I have so many important documents I have used in my practice over the years. I was thinking about an old patient of mine. She had a lot of relatives who had experienced a breast cancer diagnosis. She felt so much fear yet you have so much power if you know what can help offset risk. I am going to repost Dr. Kristi Funk’s diet. She is an MD that is very well known in the US for her work on prevention of breast cancer. Here it is…

Recommendations for Breast Cancer- Dr. Kristi Funk, MD- The Ultimate Cancer fighting diet

Cut meat and dairy products. You can cut risk back by 50% by following a plant-based diet. Cut alcohol out and exercise daily for at least 30-45 minutes.

Sulforaphane in broccoli helps as do ellagic acid in berries and walnuts. Plants prevent broken DNA-stimulate your DNA to create apoptosis in abnormal cells.

Soybeans bind to activated B receptors and shut down alpha receptors which estrogen binds to and shuts aromatase down which would increase estrogen. Soy is beneficial to consume and protects against cancer- 58% of women consuming soy had lowest risk of cancer. Eating 2-3 serving of soy had decreased rate of reoccurrence.

If you have 1 serving decreases estrogen 21%. Soy never makes the cancer grow. Make it non- GMO and organic soy.

Breast superfoods include

1. cruciferous vegetables (the family)- when you choose these foods eat them raw or lightly steamed. Heat destroys myrosinase conversion of isothiocyanate to sulforaphane. Eating broccoli sprouts-1/4 cup daily in your salad gives you 100x the sulforaphane of broccoli. You can eat steamed broccoli with a little mustard powder stirred in to activate the sulforaphane. Eat 2 servings from the cruciferous family daily to reduce risk.
2. Leafy greens. Eat a big salad daily with many different types of greens- kale, leaf lettuce, collards, chard, etc.
3. Allium family- need to be fresh- leeks, garlic, shallots.
4. Mushrooms- contain natural aromatase inhibitors. White button mushrooms have the highest estrogen blocking activity. A thumbs worth is all you need to eat! This decreases androgens being converted into estrogens. Have to lightly cook the mushrooms vs eat raw.
5. Green tea- consuming ½ cup green tea per day regularly dropped breast cancer rates by 89%.

3 cups of green tea per day – squeeze a fresh lemon in for even more cancer protective properties (increases ECGC 5x which cuts breast cancer risk by 50%).

Coffee may cause breast cysts and swelling in some people because of the methylxanthines.

6. Flax seeds- Eat 1-2 tbsp ground flaxseed daily to reduce risk of breast cancer.
7. Alcohol- NOT protective. Any amount can increase cancer risk. Limit to red wine if you are going to consume any because of resveratrol in the grape skins.

Happy December everyone. If you want to book an appointment with me go to www.robinvinge.com and click on the contact me button for a link to my online booking site on Jane. Much love, Dr. Robin Vinge, ND 4034670039

If we are lucky to make it to adulthood, we may be plagued by memories of imperfection embodied in our youth. I know for a fact, that I would not be dealing with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis if I had not pushed myself so hard throughout life. I was very driven as a child especially when it came to sports. I loved sports and spent great effort in playing sports but did not pay enough attention to taking care of myself when I was younger.  I regret not treating myself with kindness and compassion in my youth. But as there are consequences from every action in the 3D world, I think I am pretty grateful to be here now. I had anorexia nervosa in my early teens (age 11 to 14) which I did overcome and have not relapsed since I was 21. My stress levels were very high at that time.

I also developed MS because I ate poorly for about five years. There are no accidents just consequences to every action. I had a sugar addiction when I was attending university. I would also binge drink on occasion at that time too. I know now from going to naturopathic medical school that those two behaviors will contribute to gastrointestinal permeability. Also being a high-performance athlete contributes to gastrointestinal permeability. Gastrointestinal permeability is a key factor in developing an autoimmune disease.

 We trained hard being varsity athletes. We would do early morning runs on three days of the week. We would practice from 4:30 to 6:30 pm after university classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We would play games on Wednesday nights at 7 pm. We would often travel on the weekends to play other teams and universities. That was my most favorite time of my life though. I regret that I was not conscious and aware of how important it was to eat well when I was younger. My parents provided me with sound nutrition. I just made poor choices at times and now my poor choices have caught up with me.

My intuition told me when I was in my mid twenties to study naturopathic medicine and that was one of the best decisions that I made.  I have since learned how to take excellent care of my health with diet and lifestyle. I will forever be compensating for errors of my youth but I have accepted that as my wisdom that I can pass on to other people. I have had patients over the years that have confessed to me that some of the errors of their youth resulted in health challenges (a smoker with a diagnosis of tongue cancer comes to mind).

I would love to be able to speak to young athletes in schools and universities of the importance of sound nutrition and watching alcohol intake in order to preserve life long health. I feel I have to eat perfectly for the rest of my life. My sister says I have orthorexia now and she may be right about that. I did go into the perfect field to maintain my health.

 I do know that one trigger that I have trouble overcoming is overwork. I often don’t know my limits until I have overextending myself and have wound up in the ditch. That is typical of autoimmune. I am learning to make peace with the driven side of myself and am learning the wisdom that my body communicates to me every day.

 Life is a long journey. Your intuition can guide you. Your personal will needs to be united with divine will in order for your life to unfold in such a way that you can be used for God’s service and as an instrument of God’s love.

www.robinvinge.com

This is my last post on taking care of your brain with diet and lifestyle. My last tips include exposing yourself to sunlight first thing in the am. It can help you sleep better at night with a subtle influence on circadian rhythms. Sleep in a cool room (18- 24 Celsius) dark and quiet. Fast for three hours before bed and fast 12 hours over night because that allows for autophagy overnight (grand cleanup of your brain tissue. Avoid alcohol at night as that will affect the quality of your sleep. Try to cut off caffeine intake by 2 pm for optimal sleep too.

Dean Ornish, MD recommended the following supplements  to his trial participants for the 20 weeks so I thought I would list them here because they are readily available.  Nordic Naturals ProOmegaCRP- 2 capsules twice daily consisting of Omega 3 fatty acids 1680 mg, Curcumin 800 mg/day (both researched in improving cognitive function), Vitamin C 1000 mg/day, B12- 500 mcg/day, Magnesium l-threonate 144 mg Magtein- 2 tablets daily, Nordic Naturals – 200 mg Coenzyme Q10- 2 softgels daily, Lion’s mane- 2 grams/day Stamet’s host defense, Solgar-VM-75 without iron- 1 tablet a day, Flora Super Bifido plus probiotic- 1 tablet/day.

In summary, to keep things simple,  pay attention to six buckets to support your cognitive health: your mind/body approach basket, your exercise basket, your sleep basket, your social connection basket, your exercise basket, your nutrition basket, and your purpose and meaning basket. If you are interested in booking an appointment with me, you can go to www.robinvinge.com. Until next time, be well!

References: www.deanornish.com