Your Breast Defense --

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Your breast defense Q: I went to see my doctor about pain I was experiencing in my breasts. My mammogram was OK, but my doctor did tell me that I have small bumps scattered through both breasts. She said it's "just" fibrocystic breast disease and nothing to worry about, but since it is causing me pain I'd like to get rid of it if at all possible. Do you have any information on natural therapies for this condition? Dr. : The first step for any woman battling fibrocystic breast disease is to eliminate any and all sources of caffeine from your diet. Some women can drink all the coffee they want and not have fibrocystic breast problems, but unfortunately, women with fibrocystic breast problems are always caffeine-sensitive. Women with fibrocystic breast disease also need a lot more iodine than others do. In 1976, I learned from Dr. Myers that fibrocystic breast disease can always be eliminated -- yes, I did say always -- by applications of iodine. If you have a bad, painful case, you will probably want to consider the original Myers treatment, described in the January 2005 issue of Nutrition & Healing (subscribers can download this issue for free by visiting www.wrightnewsletter.com and logging on to the archives with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent newsletter). For cases that aren't extremely painful, I typically recommend taking two drops of Lugol's iodine per day, two daily drops of Tri-odide by Scientific Botanicals, or one Iodoral tablet daily. The last two are available at natural food stores and compounding pharmacies, but Lugol's iodine is only available by prescription. Whatever formula you choose, make sure to work closely with a physician who can monitor your thyroid function while you're undergoing treatment. (Fortunately, I've rarely seen a problem with these quantities, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.) Most of the women I've worked with over the years notice a difference within a month of starting iodine treatment, but you should continue whichever iodine preparation you're using until the fibrocystic breast disease is gone completely. But remember, the worse the fibrocystic problem, the more likely you need Dr. Myers' original method. Oh, and if you continue the iodine, you'll likely lower your breast cancer risk too. You might want to read the May 2005 issue of Nutrition & Healing for details about that.