October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Considering that 1 in every 8 women in the USA will be diagnosed with breast cancer within their lifetime, a pause to consider nutrients most vital to breast health is a really good idea. While Breast Cancer is one of the worst possible things that can happen to our mammary glands-there are many other breast-related issues we deal with.
Did you know that after the Thyroid gland, the breasts (along with the Prostate gland) also require large amounts of Iodine? When I am working with anyone with a suspected Thyroid issue or Iodine deficiency, one of the first questions I ask her is if she’s had breast tenderness or a history of lumpy/fibrocystic breasts. I also ask her if her body temperature tends to run a bit lower than normal. If so, I ask further questions, such as a history of swimming, hot tub use, and sodas. All are sources of bromine, which deplete Iodine levels.
There are three nutrients considered to be essential and here’s why:
- Standard Process Prolamine Iodine Plus
- Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex Perles
- MediHerb Chaste Tree
Standard Process Prolamine Iodine Plus
Our original Prolamine Iodine product went from 3mg down to 1/5 the potency some time ago. You’ll know which potency you’ll have is by checking the color. The once dark purple tablets became a light lavender instead. Thanks to the huge cry of need for a higher potency of Iodine, we’ve kept the lower potency Prolamine Iodine but have also introduced Prolamine Iodine Plus, a capsule in a base of organic beet and kelp.
Both Iodine products are protein-bound, the form found to parallel quite closely the concentration of the active thyroid hormone in the blood stream.
Prolamine Iodine Plus contains 3 mg. of iodine/iodide stable, safe form of protein-bound iodine to take and readily absorbed by the body. This form allows any cell in the body to pick up and assimilate iodine.
Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex Perles
Chlorophyll Complex soft gels are absolutely essential to use along with Prolamine Iodine Plus for two reasons. They provide all nutrients needed to make iodine more readily available to receptor sites and secondly, fat-soluble Chlorophyll is a heavy metal chelator and may minimize any reaction to the displacement of heavy metals such as bromine, fluorine, and chlorine. It’s an excellent source of Beta Carotene, useful in reducing both the pain and size of breast lesions in women.
MediHerb Chaste Tree
MediHerb Chaste Tree may increase progesterone by reducing prolactin secretion. Increased prolactin levels are associated with premenstrual mastalgia (breast pain), corpus luteal (involved in progesterone production) insufficiency, and infertility. Estrogen dominance is associated with lower iodine receptivity of the cells. Rather than the indiscriminate use of progesterone creams which potentially build up into dangerously high levels, judicious use of Chaste Tree is an excellent portion of any breast health program.
