The Causes of Breast Cancer

Each year in the United States almost 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.  While there is an abundance of information on Western biomedical treatments, treatments for the prevention of breast cancer are relatively scarce  .  While many women have a hereditary predisposition to this disease, many women do not. In  either  , there are steps they can take to prevent breast cancer from occurring.  And while this article is addressed to women, breast cancer can and does occur in men although they number less than 2% of all recorded cases.

Some of the precipitating   factors include poor  nutrition  , lack of exercise, accumulated mental and physical strain, environmental toxins such as food additives, contaminated water, pesticides and prolonged hormonal (estrogen) exposure of the breast tissue due to endogenous and  exogenous  causes  .

The Chinese Medical View of Breast Cancer

According to the  tenets  of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), many diseases of the breast are related and have the same underlying disease mechanisms.  Because Chinese medicine can diagnose these mechanisms before symptoms appear, we can catch these diseases in their very early stages.  And, in fact, if we catch these diseases in their early stages, we can prevent them from progressing to more grievous diseases stages, such as cancer.

Form a Chinese medical perspective, all breast diseases have stagnation as the  underlying cause. In the Chinese medical view, the body is traversed by the channels of acupuncture. The life force, called Qi (pronounced chee), circulates through these channels in  an uninterrupted   basis. Any interruption or blockage of this flow will result in an imbalance in the local area or in the entire system.

In Chinese medicine there is a saying,"If there is free flow, there is no pain.  If there is pain, there is no free flow."  So, if there is pain, what is it that is not flowing?  In TCM, there are three things that are flowing. They are the Qi, the Blood and the Body Fluids.

Since Qi is the force that moves the Blood and Body Fluids, a blockage of Qi will also result in a disruption to the flow of the blood and  bodily  fluids.

If the Qi is obstructed, this is called Qi stagnation and there might be distention, pain or lumps.  If the Blood is not flowing,  this is called Blood stasis and there can be acute, stabbing pain or clots in the menstrual  flow . And finally, if the fluids are not flowing, this is called damp accumulation or phlegm nodulation, and there may be a swollen feeling, heaviness or cysts. These imbalances might not necessarily lead to cancer but they are the underlying disease mechanisms that we find in almost all breast diseases, including cancer.

In the New York acupuncture clinic, our women patients come to se us because they have one or more of these symptoms that are disrupting their everyday lives.  Some of the most common breast complaints seen in the  acupuncture clinic  are:

* Premenstrual breast pain and soreness

* Fibroadenomas (benign masses)

* Cysts (fluid filled sacs)

* Breast abscesses (mastitis)

The Acupuncture Treatment for Breast Disease

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are the two main treatment methods of professional Chinese medicine. In general, the more there are physical changes in the breast tissue, the more the emphasis should be set on herbal medicine versus acupuncture. Having said that, acupuncture is an very  important part of the process because of its almost immediate result in the easement of swelling, pain and anxiety.

When the appropriate acupuncture points are needled, blockages to the flow of Qi are  dissipated  and stagnant Qi and fluids will begin to  flow again.  This is one of the  actions  of acupuncture and one of the reasons for the quick reduction of pain and swelling.

By far the most common ailment among women is breast soreness and pain during the week leading up to menstruation.  And although, by itself, it is not considered dangerous, it is important to correct this problem to prevent its progression into something more serious.

As soon as PMS breast symptoms appear, treatment with acupuncture should start and be repeated as frequently as possible until the first day of menstruation.  This treatment plan is repeated again the next month and if the patient has been following her practitioner's advice about diet and lifestyle, the symptoms should be less intense  and less prolonged. This process should be continued until the symptoms have disappeared.  Most cases of premenstrual breast  soreness can be resolved in 3-6 menstrual cycles.

By keeping the Qi of the breast harmonious  and free flowing, not only are we preventing PMS breast soreness, we are  preventing the same exact disease mechanisms that create tumors  , cysts, and, yes, breast cancer.

My next article will focus on Chinese & Western dietary therapy and  its  role in cancer prevention.

Steven Gordon, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., Dipl. CH, is an expert in the field of TCM gynecology and integrative cancer care. He has been practicing acupuncture in New York City for over 15 years.  He is a NYS Licensed acupuncturist and is Nationally Board Certified in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (NCCAOM).  Since 2007 he has treated hundreds of breast cancer patients at the Integrative Cancer Care Clinic at the Flatiron Acupuncture Center in New York City. Visit his website: www.flatironacupuncture.com for more information.