Reducing The Risk Of Breast Cancer  Macro B Diet Presents The Art Of Food Wisdom

Macrobiotic Theory for the Cause of Breast Cancer by Michio Kushi Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women (lung cancer is number one in mortality), and its incidence is on the rise. Between 1935 and 1965 the rate of new cases of breast cancer increased 18 percent, and between 1965 and 1975 it increased 50 percent. Since 1980, breast-cancer incidence has risen 3 percent a year, now affecting one in every nine women in the United States. Breast cancer currently accounts for about 20 percent of female cancer deaths in this country and is the leading cause of death for American women aged forty to forty-five. This year (2002) it is estimated that 203,500 new invasive female cases will develop and 39,600 females will die from the disease. It is estimated that this year (2002), 1,500 men will be diagnosed and 400 will die from the disease. (Susan Komen Foundation statistics). Around the world the death rate from breast cancer differs widely. In Britain, it is about one-third higher than in the United States, while in Japan it is four-fifths lower. A majority or more of patients with breast cancer develop metastases. Malignant tumors may spread to the lungs, bone, brain, or lymph nodes. Structure The female breasts or mammary glands consist chiefly of a round, compressed mass of glandular tissue known as the corpus mammae. This tissue is made up of 15-20 separate lobes connected by fat. Each lobe contains a milk duct, which leads to the nipple and is further subdivided into lobules and alveoli. The breast is encased in a layer of fat tissue called the adipose capsule and is attached to the chest wall by connective tissue.  Cause of Cancer If we continue to eat poorly over a long period of time, we eventually exhaust the body’s ability to discharge excess wastes and toxins. This can be serious if an underlying layer of fat has developed under the skin, which prevents discharge toward the surface of the body. Repeated overconsumption of milk, cheese, and other dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry, and other fatty, oily, or greasy foods brings about this stage. When it has been reached, internal deposits of mucus or fat begin to form, initially in areas with some direct access to the outside such as the sinuses, the inner ear, the lungs, the kidneys, the reproductive organs, and the breasts. The accumulation of excess in the breast often results in a hardening of the breasts and the formation of cysts. Excess usually accumulates here in the form of mucus and deposits of fatty acid, both of which take the form of a sticky or heavy liquid. These deposits develop into cysts in the same way that water solidifies into ice, and the process is accelerated by the intake of ice cream, milk, soft drinks, fruit juice, and other foods that produce a cooling or freezing effect. Women who have breast-fed are less likely to develop breast cysts or tumors. Women who do not nurse their children miss this opportunity to discharge through the breasts and therefore face a greater possibility of accumulating excess in this region of their bodies. Many nutritionists and doctors are now aware of the relationship between the intake of saturated fats, cholesterol, and degenerative disease but often overlook the effects of sugar and dairy products, both of which contribute greatly to heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses. The consumption of milk and other dairy foods in our society usually begins in infancy or early childhood. One of the major biological changes in modern times has been the progressive decline of breast-feeding. In traditional cultures, mothers usually nurse their babies for one year or more. At the beginning of the 20th century, about 60 percent of the babies in the United States were breast-fed. By the 1970s that number had fallen sharply. In composition, cow’s milk and human milk are very different. Cow’s milk contains about four times as much calcium, three times as much protein, and two-thirds as much carbohydrate as human milk. The different structure and growth rate of calves and human babies account for the varying proportion of these ingredients. For example, at birth the brain and nervous system of the calf is fully developed, and the large amount of calcium and protein is needed to increase its bone structure and muscular development. A baby calf often puts on 75 pounds in the first six weeks. In contrast, the body of the human infant is designed to grow slowly, gaining only two to three pounds in the first six weeks. The infant’s brain, however, is only 23 percent mature at birth, and the nutrients in mother’s milk are needed to complete its central nervous system. Mother’s milk contains antibodies that resist the growth of undesirable bacteria and viruses, provides immunity against disease and infection. Such as ricettsia, salmonella, polio, influenza, strep, and staph. Mother’s milk promotes strong white blood cells, which destroy harmful bacteria, and produces B. bifidum, a unique type of healthy bacteria found in the intestines of babies and that creates resistance to a large variety of microorganisms.

Another ingredient in milk is lactose, a simple sugar that is digested by lactase, an enzyme produced in the intestine. In most traditional societies, lactase is no longer produced after the baby is weaned from its mother’s milk between ages two and four. As a result, ingestion of dairy products after that age produces indigestion, diarrhea, cramps, allergy, or other illnesses. This condition is called lactose intolerance. In the West, however, dairy products have become a dietary staple over the course of many generations. Biologically, lactase continues to be produced in the intestine after early childhood, allowing dairy foods to be consumed into adulthood and later life. Among Caucasians, lactose intolerance is low. Despite the body’s ability to adapt to long-term dairy consumption, the excessive intake of fat and cholesterol in milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, and similar foods has taken a heavy toll as the consumption of these foods has increased. The per capita intake of dairy food in the United States now stands at 350 pounds a year, including 72 gallons of milk. In the United States there is now one cow for every two people. In composition, milk is 28 percent fat, cheese is 50 percent, butter is 95 percent, and yogurt is 15 percent. Fatty acids and cholesterol from these foods can build up round the organs and tissues, contributing to heart disease, cancer and other degenerative conditions. Mentally and psychologically, dairy foods affect the brain and nervous system, contributing to dullness, passivity, and dependence. Studies show that people from ethnic groups that are lactose intolerant tend to have higher IQs than those that are not. The fat from cow’s milk also insulates and impedes the flow of electromagnetic energy through the body, diminishing sexual polarity and attraction between men and women.  Food To Avoid All dairy products: Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream Poultry & Eggs Meat: beef, lamb, pork, venison, etc. Fatty, oily, greasy foods Simple sugars especially tropical fruits, chocolate, honey, sugar-coated foods, etc. Baked bleached flour products Carbonated beverages  Food To Eat Daily Whole natural or organic grains: Azuki & black soybeans, soy products: tofu, tempeh Miso soup with wakame daily All organic and natural vegetables that are not listed on the extreme yin & yang list Pickle items (rinse) or pressed salads Lotus root, burdock, and daikon Umeboshi plum Signs of Breast Cancer The most common signs of breast cancer are a lump in the breast, an abnormal thickening of the breast or a change in the shape or color of the breast. Finding a lump or change in your breast does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should see a doctor right away: [    Any new, hard lump or thickening in any part of the breast [    Change in breast size or shape [    Dimpling or puckering of the skin [    Swelling, redness, or warmth that does not go away [    Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle [    Pulling in of the nipple [    Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and appears only in one breast [    An itchy, sore, or scaling area on one nipple [    You may or may not have pain with these breast changes. Millet & Sweet Vegetable Soup 1 cup organic millet, washed 1 cup onions, diced 1 TBS. sesame oil ½ cup buttercup or any hard winter squash, cubed ¼ cup carrots, washed and diced ½ cup cabbage, washed and diced 5-6 cups spring or well water ¼ - ½ tsp. sea salt Scallions, sliced thin for garnish ½ sheet toasted nori cut into strips for garnish 1.       In a heavy pot sauté onions in sesame oil 2-3 minutes. Add millet and sauté 3-5 minutes longer. 2.       Layer the vegetables in the following order: cabbage, squash, and carrots on top of the onions and millet. 3.       Add the water, cover and bring to a boil over a high flame. 4.       Reduce flame and simmer 30 minutes. 5.       Add sea salt and simmer 10 more minutes. Serve hot and garnished with nori strips.