Must Read! "Why "

Frostecat

I googled, "Why are so many women getting breast cancer lately?" This is a great article. I did notice they didn't mention alcohol, which seems to be in all other articles. This is it in a nutshell.

http://www.integrativecanceranswers.com/why-are-so...

SelenaWolf

While this article has some good points about being aware of how one lives, unfortunately, it doesn't explain why women like my mother; slim, fit, active, raised in a rural area, breast-fed four children, grew her own vegetables, did her own canning, never drank, never smoked, absolutely no family history but still end up developing a very aggressive breast cancer.

We have to keep in mind that we have an older population and age is an important risk factor for cancer that we have no control over. The "baby boomers" are aging rapidly and with a higher over-fifty demographic, there will be more incidences of cancer. Yes, it is important to have a balanced diet, stay active and look after yourself, but these things do not automatically protect against cancer, especially when you age.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/incidence/age/

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/breast/incidence/uk-breast-cancer-incidence-statistics

Anonymous

If it were this simple (what the ND doc claims) at least half of us wouldn't be reading this right now--because we would have never been diagnosed in the first place. I do yoga, eat green, organic, live in a clean city, clean air, not overweight, normal amount of stress, ad nauseaum. No one in my family had this dx. Yet here I am. I dislike overly simplified, unsupported articles like this, because it implies that if you did do these things, or allowed them in your house/life, you brought on the cancer yourself.

These "reasons" might be a small part of the c problem. The problem is, we just don't know for sure yet. Which is why we haven't gotten a cure or even a treatment that keeps tumors from spreading and getting bigger.

Claire in AZ

MusicLover

Claire, Thank you, you saved me the trouble! I agree 100% with your statement. When they come up with something real all women will follow it and then there you go but until then here we are.

muska

Breast cancer is not a new disease, women have suffered from it from the beginnings of times. Blaiming it on processed foods and chemicals in the environment is a simplification to say the least.

History of Breast Cancer

MusicLover

Muska, I posted that exact statement (well as close as possible) on another thread similar to this.  Love it!

Kicks

It also needs to be remembered that men can also have to deal with BC. There are a lot more women than men who have to do - but some men do have to.deal with BC.

tgtg

A few postscripts to add to what others have said:

Claire--Amen to your description of this article as oversimplified. And I would add that such oversimplification ignores the biological nature of cancer cells themselves: cancer cells are idiosyncratic, they do what they want to do in any given situation/body/medium, so bio-molecular researchers keep finding themselves on a changing "playing field," which makes progress difficult. Until this cellular behavior can be rendered predictable,finding a cure will be a distant goal.

Selena--It is true that cancer cells start going really haywire as people age, so your claims about aging and cancer are valid. BUT you are forgetting the horrible fact that more and more young women are developing bc, and unlike their older/elderly sisters with bc, the younger women's cancer typically appears in highly aggressive forms. The big mystery for researchers is, "What triggers those cells to mutate in young women?" I suspect (and hope) that the answer to this question, if it is found at all, will be found in the lab--not in simplisitic finger-pointing at lack of exercise, poor food choices, and the like as the article suggests.

Italychick

I wonder about everything, I had a 5% risk factor, my mom is full of lumps, abuses herself, never got breast cancer. I did do some reading about it potentially arising from a damaged site that causes cells to mutate in an area. Where my lump was is exactly where I carried my cell phone in my bra before I realized that was a bad thing. Coincidence? Maybe. But I will always wonder if it wasn't a cell mutation/corruption from cell phone radiation. I am also sure I will probably never know why. But I do wonder