How to Treat Hormonal Symptoms with a History of Cancer

A history of cancer changes how you treat your hormonal symptoms because of the way tumors interact with estrogen.

Many cancers feed off estrogen because of its ability to promote cell division and stimulate growth of cancer cells. This might make you wonder what you can do to treat hormonal symptoms if you can’t take estrogen therapy due to cancer risk.

I take cancer risk very seriously – we are more at risk for cancer than we ever have been. Soil depletion of vital nutrients, increasingly busy and stressful lives, plastics in your body, and cell phone radiation all increase your risk of cancer. It’s more important than ever to know how to approach preventative healthcare or adjust to life with cancer.

If you can’t take hormones due to cancer history, what can you take? Is it safe to take herbs when you’ve had an estrogen positive cancer?

I use a body systems approach for solving hormone issues in my patients, which is especially crucial for my patients with cancer. This method considers how every system in your body interacts to make an informed decision on how best to treat your symptoms.

Having the right nutrition and herbs can improve your health dramatically. I believe there are safe herbs that do not increase the risk of estrogen positive cancers because they support digestion, adrenal health, or detoxification pathways instead of trying to increase estrogen directly. Other methods like hormonal detoxes can also resolve your symptoms without feeding your estrogen positive cancer.

The path to healing is always an individual one – every patient should be evaluating how they respond to their care. In every single patient, I encourage you to develop your own awareness of your body and stay empowered in your health and the choices you are making.

Investing in the right supplements, having the confidence to follow your protocol, and understanding your personal cancer risk will empower you to act and make strides toward better health. Treatment of hormonal challenges generally takes three to six months to have full benefit, but the right treatment plan and practitioner can restore your health regardless of your cancer history.

Being able to evaluate your own symptoms and reactions with the assessment of your doctor is a master skill for the future of health care. This is called collaborative care, and it’s the type of treatment I offer in my clinic. This means your input is vital – my ability to evaluate from outside of the situation combined with your intimate awareness of how you feel will bring us to the correct treatment together.

We’re in a time where the more research you do, the more confused you get. I use a tool called the “symptom survey” to determine what we need to treat based on your immediate needs. This questionnaire breaks down your symptoms into categories based on severity, and then we treat them based on which category is the worst. This is a confusion-free way to determine what needs to be treated first without increasing your cancer risk.

Women have the most complex health system in their household and it’s time to put yourself first by taking your healthcare needs into consideration. It’s powerful to move forward in your health as a woman in perimenopause or menopause knowing that you are taking good care of yourself and preventing future problems like bone loss, high blood pressure, hair loss, or joint pain. Schedule a Natural Functional Medicine Appointment today and have confidence that you are on the correct protocol for finding relief.