Oestrogen may be driving your cancer
 Most solid cancer tumours are hormonally responsive and the hormone that drives them is an oestrogen Let us start by making one thing absolutely clear. Most solid cancer tumours are hormonally responsive and the hormone that drives them is an oestrogen. Not just in women - but in men too.
Many breast cancers, endometrial and ovarian cancers. Then some colon cancers and lung cancers and brain tumours. Then some prostate and testicular cancers. You need to know this so that you can better prevent cancer.
Oestrogen is not one single hormone but a family of hormones.
The most aggressive is called oestradiol; its weaker sister is oestrone, and plant oestrogens (phytoestrogens) are so weak as to actually be protective - you´d rather have them sitting on your cellular receptor sites than oestradiol.
Then there´s a category of chemicals called xenoestrogens. These chemicals once in the body can act like the hormone. Certain chemicals have been identified. For example:
Parabens - a common preservative
Phthalates - found in plasticisers in bottles and plastic cups. Released in to the contained liquid especially if hot.
Toluene and other chemicals in perfumes
Bisphenol A - in white lining of cans, toys, plastics
Many men will be told their prostate cancer is driven by testosterone. This is inaccurate. Testosterone does not spread cancers. Oestradiol levels in prostate cancer patients are high and it is oestradiol not testosterone that is the driving force. Of course high oestradiol may be linked with high testosterone, just as the patient may also have grey hair, but it´s not the CAUSE. Nor does it SPREAD it. Oestrogen is the driver.
The National press has been full of oestrogen articles. First from the National Cancer Institute in the USA, there was a clear link that obesity resulted in a 20 per cent increased risk of breast cancer. (Who knows what it would have been for other cancers like colon - they didn´t measure those). Obesity was associated with higher levels of oestradiol.
If you take HRT in a mixed synthetic oestrogen/progesterone format, you are doubling your risk from 1 in 8 to 1 in 4 women
 Next came the ´Million Women Study´ From Cancer Research UK where the findings were almost identical to the US ´Women´s Health Initiative study´ but used more recruits. Basically if you take HRT in a mixed synthetic oestrogen/progesterone format, you are putting up your cancer risk by 100 per cent (i.e. Doubling your risk from 1 in 8, to 1 in 4 women). The oestrogen only pill merely increases your risk by about 25-30 per cent!! (Smoking increases cancer risk by 25%, to put this figure in context).
Oestrogen drives cancer in a number of ways. It can:
 Then we had ´DIET CAUSES BREAST CANCER´ as the headline in the Daily Express, and covered fully by all the papers from the Mail to the Times. We are now producing far more oestrogen than our ancestors (and than our Far Eastern neighbours). Consumption of fatty food increases steroid levels, and oestrogen is a steroid ran the argument. Dr Pollard speaking at the British Association Festival of Science in Salford came up with this headline grabbing statement (one wonders what they had for lunch).
But who cares? Cancer Research also produced a report linking alcohol consumption with breast cancer and another that said only one in five women were prepared to change their habits.
Also, the Journal of the American Medical Association carried a report stating that regular daily exercise reduced breast cancer risk by up to 18 per cent. Yet other reports we have carried in the last 6 months show only a fifth of women even reach the Government advised levels of 20 minutes three times a week, whilst exercise time in schools is in decline, despite Government pledges to increase it.
There are 4000 products that need to be checked out for toxins
We also saw reports on the findings of The Royal Commission (appointed by the Queen and the Prime Minister), which looked into toxins in our every day products, like deodorants, perfumes, bleaches, dyes, disinfectants, household cleaners, cosmetics etc. They feel there are 4000 products that need to be checked out for toxins. The Cancer Prevention Coalition in the USA goes even further and suggests that two thirds of the ingredients are toxic and a great many carcinogenic. Many are known to create oestrogen-like mimics once in the blood stream adding to the level of our oestrogen ´pool´, in both men and women. Strange really because the Royal Commission´s report came out quite a while ago.
Maybe it was a bad month for news (I don´t really think so), or maybe scientists have to keep stating and re-stating their findings to get them through to people.
...because this is all old news.
You can start by reading Dr Philippa Darbre´s article: The Enemy Oestrogen. You might consider supplements such as Red Clover, indole 3 carbinol, known to convert aggressive oestradiol to its less active sister oestrone. You can read about Beneficial Bacteria that can help eliminate it from your body. You could also read Oestrogen mimic effects or Toxic Toileteries on this web site.
My book - The Rainbow Diet - tells you exactly what to add in to your diet to help you cut your risk - it had a lengthy chapter on oestrogen. The Research has been there for years. Yes, there are things to avoid. Start by cutting animal fats and dairy, salt and refined oils, sugars, and grains. But most importantly add in garlic and pulses, potassium foods, magnesium foods, olive oils, nuts, fish and fish oils, fruits and vegetables. If you read this magazine you see the recommendations every month. We are happy that other reporters are catching up! The Tree of life is essential but easy reading and gives you fun, easy to use tips.
But we haven´t stopped there. We received so many telephone calls and letters we have gone a step further. This month we launch an info-book called Oestrogen - the killer in our midst - just 90 pages, easy to read and with a checklist of action points it pulls all the information together in a usable way. It is invaluable for anyone with a hormonally driven cancer, male or female, and covers everything from cutting the oestrogen excesses out of your life to the use of natural progesterone. For information on either book please ring icon on 0203 186 1006 or go to the Natural Selection shop, Click the button at the top right hand of this page.
And don´t forget - all the profits from Natural Selection go to CANCERactive.
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