Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Alternative Treatments for Breast Cancer

It is shocking to live with breast cancer statistics rising to 1 in 8 women developing some form of breast cancer in their lifetime. women 50 and older are at the greatest risk. Breast cancer is usually detected with mammograms or self breast exams. About 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year. While the survival rate is increasing, it is important to note the increase in occurrence over the last 50 years. Lets examine what causes breast cancer so we can prevent and deal with breast cancer naturally.

Causes of Breast Cancer
Everyones cancer is caused by something different, and so pinpointing the cause of breast cancer usually isnt high on the list of priorities once a woman is diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease. But, in general cancer is caused by free radicals, or deformed cells, that attach themselves to your good cells.

Breast cancer specifically has been linked to too much estrogen found in the body. There are several reasons why women have too much estrogen. The birth control pill increases the amount of estrogen in the female body. Hormone replacement therapy also has been shown to cause breast cancer because of its tampering with hormone levels.

High levels of preservatives, herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals used to treat food contribute to breast cancer. And estrogens found in dairy and meat can be overwhelming to the body.

Holistic Treatment of Breast Cancer
Plant estrogens like soy are a great way to combat breast cancer. These plant estrogens give the female body everything it needs without the harmful effects. women with breast cancer should increase their intake of soy foods. When possible they should try to reduce the amount of dairy in their diet and replace it with soy.

Eating whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and fruit also give the immune system a boost and enable the body to wage its own war against cancer. Vitamin and mineral supplements help to fill in the gaps of nutrition you may miss from your diet. Antioxidants counteract the free radicals floating around your body, bind with them, and the body flushes them right out so they can do no harm.

mental and spiritual well being is also important in a holistic approach to fighting breast cancer. Meditation, stress reduction, improved outlook, and positivity all help improve your mental well being. And as many of us realize, you are what you think about. So change your focus, look for the beauty in life, and take care of yourself, inside and out.

Exercise is a fantastic way to improve your immune system, build a physically healthy body, and improve your mental well being at the same time. Yoga, Tai-chi, and walking are all beneficial ways to exercise the body and mind without overdoing it and causing damage.

Progesterone cream delivers the hormone, progesterone, to the body in the fastest way possible - transdermally, or through the skin. Progesterone helps to regulate the other hormones in the body, especially estrogen levels. As a woman ages, her natural progesterone levels decrease leaving her exposed to excess estrogen. In research conducted in 1995, progesterone was shown to have protective effects on breast tissue because it inhibits the growth of more breast cancer cells. Estrogen does the opposite and encourages breast tissue growth. Pro-Gest is a good progesterone cream for women with breast cancer.

Breast cancer information

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Front Yard Landscaping Ideas - How To Plant And Care For Shrubs

Caring for both trees and shrubs is basically done in a very similar manner. The one major difference though, is that a tree usually only has one trunk, whereas a shrub can have several stems or trunks. And the planting of both trees and shrubs can be a little different too, so let's discuss the best way to plant shrubs in your home landscape.

It wasn't all that long ago that getting shrubs that were not only beautiful but also hardy was difficult to do. But today, there are many more varieties available including hybrids that greatly expand the choices for most do it yourself home landscapers. You can now find appropriate shrubs that provide outstanding color, bloom in various seasons, cover spots that grass simply won't grow in, and accomplish other purposes in your landscape design, no matter what region of the country you live in.

Shrubs stake out the middle ground in landscaping designs, as they are larger than flowers and yet smaller than trees. So they aid immeasurably in providing a varied and balance landscape theme. They can help soften the lines of a home, they can act as a decorative background for flowers, and they can even hide some things that you don't want to be seen. On top of that, they add character and shape to a yard, allowing you to trim and cultivate them as you wish. They also tend to be able to grow and reach maturity very rapidly, and last a long time.

To plant shrubs, it's usually best to choose early spring as the most favorable time. This gives the shrub a good long stretch of favorable weather in which to get well established. If you happen to live in parts of the country that are more mild year-round, you may be able to extend that planting season even into the wintertime. But generally speaking, for most parts of the country, springtime is when you want to start thinking about planting your shrubs for the next year.

The main reason for planting failure is dry roots and there are steps that can be taken to solve that After getting your shrub from the nursery, be sure to water it as soon as you can. It's often best to keep them in shade at least at first, mulch the ground around them, and you may even decide to prune back the shrub at this point, depending on the age of the plant. The older the shrub, the more it will need to be pruned back initially. That's why you often come out ahead of the game if you just buy less expensive, smaller shrubs to begin with. And although some plants like forsythia and azaleas can be moved while they are in flower, you should wait to move most shrubs until the flowering is done.

For some shrubs, who lose leaf moisture in the wintertime, you will need to be sure to water in the fall before the ground freezes. These include azaleas, rhododendron, and certain broadleaf evergreens.

Some folks are very hesitant to prune shrubs, but actually this helps keep them young and vigorous. Try to prune out the older branches first, and cut as close to the ground as you can. Many shrubs need pruning almost every year, especially if they have dead branches left over from wintertime, such as hydrangeas, deutzias, and privets. Others just need to head their flower heads pruned off after blooming like azaleas, magnolias and rhododendron.

With just a little bit of time and attention as mentioned above, you can insure that your shrubs stay looking beautiful year in and year out, and always reflect well on your landscaping design.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find free landscaping ideas and front yard landscaping ideas by visiting our Home Improvement website.

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