BLOG: What's a bra got to do with it?

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Breasts represent sensitivity and nurturing, intimacy and sexuality. The power of the breast has been a focus in fashion since Edwardian times and saw the first harness-like patent in 1863. The modern day version of the bra didn’t appear on the scene until 1913 - but you can bet that women as far back as you can imagine fashioned some makeshift animal skin supportive garment when needed. But what does this seemingly innocuous garment have to do with breast cancer rates rising to affect 1 out of 7 woman today?
What’s a bra got to do with it? When we look at the anatomy of the breast we find the lymphatic system suffers a direct compression to the drainage of the lower breast from the tight depression line where an underwire bra focuses most of its tension. And rightfully so or it would do little to support the breast up. Any bra for that matter cinched tight enough will compress this lymphatic tissue; but the underwire bra specifically has a hard line that really can dig into this soft tissue, especially problematic where it turns and wraps upwards towards the armpit. This line of tension compresses the lower portion of the breast’s lymphatic system as these tubes travel from the midline of the body up to the axilla region of the armpit.
The lymphatic system is the sewage system for the tissues of the body. Cells toss out their debris into the fluid filled spaces that surround them. Imagine you only placed your garbage outside the front door of your house. If the garbage men couldn’t get to the door because you decided to erect a fence around your home – what do you think would happen to that garbage? It would sit there and fester and decompose. What do viruses and bacteria like most – dead tissue that they can disassemble to promote their life function and replication process. Breast tissue has the distinction of functioning like a sponge for toxins in a womans’ bodies – in men the prostate has this dubious distinction. And it makes sense that these toxins will settle into the lower part of the breast due to gravity. So the rational, logical conclusion is that when you compromise the sewage system of the breast tissue by compressing these channels how can you not create stagnation and force the breast tissue to wallow in its own toxic myre?
So what do we do with this information aside from national bra burning parties? Don’t worry ladies this is not necessary, you do not have to throw away your expensive silk underwire bras that make you look fantastic – you just need to be uber vigilant to taking care of your body. Adding a thorough breast massage each evening before bed is one possible solution. Another important suggestion is to NEVER sleep with your bra on. Sleeping with a bra has a 3x higher correlation to causing breast cancer than cigarette smoking does to causing lung cancer. Yes that’s 3x HIGHER. And of course if you do wear a bra absolutely make sure that it is custom fit for you from someone who understands posture and anatomy. This could make a profound impact on your entire body as poor fitting bras have been absolutely linked to back and neck pain.
How to do the simple massage:
First start at the midline of the body on the sternum between your breasts. Place the soft pads of your fingertips and in a curving pattern following the natural flow of the lowest part of the breast and slightly below onto the rib cage (follow the indentation left by the bra), compress into the body with a gentle force as if you were checking the ripeness of a tomato and slowly move toward the arm pit. You should make it a firm full stroke and keep your pressure consistent. It’s as if you were sliding a dime across a table. Come back to the midline and start immediately higher up then the last stroke. Work all the way up to the underside of the clavicle (collar bone). Now part two is also important. Massage in circular pattern (towards your thumb) around the nipple to cover the entire breast region for the left breast. Start around the nipple. On the right side of your body you will use your right hand and again move in circles towards your thumb. Now go back and switch directions on both breasts. It shouldn’t take more then 5 minutes and you can do it once you are in bed. The added benefit to consistent breast massage is early detection of any masses that you may have not noticed – and this is reason enough to keep up with this simple treatment.
For those of you brave enough to plan on going sans bra, you need not fear of sagging. Dr. Nguyen Phawk Yu, M.D. reports that it is the supportive nature of the bra itself that allows the connective tissue that usually supports the breast to atrophy and neglect its supportive role. The human body is extremely efficient so if it no longer needs to do something - it won’t. Ween yourself off the bra slowly if you have ample busoms, as your body will need time to rebuild this weakened supportive tissue. Most women notice their breasts get much lighter after abstaining from bras.
Optional anatomy lesson for the interested:
We must understand the anatomy of the breast to see the structural component to this theory. The lymphatic system is comprised of small thin-walled tubes that drain from the center of the body to lymph nodes focused where the head, arms, and legs connect to the trunk of the body. They exist here for a purpose - to head off any infections from wounds in the appendages, mouth and head. The lymphatic system is pervasive throughout the entire body so that cells can drain wastes and the immune system has an easy pathway to get everywhere. Also importantly the lymphatic system does not have a pump like the heart is for the blood system (though the lymph does hitch a ride through the circulatory system to get back to where it started from). The lymph relies on movement and pressure to move against gravity making it vulnerable to stagnation from compressive agents that restrict motion.
Although the only study done on this matter took place in Fiji (as illustrated in the book “Dressed To Kill” by Singer and Grismaijer), it has been dismissed by the medical community as unsupported. It is still prudent to take care of yourself and avoid the bra when not necessary even if you truly believe medical researchers dispelling the “myths” do have all the answers.
The study from “Dressed To Kill”:
“Their study of over 4,700 women gave the following results:

• Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for
• the standard group).
• Women who wore bras more than 12 hours per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.
• Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.
• Women who wore bras rarely or never, had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

The medical profession of course claimed it was a faulted study (not approved by them) but when you have risks falling from 3 in 4 to 1 in 133 you must be rather simple minded to say there is no "bra" effect! “
On the flipside in the UK, researchers have developed a bra that will help detect cancer as early as possible using microwave thermal detection built into the bra itself.
Professor Elias Siores, who is developing the bra, said that early detection would give women more confidence in the preliminary assessment stage and those with breast cancer the highest survival prognosis.
"The cancer detection is based on the principle that metabolic activity and vascular circulation in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal breast tissue," said Siores.
Soires continues, "This process results in an increase in regional internal and external temperatures of the breast. The microwave antennae has high sensitivity and can detect these temperature variations, which are the earliest indications of the breast cancer and/or a pre-cancerous state of the breast."
The truth is we don’t know what causes breast cancer. It could be a mutation in the BRCA gene or your anti-perspirant deodorant, a lack of emotional connection to your feminity or not having had a baby by 30 and breast-feeding it for 2 years. There are so many possibilities but no smoking gun. But this fact does tell us one thing - cancer is most likely caused by a myriad of factors; if it wasn’t we would know were it came from by now.