Why Are Genetics Important When You Are Diagnosed With the “Boob Bug” AKA Cancer?

About eighteen months ago I met a very colorful person named Dawn. We connected immediately. She is someone who is so full of life that  always takes the negative and turns it into a learning experience and can put a positive twist on just about anything. Soon after I met Dawn, I found out that she had endocrine receptor (estrogen or progesterone receptor) positive breast cancer. Dawn likes to call this the “boob bug” so I will refer to this type of breast cancer as the “boob bug” from now on out of respect for such a wonderful inspirational soul.Soon after my first skype chat with Dawn, I knew that she obviously had problems breaking down estrogen and in my gut I knew that she had MTHFR. I had told her about genetic testing that checks for enzymes related to the boob bug so that maybe she could provide herself more nutrition specifically designed to her DNA. This is hard for anyone to wrap their heads around which I can understand but eventually many of us see the larger picture.Many of us only know about BRCA and BRCA is only the beginning. There are many other genes out there that are related to the boob bug. CYP1a1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15647817 and CYP1b1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10910054 are genes where we have trouble breaking down estrogen which can turn into hormonal-related cancers. Then there is COMT (catechol o methyl transferase), particularly COMT V158M and H62H. These COMT genes when not working  have been related to  breaking down estrogen http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/8/6 . We can’t forget about VDR the vitamin D receptor gene. We always hear that people with the “boob bug” have low vitamin D levels. Here is the research showing how VDR and breast cancer are related. http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/9/6/R84. Then there is MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1634868/. Irony is that I was in a meeting with some people who manufacture the active bioavailable form of folate which is FDA approved for MTHFR and one person stated that in their research almost every person with the breast cancer is folate deficient. This made me question why methotrexate is being given to people with breast cancer since it depletes folate. I myself get emails from people who were given methotrexate and their doctors did not realize that they had MTHFR. Many of these people are still recovering a few years later. Dawn is homozygous MTHFR A1298C and has three other heterozygous SNPs (singular neucleotide polymorphisms) of other MTHFR SNPs. Homozygous means that a gene is 100% cut off and heterozygous means that a gene is 50% cut off. So now you all know about a few of the other genes related to the boob bug. Dawn has mutations at CYP1a1, CYP1b1, VDR and MTHFR.

She also has something called CBS (cystathionine beta synthase). Many of you know that we need glutathione to survive. Glutathione is mother nature’s antioxidant. Without glutathione, we cannot survive. We know people with the “boob bug” have low levels of glutathione. This CBS enzyme is needed to be working well in order to get sulfur into the cell wall to make glutathione. Dawn has three homozygous mutations (that is 3 CBS enzymes not working all).
http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Effect_of_Over_Expression_of_Human_C.html?id=13r8J_QMXH4C = . People with CBS drain an essential mineral called molybdenum. Molybdenum is needed to transport sulfur. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00726-004-0072-x?LI=true# . So without CBS functioning properly, when we eat our cruciferous vegetables, onions, garlic, and take in sulfur supplementation, sulfur does not get transported into the cell wall in order to make glutathione. Many of us follow Dr. Amy Yasko’s research and studies on the CBS enzyme deficiency. Here is her book Autism: Pathways To Recovery which is a free download. http://www.holisticheal.com/autism-pathways-to-recovery-esp.html.
The entire book is very informative and a fantastic educational read. You can find out about CBS in chapter six and how it works.

Dawn also has GSTP and GSTM genes which have to do with glutathione. Nutritionist Shawn Bean puts it out there very simply in one of our blog talk radio shows. “People with GSTM and GSTP need extra glutathione support because they tend to drain glutathione.”
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-0215(200002)9999:9999%3C::AID-IJC1057%3E3.0.CO;2-H/full This is why it is so important that CBS is working to get glutathione to start producing in Dawn’s cells.
So now we have some answers. We know how to approach this and fortunately Dawn has many people out there that are there for her. Dawn has decided not to go with “mainstream” allopathic treatment which would consist of a mastectomy, radiation and/or chemotherapy but with nutrition. This is her choice and no one else’s. She is living off of $200 a month and her medicaid which has a major spend down, and does not cover the treatment that she chooses to go with. So now that we have answers and Dawn has an integrative doctor and functional nutritionist willing to help her, she needs your help with the cost of nutrition, supplementation, healthy organic food and other alternative expenses.
I have to say that I really admire Dawn and her positive attitude. She is an example to all that we should never give up. When diagnosed, she was told that she would not last six months with this type of cancer and here it is a few years later and with nutrition, alternative treatments and supplementation, Dawn is still around and standing strong. Dawn is a loving Mother and Grandmother of two. Her dream is to see her
Grandchildren grow. Please help with our effort to raise money in order for her to cover finances. If any of you would like to donate to Dawn you can with the chip in button below.