Below is the article from Huffington Post about Angelina Jolie’s most recent preventative surgery, removing her ovaries and fallopian tubes and putting her into early menopause. This was after her controversial decision to remove her breasts a few years ago. Every woman needs to make decisions in their life about how to treat their hormones, how to look after themselves if conditions arise. I know that I would avoid surgery, chemo, radiation at all costs. Each time we have medical intervention (scans, biopsies, surgeries, mammograms), research indicates we may be increasing our risk of cancer. Particularly in relation to preventing female hormonal cancers, always have intervention in the second half of your cycle (from ovulation through to your period) to reduce the risk of activating oestrogen-dominant cancers.
We all have between 500-1000 ‘dodgy genes’ such as the ones linked to breast cancer, that BRAC 1 and BRAC 2 genes,
What can we do to prevent breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer??
1. Maintain optimal weight – talk to us about how to start your journey of regaining your health and body.
2. Look at hormonal imbalances and work to correct them – cysts, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis, pelvic inflammation: there are many natural therapies that can help these conditions: reflexology, microcurrent, kinesiology, herbal and nutritional supplements, oestrogen dominance reversal
3. Look at inflammatory processes in your body and start to quench the inflammation: headaches & migraines, aches and pains, structural imbalances, acid/alkaline balance etc
4. Look at diet. Know your allergies and intolerances and avoid where necessary. Eat plenty of health greens, healthy colourful fruit and vegies, lots of organic food, lots of filtered water. Avoid excessive sugar, grains, bad fats, starchy carbs, alcohol, sweets. Keep insulin resistance low (we can test for this), as some research is indicating if female cancers are not oestrogen dependent, they are often insulin dependent.
5. Lifestyle. Enjoy life. Relax. Yoga. Meditation. Walk. Swim. Live!
6. Boost your immunity. Know what’s going on inside your body (looking at your blood in real time, urinalysis, bio-impedance screenings).
Call us to see if we can help you (I know we can!)
3348 6098
Angelina Jolie has revealed that she underwent preventative surgery to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed last week after tests found inflammatory markers that could be an indication of cancer.
Jolie, who had a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 when genetic tests showed an 87 percent risk of breast cancer, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that the same BRCA1 gene gives her a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.
As a result, the 39-year-old filmmaker, actress, UN envoy and mother of six had been planning to undergo the procedure for some time.
“It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause,” Jolie wrote. “So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for estrogen or progesterone replacement. But I felt I still had months to make the date.”
When she learned two weeks ago that tests revealed higher inflammation levels, Jolie and her doctors decided it was time. Her husband, actor Brad Pitt, who was in France at the time, flew to be with her during the procedure, a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.
Jolie wrote that doctors found a small benign tumor on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues.
As a result of the surgery, she is now in menopause.
After her double mastectomy, Jolie revealed to People magazine that she was planning to have her ovaries removed. She also told Entertainment Weekly that she was preparing to have another surgery to prevent cancer.
In her latest op-ed, Jolie emphasised that her decisions are specific to her, and that a family history of the disease played a role in her decision. She lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.
Jolie said other women may have different options, writing:
“I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this. A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options. Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally.”
She added that younger women may have the option to remove the fallopian tubes but keep their ovaries so they do not go into menopause and can still have children.
“It is not easy to make these decisions,” Jolie wrote. “But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power.”