Breast Cancer Awareness

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This October, SottoPelle Therapy is proud to participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer in women after skin cancer. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point.

The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

  • If you are a woman age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often to get them.
  • If you are a woman age 50 to 74, be sure to get a mammogram every 2 years. You may also choose to get them more often.

Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member of yours had breast or ovarian cancer. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get mammograms.

 

 

 

 

You can find more amazing resources here:  https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/ebook-resources

 

The Mammogram Debate

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The screening mammogram has been a staple of preventive care for women for more than 3 decades. In recent years there have been questions as to the benefits of these mammograms and whether they actually prevent breast cancer deaths. Some clinical studies suggest that mammography does not save lives, while others show evidence that the survival rate goes up when cancers are caught early.
The primary arguments against screening mammography state that there is no measurable benefit and the possible detriment of over treatment and over diagnosis.1,2 Estimates of over diagnosis are said to range from zero to 30%, further fueling the debate.3

On the other side of the discussion, studies do indicate that detecting breast cancer in the early stages increases a woman’s chance for survival. One large study found that approximately 90% of women diagnosed with stage I or stage II breast cancer between 1990 and 2004 lived at least 5 years beyond their diagnosis.4 It is said that improvements in treatment since then make the survival rate even higher. A Swedish study published in 2011 indicated that screenings reduced breast cancer deaths by 30%.5 Dutch researchers likewise found that diagnosis of breast cancer at an early tumor stage remains vital.6

Should Women Have Regular Screening Mammograms?

The scientific divide leaves women wondering what to do. Should they have annual screening mammograms; or have them every other year or have no screening mammograms at all? Do the benefits of early detection outweigh the possibility of over diagnosis or over treatment? What makes the most sense?

Obviously, every woman is different. Family history, personal medical history, diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol habits all play into the risk factors for breast cancer and other cancers. There is no doubt that screening mammograms for women between the ages of 40 and 49 can be lifesaving. The American Cancer Society recommends that those at average risk for breast cancer should begin having annual mammograms at age 45 and begin biennial (every other year) screenings by age 55.

SottoPelle’s Recommendation

At SottoPelle®, we encourage women to monitor important aspects of their health on a regular basis. That includes regular cancer screenings along with physical checkups and lab tests. The bottom line is that you and your primary care physician should weigh all of the factors and health risks together and devise a sensible plan for cancer screenings—including mammograms—and other preventive care measures. After all, your good health and well-being are priceless and worth investing in.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Mahatma Gandhi

1Miller AB, Wall C, Baines CJ, Sun P, To T, Narod SA. Twenty five year follow-up for breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study: randomised screening trial. BMJ 2014; 348 http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g366
2 Charles Harding, AB1; Francesco Pompei, PhD2; Dmitriy Burmistrov, PhD2; H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH3; Rediet Abebe, MASt4; Richard Wilson, DPhil2Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality Across US Counties. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(9):1483-1489.
3 Bleyer A, Welch HG. Effect of three decades of screening mammography on breast-cancer incidence. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1998-2005. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1206809#t=article
4 Hwang ES, Lichtensztajn DY, Gomez SL, Fowble B, Clarke CA. Survival after lumpectomy and mastectomy for early stage invasive breast cancer: the effect of age and hormone receptor status. Cancer. 119(7):1402-11, 2013.
5 Tabár L, Vitak B, Chen TH, et al. Swedish Two-County Trial: impact of mammographic screening on breast cancer mortality during 3 decades. Radiology. 2011;260:658-663.
6 Saadatmand S, Bretveld R, Siesling S, Tilanus-Linthorst M. Influence of tumour stage at breast cancer detection on survival in modern times: population based study in 173,797 patients. BMJ 2015; 351:h4901.

Humor These Tumors

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breast-cancer-top
OK, ladies, we’re halfway through “Pinktober,” with another two weeks left to go of all the rosy reminders to line up for the monster mammogram machine!

While breast cancer is certainly more of a tragedy than a comedy, some studies* suggest that good humor and belly laughter may not only save the day but maybe your life too.
According to Nobel Prize-winning medical researcher Dr. Otto Warburg, a strong relationship exists between the lack of oxygen in our cells and the development of cancer. His studies show that hearty laughter stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain, which oxygenates the body and deters cancer cell growth.

Humor These Tumors

Author Pam Lacko knows that all too well without knowing any science. After surviving a hysterectomy and bout of ovarian cancer, the working mom learned that breast cancer was next on her list of woes. Instead of crying and screaming, Pam decided that laughter would be a lot more fun – and healing.

Finding comedy in the face of cancer proved to be a powerful recovery elixir for Pam as she bravely grinned her way through a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. “I would rather have people joke with me than feel sorry for me,” she says.

That included medical staff with whom she developed buoyant relationships. On her final day of treatment, the nurses gathered round to sing Pam a victory song and posed with her for pictures.

Pam eventually turned her blog into a book called Laughing in the Face of Cancer, which remains enormously popular with cancer patients of all kinds. She writes: “Medication and treatment heal the body, but humor heals the mind.”

We totally agree. So we’ve taken a tip from Pam and collected a few cartoons and chuckles to keep your spirits up through those pancake-flattening mammograms this month.
Halloween is just around the corner, so don your witch’s hat to put a curse on cancer – or just let out a wicked witch’s cackle to humor those tumors away!

SOURCES
http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/laughter-is-medicine.html
* http://www.laughteryogaamerica.com/learn/research/350-scientific-research-papers-laughter-669.php

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humor-1 breast-cancer-bottom

 

 

Breast Cancer and The Testosterone Connection

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The statistics certainly appear intimidating, but don’t let breast cancer scare you this Halloween month! A diagnosis is not a death sentence, and October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month to help women become pro-active in better prevention and detection of the disease.
Let’s look at some data and then at some steps you can take to fight back.

  • Breast cancer by the numbers:
  • One in eight women will be diagnosed with the disease
  • A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes
  • One woman dies every 13 minutes from breast cancer
  • More than 250,000 women with the disease are under 40
  • Men can get breast cancer and 1 in every 1,000 men are diagnosed each year
  • There are approximately 3 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

For Dr. Gino Tutera, these statistics posed an incentive to research the role of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) in breast cancer prevention. Dr. Tutera developed a customized form of BHRT in pellet form delivering the precise dosage of hormones that each individual needs to restore the body’s natural physiological balance.

Breast Cancer and Testosterone

In his research, he discovered the role of bio-identical testosterone pellet therapy in helping to prevent breast cancer. While still widely regarded as a predominantly male hormone, testosterone is essential for women to maintain their normal physiology. Yet this scientific fact remains largely ignored.

“Around age forty, there is an increase in fibrocystic disease of the breast,” Dr. Tutera explains. “It coincides with women losing 50 percent of their testosterone production. Testosterone therapy helps decrease over-activity of cells in the breast and if you decrease cell proliferation, you cut down on the occurrence of cystic disease.”

According to Dr. Tutera’s 10-year breast cancer study*, the restoration of normal testosterone levels for women at risk for – or suffering from – breast cancer can make a significant difference in prevention of the disease. Maintaining proper levels of testosterone offers a lifesaving alternative for breast cancer patients who see not only a higher level of survivability, but also a lower chance of recurrence.

“Breast cancer patients are uniformly subjected to the usual treatment of no hormones whatsoever, which actually shortens the life span,” says Dr. Tutera. “Through testosterone replacement with SottoPelle, we have the capability to help patients get their quality of life back.”

In addition to maintaining your hormonal balance and obtaining regular mammograms, here are some simple lifestyle approaches that can help you ward off the disease:

  1. Stay active and keep your body moving! That’s right… just 10 hours of exercise each week can lower your risk by 30 percent.
  2. Eat a healthy diet of whole foods with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  3. Drink less alcohol and fill up on more water. According to several recent studies, limiting alcohol consumption reduces a woman’s risk of developing the disease.
  4. Conduct monthly breast self-examinations. This represents one of the simplest and easiest preventative steps you can take.
  5. Maintain a healthy weight – New research suggests that larger skirt sizes go hand in hand with greater risks for developing breast cancer.

Approximately 3 million breast cancer survivors are living proof that this disease can be beaten. More than 98 percent of cases survive due to early detection. There is hope!

Author:
Gino Tutera, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., is a board-certified OB/GYN who has practiced medicine “combining good science and common sense” for 40 years. Recognized internationally as a respected authority in the field of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, Dr. Tutera pioneered SottoPelle® in 2002 with the development of precisely dosed hormone pellets customized for each individual patient. His subcutaneous method has liberated thousands of people from their debilitating symptoms and restored them back to good health.

For the past two decades, he has conducted seminars on his safe and scientifically proven approach while training hundreds of physicians throughout the world. He has authored three books on the subject: You Don’t Have to Live with It! Life Regained: The Real Solution to Managing Menopause and Andropause, and You Don’t Have to Live with It! The Science of SottoPelle®.

Dr. Tutera continues to present his groundbreaking research to medical symposiums in the U.S. and abroad, attracting global media attention as an innovative leader on the vital role of subcutaneous bio-identical hormones in human health, anti-aging and disease prevention.

Sources: http://ncbi.nlm.nhi.gov/pubmed/22733561
* Breast Cancer Study
MARKED REDUCTION OF BREAST, ENDOMETRIAL AND OVARIAN CANCER
IN USERS OF BIO-IDENTICAL ESTRADIOL AND TESTOSTERONE
SUBCUTANEOUS PELLETS

G. Tutera1, D. Gambrell Jr.2. 1SottoPelle, Scottsdale, United States;
2Reproductive Endocrinologists, PC, Augusta, United States

Objectives: A study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of breast,
endometrial and ovarian cancer in users of bio-identical estradiol and
testosterone subcutaneous pellets.
Methods: 976 patients were followed in a ten-year period. The patients
received subcutaneous pellets every four to six months.
Results: Only one case of breast cancer and one case of endometrial cancer
developed in this ten-year period. There were no cases of ovarian cancer.
Conclusions: Subcutaneous estradiol and testosterone pellets do not increase
the risk of development of any of these cancers and, in fact, may be
protective.
Keywords: Cancer, breast cancer, subcutaneous pellets, bio-identical estradiol and
testosterone.
8th European Congress on Menopause (EMAS) / Maturitas 63, Supplement 1 (2009) S1–S136