Participants: Agatha Thrash (Host), Rhonda Clark, Don Miller
Series Code: HYTH
Program Code: HYTH000221
|
00:01 Hello! Mammals are animals that have a number
00:05 of specific characteristics, one of which is 00:09 that they suckle their young. 00:11 They produce milk, and the mammary glands 00:14 being rather complicated and subject to a number 00:18 of influences, can have certain diseases to happen 00:22 to them, both men's as well as women's breasts 00:25 so we would like to talk about some of these 00:27 in this program. 00:29 We believe that you will learn some things 00:31 that may be of assistance to you, so join us in this program. 00:54 Welcome to Help Yourself to Health, 00:57 with Dr. Agatha Thrash of Uchee Pines Institute, 01:00 and now here is your host Dr. Thrash. 01:03 Now mammary glands are the only gland that I know 01:11 that is not fully developed at the time of birth. 01:15 But the mammary glands do not fully develop until the time 01:20 of puberty, and then women's breasts because of various 01:25 specific hormonal changes and because of certain germ 01:30 cells that lie in the area of the breasts 01:34 are susceptible to the influences from outside 01:39 of the cell itself, these germinal cells, 01:43 and can therefore develop into the female breast. 01:47 Now I would like to talk with you some about 01:50 these various aspects of breast disease, 01:54 and breast health, and some lifestyle patterns, 01:58 that can make for healthy breasts, because healthy breasts 02:02 are resistant to a number of different kinds of diseases. 02:05 To help me to explain these matters to you more fully 02:11 I have invited my colleague from Uchee Pines 02:14 Rhonda Clark, who is a registered nurse, 02:18 and at this time is one of the counselors at Uchee Pines. 02:22 Have you enjoyed your work as a telephone counselor mainly? 02:28 - Yes! A great deal, and I'm always surprised by the new 02:32 diseases that I get calls about, that I have the opportunity 02:36 to research, and really appreciate the opportunity 02:39 to help people. 02:40 - It's amazing how many different kinds of disorders 02:44 people inquire about by telephone, 02:47 it gives one quite and opportunity. 02:49 Now one of the diseases that you have had some experience 02:53 with is that of fibrocystic breast disease, 02:56 and other breast disorders, would you like to talk a bit 03:00 about fibrocystic breast disease, and what we can do 03:03 to help alleviate that problem? 03:06 - I wanted to share today a story, a case example of 03:10 a woman who was in her mid forties, she was pre-menopausal 03:14 a little over weight and had fibrocystic breast disease. 03:18 For her it manifested as breasts that felt very lumpy, 03:22 the lumps would change according to her monthly cycle, 03:25 and she would have a lot of breast tenderness 03:27 in relationship with her monthly cycle. 03:29 In her case the interventions that helped relieve her symptoms 03:34 were very simple, weight loss was a big component 03:38 of her treatment, the adipose tissue or fat cells 03:42 store estrogen which is normally broken down 03:46 and eliminated from the body by the liver, 03:48 and that increased estrogen in the body can contribute 03:52 to fibrocystic breast disease, and also to breast cancer. 03:56 In fact women with fibrocystic breast disease, 03:59 have six times greater risk of developing breast cancer 04:02 than women without this condition. 04:04 She lost weight by following a very simple plant based diet 04:09 avoiding all animal products was another successful part 04:13 of her treatment. 04:14 Animal product coming from animals who themselves 04:17 produce hormones, hold within them hormones that 04:20 can contribute and exacerbate symptoms of fibrocystic 04:24 breast disease and other disorders. 04:25 So that was a very essential part, she also took a supplement 04:30 of Evening Primrose Oil, one gram per day, 04:34 this she felt had been a beneficial component 04:37 of her treatment, and she also very strictly avoided caffeine 04:43 even substances like chocolate which contain caffeine 04:47 even is smaller amounts, she was very careful 04:49 to avoid all of the brown drinks, sodas, anything 04:52 that would have caffeine within it. 04:54 In learning more about fibrocystic breast disease 04:59 to help this woman, and give her counsel on the best 05:03 treatment to pursue, I happen to cross some very interesting 05:07 research about how our dress affects the health 05:11 of our breasts, as early as 1978 a physician by the name of 05:16 John Douglas had his research published in the reputable 05:20 medical journal The Lancet, and that was the first link 05:24 between breast cancer and the temperature 05:28 of the breasts. 05:29 He hypothesized that bra's especially heavier material 05:33 bra's contributed to elevating the breast temperature, 05:37 which in turn contributed to increased breast disease. 05:40 Harvard University took this on and published some research 05:45 in 1991 that showed indeed women who did not wear bra's 05:50 had a 60% less incidence of breast cancer, than women who 05:56 routinely wore bras. 05:57 Further studies were done and in 1995 a really interesting book 06:03 entitled Dressed to Kill, the author is Sydney Singer, 06:07 has fascinating research about dress and breast health. 06:12 In fact a quote from Sydney Singer says "throughout 06:16 the world, the only cultures that have breast cancer 06:19 are those where there are bras. " 06:22 In addition to increasing the temperature of the breasts 06:26 the bra being a snug garment, compressed the skin, 06:30 and the breast tissue full of lymph tissue and lymph glands 06:34 the compression prevented the natural and easy flow 06:40 of lymph. 06:41 Waste products could then accumulate in the breast tissue 06:44 and it was felt that it was these that contributed 06:47 to an increased incidence of breast cancer. 06:50 A study in Japan in 2000 confirmed this saying that 06:54 not only did the compression of bras eliminate full and free 06:59 flow of lymph, but interestingly this compression 07:04 decreased the production of melatonin. 07:07 Melatonin is a hormone in our body that's very essential 07:10 to the full functioning of our immune system. 07:13 In Spain in the year 2000 a study was published in 07:18 night workers or women who were exposed to great amounts of 07:22 light during the night hours that was something 07:26 that was know to decrease melatonin production, 07:29 as there melatonin levels were low, the incidence 07:33 of breast cancer rose, so we were seeing an interesting 07:37 link here. 07:38 The Glasgow Royal Infirmary here in 2001, 07:42 published research that cancerous breasts were at least 07:46 one half degree centigrade higher than breasts that were 07:50 healthy, and as recently as 2002 some breast surgeons 07:55 in Britain did a study of women where for three minutes 07:58 they wore a bra, three minutes they wore a non-restrictive 08:02 camisole top and studied the 08:05 difference in breast temperature, 08:06 breast pain, characteristics of breast tissue, 08:09 and they found that even in a time period as short as 08:12 three minutes, the women had improved health by taking 08:17 a camisole top as their undergarment rather than a bra. 08:21 Some interesting quotes that I wanted to share, 08:24 on this one from a book Child Guidance that said tight bands 08:29 hinder the action of the heart and lungs and should be avoided. 08:33 No part of the body should at any time be made uncomfortable 08:37 by clothing that compresses any organ, 08:39 or restricts its movement. 08:41 The other quoted is from health reformer, 08:44 I have heard of young ladies complain of pain is the side 08:48 when in a sitting position, I have found upon examination 08:51 that the only cause was the tight bands pressing upon 08:54 the tender nerves and veins impeding the free circulation 08:58 of blood, when the underclothing as well as the dress waist 09:01 was made loose, and the garments were suspended 09:05 from the shoulders by straps the pain disappeared. 09:08 The clothing should be worn so loose as to give the most 09:12 perfect freedom of circulation, respiration, and the exercise 09:17 of every portion of the body. 09:18 So a further recommendation if you have breast disease or 09:22 are concerned about breast disease, is to consider 09:25 this issue of dress. 09:27 If you must wear a garment that is binding 09:30 limit that to as short a time as possible, 09:34 and explore alternatives camisole tops, or undershirts 09:38 that can be non-restrictive. 09:40 One important thing is to avoid overheating 09:44 so the layering of clothing on the upper body is important 09:48 to consider that there are not greater numbers of layers 09:50 over breast tissue, than over the arms for example. 09:54 Equitability in coverage of the body is important 09:58 for that perfect circulation leads to perfect health. 10:01 One final consideration is that the undergarment should be made 10:05 of fabrics that are natural products such as silk or cotton 10:11 which help release heat, rather than hold in heat. 10:15 I don't know if you have any further experience 10:19 with fibrocystic breast disease Dr. Thrash, 10:21 I'm sure this has come your way. 10:23 We have had quite a lot of experience with 10:26 fibrocystic breast disease, in fact one of those things 10:30 that we have done to treat fibrocystic breast disease 10:34 is to use a large charcoal compress over the painful area. 10:39 If a woman has a painful breast we will make a large charcoal 10:43 compress, just made by mixing charcoal powder with water 10:49 putting it on some kind of material, such as 10:52 one of these under patient bed pads, 10:56 cut a portion that's the size that we want 10:59 not a dainty little compress just big enough to cover 11:03 the painful spot but to cover the entire breast. 11:08 This can also be used for mastitis, 11:11 the mastitis that women have during lactation 11:15 when they are nursing their children. 11:17 So that can also be very helpful, the charcoal compress 11:21 the charcoal material is simply spread on the cottony part 11:26 of the under patient bed pad, and then the filmy part is 11:30 replaced and then the edges taped with something like 11:35 masking tape, then the charcoal side 11:40 is put next to the skin and held in place by something 11:45 like a snug fitting sweat shirt. 11:47 I find this thing of the garments to be quite fascinating 11:53 I need to do more research on that and see some of the reports 11:58 that have been made already on breast health 12:02 and the kind of dress that women wear. 12:05 We have known for a long time that in cold climates 12:08 there tended to be more breast disease, and breast cancer 12:14 than in warmer climates and it was felt the chilling of 12:17 the extremities on a habitual basis was a part of what caused 12:23 the breast disease in women who lived in colder climates. 12:28 I have some pictures that I would like to show you 12:31 about the subject of breast disease, and the first one is 12:36 a disease of the nipple, or a disorder of the nipples, 12:40 and you will see on your screen a nipple in an older woman 12:45 with a little droplet of blood right at the nipple. 12:51 Now interestingly enough one would think right off 12:54 "well oh blood from the nipple" that must surely mean something 12:59 really serious like cancer. 13:01 It is often a little lesion but, it's most likely 13:05 a benign lesion, in this case you will see, 13:10 in the next graphic that I have for you, 13:12 you will see what caused the problem 13:15 in this nipple discharge. 13:17 You will notice that on the right of your screen 13:22 there is a little V which actually represents 13:26 the suture material that the surgeon left he took out 13:30 this little portion of breast, and he opened the duct 13:35 which you can see as sort of a bluish streak, 13:39 a broad bluish streak pointing toward the left of your screen 13:44 from that V shaped suture material. 13:47 Then immediately after that a lavender colored bump, 13:53 or little lump that sticks straight up. 13:57 That is the intraductal Papilloma, and it was this 14:03 that caused the bleeding. 14:05 You will see also a little spot where there had been 14:08 an ulceration of the duct and that too 14:10 was a cause of bleeding. 14:13 It's a very benign disease and taking it out is a complete cure 14:17 for this kind of disorder, rarely it is felt by some 14:23 that these Papillomas can become malignant. 14:26 I don't know that I have ever actually seen one 14:29 become malignant, but some authorities researching 14:33 in this field do believe that they can be. 14:36 Now the next graphic shows a more serious disorder. 14:40 This is what is called a breast cancer in situ 14:45 In situ is a Latin term meaning in the site where it formed. 14:50 So inside this duct you will see a mass, 14:54 you will see the round outside perimeter of the duct 14:59 and then a bunch of reddish pink, or pinkish red 15:04 granular material, then on the very inside 15:08 some crumbly material which actually represents blood. 15:11 That blood may be there from the operation that was done 15:16 to take this out. 15:17 This in situ carcinoma of the breast is the most favorable 15:21 type of cancer of the breast, it is 100% curable 15:25 with surgery, so just take it out, it's cured, gone for good. 15:31 But if it is left in, it may cross the boundary 15:35 of that outside perimeter, so my next picture will show 15:39 you where it is breaking through, this is still 15:42 a cancer in situ, but is breaking through the boundary 15:48 of the duct itself, the structure that holds 15:53 the duct in place. 15:55 You will see that almost in the center, a little to the left 15:57 of the center, you will see certain round nests of tissue 16:01 that's where it's breaking into the breast tissue itself 16:06 and can become an invasive cancer. 16:09 But there is an interesting phenomena that you see going on 16:12 here, do you see those tiny black dots in the left upper 16:17 corner of the screen? 16:19 Those blackish dots are actually deep, deep purple, 16:23 they are lymphocytes that are guarding the breast itself 16:29 from invasion and also from the conversion of this in situ 16:35 cancer to and invasive cancer. 16:38 Very important reaction on the part of the body itself, 16:42 now we can encourage this kind of defense, 16:45 this is a powerful defense and doubtless has kept this 16:49 person from getting and invasive cancer for years. 16:52 And as long as those lymphocytes are there as a garrison 16:58 against the spread of this cancer it will be inhibited 17:02 in it's growth. 17:04 So we need to learn how to keep this army of this garrison 17:10 of soldiers in good health and one way is by of course the 17:14 most healthful lifestyle that you can lead. 17:19 Plenty of outdoor exercise, and air, and sunshine, 17:23 plenty of water, good food, high in fiber, high in 17:29 a lot of natural nutrients, all of this can keep this army 17:33 in good health. 17:34 Avoid high sugary foods, high fat foods, refined protein foods 17:41 we're learning now can also be a hazard to this army. 17:46 Now the next slide shows the full blown cancer of the breast, 17:52 notice here that these ducts are just spreading all over 17:59 it is at this point that it may also spread to organs other than 18:05 the breast itself, and so here you have seen the progression 18:09 of a lesion of the breast one that was benign totally and 18:15 not a problem, to one that was a potential threat, 18:20 to one that was definitely a threat, to one that was 18:24 a life threatening problem, full blown invasive ductal cancer 18:31 of the breast, that's the common garden variety 18:34 of cancer of the breast. 18:35 That kind of cancer has stimulated a reaction 18:39 on the part of the body, but that reaction has not stopped 18:43 the cancer, it has become aggressive, and is now able 18:46 to invade the tissue that the body itself has put up as 18:53 a barrier, and it even makes some of its own support 18:58 so it can stay as a malignant tumor that will not be stopped 19:07 by your ordinary means. 19:09 Surgery may be curative but is less likely now than it was 19:15 in the beginning, for this reason we recommend that 19:18 women stay always in good health, follow always 19:22 a good lifestyle, and do breast self-examination 19:26 since 80% breast lumps are discovered by the women herself 19:32 and not by her physician. 19:34 So learn when the lesion is small, at that time 19:39 it is very likely to be 100% curable. 19:42 Now we've been talking about women's breasts, 19:46 do men get cancer of the breast? 19:48 Yes! and they get other afflictions as well, 19:52 and I have asked Dr. Donald Miller, 19:54 Dr. Miller is one of our colleagues at Uchee Pines 19:58 and also does global trotting in the global mission work 20:03 that you do, we are very happy that you could be with us 20:07 in between your appointments over seas. 20:09 Welcome! 20:10 - Thank you! It's good to be here! 20:11 - You're going to talk with us today about some of the diseases 20:16 of the breast that men can have. 20:18 - Yes! You know men don't realize that we as well as women 20:22 can get breast cancer. - Yes! 20:24 And frankly if you are talking about men with breast cancer 20:26 we should be talking about the same preventions 20:29 as for a woman, there's really no difference. 20:31 A man, I forget how many thousands each year 20:35 in America die of breast cancer. 20:37 So men should do some breast self-examination also 20:40 and should live the same lifestyle, again treatment 20:44 is no where near as good as prevention, eat the good diet, 20:48 especially high is isoflavonoids like soy products are very good 20:53 you go to stores and you see these soy milk cartons now 20:56 with the pink ribbon on there, and that little loop 20:59 which is basically talking about women's breast cancer. 21:02 Men should be drinking the same soy milk, because they too 21:05 need to protect themselves, plus it has lots of other 21:08 protective values. 21:09 The main one I would like to discuss is gynecomastia 21:14 which is basically breasts in young boys. 21:17 We've all seen it, I believe we are seeing a rise in it 21:22 because we see a rise in something else in our society 21:24 or a few other things. 21:26 One there is a great rise in childhood obesity, 21:29 it's amazing how many young people now are obese 21:33 not just in this country, I do a lot of work in Japan 21:36 and even that thin nation is becoming much more corpulent 21:41 if I can use that term, since World War II 21:44 they are becoming much more westernized. 21:46 Almost anywhere you go in the world, you can see 21:48 the typical American restaurants are there too, 21:52 the fast food restaurants, so young boys developing breasts. 21:56 They can be either unilateral or bilateral, it's basically benign 22:02 there is really no major problem with it, although 22:04 there can be real social implications, 22:06 usually it will correct in a couple of years 22:10 as long as the child gets the weight under control. 22:14 I have seen grown men with what you might consider 22:17 gynecomastia, because of the fact that they've got breasts 22:20 but a lot of it is just fat hanging off the chest. 22:22 So you get the young boys get them on a good diet, 22:26 now the good diet is primary to taking care of this problem 22:30 because of the fact that... well let me just give you an 22:32 illustration here, a fact. 22:37 A cow left out in the field that just takes care of itself 22:40 eats the grass, eats the grain, and raises a calf 22:44 every once in awhile, it's not used for milk 22:46 will produce between four and six quarts of milk a day, 22:49 enough to feed it's calf. 22:51 Your low end producer in a factory farm for milking will 22:56 be twenty five quarts, it can be up to forty, eighty. 23:00 The world record cow that produces milk is 140 qts of milk 23:04 a day, now where in the world is it going to get that 23:07 capability, is only through the introduction of hormones 23:11 into the body which accelerates the growth of the mammary tissue 23:16 which accelerates the production of milk. 23:18 So if you are drinking a product coming from the cow 23:22 you yourself are taking into yourself those growth hormones, 23:26 those estrogens and whatever they are, 23:29 which is going to do the same thing in your body 23:32 make your mammary glands grow larger. 23:34 This is a real problem for women as well as men, 23:38 my recommendation is this is not wholesome food 23:41 any more, there was a time yes, no longer wholesome food. 23:44 There has been to much tweaking with those foods 23:47 that it's not safe any more so: One get the young boys 23:52 under control as far as their diets, get them away from 23:54 dairy products, especially the more refined dairy products 23:57 concentrated like cheeses, that's just got those hormones 24:02 are just packed in there Dr. Thrash. 24:03 - Yes! That is true and your recommendation is a very 24:07 good one, and that is weight control in the young boys. 24:12 We're seeing it much more, as a matter of fact 24:15 it's probably the major public health concern today 24:19 is the great rise in obesity that we are seeing. 24:23 Now a few more things about the breast, 24:27 I would like to say a few more things about 24:30 breast discharge since I showed you the blood 24:35 in the nipple due to the Intrauctal Papilloma 24:38 but I would like just to mention that most nipple discharge 24:43 is not from a malignancy. 24:46 Milky discharge is the one that we see most frequently 24:51 and both breasts when they are involved 24:54 we feel very good about that, when both breasts are involved 24:59 rather than just one alone then we feel much more confident 25:04 that it is a benign lesion. 25:06 Many more things that we could say about milk discharge 25:09 but let me say a few things about cancer of the breast. 25:12 One thing is that seaweed is know to have an inhibiting 25:18 influence on the production of breast cancer. 25:22 In various parts of Asia where seaweed is used a lot, 25:29 But when women begin to cut down on the amount of seaweed 25:37 that they eat, breast cancer rates rise, 25:39 even in Asian countries. 25:43 lodine deficiencies known to increase the likelihood 25:47 of several breast diseases, including fibrosis, 25:52 and the fibrocystic breast disease 25:54 that we spoke of earlier. 25:55 Pain in the breasts, painful breast or Mastalgia 26:01 as we call it, can be due to very simple things and not 26:05 a big problem at all. 26:07 Rosemary has been used in chili as a treatment for 26:12 breast cancer, now in this country we recommend 26:16 that women use Rosemary to diminish the likelihood 26:22 that they will get breast cancer, but we have not 26:25 in this country yet used Rosemary as a treatment for 26:30 breast cancer, but certainly it would be a good thing to 26:32 encourage one's diet to include. 26:38 I know it is a bit controversial right now, but there have been 26:44 several reports on therapeutic abortion, or abortions done 26:50 prior to the term of pregnancy and the likelihood that 26:56 there might be a relationship to cancer of the breast. 27:01 Certainly there is another reason why we can encourage 27:07 young women not to engage in abortions. 27:10 Then of course breast feeding of babies does indeed cut down 27:17 on the probability that a woman will have a 27:20 breast cancer, so we should encourage a woman to breast feed 27:24 their babies. 27:25 Now if a woman gets a cancer of the breast, then if she has 27:31 good social support, if her husband is firmly behind her 27:36 and helps her in every way that he can 27:38 to change her lifestyle, and to have a very healthful 27:42 lifestyle, then she is likely to out live her peers, 27:46 who do not have this kind of social support. 27:49 Now I hope this discussion of breast diseases, 27:52 male and female will be a blessing to you. |
Revised 2014-12-17