This week’s blog has
been written by Sara Davenport, founder of Breast Cancer Haven and
blogger of Reboot your Health.
She discusses how to do breast massage and the importance of the lymph…
With cancer rates on the rise generally, and breast
cancer levels increasing for those of us over the age of 50, it’s time to pay
attention. And it’s definitely time to pay more attention to your own breasts.
Time to pay more attention to yourself full stop.
Do you sometimes forget yourself
in your concern for helping others? Are you overdoing it by ‘doing your bit’?
Do you regularly donate money or run a marathon to raise funds? Do you
volunteer at events and buy pink products that donate a percentage of the proceeds
to one of the remarkable charities that do so much for the breast cancer cause?
It is people like you that really
make a difference to those charities, and all the people that they so admirably
help, but don’t forget to also look after yourself. Take the time during this
month to focus on you. Think about what you can do to reduce your own risk and
become more aware of your own body. Keep a close eye so that if anything out of
the usual does appear, you are on it and can deal with it promptly. No-one ever
thinks breast cancer will happen to them, but sometimes, out of the blue and
often inexplicably, it just does.
Lymph
| The secret of breast health
Awareness is the key here, and
prevention. Being in touch with your own body. Help yourself stay healthy
by keeping your breasts uncongested
and your all important lymph flowing and keep the dangers of stagnation at bay.
Lymph is the answer to sorting
congestion anywhere in your body, and getting it moving again is vital for
breast health. Make your daily shower time for a lymphatic boost.
Try dry skin brushing before you turn on the water, always
moving the brush from your extremities towards your heart; or use a flannel and
rub it clockwise round your breasts, and then again in the opposite direction,
to really stimulate your lymph.
And whenever you notice a red mark
on your body as you undress, whether it’s from a too tight bra, the top of your
socks cutting into your ankles or the waistband of your trousers unforgivingly
digging in, pay attention and don’t ignore it. It’s a sign that your lymph has
been constricted and is probably no longer flowing as it should. Massage the area
gently and get it moving again.
Remember to check your breasts
You have probably heard about
checking your breasts, but do you have a clue how to go about it? It’s a simple
and easy process and something you should get in the habit of doing each and
every month. Like checking your bank statements, or paying your monthly bills.
Something that niggles if you forget.
If you are pre-menopausal, the
best time for a self-examination is about a week after your last period. If you
are post-menopausal just choose a particular day - I check every first day of
the month - and stick to it.
How to check your breasts
1. First, do a
visual check
Stand naked in front of your
bathroom mirror and look carefully at both your breasts. Notice their shape and
their size, and don’t worry if they are not identical. Most people have one
breast that’s bigger than the other. What you are looking for are things that
don’t seem quite normal. Any puckers or dimples that weren’t there before? Any
discharge from your nipples or patches of scaly skin? Has either breast changed
shape recently, or grown bigger than the other?
When you have finished this first
inspection, raise your arms up and over your head and double check it all
again.
2. Next, do a touch
test
Lift up your right arm and then,
using the pads of the three fingers of your left hand, carefully and thoroughly
press gently all round your right breast. Start on the outside and move
inwards, pressing in small circles. Then change the movement and press in
straight lines right across the breast from one side to another. Lastly, circle
the nipple, moving from around its edge into ever widening circles until you
reach the outside edge. Gently squeeze your nipple to check for any discharge
and then do exactly the same on your other breast. To be thorough, do the same
exercises lying down flat, with your arms behind your head. Any problems of any
kind, please immediately make an appointment and check with your doctor.
Regular
breast massage
I met a most remarkable lymphatic
therapist in the States years ago called Lymph Lynda and was introduced to the
concept a couple of decades ago. Today, Lynda's massage technique is an essential
part of my health routine and one that I heartily recommend to you.
If you value your breasts don’t
miss out on a weekly massage. No sniggers here... I am talking about self
massage, rather than anyone else’s massage. Not husband, partner or therapist,
but you yourself, checking your breasts in a focused sort of way.
As little as five
minutes massaging can make a
noticeable difference, and if you have those menopausal wide awake periods in
the night, a bit of massage can happily pass the time. Likewise, if you
regularly sit for hours in a traffic jam on your way back from work, do
something useful on your journey home (hopefully without the car in front glued
in amazement to their mirror).
The thing is that breasts get
congested. You may not have particularly noticed, but they do. Stuck in bras
day and night (you would be amazed how many people wear their bras 24/7, and
how many wear entirely the wrong size) they are constrained and constricted.
Under-wiring blocks blood circulation further and restricts the lymph’s ability
to clear toxins and waste. It’s that toxic build up over time that allows lumps
and bumps to get a hold and grow. They are usually benign, but who wants lumps
and bumps? And I bet it never crossed your mind you could get rid of most of
them!
It’s really all up to you. You
know your breasts better than anyone. You know how dense they feel, and how
that density changes according to your shifting hormones. If you massage them
regularly, you will pick up any unusual changes as soon as they show up, and
the earlier you find something out of the ordinary the easier it is to deal
with it.
Breast massage needs to be
incredibly gentle. In fact, the more gentle it is, the faster your congestion
will clear. You are working with your lymph, and lymph responds better to a
feather light touch than a stronger pressure. And the more you massage, the
smoother your breast texture will be. Eventually, after just a few minutes on
each side, your breasts will feel like a bag of jelly; soft, liquid and smooth.
Many of those lumps and bumps that you may take for granted as ‘normal’ will
disappear entirely.
How to massage your breasts
The first thing to do is find your
sternum, the breast bone that runs down the centre of your body, under your
collarbone, and which all your ribs are attached to. Find the gaps between your
ribs and gently massage those gaps, all the way along till you reach your
under-arm area. Work from the top, all the way down, and on both sides.
Then start on the breast of your
choice. Make small rubbing circles, lifting and slightly pressing. Cover the
whole surface, making sure your pressure is light but firm. You will find the
surface gets softer, and as you continue, you will be able to penetrate deeper.
If you find a bumpy area, just gently keep massaging. The tissue will get
smoother and keep changing. Illogically, the softer you touch, the more the
tissue lets you in.
To finish your massage, sweep both
hands in a light brushing movement from the middle of your breast towards your
armpit. That’s where your main lymph node ‘disposal centres’ sit and they will
efficiently dispose of any congestion or unwanted ‘stuff’.
After a few days of regular
massage, your breasts will be noticeably changed. Try it. And please let me
know if you can tell the difference!
Written by health
advocate Sara Davenport, who founded one of the UK's largest breast cancer
charities, The Haven, twenty years ago. With Reboot Health, Sara aims to bring
the best preventative and curative health solutions ranging from nutrition,
alternative therapies, fitness and conventional medicine.
You can purchase
Sara’s book, Reboot your Health, which is currently on special offer from
Amazon here.
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