​15 Ways to Support Breast Health
So often we carry on in life until one day we are hammered with life changing health news.  I am thrilled to be part of a profession that encourages preventative health, and acknowledges the whispers that indicate possible future imbalances.

We frequently talk about gut health, the liver, and other organs, but breast tissue is an area that's often overlooked.  Above, there's a list of possible causes of breast pain.  You will sense some themes:  toxic inputs, blocked detox pathways, inflammation, structural impedance.  Similar themes apply to keeping breast tissue as healthy as possible by limiting exposures to hormone disruptors, improving detox pathways of the liver, lymph and gut so things can get out of the body more easily, and optimizing physical structure.


15 Ways to Support Breast Health

1. Move your body
2. 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds daily
3. 1/4 cup broccoli sprouts daily (a source of I3C)
4. Optimize Vitamin D levels
5. Get enough sleep for repair and rejuvenation
6. Balance circadian rhythm and pay attention to light (blue light at night is inflammatory)
7. Limit plastic exposure (xenoestrogens) in water bottles, canned food, food storage, payment receipts
8. Choose non-toxic and "clean" body care products (women have much higher exposure to chemicals via hair products, make-up, scents and period products)
9. Consume less alcohol 
10. Take breaks from underwire bras
11. Move lymph with massage, castor oil, dry skin brushing, yoga, sauna, lymphatic herbs, homeopathics like Lymphdiarol
12. Eat whole food ingredients with less sugar, and choose organic when it makes sense
13. Support liver, kidney, bowel, and skin health for elimination of waste products
14. Deep breathing
15. Balance the heart chakra by recognizing your own personal and emotional needs and not always putting yourself last while taking care of everyone else

To gain insights on your breast tissue function, Book a Thermography Scan HereI'm excited to share with you this opportunity to gain further insights into your health, so that you can be proactive with any changes happening in your body.

In wellness,
Dr Christa

Two Important Updates to Bloodwork
Bloodwork can be a regular part of your routine health check-ins.  Each practitioner has their own list of items that they like to look at, to gain better understanding of the internal environment of your body, cells and metabolic health.  The data is then compared to the established reference ranges and then your numbers are determined to be "normal" or flagged as outside the typical or desired levels. 

If you've ever brought your bloodwork to me for my clinical impression, you will know that I don't just look at the numbers to know if you're "fine", I also explain what each marker means and what we would be looking for optimally.  This different lens strives to keep you well, and ultimately your health thriving.

In the last little while there have been some changes to the reference ranges of two of the most commonly tested values:  cholesterol and ferritin.

• Cholesterol
  
  Cholesterol is a fatty substance crucial to making cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids for fat digestion.  Cholesterol can get a bad wrap when there's an abundance in the bloodstream.  You might not know this, but 80% of the cholesterol in our bodies is actually made by the liver, while only 20% comes from our food (1). I find that cholesterol can tell us about inflammation and liver function, since higher levels in the blood can be a response to damage that our bodies are trying to patch up. 
  
  As a fat, cholesterol cannot travel freely around without an escort (think of how salad dressing separates in the bottle) so it is packaged into several forms.  The two types you would know best are LDL "bad" and HDL "good".  LDL transports cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body, while HDL moves cholesterol from the tissues back to the liver for breakdown and excretion.  If LDL becomes oxidized, it is present for the thickening and damaging of the blood vessel lining (2).  This is a much longer conversation, but I'll leave it here for today.
  
  In 2023 the range for Total Cholesterol was recommended to be less than 5.2 mmol/L, LDL less than 3.5 mmol/L, and HDL above 1.3 mmol/L.  Prior to this, most lab results only noted LDL should be less than 2.0 and HDL less than 2.6 mmol/L.
  
  I like to see both LDL and HDL close to 2.0 mmol/L.
  
  Apolipoprotein B is a commonly recommended test by various cardiovascular associations, including in this paper by the Canadian Journal of Cardiology (3), as a better assessment of cardiovascular health than LDL but it doesn't seem to be implemented in the clinical setting yet.  ApoB is ideally above 1.05 g/L.  
  
  Every single cardiology or heart association recommends lifestyle based approaches as a first line of therapy, since nutrition and exercise are powerful health modulators, but I'm not always seeing this supported in the real world.  In 1988 when the first cholesterol guidelines were published, it was "recommended diet for 6 months to be followed by consideration of bile acid sequestrants or nicotinic acid." (4)  Now, first line treatment is statin medications, with the goal of reducing cholesterol numbers as much as possible.
  
  The challenge then becomes, what happens to hormones, nervous system, cell membranes, fat digestion, vitamin D all all the other body systems that rely on cholesterol when the value is low?  Consideration should be made for the big picture of lipid health, and all the complex intertwining systems.
  
  
  
• Ferritin
  
  Ferritin is a protein that stores and releases iron as needed, acting as a buffer to keep iron levels in range.  Iron absorption and levels are tightly regulated in the body.  Iron is needed in the production of red blood cells, which circulate oxygen, and a healthy immune system.  I've also seen low iron impact sleep, anxiety, picky eating, dark circles under the eyes and leg cramps.
  
  It used to be flagged only if it was below 10-15 ug/L (depending on the lab).  Oftentimes people would have suboptimal iron levels between 11-30, and exhibit all the symptoms (fatigue, brittle hair, cold temperature intolerance), but ferritin was not flagged so results would be considered "normal".  Naturopathic doctors would commonly want to see ferritin above 50 ug/L, and ideally 80-100. 
  
  Now, the lab tests have been updated and indicate ranges for ferritin: 30-50 ug/L is a probably iron deficiency, and 51-100 is possibly deficient if risk factors are present.  To get a more thorough picture of iron status and rule out inflammation as an intervening variable in the ferritin reading, an iron panel containing TIBC and Transferrin Saturation are very helpful.
  
  The upper limit for iron is usually considered 300 ug/L, as too much iron can indicate chronic infections, hemachromatosis, liver disease, and sleep apnea and should be further investigated.  
  
  Clearly, there's a sweet spot for ferritin levels, but I've often seen iron deficiency get missed.  This change could be why you are suddenly being told that your iron is low, after years of suspecting it.  I'm glad to see this adjustment to the bloodwork reference ranges so that we can quickly begin to treat this common imbalance. 
  
  You can read more about iron deficiency here.
  
  

Most of us have online access to our bloodwork results, but if not, you can ask your practitioner for a copy or we can do a release of records request to have the results sent here.  I'd love to walk you through your numbers so that you fully understand what has been tested, and what it might mean for your health now and down the road.  So often we are told everything is "fine" and then one day it's not.  Or maybe it's "normal" but close to the line and you have all the symptoms of a certain condition.  When we take a moment to appreciate exactly where you're sitting, we have a wonderful opportunity to support your body right now, and prevent future illness from developing later.  Ultimately, it's your health on the line.
See you soon,
Dr Christa

1.  https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body
2.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279327/
3.  https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(21)00165-3/fulltext
4.  https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(18)30995-4/abstract

Book Appointment

Upcoming Clinic Dates

• Thermography Clinic - Friday, November 7th
  - a few spots remaining
  
  
• Water maintenance - we've sporadically been given times for shut-offs by the Town of Orangeville and unfortunately don't have a lot of notice, but I try to post it on my Instagram and Facebook accounts to give you a heads up
  
  
• Fall Reset - just wrapping up, but let me know if you're interested in the next one

We are fortunate to have many opportunities for having a closer look into our health status.  Bloodwork, saliva, hair, stool and urine testing are just some of the ways we gather information that indicate our imbalances.  There are also x-rays, bone scans, MRIs and other images that check-in on what's happening on the inside.  Each one of these evaluations has their unique benefits and disadvantages, and really just provide their own snapshot that we use to give context to how you feel and what symptoms you are experiencing.  

We also know that there is a difference between functional assessments (how are things working) and individual data points, which can vary depending on multiple factors.  An example of this would be a morning serum cortisol blood test, which could be impacted by rushing to a busy lab and having a coffee, versus a 4 point urine test that captures information about cortisol as it fluctuates over the whole day.  

On Friday, November 7th, 2025, we'll be hosting a Thermography Clinic.  As someone who has expressed interest in a deeper understanding of your health, this is a great opportunity for further insights.  Some of you may have heard of this scan before, while others are thinking, "what the heck is thermography?"  Let me explain.


What is Thermography?

When it comes to breast health, there are multiple ways of monitoring tissue:

• breast self-exam
• thermography
• ultrasound
• mammogram
• biopsy - the only definitive diagnosis

Each of these techniques is a way to capture changes in the breast tissue, like lumps, however, only thermography assesses temperature changes in the area.  Using a special digital camera, a detailed thermograph image is produced that shows infrared heat patterns.  It's been an FDA approved evaluation tool since 1971.

Detecting heat patterns is significant because it can distinguish between normal blood vessels, and blood vessels that supply malignant tumors (called neo-angiogenic).  Normal blood vessels respond to cold by contracting, while angiogenic blood vessels do not change in size in response to cold exposure.  Therefore, tissue temperature stays warm in those problematic areas and is picked up in the scan.

Mammograms are available to women in Ontario over the age 40, unless there are other circumstances or risk factors present.  There may be reasons that mammography is not chosen by certain people.  For instance, mammograms only capture lumps of stage 1 cancer or higher grade, they are not appropriate for all breast tissue types, and there is concern that the pressure of the machine may rupture encapsulated tumors.

Thermography can detect changes in tissue function 5-8 years before formation of abnormal cells.  It is performed without compression or touching, which may be important for those with a history of trauma.  Thermography is suitable for all breast tissue types (post-surgical scars, fibrocystic or dense breasts and breast implants), ages, and genders.  It can be repeated multiple times without harm of radiation.

Book Thermography Scan Here


How is it done?

Julie will be using my office to perform the Thermography assessments on November 7th.  You do not need to be a patient of mine (so share with your friends and family), but you may be referred to discuss results with your practitioner.

1. Baseline thermographic images of the area are taken
   e.g. for the breasts it is the front, sides, and underarm areas 
   
   
2. Hands are placed in cold water to change the circulation patterns
   
   
3.  A second set of images are taken of the area to be assessed
   
   
4.  Images are analyzed by a thermologist to determine dysfunctional or problematic areas of microcirculation and reports are sent out (usually within two weeks).  There may also be comparison to previous scans, if applicable.  Results are described as Th1 to Th5, where Th1 is considered "normal" and Th5 warrants urgent referral for other investigations like ultrasound or mammography.  It is not a diagnostic evaluation, only biopsy can confirm a diagnosis.
   
   
5. Strategy can be discussed with your practitioners

 Thermography is a way of bridging our understanding of tissue function in between "fine" and "not fine".  All of us know someone that was seemingly alright one minute, and then have their lives flipped upside down by a serious health diagnosis the next. In reality, there are many steps happening beneath the surface in between "fine" and "not fine", which means there is often opportunity for improving tissue function and hopefully preventing further progression of dysfunctional tissue.


What areas of the body can be scanned by digital infrared thermography?

The most common area to be assessed with thermography is the breast tissue, but you can also do scans of the head (teeth, thyroid, sinuses, lymph nodes), upper body (carpal tunnel, hands, spine/back, abdomen, fibromyalgia/chronic pain), lower body (diabetes, spine, legs & feet, blood clots) or full body.  

Book an appointment with Julie for November 7th, 2025

If you have any further questions, you can reach Julie at [email protected] or 1-866-681-8847  ext 2.

October is breast cancer awareness month.  Read more about breast health and how 1 in 8 women will one day be diagnosed with breast cancer here.  I'm not about fear, I'm an advocate for knowledge and health promotion.  The reality is that our health care system is struggling and not designed for prevention.  I'm excited to share with you this opportunity to gain further insights into your health, so that you can be proactive with any changes happening in your body.

In health,
Dr Christa


​
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not replace medical advice.