the pain. Exactly how biochemical processes cause chronic inflammation is not yet fully understood, but we do know that women and older people suffer more inflammatory illnesses. Let’s explore how hormonal imbalance may lead to chronic inflammation and disease.

First of all, inflammation is classically defined as a protective reaction by the body in response to some physical or chemical injury. It is the first step in the healing or repair process after an injury or stress. However, chronic inflammation is an abnormal condition that can cause or is associated with poor health and disease. There are many factors that contribute to chronic inflammation in the body including environmental toxins, poor diet, drugs, increased weight, and stress.   Researchers also believe that inflammation is a particular issue for women during and after menopause. Inflammation caused by hormonal imbalance could be a reason why women suffer 75% of all autoimmune disease.

Estrogen

As women approach menopause, typically between the age of 45 and 55, their bodies go through radical hormonal fluctuations that can affect them in many ways. Changing levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone have a role to play in age-related inflammation. Researchers believe that the declining levels of estrogen play a major role in joint pain during menopause. It appears that a decrease in estrogen corresponds with a rise in the cytokines interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 (pro-inflammatory chemicals). Estrogen affects joints by keeping inflammation down; therefore, as estrogen levels begin to decline during peri-menopause, joints get less and less estrogen, and pain is often the result.

The hormonal changes leading up to menopause also contribute to weight gain. There is clear evidence that extra fat cells, especially around the middle of the body, add to systemic inflammation by creating extra cytokines and C-reactive protein (chemicals in the body that promote inflammation).

Cortisol, Insulin and Thyroid

Cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands directly influences insulin levels and metabolism. A depletion of cortisol is often implicated in furthering a pro-inflammatory state. Cortisol, like insulin, is required for energy metabolism.   It is also produced in large amounts in response to an acute short-term stress, such as an infection. Thus, cortisol response must be enough to handle short-term inflammation.

After the stress and inflammation pass, the body’s “fight or flight” hormones quickly return to normal. The problem with cortisol occurs when the inflammation doesn’t stop. Constant stress means constant secretion of cortisol and as the body adapts to chronic stress, you become hyperinsulinemic, thereby creating more visceral fat since insulin promotes fat storage.   This fuels more cortisol secretion which results in a vicious cycle of stress and weight gain, creating chronic inflammation.

As we age, the body’s hormonal balance favors excess cortisol as the counterbalancing levels of estrogen and testosterone drop. The resulting chronically high cortisol levels take a heavy toll on the body from insulin resistance to reduced immune system function. Excess cortisol is also associated with a low level of thyroid hormone. This is why many people have trouble losing weight, have chronic infections, fatigue, and a wide variety of other conditions that may further compound the effects of inflammation.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas in response to food in our stomach. Because of our modern-day diet of low-fat, highly processed, and refined foods, the pancreas keeps pumping out more and more insulin. This excess of insulin functions as a pro-inflammatory substance. Eventually we become resistant to all this excess insulin in our blood. Another words, the body needs more and more of it to do the same job it once did with far less. This insulin production system spirals out of control creating inflammation and oxidative stress. This ages the brain, leading to what is now called type 3 diabetes (aka Alzheimer’s).

In The Anti-Inflammatory Zone, Barry Sears, PhD, wrote that underlying hormonal changes occur when inflammation persists in the body, and that these changes then perpetuate the body’s inflammatory response. Dr. Sears says that eating the wrong type of fats and too many carbohydrates causes overproduction of two hormones: pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and insulin. High levels of these hormones then cause the body to produce more cortisol which furthers more inflammation.

Tips on How to Lower Inflammation and Balance Hormones

1. Add an adaptogenic herb like Relora or Ashwagandha to help the body adapt to stress. Adaptogens improve the entire body’s resistance to stress and create balance and harmony in the body, thereby reducing inflammation and balancing hormones
2. Eat your vegetables! Vegetables contain hundreds to thousands of phytonutrients (plant hormones) that have a hormone-balancing effect in the body. Vegetables also contain fiber that binds itself to old estrogens, thereby clearing them out of the system, leading to lower inflammation and better hormonal balance.
3. Remove inflammatory foods from your diet, such as processed dairy, gluten, alcohol, sugar, processed snacks, omega-6 oils, and soy. These can incite inflammation and create hormonal imbalance. Food insensitivities and inflammatory food can lead to leaky gut, inflammation, and systemic imbalance, which in turn can put hormones in flux.
4. Eat healthy fats like: Butter, raw dairy, coconut oil, avocados and olive oil. . Steer clear of vegetable oils, peanut oil, canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, margarine, shortening or “spreads” (these are all high in omega 6 fats)
5. Watch for endocrine disruptors or hormone disruptors like plastics, air fresheners, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, cleansers and cleaners, cosmetics, deodorants, toothpaste, and lotions.
6. Don’t do long cardio sessions. Opt for short interval training. Long cardio sessions can actually lower your thyroid function and increase cortisol and inflammation. Interval training increases your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and slows aging.
7. Avoid all-day caffeine! Excessive caffeine raises your cortisol and slows down your thyroid.
8. Consider supporting your, as poor digestion is linked to slow stomach emptying and bile production, inciting inflammation and triggering hormone disruption.
9. Relax more. Help yourself lower the inflammation from within by just breathing more, sleeping more and allowing yourself to take a break. Our lives are dictated by work, family, drugs, and technology. In order to heal, we have to take a break from it all to catch our breath and put out the fire.

Estrogen is known as the female hormone. It helps kickstart sexual development and, along with progesterone, affects a woman’s reproductive system. According to Healthline, when your body has the proper hormone balance, your body functions the way it is meant to. However, if you have a hormone imbalance, it can cause a lot of wacky things to happen. One example of this is estrogen dominance.

What Is Estrogen Dominance?

While estrogen is a normal part of all bodies, when your body has more estrogen than progesterone, it is referred to as estrogen dominance. Some symptoms of estrogen dominance in women are:

• bloating
• swelling and tenderness in your breasts
• fibrocystic lumps in your breasts
• decreased sex drive
• irregular menstrual periods
• increased symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• mood swings
• headaches
• anxiety and panic attacks
• weight gain
• hair loss
• cold hands or feet
• insomnia
• sleepiness or fatigue
• issues with memory

In men, estrogen dominance can manifest as infertility, Gynecomastia, and erectile dysfunction.

Risk of Breast Cancer

Having estrogen dominance makes you more at risk of breast cancer. Essentially, breast cells can attach themselves to estrogen. The estrogen then fuels the growth of these cells. If they become cancerous, it can spread quickly. This is why it is essential to be checked for estrogen dominance. It can give you an early idea that breast cancer could be possible.

Thermography and Identifying Estrogen Dominance

Thermography is helpful in identifying estrogen dominance. It is able to detect physiological changes linked to cancer while it is still at a cellular level. It detects it even before a mammogram can. Another benefit of thermography is the ability to detect lymphatic congestion, which is also a precursor to disease.

At Thermography Clinic Ireland, we want to help you with your thermography needs. Contact us today for more information.

Dense breasts are easily imaged with Thermography

Traditionally, doctors use mammography to diagnose potentially harmful lesions in the breasts. These lumps or lesions usually appear as white spots against black or grey areas.

But if you have dense breasts, that tissue will appear white as well. This makes it more difficult for doctors to see potential breast cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 20 percent of cancers are missed in a mammogram. That percentage can approach 40 to 50 percent in women with dense breasts.

“Breast density is like mammogram’s dirty little secret. Half of women over 40 have no idea that their ‘normal’ mammogram might not be normal at all. We are looking for a snowball in a snowstorm! You see, cancer is white, and dense tissue is white. So, dense breast tissue can overlap with cancers, masking them from view; in fact, we miss up to 50 percent of cancers in dense breasts.  Secondly, dense tissue is the part of the breast that gets cancer, not fat, so there is a higher risk of getting cancer for women with dense breasts. Density level 4 women have five times the cancer risk as a density level 1″. (NEJM)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nikki-weissgoldstein/breast-density_b_5908410.html, 2014.)

BECAUSE THERMOGRAPHY IS A TEST OF PHYSIOLOGY AND FUNCTION IT IS UNAFFECTED BY SIZE OR DENSE BREAST TISSUE.  It is the ideal screening for detecting early changes in breast health in any breast,  including dense breasts.  If you have dense breasts do everything you can and add thermography as another tool for your breast health screening.

Nancy’s Story

Dr. Nancy Cappello’s Story

I did what the medical field and the countless number of cancer advocacy groups told me. I ate healthy, did monthly self exams, exercised daily, had yearly mammograms AND had no first-degree relative with breast cancer. Little did I know at the time that there was information about my health which impacts my life outcomes that was being kept from me – the patient – and others like me.

 I call it the best-kept secret – but it WAS known in the medical community. I have dense breast tissue – and women like me (2/3 of pre-menopausal and 1/4 of post menopausal) have less than a 48% chance of having breast cancer detected by a mammogram. In November 2003 I had my yearly mammogram and my “Happy Gram” report that I received stated that my mammogram was “NORMAL” and that there were “no significant findings.” Six weeks later at my annual exam in January, my doctor felt a ridge in my right breast and sent me for another mammogram and an ultrasound. The mammogram revealed “nothing” yet the ultrasound detected a large 2.5 cm suspicious lesion, which was later confirmed to be stage 3c breast cancer, as the cancer had metastasized to 13 lymph nodes.

So on February 3, 2004 my life changed when I heard those dreaded words, “You have cancer.” I asked what most women would ask – thinking that I was an educated patient following the medical community guidelines – “Why didn’t the mammogram find my cancer?” It was the first time that I was informed that I have dense breast tissue and its impact on missed, delayed and advanced stage cancer.  What is dense tissue, I asked?  Dense tissue appears white on a mammogram and cancer appears white – thus there is no contrast to detect the cancer (It is like looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm). I asked my physicians (now I had a TEAM of them) why wasn’t I informed that I have dense breast tissue and that mammograms are limited in detecting cancer in women with dense breast tissue? The response was “it is not the standard protocol.”

So I went on a quest – for research – and I discovered for nearly a decade BEFORE my diagnosis, six major studies with over 42,000 women concluded that by supplementing a mammogram with an ultrasound increases detection from 48% to 97% for women with dense tissue. I also learned that women with extremely dense tissue are 5x more likely to have breast cancer when compared with women with fatty breasts and that research on dense breast tissue as an independent risk factor for breast cancer has been studied since the mid 70’s.  Women with dense breast tissue have double jeopardy – a greater risk of having cancer AND are less likely to have cancer detected by mammography alone.

I endured a mastectomy, reconstruction, 8 chemotherapy treatments and 24 radiation treatments. The pathology report confirmed – stage 3c cancer – because the cancer had traveled outside of the breast – to my lymph nodes. Eighteen lymph nodes were removed and thirteen contained cancer – AND REMEMBER – a “normal” mammogram just weeks before. Is that early detection?

Since then, I learned that there are many women like me with recent normal mammogram reports with a hidden intruder stealing their life.  I am on a quest to expose this best-kept secret of dense breast tissue to ensure that women with dense breast tissue receive screening and diagnostic measures to find cancer at its earliest stage – isn’t that the purpose of Screening Programs?

Add Thermography to your breast health management program.