(NaturalHealth365)  Western medicine has succeeded in teaching women that their hormones, like estrogen, are the cause of their breast cancer – and it has created an industry of anti-hormone suppressing drugs such as Tamoxifen and Anastrozole and countless others in response to this claim.

But just looking at your hormone (and nothing else) is a costly mistake.  The fact is that some hormones (in excess or deficiency) can trigger cancer cell growth while others can actually help to prevent cancer.  In addition, a holistic approach to understanding the cause of cancer would have to include a closer look at what actually is causing a hormonal imbalance.

Xenoestrogens – the “bad” hormones that trigger cancer

For the most part, the hormones that drive breast cancer are xenoestrogens, environmental chemicals that stimulate or mimic estrogen.  If your liver is not breaking down estrogen correctly or if you are not methylating or metabolizing it properly, this could certainly lead to greater breast cancer risk.

Here is a list of some chemical estrogens that could potentially increase your risk of breast cancer:

• Pesticides and herbicides
• Sunscreen lotion that contains 4-MBC (4-Methylbenzylcathinone)
• Parabens
• Food preservatives such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
• Metals that are found in amalgams and antiperspirants (“metallo-estrogens”)
• Tap water (which is often loaded with estrogens from contraceptive pills)
• Growth hormones in conventionally produced meat and dairy products

Xenoestrogens can lead to a buildup of more “aggressive” estrogens, such as estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2).  When these super-aggressive forms bind with estrogen receptors in your body, a host of complications can result, including breast cancer.

Estriol (E3) estrogen can actually help to prevent cancer

Not all forms of estrogen are bad, however.  Estriol (E3) is a type of estrogen that is important precisely because it is weaker than its high-energy cousins.  A number of studies published over four decades have demonstrated that estriol’s most important role may be to actually prevent cancer cell growth.

“Estriol is a fully detoxified estrogen,” explains Dr. Jonathan Wright, a pioneer in natural hormone replacement therapy.  He goes on to say:

“This was demonstrated in an unpublished 35 to 40-year prospective case-cohort study funded by the Department of Defense.  This analysis compared 15,000 women who had pregnancies between 1959 and 1967.  The women, who all belonged to the same health plan in California, had samples of their serum frozen for 30 years or more.  In 1997, the researchers thawed the serum and analyzed steroid hormone levels in the women’s blood during their pregnancies.  They then compared the results to the California Cancer Registry to determine the relationship between estriol levels during pregnancy and the subsequent prevalence of cancer.  The researchers found that breast cancer risk was reduced by 58% among women in the highest quartile of estriol production compared to those in the lowest quartile … As a result, not only did estriol not increase the risk of this cancer – as estradiol and estrone do – but it actually reduced the risk.”

Estriol apparently accomplishes its protective role by benignly binding to estrogenic receptors in the uterine lining and possibly the breast.  Unlike the more potent estrogens, though, it does not stimulate growth nearly as much.  At the same time, receptors covered by estriol are shielded from more carcinogenic xenoestrogens.

Do you know the significance of your estrogen quotient (EQ)?

Since we are exposed to so many xenoestrogens that can cause breast cancer, understanding how to balance your hormones is a major step in breast cancer prevention.  Your EQ, which is based on a mathematical formula developed by Dr. Henry Lemon, looks at the relationship between the 3 major estrogens in your body: estradiol, estrone, and estriol.

It compares levels of the cancer-protective estrogen (E3-estriol) to the cancer-promoting estrogens (E1-estrone and E2- estradiol).  If your EQ is low (<1.0), your risk of breast cancer is higher than that of someone whose EQ is >1.0.  The optimal EQ ratio is >1.5.

Your estrogen quotient can be determined by completing an easy-to-administer “saliva hormone test.”  Simply put, the higher your EQ ratio, the better.  Discover what your estrogen quotient is today and get on your road to hormonal health and breast cancer prevention.

Editor’s note: Discover the many natural ways to stop cancer cell growth from the best holistic healthcare providers, own the Stop Cancer Docu-Class created by NaturalHealth365 Programs.

Sources for this article include:

NIH.gov
NIH.gov
BreastCancerConqueror.com