What Do Fibroids, Endometriosis and Breast Cancer Have in Common?
The purpose of this blog post is to illustrate common biologic mechanisms for these disorders and to provide therapeutic interventions that are scientifically based and clinically successful.
Have You Wondered if These Diseases Have Anything In Common?
Have you heard about estrogen, hormone, which have a big impact on the growth of uterine fibroid, endometriosis and breast cancer?
In nature but also in the human organism, the balance must be kept. Likewise, hormones: increased estrogen production but reduced elimination are harmful to your health, and in this article, it will be more clear to you.
Inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, anxiety or even emotional stress have a special role in our body and they have to be “ in check”.
The scientific and holistic approach includes :
normalizing the production and promoting the elimination of estrogen
decreasing inflammation and abnormality in blood sugar stability (dysglycemia)
reducing as many life stressors as possible.
Endometriosis - The Mechanism of Action
Endometriosis is characterized by the activity of the uterine tissue (endometrial glands and stroma) in areas other than the uterus, like the pelvic floor or around the fallopian tubes and the ovaries. This explains why the common signs of endometriosis are pain and discomfort which begins just before and during the menstruation. These endometrial implants also stimulate the immune system and local inflammatory reactions. Such causes are believed to be the underlying cause for infertility also associated with endometriosis.
Symptoms Of Endometriosis:
pelvic pain (especially during menstruation)
lower back and abdominal pain
pain during or after sex
pain with bowel movements or urination
heavy menstrual periods or bleeding between periods
Breast Cancer
There are many types of breast cancer, some of them are estrogen-sensitive, which means that risk of cancer results from high exposure to this hormone. The risk factors that increase the body's exposure to this hormone including:
early age of first menstruation
having no children or few children
not breastfeeding
later age of last menstruation
taking replacement hormone therapy.
An integrated treatment plan to fight with fibroid, endometriosis and breast cancer has been developed, which consists of equalizing estrogen levels in the body (production and elimination), combating inflammation and dysglycemia. An important point of treatment is also to reduce stress from everyday life.
Uterine Fibroids
In medical language, uterine fibroids are leiomyosarcomas, uterine smooth muscle tumours. Most common symptoms of uterine fibroids are:
heavy menstrual bleeding
pelvic pain
frequent urination
constipation
back and leg pains.
Uterine Fibroids grow from single-cell replication and include extracellular collagen and elastin. Patients in their treatment take formulations of the pancreatic enzymes between meals or on an empty stomach as they have a systemic and antiinflammatory effect and work by activating the fibrinolytic pathway. While enzymes are taken with food, they digest proteins as opposed to fibroids in the body.
Adult and pregnant women are most at risk of developing uterine fibroids. Fibroids are uncommon before puberty, increase during pregnancy, stop growing at menopause, and decline with the use of drugs that reduce the levels of estrogen.
It's always important to remember about a holistic approach to treating uterine fibroids. It’s crucial to keep estrogen and progestogen at normal levels. High levels of estrogen in the body are a risk factor for growing tumours.
What Is the Current Medical Approach To Uterine Fibroids?
Standard treatment of uterine fibroids, endometriosis and breast cancer is about medications and surgery. Holistic approaches include natural, safe protocols which have the same required outcome as traditional methods of treatment could be used to reduce inflammation and help to reduce surgery or after surgery, to reduce recurrence.
Conventional therapy can also include reducing estrogen levels and inducing menopause, but unfortunately, it's not a long-lasting resolution. The drug can only be taken for 6 months and the fibroids are likely to return within a year of completing treatment.
Integrative Approach To Fibroids, Endometriosis and Breast Cancer.
Since uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and breast cancer prevention all include estrogen, providing adequate estrogen reduction is crucial to any integrative model.
Estrogen is removed by phase I and phase II liver detoxification, a mechanism by which estrogen is absorbed in bile and excreted in the stool.
Phase I and II are both vital to improve and provide adequate estrogen elimination. The liver is the organ that is responsible for eliminating this hormone.
How To Optimize The Liver Function For Rebalancing Hormones?
The phase I of estrogen detoxification is a process known as hydroxylation, where a hydroxyl group is added to 1 of 3 carbons on the estrogen ring, at the 2, 4, or 16 positions. This reaction is defined only partly by genetics (depending on the person's cytochrome P450 estrogen Detoxification Enzyme Systems), the process is certainly changeable by lifestyle and nutritional factors.
What Can We Do to Improve The Mechanism?
Some recommendations include:
physical movement
consuming foods containing omega 3 fatty acids sources (fish, seafood, nuts and seeds)
cruciferous vegetables (contain indole-3-carbinol which increase the 2 hydroxylations of estrogen).
Phase II detoxification of estrogen involves the attachment or conjugation/transformation of other compounds to allow excretion of the estrogen molecule in the bile. The most important reaction is the glucuronidation in which the glucuronide molecule is bound to estrogen, which allows its extraction through the bile into the intestine in the form of estrogen glucuronide. Abnormal glucuronidation happens when the unhealthy gut flora secretes an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme 'cuts off' the glucuronide molecule from estrogen and allows systemic absorption of estrogen back into the bloodstream instead of being eliminated from the body through the faeces. This estrogen return occurs via enterohepatic circulation.
Glucuronidation-The Metabolic Pathway.
Interventions which have been shown to strengthen glucuronidation and optimise the detoxification process include:
a low-animal-fat diet
supplementation with probiotics and calcium-d-glucarate
to regulate bowel movement and eliminate constipation
to meet the protein needs
to include the following into the diet: broccoli, artichoke, shallots, garlic, watercress, pomegranate, green tea. Check out healthy salad recipes here.
Functional Medicine Approach to Estrogen Production.
The basic metabolic concepts for the development of estrogen production is to support the integrative treatment program.
These fundamental rules are as follows:
All estrogens produced in the body are produced by the enzyme called aromatase and it's present in adipose tissue
Some pesticides ( eg.atrazine) are potent endocrine disruptors that increase aromatase production
Estrogen is transported in an inactive form in the body, bound to the carrier protein sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).
Insulin stimulates aromatase activity and decreases SHBG leading to more unbound estrogen
Estrogen must be unbound to bind to the receptor and have an estrogenic effect
Research has shown that tissue of endometriosis and uterine fibroids have high levels of aromatase activity. Breast cancer cells also have higher levels of this enzyme. The Functional Medicine approach is to reduce the activity of aromatase, adipose tissue and insulin while increasing SHBG level.
Even though all fat cells (adipocytes) contain aromatase and produce estrogen, we will now discuss the additional adipocyte cells.
The bottom line?
estrogen is increased by visceral fat (increases aromatase)
estrogen causes inflammation
inflammation stimulates aromatase and increases estrogen
How To Optimise Estrogen Production?
In the management of oestrogen dependent disorders (fibroids, endometriosis and breast cancer) it’s vital to stabilise the estrogen production. It can be achieved by reducing:
the levels of visceral adipose
inflammation
insulin and increasing SHBG.
How To Help Yourself?
Eat a healthy diet (whilst also eating and exercising properly, and loss of weight if necessary).
Control inflammation by eating an anti-inflammatory diet (eat cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines, curcumin, bromelain, and quercetin).
Optimize the mechanisms of insulin and glucose (eating a low glycemic index diet and supplementing with alpha-lipoic acid or cinnamon, berberine if necessary).
Please do not self-prescribe supplements as they have a therapeutic effect and might interact with your medications. Always consult them with your therapist. There are also other approaches to reduce estrogen in the body.
Firstly is to be conscious of the number of estrogens entering the body from environmental and dietary sources, and then toxins from plastics and pesticides that have generally been known to have estrogenic effects.
Furthermore, estrogens are added regularly during the farming of chicken, beef and dairy cows to increase productivity, taste and consistency. It is important to consume organic food, free-range and pasture-fed animals for the reasons mentioned above.
What About Stress?
Stress is known for causing an increase in proinflammatory cytokines, especially stress management is an essential part of the holistic treatment plan. Recent studies have shown that even consuming the flesh of animals raised and killed under stressful conditions transmits stress hormones (and their effects) to the individual consuming the meat.
Furthermore, the importance of reducing stress, resolving problems and addressing spiritual concerns should not be overlooked.
The real healing can begin when physical and emotional problems are resolved.
“Fall In Love In Healing Yourself”
Sources:
http://www.imjournal.com/resources/web_pdfs/popular/1008_evans.pdf
https://www.parsemus.org/foundation_news/underutilized-nonsurgical-treatment-uterine-fibroids/