By Dr. Christine Horner, M.D.
Christine Horner, MD is a board
certified and nationally recognized surgeon, author, professional speaker and
champion for women's health. She spearheaded legislation in the 1990s that made
it mandatory that insurance companies pay for breast reconstruction following
mastectomy. She is the author of the book, Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr.
Christine Horner’s Program to Protect Against and Fight Breast Cancer winner of
the IPPY award for the “Best Book in Medicine, Nutrition and Health.” For more
information go to www.drchristinehorner.com
“On May 14, we woke to the shocking
news that a young woman, an actress graced with most exceptional beauty and
fame, and a mother of 6, had decided to remove her breasts. Angelina Jolie as a
humanitarian has fearlessly traveled to places most of us would never go. She
has now revealed she has completed another journey that none of us would
embrace.
Ms. Jolie’s mother died of ovarian cancer at age 56 after fighting for her life for a heroic decade. Angelina decided to be tested for the BRCA genes—the most influential genes—that if abnormal, indicate a very high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Her tests came back positive. The doctors told her that her risk of developing breast cancer was 87%--a number too high for her to ignore. She explained her decision this way: she didn’t want her children to lose their mother too early, as she had lost hers.
Breast reconstruction—a procedure that Angie chose—can restore a woman to wholeness and often has beautiful results. I applaud her for her bravery. But as a former plastic surgeon, now an expert in breast cancer prevention and natural health, and the woman who spearheaded legislation to make it mandatory for insurance companies to pay for breast reconstruction following mastectomy, I have a more expanded message.
After my mother’s death of breast cancer in 2004, I dove into the medical literature—the collection of medical research—to see what, if anything, women could do to lower their risk. I instantly found thousands of studies that showed exactly why we have a breast cancer epidemic: everything we are doing to contribute to it and everything that we traditionally don’t do in this culture that is highly protective. The answers were all “natural.” For example foods, dietary supplements; and lifestyle choices, including how much you exercise, the hours that you sleep, your relationships, and how you handle stress all have a profound influence on your risk. Research shows that if you adopt as many of the healthy habits as possible, your risk—even if you have the BRCA gene mutations—can be lowered by at least 50-70%.
My message is this: You have
tremendous power to influence your health. A healthy diet and lifestyle not
only significantly lowers your risk of breast cancer, but of most chronic
diseases. Most women do not have the BRCA gene mutations—in fact, 90%-95% of us
do not. If you carry the BRCA genes, you are at a higher risk, but you owe it
to yourself to question the dire statistics your doctor states. Those numbers
are based on women who received no education about what to avoid and what to
favor. Research confirms that a few simple changes can have profound results.
Empower yourself with education. Know that everything you do to support your
health will greatly put the odds in your favor of living a long healthy life.”
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Here, I can not miss mentioning the naked truth around implants, that I heard from Dr Susan Kolb. You can watch klicking here or read interviews with her as well. These implants have to be renewed in every 8 years minimum, because even the best quality will leak forming molt in the body and causing numerous health issues. The leakage ca not be detected by ultrasound or echo...
