| nurture the essential
may 2008 newsletter ladies, please take your bra off! |
|
|
|
Greetings!, I encourage you to go ahead and take a few minutes for yourself with the article below. You might even want to forward it to a friend.
As always, thank you for inviting me into your inbox, and sharing your time and interest. Enjoy!
~amelia
Amelia Mitchell, CMT
|
|
|
| Tight Bra Syndrome
|
|
Or why you might want to skip the underwire and take your bra when you get
home.
This may seem to be just
of interest to women, however, as far as I know, many men are quite fond of
breasts and the women who have them, so if you are a man reading this and there
are breasts in this world that are special to you, please read on.
There was a study done in
1991 by researchers at Harvard, published in the European Journal of Cancer,
which found that bra-free women had half the incidence of breast cancer than
bra wearing women (Eur J Cancer. 1991;27(2):131-5). I write this article
to inspire health, not to invoke fear of breast cancer. When the state of
disease in a body has gone that far, there are probably many contributing
factors or vibrations. This article is to support healthy women in their
wellness and vitality and to encourage us all to embrace a softer, more gentle
standard for ourselves.
The healthiest breasts are,
yes, those National Geographic
breasts. And no, I am not asking you to run around jiggling and topless
for the health of your breasts.
And who is bra-free? Not
American women anymore. An increase in breast cancer around the world can
be linked to an increase in "Western" fashion, which includes bras.
As cultures become more Western in their ways, breast cancer rates
increase. I use these statistics, because they are available and widely
published. The numbers of women who experience fibrotic breast tissue,
pain, swelling, tenderness would be as good a measure of the problem with
bras. And frankly these are even more common, and even less documented.
Why is this? What is
happening? What is it about bras that could have an effect on breast
cancer rates? While there are no complete studies and a lot of opinions; there
is plenty of good information that makes sense to me. Breasts have a great
deal of lymphatic tissue in them and no muscles. They rely
on the movements of the body to stimulate the lymphatic system, which removes wastes
and toxins from the breasts.
In addition to being the home of the immune system; the lymphatic system
is essentially a cleaning system for the body. I liken it to a low power
pressure washer - when the system is able to work well it will clean out all
the nooks and crannies (interstitial spaces), leaving space for healthy
nutrients and oxygen to bathe the cells of the body. When it isn't
working well, our cells are floating around in a soup of cellular waste,
toxins, cell debris, and potentially cancerous cells -- more junk than is
healthy. You wouldn't take a bath in a tub filled with dirty dish water. That is an
equivalent to what our cells are bathed in if lymphatic flow has been
compromised.
How do we compromise the
flow? Constriction is the greatest culprit.
The challenge here is that
our breasts are so dependant on the lymphatic system and the lymphatic system
is so dependant on free movement (think National Geographic again).
Instead of free movement here in America and now all over the world,
a measure of beauty is propped up, firmly held breasts. Perhaps not as
pointy as they were in 1961, but constricted they most certainly are.
So, how do you tell if you
have Tight Bra Syndrome with the resulting constricted lymph flow? First,
how do your breasts and the surrounding areas feel at the end of the day?
If your breasts feel tight, compressed, aching to be free, your bra is probably
too tight. If you can see red lines or indentations on your body where
your bra was, your bra is probably too tight. Underwire bras can be the
worst for this, because their design inherently draws a line of restriction
right around the breast. The majority of fluid drainage from the breast
is to the side of the body and up to the armpit, an area often compressed by
any bra, most especially a underwire.
But Amelia, I am not going
to start running around bra-less!!!
I know, of course you are
not. We are well acculturated people, honestly I am too. We have
grooming and dressing standards within our society and bras, for women, are
standard.
Consider these
alternatives.
- Take your bra off as soon as you get home.
Wear it for a maximum of 12 hours. You and your
breasts, even larger ones will get used to the feeling of being free.
- Wear looser camisoles with or without a
shelf-bra when a more casual look is appropriate.
- Please don't sleep in your bra.
- Get yourself fitted properly. Generally
women wear a bra with a band (the number) size too small and the cup too
big, which is essentially a bra that is too small. A larger band
will give your breasts, and your lungs, room to breathe. Locally, Nordstroms
has a great bra department, with many sizes, however you may need to go to
an online specialty store such as LadyGrace.com to find more of a
selection of non-underwire bras. Lane Bryant stores also have good
supportive cotton bras for larger women and Victoria's Secret has a growing selection.
- Save the underwire for when it counts, with your little black dress or your fabulous gown.
- Let your body move when your bra is off.
Sagging breasts have more to do with genetics and tissue health than
whether or not they are squished up in a bra. If you don't believe
me, have a lymphatic drainage breast treatment. These sessions move lymphatic fluid
bringing health and resilience back into the tissue. You will
probably note a visible difference in perkiness, texture, fullness and
height after a session. (All technical terms)
- Use a natural crystal deodorant,
available at Whole Foods and health food stores. Why? Your body
doesn't need the perfumes and other ingredients in the mass market
deodorants and anti-perspirants block the flow of perspiration. This is
an important pathway for the body to remove waste and toxins. Do you
want all of that squished back in your body? A deodorant may take some
getting used to - and it is worth it, especially considering all the
other challenges we have for breast health.
Breasts are a wonderful
gift. They give women one of our super powers - they make milk!
Let's take good care of them, be gentle and be accepting. Do yours really
have to match the perky, airbrushed, constricted, airbrushed, 20 year-old, airbrushed breasts our culture has come
to think all women should have?
Are you home right
now? Take you bra off! |
about the author  Amelia
Mitchell, CMT is a certified massage therapist with a private practice in Annapolis Maryland.
Using therapeutic massage and lymphatic drainage therapy Amelia supports her
clients as they shift to enhanced wellness. She specializes in recovery
from injuries, trauma and illness and brings a warm heart and a firm trust that
we all can feel better to each session. While Amelia does wear bras
herself, she can't find that pretty black underwire one anywhere...
contact info
Amelia's Website
www.AmeliaMitchell.com
410-570-8927
Amelia Mitchell, CMT is one of the specialists
at Chesapeake Holistic Health Center
located at 528C College Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21409
www.ChesapeakeHolistic.com
|
|
|
In closing, I would like to encourage you to find a part of your body and simply love and appreciate it for all that it is and all that it does for you. Perhaps it is your breasts, or your nose or your pinkie, simply honor it today.
Many Blessings,
Amelia Mitchell
Nurture the Essential |
|
|
