Breast Health and the Bra – Is Your Underwear Making You Sick?
By Dr. Anna Walden, HealthWalk™ Vital Hematology Department
A woman’s face and form is cherished not only by herself but by society in general. Humans have followed fashion though the ages to enhance or downright alter physical appearance in order to achieve a particular type of beauty. We have crammed square toes into pointed shoes with high heels, and cinched waists and torsos into impossibly small sizes and shapes. And this particular invention, the corset has caused many women misery over centuries by exerting unnatural pressure on the soft organs, the circulatory system, and the ability to breathe. It is no wonder that women fainted so often “back in the day.”
Although the corset was eventually rebelled against and forsaken; its near relative, the brassiere, has not loosened its grip in more ways than one. Any time there are constrictors of any kind on our bodies, the circulatory and lymphatic system are affected. The nutrients are brought to the tissue by vessels which range in size from obvious to microscopic. Our blood is carrying nutrients to our cells and also carrying back waste products. Bathing the cells is the lymph fluid which also contains cellular waste as well as nutrients, proteins, hormones, fats and sugars.
It is imperative that the lymph fluid is free flowing and not be allowed to stagnate. Otherwise the cells would be living in their own waste products unable to receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients. This fluid has been delivered through the capillary walls and can also return the same way. But not all of it. There is a significant portion which wends its way back into the bloodstream by another path. And that path is the lymphatics. There is a series of valves which keep the lymph moving away from the point of origin. The blood in the veins have the heart to propel it on its way.
Lymph fluid has only passive help in its journey. The main mechanism to circulate the lymph fluid is from movement of the muscles. Lymph circulation also gets assistance from inhalation and from any kind of physical motion. This delicate system is what keeps us from swelling up. So any time there is pressure on the surface of the body, these systems are compromised. The research of David Moth demonstrated that even the lightest bras placed pressure on the lymphatic system.
So might this have a connection to more serious conditions such as cancer? We know that the incidence and mortality of breast cancer is highest in North America and northern Europe. The next highest is southern Europe and Latin America, and the lowest in Asia and Africa. Researchers Singer and Grismaijer observed the Maoris of New Zealand who have integrated with modern mainstream life of their country had the same incidence of breast cancer as the other women in the population. However the aboriginals of Australia have practically no breast cancer. These women are not integrated into westernized society and do not regularly wear bras. They learned that women from Japan and Fiji and many other cultures significantly increased their chances of developing breast cancer when they started wearing bras.
The European Journal of Cancer published a study which discovered that premenopausal women who do not wear bras are less than half as likely to get cancer as those who regularly wear a bra.
A study done by Singer and Grismaier involving 4,500 women of our own culture and their bra wearing habits showed some amazing findings. Three out of four women who wore their bras 24 hours a day developed breast cancer. For women who wore their bra more than 12 hours a day, the chance of getting breast cancer was 1 in 7. For those who wore their bras less than 12 hours a day, the number plummeted to 1 in 152. For those who rarely or never wore a bra the incidence of breast cancer was 1 in 168.
Until further research is done, one thing is clear. There is significant evidence that many hours of wearing a bra can have a long term affect on the health of the breast and health in general. Why not play it safe and reduce the risk by reducing the hours of constriction?
To establish a breast health baseline and to get an understanding of your current overall health condition, come to HealthWalk for a Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) of your breast and body. The procedure is FDA approved, non-invasive, has zero radiation and your scans are analyzed by specially trained MD’s certified by ACCT so that you have the most accurate assessment possible. At HealthWalk we have the technology, experience, supplements and products to support the wellbeing of your mind, body and spirit so that you and your body can be functioning at your highest potential. Please contact us through our website www.healthwalk.com, by email info@healthwalk.com, phone 760-929-1520 and come visit us in our integrated health center in Carlsbad, CA soon.