Flaxseeds are tiny but extraordinarily mighty seeds for breast cancer healing. They can cause apoptosis, slow down metastasis, support hormonal balance, improve traditional treatment outcomes, reduce inflammation, and improve overall cellular health…all with just about 25 grams a day. 

Essential #1 (of my 7 Essentials System®) is: Let Food Be Your Medicine, and flaxseeds should be part of your “medicine cabinet.” What you put into your body can either starve or feed cancer, so make sure you strive to eat foods that are proven to heal your body, mind, and soul. Keep reading to uncover the compelling benefits of flaxseeds and several decadent recipes to fully enjoy them! Because life—and healing—can be delicious! 

I’ll get into the nitty gritty details below, but first, here’s a power-packed summary of flaxseeds’ potent healing properties.

Top Benefits of Flaxseeds for Breast Cancer Thrivers—in a nutshell.

• Reduces inflammation, a main cause of breast cancer. (Learn more via this blog post.)
• Can increase the effectiveness of tamoxifen and other treatments while reducing harmful side effects. (Learn more via this study.)
• Helps your body metabolize and balance good estrogen levels. (Learn more about clean and dirty estrogen and how to prevent estrogen dominance via this blog post.)
• Detoxes harmful xenoestrogens. (Learn more via this blog post.)
• Seals and heals your digestive tract and gut/immune system. Learn more via this study.)
• Causes apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells thanks to a cytotoxic substance called Justicidin B. (Learn more via this study.)
• Can slow down cancer metastasis through a process called SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulation). SERM can lower estrogen in one area of the body (such as the breast) while increasing it in another, such as the brain and bones.

Flaxseeds and Breast Cancer: Healing 101

Flax (Scientific name: Linum usitatissimum), also known as linseed, belongs to the Linaceae family. Flaxseed can be divided into two species: brown and golden. Brown is grown in warm and humid climates and golden in freezing temperatures; Canada produces 40% of the world’s flaxseed for a reason! When buying flaxseed, always buy golden because it is more bioavailable, meaning your body will better digest and absorb the nutrients. 

A tiny flaxseed contains a shocking amount of cancer-healing nutrients: Fiber, Vitamin B1, zinc, thiamine, copper, selenium, antioxidants, phosphorus, and phytoestrogens (more on this below). To top it off—they are some of the most impressive sources of magnesium and omega-3s. Yep, all of that in a teeny, tiny seed.

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are plant estrogens naturally found in flaxseeds and contain only 2% of the potency of human estrogens. These gentle yet effective estrogens do a world of good in your body, especially for breast cancer thrivers.

Here are a few of my top reasons you should be eating flaxseeds for their phytoestrogen benefits:

• Help fill receptor sites with milder forms of estrogen in lieu of xenoestrogens.
• Inhibit the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer. Learn more about estrogen dominance via this blog post.
• Detox your body from xenoestrogens (harmful estrogens). Please read this blog post to learn more about harmful xenoestrogens and how to kick them out of your life!
• Can cause cells to self-destruct by stopping the growth of blood vessels that feed breast cancer tumors. Learn more via this study.
• Can help balance your hormones and put you on a path to the ideal EQ Ratio. Learn more about hormone ratios via this blog post. Seed cycling is another way to naturally and gently balance your hormones, and you can learn all about it here.

Flaxseeds and Tamoxifen 

Integrative care is often the best way to go. You don’t have to pick between conventional treatments or natural therapies—often, they make each other more effective! This has been proven over and over again with Tamoxifen and flaxseeds. Many studies have found that taking flaxseed and tamoxifen together can reduce tumor size MORE than taking tamoxifen alone. Please read this study and this other one to learn more. Moreover, adding DIM (study) can be a powerful trifecta for breast cancer healing. 

However, always test and discuss with your Breast Cancer Conqueror Coach and medical team before adding anything to your healing protocols. Every woman is beautiful and unique, and so should her path to vibrant health!

Fabulous Flaxseed Recipes

As I said above, eating for breast cancer healing can and should be delicious! If anyone says otherwise, run! But before we jump into the recipes, here are a few tips for getting the most nutritional value when making your tasty treats!

1. If baking with flaxseeds, please do not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit in your oven. After that, they start to lose nutritional value. 
2. Never buy pre-ground flax seeds, as the shelf life and packaging can cause oxidation and mold in the seeds.
3. You can grind your own seeds with a coffee grinder (easiest), food processor, blender, pepper grinder, flax mill, or mortar and pestle. Just grind what you will use for the day as they go rancid quickly. 
4. Always buy organic! Otherwise, you are just adding harmful chemicals to your body when you are trying to do something exceedingly healthy. 

And now for my prized recipes!

• Chocolate Flax Pudding
• Flaxseed Southern Biscuits
• Grain-free Flaxseed Bread
• Savory Flaxseed Waffles
• Flaxseed Flatbread
• Carrot Flaxseed Bread
• Rosemary Flaxseed Bread
• Banana Bread Cupcakes

You can blend them into smoothies and matcha lattes or find them in nut butter like NuttZo.

Conquering Breast Cancer Together

Curious about discovering more ways to blend natural medicine with the conventional standard of care for exceptional results? Then join me, head coach De’Ann, and extra special guest, Michael Karlfeldt, ND, PhD of The Karlfeldt Center, for 11 sessions of empowering and actionable lessons in integrative oncology and wellness! 

Conquering Breast Cancer Together is a watch-and-learn-at-your-own-pace online program that is created just for you. Just ask this fellow breast cancer thriver:

“This program would help ANYONE at any stage. I have immersed myself in knowledge since my diagnosis but this program is everything wrapped up in a concise easy to understand package. Dr. V teaches through love, and you can feel it. What an amazing program, and amazing community!” J. W. USA

Healing IS for you. Let’s make it happen, together!

 

 

Author: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, better known as  Dr. V, is a Doctor of Chiropractic & has 44 years of experience in the wellness industry. For personalized support, please partner with a trained Breast Cancer Conqueror Coach.