HEALTH FRONT

Homeopathy and
breast cancer
By Dr Leow Chee Seng, British Institute of Homeopathy Regional Director
A better understanding of how homeopathy treatments work can help address breast
cancer issues with changes in your diet.

W


hile the general populace often refer
to particular disease as being ‘incurable’,
a lot of homeopaths are still often consulted by
patients who have those very same conditions
– and there are many instances of those well
on their way to recovery once they have started
homeopathic treatments.

Given this background, it is so sad that a lot of people

don’t realise that homeopathy as alternate therapy
could help them and they really do not have to put
up with so much unnecessary suffering.

Worse, it is often quite surprising just how little
people know about homeopathy. It is usually
misunderstood as a concept – people think it is
similar to herbalism or has something to do with
nutrition and diet.
The problem is also that some are simply dismissive
of homeopathy or speak condescendingly about
such therapy without actually knowing what it is;
others think it is only suitable for minor ailments
and that it is essential to take the ‘right’ medicine for
something serious.
All such ideas are incorrect – they invariably
occur when people know little or nothing about
homeopathy or its philosophy.
Homeopathy has been used since the late 1700s to
treat a variety of conditions. A 1999 BBC telephone
survey reported that 17% of a random selection of
1,204 adults in Britain were found to have had used
homeopathy in the previous year.
People tend to turn to homeopathy or other
alternative therapies after they have tried orthodox
medicine and it has either failed them completely
or they have had to cope with unpleasant or serious
side effects from the drugs.
There are also instances when certain conditions
can’t be diagnosed despite the individual feeling
chronically tired and below par for many years
(these symptoms can often precede more serious
conditions) – after many tests and undergoing
rather unpleasant investigations.
Since homoeopathy treats the individual as a whole,
rather than just the disease, it is possible to treat
people successfully if they are feeling very unwell, in
pain or with unpleasant symptoms – including those
for whom there is, as yet, no orthodox diagnosis.
Homeopathy recognises that many things
contribute to the development of disease – from the
toxic load we acquire through daily life, weaknesses
and tendencies towards certain diseases we may
inherit and all sorts of stresses, both emotional and
physical – these result in the body’s natural healing
powers failing.
Thus, homeopathy can prevent the onset of many
serious conditions as the progression of disease
results in the body running out of the energy to
heal itself – as the homoeopathic remedy acts as a
stimulus which boosts this energy and so assists in
the healing process.

22 MAR/APR 2010 • OH!


Origins
The word ‘homeopathy’ is derived from the two
Greek words of homoios (which means similar) and
pathos (suffering).
Homeopathy’s basic premise is called the ‘principle
of similars’ – as it refers to recurrent observation
and experiences which a medicinal substance
will elicit a healing response; for the specific
syndrome of symptoms (or suffering) that it has
been proven to cause when given to healthy people
in overdose.
A homeopathic remedy is rather special –
it involves giving only a very minute dose of
the prescription substance. This means that
the remedies are not addictive and do not have
side effects.
The beauty of the ‘principle of similars’ is that
it not only initiates a healing response, but it
encourages a respect for the body’s wisdom.
The ‘principle of similars’ may be one of nature’s
laws that, when used well, can be one of our most
sophisticated healing strategies.
Because symptoms represent the best efforts of
our body in its defenses against infection or stress,
it makes sense to utilise a medicine that helps and
mimics this defense rather than that which inhibits
or suppresses it.
It is important to note that immunisations and
allergy treatments are two of the very few
applications in modern medicine today that
HEALTH FRONT
actually stimulate the body’s own defenses in the
prevention or treatment of specific diseases.
It is not simply a coincidence that both of these
treatments are derived from the homeopathic
‘principle of similars’.
How it works
The human body is truly amazing! It possesses the
capability to heal itself in many situations. Even
long-standing complaints can be reversed once the
body knows how to heal itself.
This is a very important concept to grasp. The
homeopathic remedy does not itself cure sickness
or alleviate symptoms. The remedy tells the vital
force what is wrong and empowers the vital force
to do something about it!
Homeopathy is based on the notion of treating like
with like – that means a substance that can cause
certain symptoms can also be used to resolve
similar symptoms.
Patients are treated with very low dose preparations
of substances, which produce symptoms similar
to those experienced by the patient. Patients’
symptoms are then monitored, and treatment is
adjusted accordingly.
As a result, the homeopathy treatment is highly
individualised and will vary from patient to patient
and also between practitioners.
Conditions that can be commonly treated with
homeopathy include:
• where there is no known diagnosis and tests are
normal but the patient feels unwell;
• chronic conditions where there may be poor
prognosis without sufficiently effective
treatments;
• conditions where drug treatments are poorly
tolerated or contra-indicated; and
• those who suffer from repeated episodes of
acute illnesses. prognosis without sufficiently
effective treatments;
• conditions where drug treatments are poorly
tolerated or contra-indicated; and
• those who suffer from repeated episodes of acute
illnesses.
MAR/APR 2010 • OH! 23
HEALTH FRONT

Breast cancer
Breast cancer is the third most common cancer folic acid supplements must not be taken by cancer
worldwide and is the most common cancer among patients who are also taking the chemotherapy drug
women. Various health promotion programs have methotrexate.
been conducted to create awareness because breast
cancer has been the second leading cause of cancer Insoluble fibre from grains helps reduce the risk of
admission in hospitals. breast cancer among young women. Fibre lowers
oestrogen levels in premenopausal women but not in
Now, breast cancer is in the fourth place in terms post-menopausal women.
of cancer deaths, accounting for 6-8% of all cancer
deaths. (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2005). Phytate, an active component in fibre, and isoflavones
provide protection in the absence of a decrease in
Before looking at possible homeopathic treatments for oestrogen levels. In practice, this means switching
breast cancer, it would be good to refer to the article from white rice to brown rice or from bakery products
ABC of breast diseases written by Dr K McPherson and made with white flour or mixed flours to 100% whole
published in the British Medical Journal. wheat bread, whole rye crackers and whole grain
pancake mixes.
Of the few factors which can affect the risk of having
breast cancer: Diet changes
• the later the age of the first menstrual cycle, the When I encountered a patient that was diagnosed
lower the risk; with the last stage of breast cancer, she said the
• full-term pregnancy at an early age lowers the risk; oncologist had told the patient to enjoy her last six
• being overweight increases the risk of post- months in her life.
menopausal breast cancer;
• use of hormone replacement therapy increases Understandably, she was quite depressed
the risk, but this increase in risk has been reported with this prognosis.
to disappear shortly after hormone use is
discontinued;
• being older at the time of the last menstrual cycle
confers a higher risk compared with women who
have had their last menstrual cycle at a younger
age; and
• use of oral contraceptive increases risk of
postmenopausal breast cancer.

Several clinical researches have also proven that

women who drink alcohol have a higher risk of breast
cancer compared with teetotalers. Alcohol increases
level of oestrogen that stimulates the increase of
the risk.

Female drinkers with low intake of folic acid had a

32% higher risk of breast cancer as compared with
nondrinkers. The folic acid supplement is useful among
women who drink alcohol because folic acids are able
to reverse the damaging effect alcohol on DNA.

A research concluded that this supplement of at

least 600mcg per day was associated with a 43%
reduction of risk factor for breast cancer. However,

24 MAR/APR 2010 • OH!


I advised her to shift from a normal diet to the
vegetarian diet. I told her to steam all the organic
vegetables and do without salt and oil during food
preparation. Surprisingly, after seven years, I was able
to meet her and have a wonderful dinner with her.
In retrospect, this shouldn’t be quite so surprising
because female vegetarians have been reported to
have lower oestrogen levels compared with meat-
eating women.
In addition, tomatoes help reduce the risk of breast
cancer. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that
is similar to beta-carotene. Lycopene is able to inhibit
proliferation of cancer cells.
Higher intake of tomatoes intake of tomatoes
reportedly reduces risk of variety of cancers in 57 of 72
studies. Besides, tomatoes also improve condition of
prostate and lung cancer.
Further, onions and garlic are rich sources of the
potent anti-cancer bioflavonoid quercetin. One onion
daily inhibits malignant cell growth and cooking does
not destroy the effectiveness of quercetin.
Garlic also contains large quantities of antiviral,
antibiotics and antifungal/anti-yeast compounds
such as allicin. Thus, it is useful in the treatment
of breast cancer with concurrent candida proliferation.
Garlic compounds too appear to be effective
against leukaemia.
Then, omega-3 fatty acids rich in fish are seen to be
responsible for protection against cancer. Fish eaters
have reportedly lower risk of contracting breast cancer.
Hence, fish oil supplement is always associated with
reducing the risk of contracting breast cancer.
Another finding is that olive oil consumption is able to
reduce the risk factor of contracting breast cancer. As
a strategy of cancer prevention, I would recommend
HEALTH FRONT
you to take a dressing of salads with olive oil and a little
wine vinegar three times a week. Vinegar stimulates
qi flow, which is helpful in addressing the stagnant
condition of this energy in our bodies.
I would also recommend consumption of Brassica-
genus vegetables such as cabbage, turnip, kale,
cauliflower and broccoli.
Brussels sprouts have been recommended in general
by the National Cancer Institute for cancer prevention
properties. These contain dithiolthiones (a group of
compounds which have anti-cancer, antioxidant
properties), indoles (substances which protect against
breast cancer) and sulphur – which has antibiotics and
antiviral characteristics.
This family of vegetables also mildly stimulates the
liver and other tissues out of stagnancy. Cabbage and
its juice are particularly useful because they help clear
mental depression.
Note that methods of meat preparation can be directly
associated with risk factor of getting breast cancer.
Well-done meat contains more carcinogenic materials
than does lightly-cooked meat. Still, genetic factors
may determine which women increase their risk of
breast cancer by eating well-done meat.
Some research has been done on the relationship
between the co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and risk factors
of breast cancer. Studies in Denmark and the US on the
effects of CoQ10 among 32 breast cancer patients found
that only one patient suffered a recurrence and all are
still alive.
Patients continued to do well after two years of
supplementation, and after three to five years,
surprising improvements were reported in two patients
who had had advanced disease at the beginning of
the trial. Unfortunately, CoQ10 remains unproven as a
cancer treatment. OH!
MAR/APR 2010 • OH! 25