Let’s Talk About Breasts, Baby

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Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, what better time to bust some breast cancer myths and delve into some prevention tips—and who better to tap for expert advice then Dr. Kristi Funk, a Beverly Hills-based Board Certified Breast Cancer Surgeon and the celebrity doctor behind both Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow’s breast cancer surgeries.

Funk is also the co-founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center, whose sole mission is to provide low income, uninsured, and underinsured women 100% free access to cancer screening and care to the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer. As if the above-stated isn’t impressive enough, Funk just recently published the #1 Amazon best-selling book, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual and for the month of October, she partnered up with Silk to spread awareness about the benefits of soy. Irina Gerry, Brand Manager for Silk tells me, “We are excited to partner with Dr. Funk given her endorsement of soy. There are a lot of misperceptions floating around when it comes to soy’s impact on the body. Dr. Funk has done extensive research on the topic, and as a credible breast cancer surgeon, we are thrilled that she can authentically speak to the benefits of soy. Together, we’re setting the record straight on soy—a powerful plant-protein to enjoy!”

We may not all get to see Dr. Funk as a patient, but below are the biggest breast cancer myths she feels need to be dispelled, prevention + screening tips that need to be shared, and her advice on breast self exams through the ages.

MYTH #1: Soy has plant-based estrogens that feed and fuel cancer cells.

I actually perpetuated this myth with my patients for years and it was only when I was writing my book that I realized I was embarrassingly wrong about soy! Animal studies were conflicting about this plant-based estrogen, and the chemical structure looks suspiciously similar to the real estrogen, so I advised against consuming it. However, since 2009, the human studies have poured in and all of them are clear—soy isoflavones inactivate the estrogen receptors attached to cancer cells, and they disable the enzyme in your fat cells that churns out more estrogen from other steroids like testosterone. Consuming soy is not only safe, it reduces the incidence of breast cancer, recurrence, and death after a diagnosis! I’ve teamed up with Silk soymilk this October specifically to bust this myth. Silk always uses domestically sourced 100% non-GMO soy beans and is made from whole soybeans, not the isolate, two great reasons to choose Silk. One cup of their soymilk has 5-9 grams of protein, vitamin D and twice the calcium of its dairy counterpart. Consume two to three 1/2 cup servings of soy a day: soymilk, tofu, edamame, soybeans, miso, tempeh are all great ready to consume options.

MYTH #2: When it comes to breast cancer, genetics matters more than anything else.

Patient after patient tells me that there isn’t any breast cancer in her family, so she’s not really at risk. Yet 87 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a single first-degree relative with breast cancer. In fact, only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers currently prove to be hereditary, meaning that they occur because abnormal gene mutations pass from parent to child. Consider this fact: the identical twin sister of a woman with breast cancer has only a 20 percent chance of getting breast cancer one day— which, by the way, is the same risk as anyone with an affected sister. Since these twins share the exact same DNA, if genetics called all the cancer shots, risk should approach 100 percent—but it doesn’t, because genes aren’t the be-all end-all many people think they are.

MYTH #3: Antiperspirants and deodorants cause breast cancer.

You can officially slow your search for the ultimate natural substitute because no scientific evidence backs the claim that antiperspirants or deodorants cause breast cancer due to toxin buildup or aluminum exposure or parabens.

Dr. Funk’s Top 5 Breast Cancer Prevention Tips:

• Consume a whole food, plant-based diet that prioritizes vegetables, fruits, 100 percent whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas, lentils), soy, ground flaxseed; minimize saturated fat, simple sugars, processed foods, and refined cereals.
• Exercise 5 hours a week if you exert moderate effort, or 2.5 hours a week if vigorous, sweaty workouts are more your thing.
• Achieve your ideal body weight and stay there forever
• Minimize or eliminate alcohol intake: 7 drinks or fewer a week; if you drink, favor 4 to 8 ounces of red wine.
• Limit stress: strive for 20 minutes of daily prayer, meditation, tai chi, yoga, guided imagery, focused

Dr. Funk’s advice for women regarding breast exams (what age to start, how often, what to expect during an exam, how to take control of your patient experience when seeing a doctor, etc.): 

As a teenager, learn to do a breast self-exam (BSE) and do it every month, one week after your period starts, because the younger you learn to recognize lumps and bumps, the more familiar you will be with any changes that occur in the future.

If you have a family history of breast cancer prior to age fifty, your mother or father (whoever is blood-related to the person with cancer) should schedule a genetic counseling and risk assessment visit for her/ himself, the result of which will further inform you about your own risks. Know, though, that breast cancer as a teen is a reportable phenomenon, with chances being less than one in a million.

Women in their twenties and thirties need to take breast health more seriously than they did when they were younger. If this is you, do your BSE once a month, one week after your period starts or the first day of every month if you do not have a period. Visit the gynecologist for an in-office manual exam, called a clinical breast exam (CBE), every three years, plus schedule a genetic counseling and risk assessment visit if it’s appropriate due to family cancers. Women under the age of forty with breast cancer have more aggressive tumors, so it’s crucial to stay aware.

A decade or two later, in your forties, continue doing a BSE once a month, but start seeing your gynecologist annually for a CBE for the rest of your life. You’ll also need to add a mammogram once a year, and if your breasts are dense, get an ultrasound too. And from here on out, that’s the deal, ladies, whether you’re in your fifties, seventies, or nineties.

If you’re considered high risk, we layer a little extra on top of all this advice. Various factors determine what makes a woman high risk, with the most outstanding being whether any marker lesions have been identified in your own breast tissue, and how many of your relatives have had breast cancer, especially under age fifty. If this sounds like you, take our anonymous, free genetics quiz. Talk to your doctor about more frequent testing beginning ten years prior to the age of your youngest relative with cancer, and be sure to inquire about CBE twice a year, annual mammograms, and possibly ultrasound and/or breast MRI. You might also want to discuss the benefits of risk-reducing medications and operations.

Expect a little squishing and discomfort with the mammograms. Studies show it’s painless for about 45 percent of women, a little painful for 40 percent, and rather painful for the rest, but pain disappears within seconds to minutes for 89 percent of women. Try timing your mammo to the third week of your menstrual cycle to lessen sensitivity. Also, taking acetaminophen (like Tylenol) or NSAIDs (Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen) thirty minutes prior to imaging might help.

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Ok, now that I have your attention, let’s talk about breasts—seriously.

Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, what better time to bust some breast cancer myths and delve into some prevention tips—and who better to tap for expert advice then Dr. Kristi Funk, a Beverly Hills-based Board Certified Breast Cancer Surgeon and the celebrity doctor behind both Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow’s breast cancer surgeries.

Funk is also the co-founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center, whose sole mission is to provide low income, uninsured, and underinsured women 100% free access to cancer screening and care to the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer. As if the above-stated isn’t impressive enough, Funk just recently published the #1 Amazon best-selling book, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual and for the month of October, she partnered up with Silk to spread awareness about the benefits of soy. Irina Gerry, Brand Manager for Silk tells me, “We are excited to partner with Dr. Funk given her endorsement of soy. There are a lot of misperceptions floating around when it comes to soy’s impact on the body. Dr. Funk has done extensive research on the topic, and as a credible breast cancer surgeon, we are thrilled that she can authentically speak to the benefits of soy. Together, we’re setting the record straight on soy—a powerful plant-protein to enjoy!”

We may not all get to see Dr. Funk as a patient, but below are the biggest breast cancer myths she feels need to be dispelled, prevention + screening tips that need to be shared, and her advice on breast self exams through the ages.

MYTH #1: Soy has plant-based estrogens that feed and fuel cancer cells.

I actually perpetuated this myth with my patients for years and it was only when I was writing my book that I realized I was embarrassingly wrong about soy! Animal studies were conflicting about this plant-based estrogen, and the chemical structure looks suspiciously similar to the real estrogen, so I advised against consuming it. However, since 2009, the human studies have poured in and all of them are clear—soy isoflavones inactivate the estrogen receptors attached to cancer cells, and they disable the enzyme in your fat cells that churns out more estrogen from other steroids like testosterone. Consuming soy is not only safe, it reduces the incidence of breast cancer, recurrence, and death after a diagnosis! I’ve teamed up with Silk soymilk this October specifically to bust this myth. Silk always uses domestically sourced 100% non-GMO soy beans and is made from whole soybeans, not the isolate, two great reasons to choose Silk. One cup of their soymilk has 5-9 grams of protein, vitamin D and twice the calcium of its dairy counterpart. Consume two to three 1/2 cup servings of soy a day: soymilk, tofu, edamame, soybeans, miso, tempeh are all great ready to consume options.

MYTH #2: When it comes to breast cancer, genetics matters more than anything else.

Patient after patient tells me that there isn’t any breast cancer in her family, so she’s not really at risk. Yet 87 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a single first-degree relative with breast cancer. In fact, only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers currently prove to be hereditary, meaning that they occur because abnormal gene mutations pass from parent to child. Consider this fact: the identical twin sister of a woman with breast cancer has only a 20 percent chance of getting breast cancer one day— which, by the way, is the same risk as anyone with an affected sister. Since these twins share the exact same DNA, if genetics called all the cancer shots, risk should approach 100 percent—but it doesn’t, because genes aren’t the be-all end-all many people think they are.

MYTH #3: Antiperspirants and deodorants cause breast cancer.

You can officially slow your search for the ultimate natural substitute because no scientific evidence backs the claim that antiperspirants or deodorants cause breast cancer due to toxin buildup or aluminum exposure or parabens.

Dr. Funk’s Top 5 Breast Cancer Prevention Tips:

• Consume a whole food, plant-based diet that prioritizes vegetables, fruits, 100 percent whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas, lentils), soy, ground flaxseed; minimize saturated fat, simple sugars, processed foods, and refined cereals.
• Exercise 5 hours a week if you exert moderate effort, or 2.5 hours a week if vigorous, sweaty workouts are more your thing.
• Achieve your ideal body weight and stay there forever
• Minimize or eliminate alcohol intake: 7 drinks or fewer a week; if you drink, favor 4 to 8 ounces of red wine.
• Limit stress: strive for 20 minutes of daily prayer, meditation, tai chi, yoga, guided imagery, focused

Dr. Funk’s advice for women regarding breast exams (what age to start, how often, what to expect during an exam, how to take control of your patient experience when seeing a doctor, etc.): 

As a teenager, learn to do a breast self-exam (BSE) and do it every month, one week after your period starts, because the younger you learn to recognize lumps and bumps, the more familiar you will be with any changes that occur in the future.

If you have a family history of breast cancer prior to age fifty, your mother or father (whoever is blood-related to the person with cancer) should schedule a genetic counseling and risk assessment visit for her/ himself, the result of which will further inform you about your own risks. Know, though, that breast cancer as a teen is a reportable phenomenon, with chances being less than one in a million.

Women in their twenties and thirties need to take breast health more seriously than they did when they were younger. If this is you, do your BSE once a month, one week after your period starts or the first day of every month if you do not have a period. Visit the gynecologist for an in-office manual exam, called a clinical breast exam (CBE), every three years, plus schedule a genetic counseling and risk assessment visit if it’s appropriate due to family cancers. Women under the age of forty with breast cancer have more aggressive tumors, so it’s crucial to stay aware.

A decade or two later, in your forties, continue doing a BSE once a month, but start seeing your gynecologist annually for a CBE for the rest of your life. You’ll also need to add a mammogram once a year, and if your breasts are dense, get an ultrasound too. And from here on out, that’s the deal, ladies, whether you’re in your fifties, seventies, or nineties.

If you’re considered high risk, we layer a little extra on top of all this advice. Various factors determine what makes a woman high risk, with the most outstanding being whether any marker lesions have been identified in your own breast tissue, and how many of your relatives have had breast cancer, especially under age fifty. If this sounds like you, take our anonymous, free genetics quiz. Talk to your doctor about more frequent testing beginning ten years prior to the age of your youngest relative with cancer, and be sure to inquire about CBE twice a year, annual mammograms, and possibly ultrasound and/or breast MRI. You might also want to discuss the benefits of risk-reducing medications and operations.

Expect a little squishing and discomfort with the mammograms. Studies show it’s painless for about 45 percent of women, a little painful for 40 percent, and rather painful for the rest, but pain disappears within seconds to minutes for 89 percent of women. Try timing your mammo to the third week of your menstrual cycle to lessen sensitivity. Also, taking acetaminophen (like Tylenol) or NSAIDs (Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen) thirty minutes prior to imaging might help.