October is “Breast Health Month,” so I’m posting this on the last day of October 2022. I will not give medical advice but will share what works for me and share some other gals’ stories too.
Our breasts have two different vascular systems: blood vessels (including capillaries), and the lymphatic system (with lymphatic vessels). Our hearts pump blood throughout blood vessels. Our lymphatic system does not have a pump, so we must move our bodies to get the fluids (and waste) moving through that system. This means we must walk, run or jump (on a trampoline or rebounder if you have bad feet like mine) to keep that system moving.
Lymphatic breast massage can benefit gals of all ages. For example, once a gal is menstruating, if she ever has achy breasts, she can do this massage to help the lymphatic system drain fluids out of her breasts into the lymph nodes in her armpits. But all gals (from puberty to mature age) can benefit from lymphatic massage for the drainage of anything that could be harmful to the breasts. Some oncologists (cancer docs) are concerned that poor lymphatic drainage may be a factor in breast cancer. No clear connection has been confirmed (so far), but since it “could” be a risk factor, I do this drainage massage three times per week, and I lightly dry brush my breasts (for lymphatic drainage) daily. To do that I simply brush from the top center of each breast, towards the arm pit and then do that from the bottom. Then I use the brush to move away from the nipple, outwards.
I was going to make drawings of this massage, but I remembered a great website that shows this (they have modest drawings, not meant to embarrass anyone). I do not have an affiliate link to this site, but I know it is correct, because I used this site to learn my lymphatic breast massage. You can copy this and then paste it into a new browser. Here it is:
protectyourbreasts.com/protect-your-breasts-2/lymph-drainage-massage/
Sorry I could not post that as an active link. For some reason it would not work for that website, but it is a safe site that I visit (no viruses or spam there). They even have a video to show the same massage. I just copied that line and pasted it into my web browser, and it came right up. To reassure you it is a legit site, I also took a screen shot (and you can see the safety “lock” symbol in the web title at the top left).
I use thermography (a heat sensitive photograph) for my breast imaging. This is a tool for gals (over 40) to screen for cancer. Some women use thermography with mammography for this screening. I have very dense breasts tissue, so a tiny cancer lump would be disguised like a snow ball on a snowy field. As a result, I believe mammography is not right for me, since it involves a small amount of radiation. The body, when exposed to radiation over time, is at a slightly higher risk of cancer too. The mammogram cannot detect the earliest cancers in a gal like me with dense breasts. I know this is true, because a close relative has dense breasts. Only months after her “All clear/no cancer detected” mammogram, she found a lump when she was washing in the shower. The mammogram was unable to detect this cancer, and likely it had been there in the midst of her two prior mammograms.
With my thermogram, the machine detects any inflammation and even “estrogen clotting,” where the body cannot metabolize estrogen. The thermogram shows cheetah like spots scattered across an unhealthy woman’s breasts and upper body (the only area filmed for the thermogram). When I had my first thermogram with Dr. Diane Jordan, she instantly said, “I see you have a healthy diet and healthy life style. You exercise regularly and your diet is largely plant-based.” I felt like she could read my mind, but she explained that my thermogram had told her about my health and diet. I did not have any of those strange clotting/cheetah-like blotches.
Due to patient privacy, she could not tell me any identifying information about someone else’s thermogram, but some patients had permitted her to share them with others, so she showed me two other patient’s thermograms. One had scattered, light splotches all over. Dr. Jordan explained that this patient was unhappy about being overweight, and she admitted she ate a high amount of processed food. She also said she did not get enough sleep and lead a stressful lifestyle. But she was upset when she saw her thermogram, and she began to make changes in her diet. She lost weight, changed her diet and reduced her stress and got more sleep. Dr. Jordan recommended she take milk thistle extract (which I use) to help her liver metabolize the excess estrogen. The thermogram from a year later showed way less of the splotches. Dr. Jordan said the patient is fine today.
Here is a link to Herbspro capsules:
Milk Thistle 24 X 50 Softgels by Natures Bounty
And here is an Herbspro link to the liquid form:
Milk Thistle Organic 1 Oz by L. A .Naturals
Dr. Jordan showed me another thermogram, and it was heavily covered with the splotches. This patient did not make changes in her life style. The thermogram from the next year had the splotches, but now one breast had a bright area. Dr. Jordan urged this patient to see an oncologist, who confirmed the woman had breast cancer. She still did not want to make changes in her lifestyle, and within a year, she had died.
Now I must say, there are vegetarians who get breast cancer. Thin women get cancer. Women who exercise get breast cancer too. Younger women get cancer. A woman who has cancer now or has recovered from it should not blame herself. Even if she made mistakes before the cancer, probably she did not know those things were bad for her breast health. I am sad to say our modern medical society often (but not always) does not explain things that can be unhealthy for breasts and things that are good for breasts.
I also want to say while I avoid mammograms, some women may not have dense breasts, or perhaps they feel this exam is good for them. Thus each woman needs to make this decision on her own, and she can consult both her allopathic doctor (doctors who follow the modern model of pharmaceutical meds and surgery, etc.) and a naturopathic doctor (doctors who use treatments that healers of earlier generations found effective, often aimed at diet and life style). Both kinds of doctors can advise a woman, yet each in a different way.
Despite the occurrence of cancer in some women who are thin, vegetarian, or who exercise, cancer is less common in these women. Definite risk factors exist for cancer, some well known and some less known . For example, when a woman is over weight or obese, her risk factors increase. A woman’s body fat produces estrogen, and an over-abundance of estrogen, plus the liver’s inability to metabolize and eliminate estrogen and toxins, increases all cancer risks (not just breast cancer). Some researchers have also found a higher incidence of cancer with women who used oral birth control, but no direct connection.
For the next risk factor, I want to say that God forgives all women, even those who have had an abortion. Yet, sadly, women who had an abortion appear to have an increased risk for cancer. Not all women who get an abortion get cancer. This cancer may be due to the abrupt removal of a baby from the womb, (related to the hormones). Normally, when an unborn baby dies (still born), the body recognizes the death and changes the hormones it has been producing (to support the baby). Instead the body lowers those hormones (stops some), and begins to produce the hormones needed to (miscarry) push out the deceased baby (fetus). Researchers speculate it may be possible the woman’s body (that was not able to experience the natural death of the baby) instead continues to produce hormones to promote the life of that baby. Eventually when the body recognizes there is no baby (not even the placenta), the body stops making those hormones but never makes the hormones needed to birth the baby. This impacts the breasts. Researchers only know these women have (statistically) more breast cancer, but they have not confirmed a direct connection. No woman should feel shame about any of these factors. God can forgive a gal for anything she did wrong when she was younger.
An inflammatory diet also increases cancer risks. There are two categories of inflammatory foods: heavily processed/refined foods, and any foods an individual’s body is allergic to or intolerant of. A food that is natural, not heavily processed, and is even good for most gals can be bad for a gal who is allergic to it or intolerant of it. Furthermore, eating too much and weighing far too much can also cause bodily inflammation.
Obviously smoking, liquor and environmental pollutions increase cancer risks too. Some of the toxic exposures can come in personal care products and cleaning supplies (think of parabens, aluminum, etc.) There are ingredients on the “cancer suspect list,” and so far these things have not been confirmed to cause cancer, but women who used them heavily have had more cancer. I will not bore you with that list, as you can visit the Environmental Working Group’s website or you can look up the term “ingredients that increase cancer risk.” Physical inactivity increases the risk. Certainly inactivity leaves the lymphatic system sluggish.
Some researchers believe tight bras and wearing bras to bed also poses a risk (again no confirmed connection to cancer—perhaps the tight bras slow the lymphatic system). Some gals wear a tight sports bra but change into a looser bra after their work out to avoid trouble. Some gals only wear a very loose fitting bra to bed to avoid problems. So many of these risk factors exist, and in my case, I have two blood relatives who have had breast cancer (one died). As a result, I avoid most risk factors. Each gal will choose her own path, whether avoiding all, a few, or none of those factors.
I don’t want to go on about risks, because a gal can get discouraged. I also want to talk about factors that benefit breasts in addition to the benefits I’ve already mentioned.
As you can guess, the opposite of the risk factors is beneficial for the breasts. Since inflammatory foods impact the body negatively, a diet that is full of unrefined fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and organic sources of protein (eggs, meat, milk, beans, etc.) helps the body fight inflammation. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, and more) are supposed to help too. Rather than give you an entire list, you can look up “cancer fighting foods,” and make choices you can enjoy eating.
Dealing with stress also helps lower inflammation. This requires both the emotional component, such as forgiving those who hurt us, and also life style changes (anything a gal needs to do, to limit her stress.) Getting good quality sleep also helps a gal deal with stress.
Exercise should not be another stress. A gal needs to find some form of exercise she can enjoy (or at least tolerate without stressing herself). Walking is a great option for most people (and walking in a pool if a gal has bad joints). That decision is also personal, and a gal needs to make her own choices about what exercises to do.
I hope I have not discouraged any gals with this post but have given you ideas for your personal journey of breast health. The devil does want to discourage us, and our sin nature does allow pain and sickness. But God has given us so many options to care for our bodies, including our breasts. God has given us such wonderful bodies, and He can guide us as we look for ways to care for ourselves.
May God bless you as you take care of your physical body! And may God bless your spirit and soul with his Shalom!