2. Avoid Xeno-oestrogens
Minimise your exposure to chemical oestrogens from petrochemicals, pesticides and pollutants and unnecessary exposure to electromagnetic fields.

3. Avoid the pill
Especially early or prolonged use: overall, women taking the pill have a 25% higher risk of breast cancer.

4. Avoid hormone replacement (HRT)
Taking conventional Hormone Replacement Theraphy (which uses strong/bad oestrogens in combination with synthetic progestogens) increases the risk of breast cancer by around 35-40%. There are many safe and effective natural options (including herbal and plant-based medicines, natural hormone replacement and nutritional strategies) for controlling menopausal symptoms and preventing/reversing osteoporosis.

5. Don’t smoke
Smokers are up to five times as likely as non-smokers to develop breast cancer.

6. Take antioxidant supplements
Including vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. One study found that women with a family history of breast cancer who consumed the most vitamin E (a mere 10 or more IU per day) had an 80% lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who consumed the least; for women without a family history of breast cancer, higher consumption of vitamin E was associated with a 40% reduction breast cancer risk. Additional supplements recommended for high-risk women and those who have already been treated for breast cancer include vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin D, coenzyme Q10, di-indolylmethane (DIM), green tea extract and natural progesterone.

7. Use mammography sparingly
Writing in the Lancet medical journal (8 January 2000), researchers from Denmark, after reviewing eight large randomised trials of mammography screening, concluded that the methodologies of the trials used to justify mammography screening programs were seriously flawed, raising doubts about their validity. A large Canadian study (which followed 39,405 women), published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (September 2000), found that annual mammogram screening for breast cancer among women over 50 does not reduce the death rate from the disease when compared with women who receive competent physical breast examinations alone.

Detection of breast cancer by screening is, of course, always second best, as it means a failure of prevention. Too often women are lulled into a false sense of security without stopping to consider that mammography does not prevent breast cancer, only detect it once it has arisen - how much better to prevent it in the first place! In addition, radiation from mammography may trigger the very cancer it is meant to detect; the link between radiation and breast cancer is a strong one, and the average dose to each breast from mammography is equivalent to 340 chest x-rays! In the Canadian study (referred to above), women who received mammography had higher rates of advanced breast cancer than those not offered mammography.

Other risks include false negative and false positive results, and possible increased risk of spread of cancer cells due to compression of the breast. If you are a premenopausal woman, there is little justification for screening mammography, and if you are postmenopausal, having mammograms more often than every two years may be counterproductive. However, women of all ages should routinely practice monthly breast self-examinations and preferably have annual clinical examinations.

8. Learn to recognise and manage stress
A number of studies indicate a link between stress and breast cancer. Meditation, taiji (tai chi), qigong (chi kung), yoga and other relaxation techniques are an important part of any wellness program.

9. Take control of your health
Your life is truly in your hands!