By Claire Bacon, ACN, CNC and Kathryn Cole, RD
If you have been feeling occasional pain in the upper part of your breast, tenderness or lumpiness – especially at certain times of your cycle – you might have fibrocystic breasts. Having fibrocystic breasts is a benign condition, but can cause discomfort for many women. It can also complicate breast cancer detection.
Fibrocystic breasts are yet another condition that can develop as a result of estrogen dominance. That doesn’t necessarily mean high estrogen, but rather a lack of sufficient progesterone to make the tissues perfectly functional. Remember, we have a few different objective tests you can do to check that your hormones are in balance. Just ask!
Benefits of Iodine
Iodine plays a crucial role in treating fibrocystic breasts, as it’s essential for breast tissue structure and function. The thyroid utilizes iodine first, followed by the ovaries and breasts. Insufficient iodine consumption can lead to widespread reproductive system issues, as well as many other symptoms.
Iodine deficiency is associated with impaired mental function, difficulty learning, apathy, and reduced productivity – the brain absolutely needs iodine! It plays a role in detoxification, in helping the liver to neutralize toxins and excess hormones, and move them out of the body. Iodine has anti-cancer activity in breast cells. And of course, it’s the #1 fuel for thyroid function.
If you’re not so sure if you need iodine, of course there’s a test that will give you more information. We like to do the 24-hour loading test from Hakala Labs. If you don’t mind collecting your urine for a full 24 hours, this test will show you perfectly whether you are sufficient in iodine or if you need more!
Every cell in the body has receptors for iodine. No one is allergic to it! Although, you may have had a bad reaction following an iodine-enhanced CT scan. If you take a massive dose of iodine (thousands of times more than dietary levels), this can flush existing halide toxins out of the body (bromide and fluoride) very quickly. This will show up in a widespread systemic rash.
Best Foods to Eat
Top dietary sources of iodine include seaweed, sea salt, eggs, cod, shrimp, and tuna. Dairy yogurt and prunes also contain iodine, but to a much lesser extent. If these foods aren’t part of your regular diet, consider an iodine supplement, such as listed below.
Generally, we want to follow a very nutrient-dense, mostly plant-based diet. We definitely want to make homemade foods as much as possible. Look for:
- Cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower for Indole-3-carbinol)
- Garlic and onions (for sulfur)
- Beets (for betaine)
- Cooked spinach (raw may provide too many oxalates that block thyroid)
- Root vegetables (for minerals)
- Seaweed (for iodine)
- A variety of seeds (for fats and protein)
- Organic vegetable juices and smoothies
- Celtic sea salt on your food (for minerals).
What to Avoid
- Sugar – the most inflammatory thing you can put in your mouth
- Processed & artificially preserved meat
- Fried foods
- Alcohol – a huge burden on the liver!
- Dairy and soy – inflammatory and hormone-disruptive
- Xenoestrogen chemicals that are common in synthetic fragrances
- Reduce exposure to flame retardants in mattresses, new car off-gassing, chlorinated pools
- Avoid pesticides on your yard and in your home
- Commercial baked goods that contain potassium bromide
- Fluoride toothpastes and fluoride treatments
Additional Natural Breast Support
Additional natural methods to support breast health include:
- Opting for grass-fed, pasture-raised, or organically-raised meat free of added chemicals or hormones
- Practicing stress reduction techniques and take adrenal support
- Ensuring adequate rest
- Dry brushing and SWEATING to move the lymph!
- Discontinuing birth control pills or other hormonal interventions
- Do Castor Oil packs on the abdomen
- Avoiding alkaloids like coffee, chocolate, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, black tea, and cola
- Supplementing with iodine, vitamin E, evening primrose oil, calcium d-glucarate, and other liver support to enhance estrogen detoxification
- Considering a 21-day Purification Cleanse to clear bio-accumulated toxins
With so many natural things you can do, there’s no reason to suffer!
Let us know if we can help!
