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I'm Hormonal | PCOS, periods, gut + hormone health insights
If you're looking for information on women's hormone health, PCOS, perimenopause, estrogen excess, hormonal acne, gut support, and overall how to feel your best--look no further. I'm Hormonal host, Bridget Walton, provides you with the information you need to get your hormones in balance so you can feel your best. Long-form episodes come out on Tuesdays and you'll get a mini episode on Thursdays.
I'm Hormonal | PCOS, periods, gut + hormone health insights
Empowering Breast Cancer Survivors: Holistic Approaches and Hormonal Health with Keiko Tanaka | Ep. 71
This week, Bridget interviews Keiko Tanaka, a certified holistic nutrition, hormone health, and Christian life coach passionate about helping breast cancer survivors and menopausal women take charge of their health. You'll hear about her journey through breast cancer, the importance of self-awareness, holistic healing, and community support. She shares her insights on navigating treatment side effects, emotional health, and dietary changes to empower survivors and promote recovery.
Highlights include:
• The significance of regular breast self-exams
• Insights into treatment experiences and their emotional impact
• The benefits of holistic approaches and dietary changes
• The importance of emotional healing and community support
• Recommendations for improving gut health, liver detox, and blood sugar balance
• Addressing sexual health and intimacy post-cancer
• Key takeaways for prevention and maintaining breast health
If you are feeling inspired to contribute to Pink Strength, a nonprofit that supports breast cancer survivors, they’d be so grateful for your support and you can check out more information here: https://www.pinkstrength.org/
CONNECT WITH KEIKO
Work with her 1:1
Instagram - @wellness_afterbreastcancer
Freebie: Nutrition & Fitness Guide for Menopause Women
JOIN THE MEAL PREP TRAINING PROGRAM
Register here (by Feb 2nd)
Code "2025" for $20.25 off registration
Start date: Feb 3rd
CONNECT WITH BRIDGET
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Book a free consult call
Website
Welcome to I'm Hormonal, your source of information about women's hormone health and how to support your body. Naturally, I'm your host, bridget Walton, and I'm a certified functional hormone specialist and menstrual cycle coach. I am on a mission to hold these hormone conversations with as many menstruators as possible, because you deserve easier access to accurate information about what's up with your unruly menstrual cycle and with your fertility mysteries. Don't you think it's time that we figure this out once and for all? Hey team, welcome to this 71st episode of I'm Hormonal. 71 naturally follows after 70, but it feels like such a big number. Like 71 runs up to 100, right, but 70 runs down to 50. Is that how this girl math is working in your head too? Anyway, I'm so grateful that you are spending your time with me in your earbuds, whatever you're out and about up to and today's episode I'm going to be talking with Keiko Tanaka about breast cancer, her journey through breast cancer and, now that she is a certified holistic nutrition and hormone coach and Christian life coach, like how does she help her clients who are breast cancer survivors in their health journey and, of course, what worked for her. So you will hear our conversation in't a part of your picture. Maybe somebody else in your life is touched by it. It is a cancer that is, I think, the most prevalent or most common cancer that affects women, at least here in the United States will be impacted by it in their lifetime. So hopefully, this is good food for thought for you, or maybe a resource that you can share with a friend or a sister or somebody else in your life who is looking for a little bit more information.
Speaker 1:Now, before we get into that, I just want to say welcome, welcome back. If you've been here before, or if this is your first time listening, then Welcome back. If you've been here before, or if this is your first time listening, then I'm really glad that you found me. My name is Bridget. What I do is I work with women who have period problems, oftentimes gut problems too, because our guts and hormones are so closely aligned and we work together to identify what's going on inside your body, with your hormones. Identify what's going on inside your body with your hormones, with your liver, with your gut, with how can we make some diet and lifestyle changes and help you to get things back on track. So that's a little bit about me. I started this podcast in 2023, because I think it's really important to share what I know and what we all collectively know about how our bodies work, so that you can feel your best, because you deserve to know how to support your body and how to understand what it's telling you.
Speaker 1:I always like to mention need to mention that this podcast is for educational purposes only, should not be used as medical diagnosis, of course, not medical advice and not really replacement for any sort of support you would get one-on-one from the practitioner that's right for you. So just keep that in mind while you're listening today, especially on a topic as sensitive as cancer, because if you have any concerns or questions, definitely touch base with your medical provider, with your doctor, and see what's right for you. One other thing I'll introduce Keiko in a second and then we'll get into our conversation, but I just wanted to mention here at the top, as we jump into this conversation about breast cancer. If you have someone in your life who is affected by breast cancer, there's an organization one of many great nonprofits, but an organization that I'm close to called Pink Strength. They're located here in the San Diego area and their mission is really to support breast cancer survivors and help them to redefine life with cancer, and so if you know somebody who is going through breast cancer and you want to connect them with the organization, then they can support your person or you with curated gift baskets. Or if you are on the other side of the equation and you are looking for a good place to donate some money or you want to donate some items for some of the wellness packages that they send out to survivors and folks going through cancer, then they could also be a really good organization to contribute some funds or items to. I will link up Pink Strength in the show notes or you can check out pinkstrengthorg for them, so already let's get into it.
Speaker 1:As I mentioned, I'll be talking with Keiko Tanaka today. She is a certified holistic nutrition, hormone health and Christian life coach and she is really passionate about helping breast cancer survivors and menopausal women to take charge of their health and really feel their best and thrive in their confidence. We will talk about or she will talk about her story, how she got here, but in short, at age 33, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and you know firsthand, experienced the challenges of recovering and the harsh effects of the treatments and menopausal symptoms that were caused by the hormone blockers that she was taking and frustrated by that lack of support, she really pivoted towards holistic solutions to help manage her symptoms and support her energy levels, kind of feel like herself again. So today she shares her journey and her experience to help other women who are recovering from treatments to live their best full and vibrant life and vibrant life Now. Check out the link in the show notes or links, rather, because if you are a breast cancer survivor you want to work one-on-one with her, then you'll see the link there. You can also connect with her on Instagram or check out the freebie, the downloadable that's linked up in the show notes the fitness and nutrition guide for menopausal women, the Fitness and Nutrition Guide for Menopausal Women.
Speaker 1:All right, with all of that being said, you're going to love this conversation. Let us know, by rating and reviewing, what you think, but otherwise, enjoy this and I will see you on the other side. I think this will be a really interesting kind of deviation from what I normally talk about hormones as a whole. How does that apply en masse to the listeners? But I think this is a great opportunity to zoom in and get really specific with breast cancer and how a listener maybe can keep this in the back of their mind for themselves, or if they have a friend or sister or somebody who is going through breast cancer, and what they can, what might be helpful as they go through that journey. So we'll get to some of your recommendations and really focus on that. What should listeners consider about? Would you kick us off by sharing with me and the listeners about, like, what was your experience with breast cancer, how did that look for you? And we'll go from there.
Speaker 2:Okay, sounds good. Yeah, so I was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. I was 33 when I got diagnosed. I actually got it online. My official diagnosis was actually on my birthday and, yeah, I guess the good thing is that I will remember my diagnosis.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, hard to forget, yeah.
Speaker 2:So but yeah, I didn't have any symptoms, or at least I didn't notice. Back then I wasn't so in tune with my body. So, looking back, there were some signs. Of course I had like hormonal imbalances. I I did have a hormonal positive type of breast cancer. Um so um, the way that I found was just one day I was stretching and I felt a lump right next to my armpit, on my right side, and I've never really did self-exam like they recommend you to do. I don't have anybody in my family with any type of cancer. Don't have anybody in my family with any type of cancer.
Speaker 2:I consider myself healthy back then which, looking back, I wasn't in knowing what I know right now, because I was just eating To me back then I thought, like well, if I'm just exercising and eating organic, then I'm healthy. But now know, like it's more than just those right.
Speaker 2:So anyway, I didn't have any symptoms that I noticed, and it just one day I felt a lump. So I scheduled appointment and I they ended up having me do mammogram and then right after mammogram they did a biopsy. So a lot of times people do have to wait in between, but luckily for me, when I did mammogram they talked to me right after I finished the scan and they told me like oh, we need to do biopsy. And back then I honestly I didn't know anybody with breast cancer and I didn't even know like what does that mean?
Speaker 1:Like they're going to do biopsy and so they.
Speaker 2:But luckily they got me in to do biopsy right after I did mammogram and then actually I'm sorry I take it back they did ultrasound right after mammogram. They said we need to do something suspicious, so we need to look into it more. So they did ultrasound and then they did biopsy right after. So I didn't have to wait and I just did back-to-back on the same day and a week later I got the pathology report and that's when I found that I had triple positive breast cancer. So my treatment lasted for about a year.
Speaker 2:I did chemotherapy and surgery and radiation and since I did have a hormonal positive type of breast cancer, I was put on hormonal blockers. So I went menopause basically when I was 33. And it's not fun and I think what I didn't realize back then was that how much anxiety and my body changed, of course on the treatment side effects. But as well as being put on hormonal blockers and being menopause, there were so many side effects and with that and just going through having the experience of getting diagnosed with breast cancer can really have you or I would say like you could get you could develop like a PTSD from the experience. It is a traumatic experience.
Speaker 2:So I struggle a lot emotionally and mentally. I had more anxiety than I did when I was on the treatment. I think when you're on the treatment you are so focused on the treatment itself. You know like, okay, you got how many more chemos and then you go to radiation and like a surgery, a schedule of these, and then while you're in that treatment you're so focused on those. What I didn't realize is when I finished the treatment, I had more anxiety and I just didn't feel like myself and I didn't get much support. There's a lack of support through medical community, which is understandable, because their focus is not after the treatment care, you know, providing you with medical
Speaker 2:needs during the treatment. So to combat those symptoms, that's when I started really seeking, because the symptoms that I had, like hot flashes or what I felt, brain fogs and just fatigue and all those things my oncologist couldn't really give me anything other than providing with more medications, which I didn't really want to do any more than I was already on. So that's when I started seeking more holistic routes and doing my own research and seeing integrated medicine doctors and I found diet and the lifestyle can reduce the symptoms a lot. So after that experience and then just experiencing myself how much better I felt and I, you know, started helping other breast cancer survivors.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, yeah, a great way to blossom it. Well, maybe a great way, but, but, um, a great like ending right for where you end up and working and supporting other other girls who are going through the same thing. Yeah, yeah, I definitely, or we'll definitely, get to. What did you do to address some of these things through diet and lifestyle, like you mentioned? I want to come back really quick, though, because you mentioned that you had a hormone positive type of breast cancer. So, just for context, for listeners or I mean honestly for myself too, I'm not really sure what are the different options? Is there like, can you give us the cheat code for, I guess, what the different types or kind of like causes are of different cancers? And then, is there a different? Of course, we're not like treating anybody or like giving any specific advice, but how does hormone positive versus, I guess, hormone negative kind of inform what happens next?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know when you get that diagnostic test, if you have a tumor has a receptor for progesterone or estrogen or both. In my case, I have both and the biggest difference is after the chemo. If you had either estrogen positive or progesterone positive or both, you most likely are going to put you on hormonal blockers to suppress your ovaries, and there are different types of hormone blockers and that also depends on your diagnosis and then, uh, your age as well. So somebody who's in their 50s and maybe already has gone through um menopause a lot of times, they will still put you on hormone blockers, but it might be like a different type of hormone blocker. Yeah, okay got it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so then, and just to like tie it together when you started taking the hormone blockers or when, when anybody starts taking hormone blockers, that's what kind of launches you or drops you into menopause because, right, your body is no longer cycling, you're not producing that natural estrogen and so that can also, or that that is, the contributing factor to the like hot flashes, brain fog and fatigue that you mentioned.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly yeah.
Speaker 1:What was there that you wish that you'd started to do earlier, or that you'd recommend to somebody to do if they are going through breast cancer or have just overcome it? Like, what do you wish that you started to do earlier? Maybe just the top? Whatever is top of mind for you?
Speaker 2:uh, are you talking about in terms of like, um, lowering the risk of breast cancer? Like a before diagnosis or when I first got diagnosed you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like the direction you're taking that, but I don't know what my original question was. So, yeah, let's talk about before diagnosis um what are some of the things that stood out to you as like uh, damn, I wish that I, you know, had looked a little bit more closely at that and reconsidered that action uh, yeah.
Speaker 2:So for me, since I had a um hormonal positive type of breast cancer, which I believe about 70 percent of breast cancer diagnosis are hormonal, positive breast cancers.
Speaker 2:So it is quite common. And what I wish I knew was that I had a lot of, obviously had a lot of imbalances in my body and that includes the hormonal imbalances and I was. I had, you know, adult, young adult acne pretty much since I since teens, my young adult, like already 20s I had cystic acne, like hormonal type of acne, and had a lot of like brain fogs and migraines. So all these symptoms I had that was due to my hormonal imbalance, which I had no idea back then. So I was put on birth control, which in my mind I thought everything was fixed because I was not getting the symptoms. So I wish I knew that was not the solution. It could be a solution for short term, but it's not a long-term solution because you're just covering up the symptoms and you're not like actually getting into the root cause of why my body was imbalanced to begin with. So I wish I knew about that part and um looking into balancing my hormones.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, from, uh, from what you just shared to me, that those are indications of high estrogen or relatively high estrogen, and I'm assuming, okay, that was your, that's your assessment as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I found out about dutch test. So they interestingly, um, once you put on the hormone blockers, I think we're not informed why like our hormones? Like, why did you get hormonal receptive type of breast cancer? You just, you know the solution is kind of like okay, you are on hormone blockers and that's pretty much it, like all you can do. And then I learned um that well, how you're metabolizing or detoxing your estrogen is also very important. Um, so that's when I found out about the dutch test and I think that that's the first time I did the dutch test. Uh, my pathway was mostly going through like damage way the dna damage way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, which um, you know like what causes and all that stuff that you were explaining. That and that was after I was already on hormonal blockers, and that's when I learned that, you know, even though you are on hormonal blockers, even you might be having a low estrogen, you still have estrogen. It is important to look into how your body is detoxifying those um. So I wish, uh, we get more informed about that part um, instead of just like, okay, you're on homolexia, good to go. You know um, and those ones that I started working on those. I noticed my um menopausal symptoms also improved oh okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's just kind of you know everything works together right, so totally uh yeah. And then the following year I did the dutch test and it actually slipped. So it was going mostly through pathways.
Speaker 1:So I know that you can change those things through, maybe certain supplements, but also through like a diet and the lifestyle, yeah yeah, so let me I'll just kind of elaborate on that, um, because I know you and I have talked about the Dutch test before, right, and I use the Dutch test with my clients. It's like the best tool to get a good look on what's going on inside of your body. And so just to clarify for the listener how our estrogen metabolizes and detoxifies right, because we use our tissues, use estrogen and then we need to get it out.
Speaker 1:You use it and then and then lose it, and so through that process, your liver is going to be metabolizing the estrogen, which can go down one of three different pathways, and we always need and want it to go down like those three.
Speaker 1:One isn't necessarily.
Speaker 1:We need the balance, but through the Dutch test, because you're able to measure and see what the different hormone metabolite levels are that can show you potentially, hey, or in your situation, keiko, that showed you okay.
Speaker 1:Well, your hormone, your estrogen, is detoxing more often than we would like to see it down a particular pathway, which then makes you more likely to have these like reactive quinones which, can you know, spiral out of control, not to be dramatic, and like cause that DNA damage which then can lead to cancer and oftentimes too. Just to reiterate again what you're saying is that when our estrogen metabolizes down those certain pathways more often than we like to see it, that can also contribute to some of these symptoms of whether it is breast tenderness or fatigue, of whether it is breast tenderness or fatigue, and so using some more targeted supplements, depending on what those metabolites look like, can be really effective, or maybe this is a good chance to kind of pivot now to what are some of the diet and lifestyle changes that you made, and also what do you recommend for your clients or for listeners, right, what? What should they be considering and what really moved the needle for you?
Speaker 2:uh, yes, so I would say focusing on my liver. I had a sluggish liver, so that was one. So making sure helping, making sure that I'm helped, my liver is helping, helping to detox those estrogens or excess estrogen or bad estrogen, and also balancing blood sugar. That helped a lot with brain fog and also hot flashes. Hot flashes is linked to blood sugar as well. So that, and as well as focusing on gut health.
Speaker 2:And that gut health, I think is just a close support. But especially if you use chemotherapy, it destroys your gut. I mean it kills good and bad bacteria. So a lot of us who went through chemo experience um got issues. So that's also very important to work on um not just for, like you know, hormones, of course, like we need to make sure we have a ball movement every day and so we're getting rid of those toxins, but um yeah let's um.
Speaker 1:I want to go back through all three of those liver, blood sugar, balance and gut health but let's zoom in on gut health first, did you? Or when I think of gut health, I'm thinking of okay, well, how are you making sure that we are properly digesting, calm and relaxed while we're eating? And eating good probiotics, prebiotics, maybe, taking a probiotic supplement, like? What kind of specific things did you do um that really helped you?
Speaker 2:uh, for me, I switched to more western, to more like eastern diet, I would say, and so I reduced a lot of um say, and so I reduced a lot of um gluten. Uh, at least in the beginning that helped a lot, uh, now it's been years for me, so like I can tolerate some gluten uh, especially if it's, like you know, sourdough and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Um, but uh, reducing gluten and dairy.
Speaker 2:That helped a lot with my when I was rebuilding my gut health and, of course, um, avoiding um additives and like the gums that's in all of um plant-based milk and things like that which I back then, you know, I was like, oh, you know it's oat milk or almond milk, but it's you know better and it has like a bunch of things, gums and that was irritating my gut, so, um, and then, uh, eating variety of vegetables, mostly seasonal, uh, and I try to get as fresh as possible, so like I will go to a home market every week and getting the local vegetables and having more plants and diversity in my diet helped a lot with healing my guts.
Speaker 2:I think I thought I was eating enough plants, but when I really started looking at it I wasn't eating enough. So I made it more intentional to consume plants and alternating between different types of proteins. So sometimes it's like a plant protein, so like I was doing a lot of tempeh and fish, um fish, different kind of fish and um chicken or meat, like. So just I think having balance um is that helped me a lot. Um, and, like I said, like a certain thing, I've reduced a lot in the beginning, so yeah, yeah, it sounds like mostly whole food, plant-based diet.
Speaker 1:Uh love that. Plus healthy, presumably like on the organic kind of on the organic side of things for meats and, yeah, gluten and dairy.
Speaker 2:So tasty but so not cool to an already upset digestive system. Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I think it's just been switching to before. You know, I was just buying like I didn't care if it was the farm raise or wild caught. So now that was another thing I switched to wild-caught seafood and 100% grass-fed beef if I was having beef or pasture-raised chicken. So those things all helped a lot, just reducing the intake of chemicals, additive chemicals uh, chemicals, uh, added chemicals, yeah, totally yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, switching to the other, the second, I guess, of three areas that you focused on, blood sugar balance, and listeners of the podcast will, if they've been here before, have definitely heard me talk about blood sugar balance. But what for you, is like what are the top two things? Or just run us through what are the main things you consider and making sure that your blood sugar is balanced and you're feeling good um, having enough fiber and protein in each meal, um, and I did, I first.
Speaker 2:I think when you're menopause, um, you can tolerate, uh, doing fasting in the morning, um, but and I think that's also depending on the person too but I, for me, um, for breakfast or first first meal of the day, uh, I just made sure that I had enough protein and fiber and that helped a lot.
Speaker 2:So, um, for, my craving throughout the day and I was no longer, because before I was always like every two hours I would get hungry, uh, and because my blood sugar was like going up and down, so so much. And um, having first thing in the morning or first meal of the day making sure you're not protein or fiber that helped a lot. Um, and then also, one thing I didn't realize is probably, uh, stress, uh, aside from the food intake, that stress can affect your blood sugar um yeah, so, uh, focusing on managing stress was pretty big for me, um yeah, yeah, Stress can definitely make your blood sugar uh go up yeah.
Speaker 2:And the sleep too, because I know if I didn't get good sleep or enough sleep, I am hungry next day and craving, you know, more comfort food. So, um, that focusing on like a good sleep also helped me a lot yeah, yeah, sleep is one thing.
Speaker 1:Sleep and hydration are the things I mean of course there are a lot of things that are good to focus on, but sleep and hydration that just really impact like every cell in your body and um among these three areas that you mentioned to you are just like well, maybe easy is not the right word, but are good areas to focus on and hopefully start to make incremental gains.
Speaker 1:Switching now to the third area that you mentioned, liver health. I would love it Would you clarify how did you know that you had sluggish liver activity, that your liver needed a little bit of extra love, and then what did you do to send it that help?
Speaker 2:Yes, so I found out through the Dutch test. My doctor told me that it's like the base on the results of these indications that your liver is like sluggish, and then, based on what I was eating, I probably had fatty liver as well. Um, I think one thing that I didn't know back then, or I misunderstood, is that, um, if you are skinny, uh, you don't get sluggish liver or you don't have a fatty liver, which is not true. So I would say I was probably more like a skinny fat. You know, yeah, definitely, and, and I always had. I was looking at the histories of my blood results and I always had high end of insulin and glucose but I was not overweight.
Speaker 2:You know, I was actually like in the underweight category so I, I didn't know. No doctors ever mentioned about it. Every time I did blood work it was like everything's normal and that was it right. So I never, like, really looked into it. But now, looking back, that explains a lot. Um, but yeah, so I found out out through the Dutch test and what I did was to, I would say, of course, eating more the vegetables that helped with the liver detoxing.
Speaker 2:So, you know, I started incorporating microgreens broccoli and bok choy, and cabbage and all the vegetables I was consuming more intentionally cabbage and all the vegetables I was consuming more intentionally and as well as reducing or avoiding, at least at home, chemical exposure that is contributing to endocrine disruptors or, you know, estrogen. So I started looking into switching, you know, my personal care products to what I use in the kitchen and just my home environment.
Speaker 2:So like getting rid of those candles air freshener, I mean. Looking back, oh my gosh, I was using so much of those things. I think a lot of us, like women, we do right, which is I actually recently read about. You know how lung cancer is rising and it's women have higher risk than men, and these are not smokers. And there were the article talks about like why you know all that stuff, but they are talking describing one of the things would be because we use much more products than men do.
Speaker 2:We love candles and a scented thing and a hairspray and it's right on and, like you know, that's makeup like we use so much more personal and that can lead to disrupting our hormones or adding and you know estrogen, right. So just reducing those um load to my liver because we're already exposed to. We can't control what we're exposed to outside of at home, so, um, just reducing those at home and what I use. Uh, that helped a lot as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, um is. Does breast cancer exacerbate what's going on with your liver? Like? Is that? I would imagine so, but is that like another kind of tax on what your liver is doing and maybe just makes it even more sluggish than it would have otherwise been?
Speaker 2:um, yes, I mean, I think are you talking about, like, if it's linked to uh, breast cancer, if you have a sluggish liver, or the treatment can make it like?
Speaker 1:yeah, that's. I was thinking more on the afterwards, like after having cancer for some people or for you, your, your liver was more so it's like really important to focus on right, yes, I mean, especially if you had a chemo or usually we put on some sort of drug.
Speaker 2:Um, the medication definitely put burden. Like you know, your liver is working hard to try to get right. Yeah, okay, so I would say definitely, um, because, like I said, I like to stay in a age that we're exposed to so many things. So, I feel like our liver is already like overworking, and then on top of that you're adding like a chemo or different drugs. So yeah.
Speaker 1:So maybe because I'm kind of thinking now like, of course, all of the foundations that are important for the foundations of health, like minimizing stress, increasing sleep, blood sugar balance, all that stuff is important for listeners with or without cancer as a part of their journey. Is there anything that's really specific you feel, or like just worth noting for the breast cancer journey specifically, that someone might want to keep in mind? What comes to mind?
Speaker 2:uh, yes, so I would say as a breast cancer journey. Um, so when I work with my clients, like I have in my program, there's a three pillars and like first part is like a nutrition, but that's usually actually. It's a low-hanging fruit, like most people find it relatively easy to make a change in their diet. So that's the first part and then the second part is like beginning to do like I said what you're using or your environment at home and wait.
Speaker 2:third part is I would say maybe that's more specific to breast cancer journey is emotional healing. So and this is you know where I think most of us it is much more difficult or takes time to have a mindset shift and having connections between because you know, I believe that our body is interconnected right so, like your soul, your body and your mind. So I always said, like you could have like the perfect quote, unquote perfect diet and using everything clean at home or whatever, um, but if you don't work on the third piece, which is your emotional healing, your spirit and um, your mental health, um, you don't feel like you're thriving. You know and that's something that I experienced and that was something that I learned from my own experience that I was so focused on, like what I'm eating and what I'm using, so it's more like external thing and not focusing on emotional feeling healing or underlying issues and trauma. So, yeah, issues and trauma.
Speaker 1:So yeah, this makes me think of what you mentioned at the beginning of our conversation too, about finding community right For that aspect of mental health. Is there any like? Do you have any quick recommendations or go-tos for somebody who is trying to look for that community? Are there like how can they find other people, other gals, and is there a similar situation or other support networks?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, I mean I think there are like groups on the facebook. You can find like locally and as well, as a lot of hospitals now have a support group or non-profit excuse me foundation, that specific product, the cancer survivors or breast cancer survivors. So, depending on where you are located, you can find some kind of support group. I would say, like a check with your hospital, they usually have social workers in the department, the cancer department, and they should know like if we don't have support groups in our hospital, this hospital near you or in that area will have support groups.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I think, yeah, with other survivors, um can be very helpful. It could be helpful, but it could also trigger. But it can be triggering for some people.
Speaker 2:So it's kind of tricky, because I had some clients that don't want to go to a group and stuff because it was triggering for them, um, and but either way, I think sharing your experience with other survivors can be helpful, but doing every day like your work on your own is going to be helpful. What's going to move the needles? I think, yeah. So what I mean by that is just, like you know, there could be a retreat, like I used to go to, like a retreat or workshops and all these things for, like, breast cancer survivors, um, which is great. But if I'm just going like once a week or maybe once a month, or if it's a retreat, like a once a quarter or something like that, um, it's good. Like that moment on temporary, but I didn't really change much on my daily, uh life, like my anxieties and all that stuff was like still there. So that's why, like I, you know, think it's so important to work on like addressing, um underlying issues and emotional healing, so which I do through like different workbooks and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I imagine, to write or for somebody listening who's in this situation, then working with you could be a good tool to working through some of those emotional pieces. But you just mentioned workbook. Is there, yeah, do you want to just mention, like, a particular workbook or if there's a podcast or other book that you found to be really, um, really helpful? What were those, if at all?
Speaker 2:Uh well, the workbook that I mentioned is like something that I created for like my program, but, yeah, it's um, of course, like I'm not a therapist, right, totally yeah, but we know there are like different tools that can help you to shift your mindset right or like have, because we all have these thought patterns working on that. To shift those thought patterns is going to make a huge difference in terms of how you are perceiving this whole experience, you know. So, as far as the resources and stuff, I'm kind of trying to think if I I mean obviously I, you know, I seeing therapists um can be a great benefit um a lot of my clients they see therapists, you know, at the same time they're working with me, right?
Speaker 2:it's a different type of um care, so care. So I do recommend, if you are struggling, that seeing therapists can be very beneficial.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely important to have. Like your team of support doesn't have to all be from one person. That would be a lot to put on one person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly yeah, yeah, and everyone can offer different things, right?
Speaker 1:totally yeah um, I want to talk a little bit about, um, like the, the menopausal side of of health and wellness, and I know you have a free resource that I'll link in the show notes on nutrition and movement for menopausal gals or listeners out there. So, kind of looking at that part of the picture, well A, was there anything that you were surprised by that you didn't expect that maybe you can help mention to manage people's expectations. And then the second part of my question I'm curious, like anything else that's specific to folks going through that part of their life, and what was really helpful for you or what could be helpful for them.
Speaker 2:Yes. So for menopausal, I would say, like, actually one thing that this is kind of changing. But you probably heard like, oh, don't eat soy. Soy is not good for you, especially if you have breast cancer, which is not true, but that depends Also, of course, you want to have consume, like organic soy as a whole. So that's why I love tempeh. It's a great way to have a plant estrogen that actually balances our body's estrogen. So that is probably one thing.
Speaker 2:That, because I thought I, you know, the soy was bad too, like at the beginning, you know, although now I hear more and more doctors, actually, you know, saying that's a myth. You know, soy is not going to cause breast cancer. It can actually be protective. But then I will also add, like, make sure you're eating. I think the problem with soy is just most of the soy that's in a packaged product is like a soy isolate or GMO soy right which is sprayed with glyphosate. So making sure you know consuming soy that is like organic and preferably like as a whole tempeh that's also fermented, so it's good for the gut, you know. So, um, that would be one thing. And what was the second question? Sorry, what is this like?
Speaker 1:no, I always, sometimes I'll ask like eight questions at the same time, which isn't the most helpful. Um, just if there was anything that was unexpected, like as you, just you know, for somebody who just is all of a sudden in menopause, essentially, what was there, oh what? Might you want to kind of give somebody a heads up?
Speaker 2:oh, okay, okay, now it's coming back to me. Sorry, um, yes, I'm sorry, so just kind of adding to what I was saying that um, just kind of adding to what I was saying that, um, having, um, uh, adequate amount of the soy, of course you don't want to eat like a too, too much um, but also like incorporating like a flaxseed and macroseeds. Those also help with like menopausal symptoms. Um, but the surprising thing, you know, honestly, I think it was um low libido.
Speaker 2:So which is, I would say, surprise, or just that was one thing that I struggle a lot, um, and it was very hard to move the needles Um, because, like I said, all all the other symptoms, like a brain fog, big hot flashes, um, weight gain, which is also another thing that's pretty common, especially like in the midsection area, um those things were became super manageable and I was like, for me, like the symptoms was almost all gone.
Speaker 2:I would say the joint ache as well, and that was also very manageable, but that was one of the symptoms that I had and but low libidos or dry vagina and just painful sex. You know, that was a little bit of a surprise for me and that's something that I because I was not informed and I was not- told and I didn't look into myself either, what could be.
Speaker 2:You know, that can be one of the symptoms, but we most of's on hormonal blockers, definitely struggle with that department and it is not easy to deal with. Yeah, because I think, like you know, other symptoms that I mentioned, um, it's more physical and this is also, you know, for us women. It's, like you know, sex is also, like it's, mostly mental thing, right? So for some of us who, especially if your body changed because you had the surgery, had a mastectomy and stuff like that, you know that can also play a big role in your emotions and how you feel about yourself. So, um, but low libidos and dry vagina was not fun at all and it is. I mean, I still struggle with it um.
Speaker 2:I would have said, like you know, I'm 100% back to where I was um but also for me I am like. Another thing I have to keep in mind is that I am getting older. I I'm not 33, you know. So they are, of course, on top of everything. Naturally we're aging. There is natural change in our body as well, right so?
Speaker 1:yeah, is there anything that you found helps, or like maybe anything your clients have tried that seems to have moved the needle at least a little bit?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So seeing the pelvic floor therapist helps a lot. Yeah, to doing certain exercise at home and also when you go see the pelvic floor therapist that they do help to loosen up that area. So that helps with like a cci experiencing like a painful sex. Um, and I actually did see, uh, like a sex uh, she's not a therapist, uh, like a intimacy coach, um.
Speaker 2:So I think one thing um that helped me a lot was to just remove the pressure, um, of like having sex is equals like you have to have a penetration, you know, I think we all think that's like sex, right, but there are so many other things you can do to be intimate with your partner. So, uh, taking off that pressure helped a lot, because that's what was, you know, causing me stress is because it's painful. If it's painful, I don't want to do it, and this you do it, it becomes more painful and it was just like a vicious cycle.
Speaker 2:Um, and once I, you know, took that off the table and um, okay, there are other ways you can do to connect with your partner, and I think explaining that to your partner is also of course important yeah yeah, I love that we're talking about this, because, well, because I think that's probably not talked about enough um
Speaker 1:but I also, from time to time, will have gals who, uh, you know, talk to me about a similar symptom of having low libido and thinking like, okay, well, my hormones must be off because I have low libido, and certainly in some cases that is true. But just coming back to what you mentioned about, it's just so mental and like the emotional side of things, and what are the expectations that you have and that your partner has? So, yeah, I'm certainly not a sex therapist by any means either, but I do like to mention the book by Emily Nagoski called Come as you Are. It is, I don't know, for somebody who's like thinking, okay, how can I sort of look at this from a different emotional perspective, and maybe that would be a good book to read with your partner.
Speaker 1:Have a little book club together, kind of thing to help reset, like, what are our expectations and what do we actually like? How can we have a more of a conversation about this so that it's more fun, more fun experience?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, I'll have to check out that book um, yeah, yeah because we can't just try to switch on and off, like it's easier for men to do that than for women yeah, yeah, a little bit yeah, yeah. So it's just like yeah, expectations. I think that's probably the biggest thing, just talking to your partner about that. It's like it's going to take a little longer than it used to to. You know, get me into the mood, you know, and um, yeah, that's that way. Your partner knows it's not because of him, right? Yeah?
Speaker 1:yeah, as we get ready to wrap up our conversation for the day and we kind of look forward at 2025 and going into this new year, what do you want to leave the listeners with when, like, with regards to anything on the um not preventative, but on the a like pre-cancer side of things, or post, or just generally like, what do you, what do you wish people, uh, will keep in mind throughout 2025?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, I would say like for breast health, I mean for first of all. I think, um, more and more people can be aware of breast cancer, and it's not just you know. I mean, I know there's like October, it's like a breast cancer awareness month, but throughout the year I think most of us, including me that we don't know, we think it's for unhealthy people. What are the people who smoke and drink excessively and maybe overweight, of course?
Speaker 2:these like elevate the risk of breast cancer but we kind of tend to think those are the type of the people who get breast cancer not me, right and so I think it could happen to younger people and actually more and more younger people getting diagnosed with breast cancer. So checking your breasts every month, I cannot stress enough, it's probably number one thing. I just really wish I did that, because by the time I felt my lump it was so big I was I was actually shocked that I didn't even notice that it's been there because he didn't grow overnight, right. So doing his self-exam, that's the important piece. And then the good habits to incorporate will be the emphatic massage.
Speaker 2:Whether you go to get the lymphatic massage or I do it at home, you know um, especially um my breast, my armpits area, because that's where a lot of uh armpits, you have a lot of these. So doing lymphatic massage and dry brushing is another way. That's also um circulation and then reb. That's also good for whole body. So those are good habits to do. And aside from that kind of like I've already mentioned, but eating lots of variety of vegetables and fruits and seasonally and incorporating bitter vegetables and then, as well as you know, a Christmas vegetable like a cabbage, and yeah, cabbage yeah.
Speaker 2:And then seaweed is also another great way to help detoxification. So incorporating seaweed into your diet, and it's also good for your thyroid health. So I always recommend my clients eat seaweed, especially kelp yeah, especially kelp. Nobody has some of it. They're actually low in iodine, so I recommend eating more like a kelp or wakame and that kind of seaweed, uh, and also having uh, high polyphenol or um, just anti-inflammatory diet overall I would say yeah, um, let's see what else yeah, I think that's a lot of good.
Speaker 1:A lot of good starting points, though, or a lot of good ideas.
Speaker 1:Right for somebody to take one or two of those, or maybe yeah maybe, if you're listening right now and a couple of those sparked your interest, open up a note on your phone or like, open up your digital calendar and, like, put a reminder at the beginning of each month, do your breast exam and start incorporating, like one of the other good habits that you just mentioned. All right, gang, we are going to leave it there for today. Keiko, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and having this conversation with me. If you are listening and you want to know where you can connect more with Keiko, you can check her out on Instagram either check out the link in the show notes or you'll find her at wellness underscore after breast cancer, and also check out the link in the show notes for her freebie downloadable Nutrition and Fitness Guide for Menopause Women.
Speaker 1:Or if you are interested or know somebody who is ready and in need of one-on-one coaching, then kick-off's your gal. One last note I mentioned at the top of the episode, but if you are feeling inspired to contribute to Pink Strength, a nonprofit that I'm connected with here in San Diego who supports breast cancer survivors or gals going through breast cancer, then they'd be so grateful for your support and you can check out more information about them in the show notes. That is it for today. Thank you so much for listening. I know this was a little bit longer than normal, but I'm so grateful, so we will see you on the next one.