Written by Dr. Sandra Miranda, ND

In the past few weeks, I have seen way too many patients with new breast lumps, cyst and other breast concerns.  So, I think it is time to focus on this important subject. There is so much information nowadays and natural tips on how we can prevent and maintain healthy breasts.  Our breasts should not have lumps and they should never hurt!  So you have these concerns or have a family history of breast cancer then please keep reading!

We have good estrogens and bad estrogens.  Whether you are still menstruating or in menopause, it is imperative that your body can break down and get rid of the bad estrogens that are present in your body in order to avoid problems.

Xenoestrogens are “foreign” estrogens – molecules from our environment that look like our own estrogens but are not actually estrogens.  These xenoestrogens can still bind to our tissue receptors and therefore can cause hazardous outcomes.  Some of the environmental sources of these bad estrogens are: plastics, pesticides, chemicals, and animal meats or dairy that have been injected with antibiotics and hormones.  

Having a lot of xenoestrogens in our body can lead to breast lumps, cysts, breast pain, cancer, but also heavy periods, fibroids, endometriosis, cramps and in short bad pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).

Here are the top 5 tips on how to reduce the accumulation of these bad estrogens in your body:

• Do not use plastic! Avoid even the bisphenol free plastics as much as you can.  Do not drink in a plastic bottle, do not store your food in plastic container and do not microwave in a plastic Tupperware.
• Maintain regular bowel movements – yes, daily! Ideally we should have a bowel movement for every meal that we eat – yes, you heard me right – 3 x day!  At the very least you should aim for 1 per day – anything less than this is considered constipation.
• WATER – increase it to a minimum of 2 L per day.  This includes your water, water and lemon, water and ginger or herbal teas that have no sugar or honey in them.
• Ground flaxseeds – you guys know I love to recommend ground flax seeds! Studies show that taking 3 heaping tbsp. per day can help your body eliminate those unwanted estrogens.  Remember to keep your seeds in the fridge to keep them fresh!
• Think twice before taking any drugs or mediation – be especially careful with marijuana, birth control pill, IUDs with hormones, synthetic hormone replacement therapy like premarin, etc.