The good news is that I was taking two Elderberry Defense capsules a day as a preventative, was the last one to catch the cold, and when it came on I began taking about 6 capsules daily. Except for the occasional sniff or mild cough, I barely knew I had a cold! Who said herbs don't work?

October's Tools for Health focus is on breast health and some new information you may not be aware of. We'll also take a look at way's we can make a positive difference so stay tuned and enjoy!

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In This Issue

1. Breast Health
2. Thermal Imaging & Breast Health
3. What You Can Do
4. What's New At Home

NOTE: To receive the best results I recommend only high quality resources. Look for herbs, supplements, and other resources mentioned in Tools for Health at My NSP Natural Health Coach and Natural Health Coach for Women.

Breast Health

Have you ever felt stressed about doing a Breast Self-Examination (BSE), that you weren't doing it right or that you really didn’t know what was going on with all that tissue you were moving around? Recent studies including one trial in China with 250,000 women have prompted the American Cancer Society to change its guidelines to make BSE optional rather than mandatory.

The studies indicated that BSE's didn’t actually reduce the number of breast cancer deaths AND that women performing regular BSE may be more likely to have biopsies, unnecessary surgery and anxiety.

So what should you be doing? Here’s a quote from cancer.org’s website:

"'There are two ways to think about breast self-examination,' said Amy Langer, executive director of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO). 'One is as a particular technique that has to be learned, has to be demonstrated, has to be practiced and done consistently and correctly.'

"Most women don’t do BSE in that structured, formal way, Langer said, because they don’t have confidence that they're doing it right -- and that makes them feel anxious.

"'Another way to think of BSE … is being familiar with the landscape of your breasts. It's knowing that you already have a bump here, a wrinkle there, and that that freckle by your nipple has always been there, so that you get a sense in your mind and in your hands of what feels normal for you," Langer said. "That’s less overwhelming for women.'"

Interestingly, even earlier studies that lead to monthly BSE recommendations found that most women found cancers incidentally while doing every day things like dressing or bathing.

When you are familiar with your body, breasts or any other part, you will be aware of changes and able to address them.

Thermal Imaging & Breast Health

One way to familiarize yourself with what's going on in your body is Thermal Imaging. This is my choice since it is non-invasive and can Point me to trouble spots very early. I encourage you to learn more about this great tool.

Following are two pages at www.ditiflorida.com . The first explains how thermal imaging works, the second is a map of the United States where you can click to see what’s available in your area.

http://www.ditiflorida.com/diti.htm

http://www.ditiflorida.com/NationwideLocations.htm

There are other companies who do thermal imaging so if you don't have someone close by listed here, do some more searching. I happened upon my technician quite by chance, but am very glad we connected.

What You Can Do

If one of my health goals is to nutritionally support and protect my reproductive system, including the breasts, I would make sure my supplement contained active compounds and metabolites that would

• act as antioxidants,
• bind estrogen receptors and
• boost immune stimulation

Among the ingredients I would look for such things as Maitake mushroom for its immune stimulating properties, and flax for promoting a healthy balance of estrogen levels. In addition, I would want ellagic acid, genistein, lutein beads and calcium d-glucarate.

It is also important to be aware of the hormones in foods as well as the environment. The following is taken from Living Longer and Loving It by Alex Duarte, O.D., Ph.D.

“Cancer develops in two important phases: the initiation phase and the promotion phase. Initiating factors for breast cancer include ionizing radiation, dietary factors and alcohol consumption.

"Promotional factors include all of the following:

• Prolonged exposure to estrogens through the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy as well as xenobiotic estrogen-mimicking compounds in the environment.

• As women age, they increase their fat mass, which alone can increase estrogen levels.

• Adrenal glands can also produce estrone, which can be converted to estradiol, the major estrogen type that is implicated in breast cancer.

• Foreign chemicals such as plastics that contain plasticizers (found in containers, wrappers, bags, plates, etc.) are estrogen-mimicking compounds.

• Pesticides also mimic estrogen and may play a major role in the incidence of cancer. In the U.S., we consume a lot of meat.

• Most of the animals are treated with estrogen-like hormones to make them heavier before slaughter. Researchers have shown that animal protein and fat increase estrogen production in a woman’s body. Also the high level of fat consumption in the U.S. increases the risk of breast cancer as it carries pesticides and estrogens. It also induces the body to produce more estrogen.

• The standard high-meat/low-fiber American diet creates constipation, which increases the transit time of food in the colon. This results in more estrogen being reabsorbed through the intestines and converted to the more damaging estrogen metabolites that can promote cancer.

• Some authorities believe that as much as 94 percent of our food has trace amounts of pesticides. In 1993, a study appeared in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Author Dr. Mary Wolff of Mount Sinai in New York compared fat tissue found in 58 women with cancer against tissue from 171 women without cancer. Women in the top 10 percent of incidence of breast cancer had 4 times the levels of pesticides in their breast fat cells than women who were at the bottom 10 percent."

What's New at Home

Probably the newest information from the homefront is that after amost 6 months of being gone off and on, I'm going to stay home! It's been wonderful to travel but I'm looking forward to being home.

Please feel welcome to reply to this email or call if you have questions. I love sharing about natural health options.

Teri Hayes is a Certified Natural Health Consultant, Herb Specialist, and Certified Reflexologist

You can e-mail her by replying to this newsletter or visit her at Natural Health Coach for Women

The herbs and supplements she recommends to clients can be found using this link.

Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this newsletter and tell me what you think!

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The suggestions in this e-newsletter are meant to encourage personal responsibility for health and are not given as medical advice. For your individual health concerns such as chronic or acute warning symptoms, in emergency situations, or when in doubt, seek the advice of your primary personal health car practitioner.