The Breast Cancer Prevention Program - Hardcover

Although the rates of breast cancer have escalated from one in 20 four decades ago to one in 8 today - still, the cancer establishment insists that we have turned the tide against breast cancer. Not so, say the authors of this groundbreaking book, and they back this claim up with the most thorough analysis of all known and suspected causes of breast cancer yet undertaken. What they reveal is the heartening (but ignored by the cancer establishment) news that breast cancer is preventable and that its rise is directly related to an out-of-control spread of the very factors that increase our risk of breast cancer: from environmental and workplace carcinogens to unhealthy lifestyle choices, from hormones pumped into commercial livestock to estrogenic medications, from premenopausal mammography to cosmetics and household hazards. For the first time, this book exposes all the causes of breast cancer and lays out all the possible preventive measures. The good news is there s plenty every woman can do to keep this dread disease at bay, and The Breast Cancer Prevention Program provides a fascinating, informative, and empowering blueprint for health. Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., and David Steinman are the authors of the best-selling consumer guide The Safe Shopper s Bible. Dr. Epstein, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health and founder and chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition in Chicago, is a leading international expert on the environmental and occupational causes of cancer. Past consultant to congressional committees and key expert to regulatory agencies, he is also the author of the prize-winning The Politics ofCancer and Hazardous Waste in America. David Steinman, author

Here for the first time: the truth about a woman's power to take charge of her health, to dramatically reduce her risks of developing a potentially devastating disease. Every woman does it every month: She examines her breasts, hoping not to feel a lump that could change her future in a profound, intimate way. Indeed, breast cancer is now the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 35 and 54, and even successful treatment of the disease often involves permanent disfigurement. Told by cancer establishment giants like the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society that prevention is not possible, most women follow the advice of these so-called experts, submitting to annual mammography and hoping for the best. In The Breast Cancer Prevention Program, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein and David Steinman expose just how wrongheaded this approach is. The truth is, breast cancer is not a random killer. There are many simple, straightforward ways women can help protect themselves against it. Supported by a wealth of scientifically documented, medically sound information, this groundbreaking book outlines the unpublished "Dirty Dozen" risk factors for breast cancer and describes in detail the ways to avoid them, including:

• Performing careful breast self-exams in premenopausal years instead of submitting to the carcinogenic radiation of mammograms
• Eating a healthful diet instead of one high in animal fat contaminated with carcinogenic pollutants and hormones
• Understanding what a family history of the disease really means, and the impact your reproductive choices may have on your risk
• Using safer methods of birth control than oral contraceptives, which dangerously raise estrogen levels
• Ridding your work and living environments of cancer-causing chemicals that can damage breast cells.

In addition, the authors expose the truth about the dangers of silicone breast implants, estrogen replacement therapy, and a host of other "hidden" risk factors. They also reveal how drug manufacturers and the mammography industry influence the cancer establishment in formulating its policies on prevention. Most of all, they bring you the information you need to make informed decisions about your health, placing in your hands the power to dramatically reduce your risks for this dreaded disease.