Risk Factors vs the Homeopathic Model to Find the Real Cause of Breast Cancer

Introduction

Breast cancer has been denoted as the most frequently diagnosed life-threatening cancer in women, as well as the leading cause o cancer death among women. In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimated around 1.4 million new cases worldwide1.

Because there are many types of breast cancer, we are not going to mention all of them; we are just going to talk about breast cancer as a general entity.

The Cause of Cancer

Until now, for conventional medicine, the real cause of the majority of breast cancers has not been discovered. There are many theories trying to explain the cause, including genetic mutations, environmental exposure and inherited tendencies. However, any of these theories has being concluded. Every woman is at risk to develop breast cancer.

Risk Factors

Many risk factors have been identified; some of the risk factors include early menarche, nulliparity, and late menopause in premenopausal women, while obesity and hormone replacement therapy account for postmenopausal women. However, approximately 70 to 80 percent of the cases occur in women with no obvious risk factors3.

Table 1 denotes a very detailed list of risk factors made by the BCI Westmead Breast Cancer Institute.

Table 1 Established risk factors for breast cancer in women

Factor	High-risk group	Low-risk group
	Relative risk >4.0	Relative risk <1.0
Age	Old	Young
Country of birth	North America, Northern Europe	Asia, Africa
Mother and sister with history of breast cancer, especially if diagnosed at an early age	Yes	No
Biopsy-confirmed atypical hyperplasia and a history of breast cancer in a first degree relative	Yes	No
	Relative risk=2.1B4.0	Relative risk <1.0
Nodular densities on the mammogram	Densities occupying >75% of breast volume	Parenchyma composed entirely of fat
History of cancer in one breast	Yes	No
Mother or sister with history of breast cancer, diagnosed at an early age	Yes	No
Biopsy-confirmed atypical hyperplasia without a family history of breast cancer	Yes	No
Radiation to chest	Yes	No
	Relative risk=1.1B2.0	Relative risk <1.0
Socio-economic status	High	Low
Place of residence	Urban	Rural
Race/ethnicity breast cancer at >45 years breast cancer at <45 years	White Black	Hispanic, Asian Hispanic, Asian
Religion	Jewish	Seventh-day Adventist, Mormon
Oophorectomy before age 40	No	Yes
Nulliparity, breast cancer at >40 years of age	Yes	No
Age at first full-term pregnancy	>30 years	<20 years
Age at menarche	<11 years	>15 years
Age at menopause	>55 years	<45 years
History of primary cancer in endometrium, ovary	Yes	No
Obesity breast cancer at >50 years breast cancer at <50 years	Obese Thin	Thin Obese

Source: BCI

Furthermore, the table 2 examines the probability for women to develop breast cancer according to the group of age
.

                                                 

Table 2. Probability of Developing Breast Cancer Within the Next 10 years
By age 20    By age 30    By age 40    By age 50    By age 60    By age 70    Lifetime	1 out of 1,760   1 out of 229   1 out of 69   1 out of 42   1 out of 29   1 out of 27   1 out of 8

Source: Among those cancer free at age interval. Based on cases diagnosed 2000-2002. "1 in" are approximates. Source: American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Facts & Figures, 2008-2009.

According to the statistics, the older a woman is, the greater the probabilities to develop breast cancer. Around 77% of breast cancer cases occur in women over 50 years of age.

According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute, (Table 3).

• White, Hawaiian, and African-American women have the highest incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States.
•  Korean, American Indian, and Vietnamese women have the lowest incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States.
• African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with a later stage of breast cancer than White women.

Table 3. Incidence Rates by Race
Race/Ethnicity	Female
All Races   White   Black   Asian/Pacific Islander   American Indian/Alaska Native   Hispanic	127.8 per 100,000 women   132.5 per 100,000 women   118.3 per 100,000 women   89.0 per 100,000 women   69.8 per 100,000 women    89.3 per 100,000 women

Source: National Cancer Institute, SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 2007. Statistics based on data, 2000-2004. See www.cancer.gov for more information.

That means that approximately the incidence will be as follows:

• White women 1 in 755.
• Black women 1 in 845.
• Asian/Pacific Islander 1 in 1123.
• American Indian/Alaska Native 1 in 1432
• Hispanic 1 in 1119.

However, since a real cause has not been found, and the risk factors cannot determine if someone is at real risk to develop cancer, we would like to exemplify according to the homeopathic model the relation between the emotional conflicts and cancer.

Case study

A 28 year old lady who was diagnosed with breast cancer of the right breast, lumpectomy had been already performed and she was about to start with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Her risk factors according to the western model:

28 years old: 1 in 1760.

Hispanic race: 1 in 1119

No family history of breast or ovarian cancer: low probability.

Low socio-economic status: low probability

Seventh-day Adventist religion: low probability

Menarche at 14years and 10 months: low probability

In general, all her risk factors are too low to think that she could be at high risk, even at risk to develop breast cancer.

The Homeopathic Model

The homeopathic model is based on 8 principles7,8 (table 4); the first of them is the vital principle which is known as the vital force that is in charge of keeping the balance between the body and the mind (figure 1).

Table 2. The Homeopathic Principles

1. Vital Principle 2. Natura morborum medicatrix 3. Similia similibum curantur 4. Pure experimentation 5. Individuality of the illness 6. Individuality of the medication 7. Minimum dose 8. principle of the Miasmasprinciple of the Miasmas

Source: Ortega 1997.

BODY

MIND

Figure 1. Outlines the balance between mind and body.

Homeopathically speaking, illness is the disequilibrium of the vital force which will cause an unbalance on the relation between body (organs) and mind (emotions).  According to this model the sequence of illness starts with the disequilibrium of the vital force, followed by manifestations at the level of the mind, and once the body is not able to cope with these manifestations it will express the physical problem.

A physical problem will be manifested once a mental problem has been developed and your own nature is not able to heal it; both of them, the emotional problem and the physical manifestation will be in direct relation. Therefore, the physical manifestations are going to be of the same kind (defect, excess or destruction) as the manifestations of the mental symptoms7,8.

The real cause of cancer

As mentioned before, if we follow the homeopathic model, we have to find the reason why, the vital force was disturbed in the first place, the disturbance can be caused by any emotional conflict at any level, once you find the emotional problem that caused the disequilibrium of the vital force and you get the relation of emotional manifestations, you will be now, able to make the relation in time and kind of the emotional problem with the physical problem, in this case we talk about cancer, but it could be any other kind of pathology.

Our patient who has a very low risk to develop cancer, developed breast cancer even with that low risk, but once we dig into her emotional state, we discover the relation of an emotional disturbance during her childhood and youth with the way she manifested her physical problem.

Her emotional problem started at a very young age with problems with her mother, who she felt never gave her affection and support, our patient grew in the middle of low self-esteem and lack of self-worth9, because of that she found very difficult to have relations with other people, becoming a very lonely person.

She grew, finding her relation with her mother too difficult to cope with it and finally leaving her home and migrating to another country in an effort to put some distance in between; once in another country she felt more comfortable and with more peace of mind even getting to the point of missing her mother, but every time that she tried to contact her, she received the same answer coming from her to the point of putting her down again on her mood.

Finally she developed breast cancer of the right breast, lower quadrant; the manifestation was very subtle, a very small mass not very developed but with enough negative stimulus to be malignant.

The characteristics of the mass were similar of that of the personality; her personality was the one of timidity, very reserved person with low self-esteem but with enough resentment to her mother to make that little lump malignant10.

Conclusion

When we talk about cancer, the first thing to think about is the emotional background that, in homeopathic terms, is the very first expression of the illness and therefore the real cause of the problem, treating this real cause the probability for the cancer to come back is very low. If once treated this problem we treat any other emotion that could have been originated by the diagnosis itself (cancer) like fear, death thoughts, low self-esteem, etc then the probabilities to suffering from a metastasis or recurrence are even lower.

Biography

 

1. Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Hao Y, Xu J, Thun MJ. 2009 “Cancer Statistics, 2009” CA Cancer J Clin; 59(4): 225-49.

2. Elmore JG, Armstrong K, Lehman CD, Fletcher SW. 2005 “Screening for Breast

    Cancer” JAMA; 293(10):1245-56.

3. National Cancer Institute (2006). “Probability of Breast Cancer in American Women” http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/probability-breast-cancer.

4. BCI. Westmead Breast Cancer Institute  “Risk Factors for Breast Cancer” http://bci.org.au. 

5. American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Facts & Figures, 2008-2009.

6. National Cancer Institute, SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 2007. Statistics based on

    data, 2000-2004. See www.cancer.gov.

7. Ortega PS. 1997 “Introducción a la medicina homeopática teoría y técnica” 2nd ed.

8. Hahnemann S. 1982 “Organon of Medicine” 6th ed, Los Angeles: JP Tarcher, Inc.

9. Bartel H.  1987 “Synthetic Repertory” Vol I, Ed. B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.

10. Bailey PM. 1995 “Homeopathic Psychology: Personality Profile of the Major Constitutional Remedies” Ed. North Atlantic Books.

Balance - Don’t lose yours!

Do you have trouble keeping your balance, be it in sport or just general day to day movement?  You may be experiencing muscular imbalance.

Muscular imbalance can be a predisposing factor in instability in dynamic and static posture. The consequences can lead to not reaching your optimal performance in executing a skill, or commonly seen today pain or stress in your ankles, knees, hips, spine or shoulders.

We’ve all heard or have even said ourselves “I have one leg shorter than the other” There are two categories this can fall under: Structural (being born this way or having a structural component altered by means of surgical intervention) or Functional (a result of a movement pattern that has been adapted to suit your environment). Many of us due to our lifestyle fall under the second category.

The more important thing here is to understand what is happening within our body mechanically and how it can affect us in the short and long term. I’m not only talking about the above mentioned activities, but in all our day to day motions at work rest and play.

So what (dys)functional factors can lead to muscular imbalance?

1. Under-activation of our core muscle group

2. Prolonged repetitive movement e.g. Typing at your computer

3. A tendency to lean on one leg instead of standing equally on two

4. Infrequent stretching to allow for overall flexibility

5. Improper technique when performing a skill

6. Any type of injury that has lead to prolonged rest or a change in your natural movement

7. Repetitive lifting i.e. shopping, heavy objects at work, using one arm instead of two.

8. Conditioning only the same muscle groups at the gym e.g. only doing push-ups, bicep-curls or bench-press and not doing any exercise for your back. Or only exercising for your upper body and not your lower body. This could be why you experience back pain.

When our body begins to experience imbalance; changes in strength, endurance, power and quality of movement (to name a few) occur.  All of these qualities can affect your ability to simply balance in your sport or day to day movement. Without balance, all of these qualities mean nothing.  Certain muscles may shorten and thicken, causing their opposing muscles to forcefully lengthen in an attempt to counteract the changes happening in your body. As you feel the symptoms kicking in it then becomes a vicious cycle between the two muscle groups until something is done to help it.

One of the key symptoms that may help you recognise muscular imbalance is that you may always be feeling tension or pain in the same muscles. 

Massage therapy can help release these tense and painful areas to help restore balance in your body.  It will address your posture and movement patterns and design an effective treatment for you. If it’s been a while or you’ve never had a massage treatment let me work with you to help improve your ability to balance. Call 02 92 333 800 and ask for Ricky or email me: ricky@backonyourfeet.com.au

Cure two people with one jab!

Giving blood has its positives and negatives, let me explain;

Blood, the liquid of life, it's what circulates through our body and keeps us warm, it's what transports oxygen to our brain so we can function, it's what brings nutrients to our injuries to have them heal; without blood we cannot survive. Without "enough" blood we have restless sleeps, suffer from constipation, feel irritable, age rapidly and have dry dehydrated, have trouble seeing, feel dizzy and light headed, and feel cold when others are warm. 

In Chinese Medicine, many people fall into the category of 'blood deficiency', meaning their body is not producing enough blood and need to consider strengthening their digestive system, especially the spleen. The spleen (from a Chinese Medicine point of view) is responsible for taking the nutrients from the food we consume and transforming it into blood. If we have a bad diet; have an eating disorder; or are continually under stress, the function of the spleen will be challenged and therefore will not do its job in producing enough blood. 

When a 'blood deficient' person gives blood they are in effect compromising and causing more injury to their health by making themselves more blood deficient.  A sure sign of this is, soon after giving blood, the 'blood deficient' person will feel even more tired, lethargic and even dizzy.  Whilst they aren't in need of a blood transfusion, they are not physically in the best condition to be giving away blood.

To look at the other end of the spectrum, if someone who is angry all the time, suffers from headaches, severe pimples, insomnia (of the excess type), has blood clots, pain in the legs from blockages (to name a few symptoms) then giving blood could be provide a win-win situation - cure two people with one jab! The above symptoms are of an 'excess' type nature.  Here, the body is showing pain and heat because the blood is not moving and circulating properly. The liver's job is to have the blood move but if we are stressed all the time then the blood will back up like a traffic jam which causes the above excess symptoms to surface.  When someone cuts themselves the blood loss forces the body to respond by moving the blood to the injured area for healing. When this happens all tension is released and in many cases the dis-ease is will be alleviated.  A classic example is when a woman has period pain due to emotional tension and once the period comes and the blood is released, and all the pain disappears.   There are countless examples of patients with illnesses or severe pain that simply disappears straight after they have had a blood test for their doctor. The drawing of the blood has moved the stagnation!

So if you want to give blood please be sure your own honey pot is full first and then by all means give blood to help save the lives of others. If you are blood deficient or have the symptoms that I spoke of earlier then look to have blood strengthening herbs and or acupuncture to build your blood reserves.

Stretching

Do you experience tight or tense muscles? Do you feel that even though you do your exercise at the gym, park, beach or home you still have these tight or tense muscles? 

You may not be devoting enough time to stretching. 

Stretching is as equally important as strengthening - but how much attention do you pay to it?  Most people are aware that they should be stretching but they don't do it enough. There are a few reasons for why this may be:

1. Too tired - before or after work (or during!)

2. Not sure how to do it properly

3. Are afraid of 'pulling or tearing' a muscle from attempting to stretch

4. Not enough time to stretch

5. Don't feel the need to stretch

6. Don't like stretching

7. Not sure why they should stretch

If you can relate to any of the above reasons, you are not alone and you are not in the wrong. These barriers to stretching are realistic and it is important to address these so you can get the most out of your stretching regime as possible. One of the priorities with stretching which can help overcome many of the above barriers is the education about stretching and the steps to take to perform it correctly. Once you are aware of how and why to do it, your insight becomes deeper and you are likely to enjoy it and do it more often.

To help you understand more about stretching, here are the benefits listed below - much more than just ease of movement:

1.Increased Range of motion and flexibility of your muscles

2.Improved posture and posture awareness

3.Improved circulation

4.Maintenance of suppleness of muscle and healthy muscle tone

5.Reduced risk of injury and also reduced risk of falling

6.Relief from anxiety

7.Enhanced recovery

8.Relief from pain

9.Smooth and efficient function and movement

10.Improved breathing and awareness of breath

11.Enhanced relaxation and focus

12.Improved Quality of life

A sound musculoskeletal system will compliment every other system in your body and will also create a deeper awareness of your own body.

In my clinic I cater for your very own stretching session. I do this because I believe that all of the above mentioned benefits can be reached. It is a part of my mission to enhance body awareness, through education and empowerment, that I want to help people better understand this component of health. By using quality and good application, any age can achieve a good state of flexibility.

If you feel you have tight or tense muscles and you want to effectively stretch, give me a call and we can go through it together. The stretching you will learn here is practical and will help you at work, rest or play. 

Please call 02 92 333 800 and ask for Ricky. 

You can also email me at ricky@backonyourfeet.com.au

Cold hands and feet, what to do?

Well, the colder seasons are creeping up now and already we are feeling the coldest temperatures for the year. Well, at least that's what the news is saying. People are starting to layer up with thicker jumpers, thermals and warmer pants. Let's face it, summer is over for now.

So, what else comes with cold weather? runny noses, sore throats, aching muscles and lots of shivers! 

Our bodies are warm blooded, so for the warmer seasons, that's great, but when autumn and winter settle in our bodies need to work harder to keep our body systems regulated. To do this, we need to generate more energy to meet higher demands. One reason it's important to be eating the right foods this time of year! 

One of the more important systems around this time is our immune system and its important role in keeping us on our game. Consequently from the colder weather and winter chills our body functions slowly and takes longer to move things around.  That's right, when you catch a cold, it takes more than one day to get rid of it. For some of my clients... Two weeks can do the job. 

Circulation is important now and blood is rich in nutrient, oxygen and water. Blood is transferred all around the body and our muscles are on high demand for this most important substance. It provides our muscles with the source required to produce the force we need to perform our daily activities. What would we do if we didn't have the energy needed to get up out of bed?

So what happens when circulation to our muscles is reduced? When our muscles are depleted of blood and its important properties their ability to contract and produce a force is limited and at worst inhibited. Consequently our level of strength is reduced and we wouldn't be able to work at the same intensity as before and also for the duration in time.  How much easier is it to warm up for sport in summer or spring compared to Winter?

  

 Your muscles rely on good circulation to grow, repair and function. There are 3 types of muscle tissue in the body:

1. Skeletal muscle - For movement (and several other roles below)

2. Cardiac muscle - found in the heart

3. Smooth muscle - found in the digestive system to move food along.

In the scope of massage, we directly treat the musculoskeletal system. Additionally, we stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and this allows for your body to enhance its ‘self-healing’ process. This is commonly known as the ‘rest and digest’ system. We all know not to run around straight after we eat a meal.

It's important to know that our musculoskeletal system has several functions:

Locomotion, Dynamic and static postural support, Thermoregulation, support of our skeletal structure, assisting in shock absorption, producing force, resisting force, directional change, protection of vital organs, respiration, muscle tone.

The musculoskeletal system, with all of these functions has a vital role in maintaining our well-being. Amongst the postural and movement benefits, the importance in supporting our immune system should always be considered.  Movement, moves things around and that is one (important) way to eliminate unwanted and foreign substances from our body, keeping our system a continuous flow which allows us to grow and adapt to changing environments.

Particularly now, is when I see more muscular tension than I do any other time of the year. Mainly, because of the body’s attempt to keep warmth ‘in’ and coldness ‘out’. You may have also experienced muscular aches and pain when you have caught a cold. This is not uncommon when you are ill. Massage is an ideal way to help prevent and also enhance your body’s ability to deal with these symptoms.

The benefits of massage are beyond improved movement, but also improved immune functioning and more importantly a sound mind. However, amongst healthy movement is a healthy diet and the two complement each other. In my practise to relieve tension I encourage people to eat more green leafy vegetables as they are rich in magnesium - great for relieving muscular tension and assisting in your circulation. For those who aren't keen on vegies, magnesium supplementation is a safe alternative, which is available in my clinic. 

Give yourself the time you need, stay warm and eat well, sleep well, play well and work well. 

If you need a massage (you deserve one) book in to see me at Back on your feet in Sydney cbd . To make an appointment please call (02) 9233-3800. 

Low back pain

Do you experience low back pain but aren’t sure why?  Have you struggled to reach the end of the day at work, or had to push through the final stages of your exercise program because of this pain?

In the scope of massage one of the commonest causes that I come across, for tension or pain felt in the lower back region is due to muscular imbalance, postural dysfunction and/or incorrect movement. This can be accompanied with pain from muscle, neuromuscular and/or joint structures.

Our spine is connected to our hip at the sacrum, making the sacroiliac joint.  To allow for smooth and efficient movement through this joint, muscles responsible for flexion, extension and rotation (all movements in the spine and hips) to any degree need to be balanced in their ability to lengthen and shorten simultaneously.  

To control these movements a group of muscles known as the ‘core’ muscles exist. Their role in preventing injury and allowing for smooth, optimal movement in our trunk and our limbs is vital. 

Underactivity or inhibition of this muscle group can reposition your hips to sit improperly and can lead to any of the symptoms you may be feeling in your low back region, especially if it becomes an on-going change.

The two important core muscles (there are more) that provide the fundamental structure you need to move efficiently, optimally and to help prevent injury and pain are your transverse abdominis muscle (not your six pack) and your pelvic floor muscle group. 

In my clinical experience most people have ‘heard’ about the core, but aren’t exactly sure of how to ‘switch it on’.   

Massage therapy will address your low back pain by assessing your posture to find out the associated muscles linked to your symptoms.  An important consideration in treating your low back pain is your flexibility. If you aren’t a frequent stretcher this can overload your muscles ability to help you carry out your daily activity. By also observing your technique in specific activities you do throughout the week I can give you useful tips on how to improve your movement.

If it’s been a while since you have had massage and you are suffering from low back pain give me a call before it becomes a chronic condition. I may be able to give you some exercises as well.  Please phone 02 92333800 and ask for Ricky.

Best ayurvedic treatment for pimples - ayurvedic tips to remove pimples marks

Beauty is cherished by every individual irrespective of their sexes, age or characteristics. People are always concerned about how they look and are they presentable. Outer beauty can even take over inner beauty at times. Pimples is a very common skin problem that can attack anybody whether it is a teenager, adolescent, a young lady or elderly person. Pimple looks awful and thus ayurvedic tips must be followed to remove pimples as well as the pimple marks. 

Have you heard anybody saying, he or she is happy with way the way they look with the pimple on. No, that cannot be possible because nobody is happy having those upsetting and ugly pimple marks on their face. Ayurveda have introduced some really effective and simple treatments for removing the pimple marks or lightening the marks so that they become less noticeable. But for this you must opt for a correct type of pimple reducing and healing treatments. Ayurveda is not only simple it is also inexpensive. For opting for the treatment you do not have to search stores. Every required thing is available at home itself. Some of the herbs are easily found in the kitchen garden as well.  Home remedies from ayurveda cost you almost nothing. Below in this article there are some ayurvedic tips to remove pimple marks and stay beautiful. 

For removing pimple marks and acne marks there are almost a bundle full of simple home remedies. The easiest of them all is application of ice cube over the affected area. This method helps a lot in smoothing your skin also. This is the cheapest of all the remedies that you may like to follow. This home remedy can actually do wonders for you. It not only reduces the pimple marks but at the same time it offers a fresh glow for your skin. 

Other than ice cubes you can also apply various juices also like lemon juice and cucumber juice. Lemon juice improves the texture of your skin and lightens the pimple marks. Lemon juice should not be applied with hands. You must soak cotton balls in the lemon juice and then apply it to the pimpled areas that require treatment. The juice of cucumber also helps in lessening the scars of pimple and at the same time they also calm the itching. This juice must be applied to the skin for about 20 to 25 minutes and allow the skin to soak as much juice as it can.  Tomato raw pulp can also be applied to your skin to get rid of pimple scars. Apply tomato pulp for a hour and then wash it off with warm water or with towel dipped in warm water. All these simple home remedies can work wonders for your skin and provide you with fresh and beautiful skin.

Unlike medicines these remedies may require a little effort and energy but they are very effective and almost negligible in cost. With little patience and efforts you can acquire a skin you have always hoped for. You deserve the best and to get the best you must have to fight for it. By donating a little time for yourself you can become more beautiful and confident enough to face the world. Numerous strategies and ayurvedic tips can be followed to get the get results that too without investing money.