Building Better Bones

“It is a bone-deep change you are going into, my beloved," counsels Grandmother Growth. "You must open to your very marrow for this transformation. No cell is to remain untouched. You are to open more than you ever dreamed you could open, more than you have opened in birth or in passion. You open now to the breath of mortality as it plays the bone flute of your being. What can you do but dance to the haunting melody, develop a passion for an elegant posture and a long stride?

 

"Ah, yes," Grandmother Growth smiles rather wantonly. "It would do you well to develop a taste for dark greens tarted with vinegar and mated with garlic. These things will build strong flexible bones to support you as you become Crone."

 

Did you know that your bones are always changing? Every day of your life, some bone cells die and some new bone cells are created. From birth until your early 30s, you can easily make lots of bone cells. So long as your diet supplies the necessary nutrients, you not only replace bone cells that die, you have extras left over to lengthen and strengthen your bones.

 

Past the age of 35, new bone cells are more difficult to make. Sometimes there is a shortfall: more bone cells die than you can replace. In the orthodox view, this is the beginning of osteoporosis, the disease of low bone mass. By the age of forty, many American women have begun to lose bone mass; by the age of fifty, most are told they must take hormones or drugs to prevent further loss and avoid osteoporosis, hip fracture, and death. 

 

Women who exercise regularly and eat calcium-rich foods enter their menopausal years with better bone mass than women who sit a lot and consume calcium-leaching foods (including soy "milk," tofu, coffee, soda pop, alcohol, white flour products, processed meats, nutritional yeast, and bran). But no matter how good your lifestyle choices, bone mass usually decreases during the menopausal years. 

 

For unknown reasons, menopausal bones slow down production of new cells and seem to ignore the presence of calcium. This "bone-pause" is generally short-lived, occurring off and on for five to seven years. I noticed it in scattered episodes of falling hair, breaking fingernails, and the same "growing pains" I experienced during puberty.

 

I did not see it in a bone scan, because I didn't have one. 

 

The idea behind bone scans is a good one: find women who are at risk of broken bones, alert them to the danger, and help them engage in preventative strategies. There's only one problem: bone scans don't find women who are at risk of broken bones, they find women who have low bone density. 

 

I would like to help you let go of the idea that osteoporosis is important. In the Wise Woman Tradition, we focus on the patient, not the problem. In the Wise Woman tradition, there are no diseases and no cures for diseases. When we focus on a disease, like osteoporosis, we cannot see the whole woman. The more we focus on one disease, even its prevention, the less likely we are to nourish wholeness and health. 

 

Focusing on osteoporosis, defining it as a disease, using drugs to counter it, we lose sight of the fact that postmenopausal bone mass is a better indicator of breast cancer risk than broken bone risk. The twenty-five percent of postmenopausal women with the highest bone mass are two-and-a-half to four times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those with the lowest bone mass. And that hormones which maintain bone mass also adversely affect breast cancer risk. Women who take estrogen replacement (often given to prevent osteoporosis), even for as little as five years, increase their risk of breast cancer by twenty percent; if they take hormone replacement, the risk increases by forty percent.

 

Focusing on bone mass, we lose sight of the fact that a strong correlation between bone density and bone breakage has not been established, according to Susan Brown, director of the Osteoporosis Information Clearing House, and many others. We lose sight of the fact that women who faithfully take estrogen or hormone replacement still experience bone changes and suffer spinal crush fractures.

 

Bone-pause passes and the bones do rebuild themselves, especially when supported by nourishing herbs, which are exceptional sources of bone-building minerals and better at preventing bone breaks than supplements. The minerals in green plants seem to be ideal for keeping bones healthy. Dr. Campbell, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, has done extensive research in rural China where the lowest known fracture rates for midlife and older women were found. He says, "The closer people get to a diet based on plant foods and leafy vegetables, the lower the rates of many diseases, including osteoporosis." Women who consume lots of calcium-rich plants and exercise moderately build strong flexible bones. Women who rely on hormones build bones that are massive, but rigid.

 

Hormone replacement regimes do not increase bone cell creation; they slow (or suppress) bone cell killers (osteoclasts). There is a rebound effect; bone loss jumps when the hormones are stopped. Women who take hormones for five years or more are as much as four times more likely to break a bone in the year after they stop than a woman of the same age who never took hormones. Women who build better bones with green allies and exercise nourish the bone cell creator cells (osteoblasts).

 

Hormone or estrogen replacement, taken as menopause begins and continued for the rest of your life, is said to reduce post-menopausal fracture rates by 40-60 percent. Frequent walks (you don't even need to sweat) and a diet high in calcium-rich green allies (at least 1500 mg daily) have been shown to reduce post-menopausal fractures by 50 percent. The first is expensive and dangerous. The second, inexpensive and health promoting. It's easy to see why more than eighty percent of American women just "say no" to hormones. It is never too late to build better bones, and it is never too soon. Your best insurance for a fracture-free, strong-boned cronehood is to build better bones before menopause. The more exercise and calcium-rich green allies you get in your younger years, the less you'll have to worry about as you age.

 

"A woman has lost half of all the spongy bone (spine, wrist) she'll ever lose by the age of 50, but very little of the dense (hip, hand, forearm) bone. Attention to bone formation at every stage of life is vital; there is no time when you are too old to create healthy new bone." - American MD

 

Calcium

 

"Osteoporosis is much less common in countries that consume the least calcium. That is an undisputed fact." - T. C. Campbell, PhD. Nutritional Biochemistry

 

Step 1: Collect Information

 

Calcium is, without a doubt, the most important mineral in your body. In fact, calcium makes up more than half of the total mineral content of your body. Calcium is crucial to the regular beating of your heart, your metabolism, the functioning of your muscles, the flow of impulses along your nerves, the regulation of your cellular membranes, the strength of your bones, the health of your teeth and gums, and your vital blood-clotting mechanisms. Calcium is so critical to your life that you have a gland (the parathyroid) that does little else than monitor blood levels of calcium and secrete hormones to ensure optimum levels of calcium at all times.

 

When you consume more calcium than you use, you are in a positive calcium balance: extra usable calcium is stored in the bones and you gain bone mass (insoluble or unusable calcium may be excreted, or stored in soft tissue, or deposited in the joints). When you consume less calcium than you use, you are in a negative calcium balance: the parathyroid produces a hormone that releases calcium stores from the bones, and you lose bone mass.

 

To ensure a positive calcium balance and create strong, flexible bones for your menopausal journey, take care to:

 

• Eat three or more calcium-rich foods daily.

• Avoid calcium antagonists. 

• Use synergistic foods to magnify the effectiveness of calcium. 

• Avoid calcium supplements.

 

Step 2: Engage the Energy

 

The homeopathic tissue salt Silica is said to improve bone health.

 

What does it mean to you to support yourself? To be supported? To stand on your own? To have a backbone in your life?

 

Step 3: Nourish & Tonify

 

What do we need to make strong flexible bones? Like all tissues, bones need protein. They need minerals (not just calcium, but also potassium, manganese, magnesium, silica, iron, zinc, selenium, boron, phosphorus, sulphur, chromium, and dozens of others). And in order to use those minerals, high-quality fats, including oil-soluble vitamin D.

 

Many menopausal women I meet believe that protein is bad for their bones. Not so. Researchers at Utah State University, looking at the diets of 32,000 postmenopausal women, found that women who ate the least protein were the most likely to fracture a hip; and that eating extra protein sped the healing of hip fractures. 

 

Acids created by protein digestion are buffered by calcium. Traditional diets combine calcium- and protein-rich foods (e.g. seaweed with tofu, tortillas made from corn ground on limestone with beans, and melted cheese on a hamburger). Herbs such as seaweed, stinging nettle, oat straw, red clover, dandelion, and comfrey leaf are rich in protein and provide plenty of calcium too. Foods such as tahini, sardines, canned salmon, yogurt, cheese, oatmeal, and goats' milk offer us protein, generous amounts of calcium, and the healthy fats our bones need. If you crave more protein during menopause, follow that craving.

 

CAUTION: Unfermented soy (e.g., tofu) is especially detrimental to bone health being protein-rich, naturally deficient in calcium, and a calcium antagonist to boot.

 

Bones need lots of minerals not just calcium, which is brittle and inflexible. (Think of chalk, calcium carbonate, and how easily it breaks.) Avoid calcium supplements. Focus on getting generous amounts of calcium from herbs and foods and you will automatically get the multitude of minerals you need for flexible bones.

 

Because minerals are bulky, and do not compact, we must consume generous amounts to make a difference in our health. Taking mineral-rich herbs in capsule or tincture form won't do much for your bones. (One cup of nettle tincture contains the same amount of calcium - 300 mg - as one cup of nettle infusion. Many women drink two or more cups of infusion a day; no one consumes a cup of tincture a day!) Neither will eating raw foods. I frequently come across the idea that cooking robs food of nutrition. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cooking maximizes the minerals available to your bones. Kale cooked for an hour delivers far more calcium than lightly steamed kale. Minerals are rock-like, and to extract them, we need heat, time, and generous quantities of plant material. 

 

Green sources of calcium are the best. Nourishing herbs and garden weeds are far richer in minerals than ordinary greens, which are already exceptional sources of nutrients. 

 

But calcium from green sources alone is not enough. We need calcium from white sources as well. Add a quart of yogurt a week to your diet if you want really healthy bones. Because the milk has been changed by Lactobacillus organisms, its calcium, other minerals, proteins, and sugars (no lactose) are more easily digested. This carries over, enhancing calcium and mineral absorption from other foods, too. (I have known several vegans who increased their very low bone density by as much as 6 percent in one year by eating yogurt.) Organic raw milk cheeses are another superb white source.

 

Horsetail herb (Equisetum arvense) works like a charm for those premenopausal women who have periodontal bone loss or difficulty with fracture healing. Taken as tea, once or twice a day, young spring-gathered horsetail dramatically strengthens bones and promotes rapid mending of breaks.

CAUTION: Mature horsetail contains substances which may irritate the kidneys.

 

Step 4: Stimulate/Sedate

 

Beware of calcium antagonists. Certain foods interfere with calcium utilization. For better bones avoid consistent use of:

 

• Greens rich in oxalic acid, including chard (silver beet), beet greens, spinach, rhubarb.

• Unfermented soy products, including tofu, soy beverages, soy burgers.

• Phosphorus-rich foods, including carbonated drinks, white flour products, and many processed foods. (Teenagers who drink sodas instead of milk are four times more likely to break a bone.)

• Foods that produce acids requiring a calcium buffer when excreted in the urine, including coffee, white sugar, tobacco, alcohol, nutritional yeast, salt.

• Fluoride in water or toothpaste.

• Fibre pills, bran taken alone, bulk-producing laxatives.

• Steroid medications, including corticosteroids such as prednisone and asthma inhalers. (Daily use reduces spinal bone mass by as much as ten percent a year.)

• Restricted calorie diets. Women who weigh the least have the greatest loss of bone during menopause and "neither calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, nor oestrogen" slow the loss. Among 236 premenopausal women, all of whom consumed similar amounts of calcium, those who lost weight by reducing calories lost twice as much bone mass as women who maintained their weight.

 

Although chocolate contains oxalic acid, the levels are so low as to have only a negligible effect on calcium metabolism. An ounce/3000 mg of chocolate binds 15-20 mg of calcium; an ounce of cooked spinach, 100-125 mg calcium. Bittersweet (dark) chocolate is a source of iron. Recent research has found chocolate to be very heart healthy. As with any stimulant, daily use is not advised. Chocolate is an important and helpful ally for women. Guilt about eating it and belief that it is damaging to your health interferes with your ability to hear and respond to your body wisdom. If you want to eat chocolate - do it; and get the best. But if you're doing it every day - eat more weeds.

 

Excess phosphorus accelerates bone loss and demineralization. Phosphorus compounds are second only to salt as food additives. They are found in carbonated beverages, soda pop; white flour products, especially if "enriched" (bagels, cookies, cakes, donuts, pasta, bread); preserved meats (bacon, ham, sausage, lunch meat, and hot dogs); supermarket breakfast cereals; canned fruit; processed potato products such as frozen fries and instant mashed potatoes; processed cheeses; instant soups and puddings.

 

To avoid phosphorus overload and improve calcium absorption:

 

• Drink spring water and herbal infusions; avoid soda pop and carbonated water.

• Eat only whole grain breads, noodles, cookies, and crackers.

• Buy only unpreserved meats, cheeses, potatoes.

• Avoid buying foods with ingredients; they are highly processed.

 

Excess salt leaches calcium. Women eating 3900 mg of sodium a day excrete 30 percent more calcium than those eating 1600 mg. The main sources of dietary sodium are processed and canned foods. Seaweed is an excellent calcium-rich source of salt. Sea salt may be used freely as it contains trace amounts of calcium. Salt is critical for health; do not eliminate it from your diet.

 

Increase hydrochloric acid production (in your stomach) and you'll make better use of the calcium you consume. Lower stomach acid (with antacids, for example) and you will receive little bone benefit from the calcium you ingest. Some ways to acidify:

 

• Drink lemon juice in water with or after your meal.

• Take 10-25 drops dandelion root tincture in a little water before you eat.

• Use calcium-rich herbal vinegars in your salad dressing; put some on cooked greens and beans, too.

 

Step 5a: Use Supplements

 

I really wish you wouldn't use calcium supplements. They expose you to dangers and don't prevent fractures. A study in Australia that followed 10,000 white women over the age of 65 for six and a half years found "Use of calcium supplements was associated with increased risk of hip and vertebral fracture; use of Tums antacid tablets was associated with increased risk of fractures of the proximal humerus."

 

If you insist on supplements, go for calcium-fortified orange juice or crumbly tablets of calcium citrate. Chewable calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, and calcium carbonate are acceptable sources. Dolomite, bone meal, and oyster shell are best avoided as they usually contain lead and other undesirable minerals.

 

For better bones, take 500 mg magnesium (not citrate) with your calcium. Better yet, wash your calcium pill down with a glass of herbal infusion; that will provide not only magnesium but lots of other bone-strengthening minerals, too.

 

Calcium supplements are more effective in divided doses. Two doses of 250 mg, taken morning and night, actually provide more usable calcium than a 1000 mg tablet.

 

Step 5b: Use Drugs

 

Even if you take hormone therapy (ERT or HRT) you must get adequate calcium to maintain bone mass, according to researchers at Columbia University. That's 1200-1500 mg a day (a cup of plain yogurt, two cups of nettle infusion, a splash of mineral-rich vinegar, plus three figs is about that). As you increase your intake of calcium-rich foods/herbs, gradually cut back on your hormone dose if you wish.

 

Step 6: Break & Enter

 

Bone density tests are frequently used to push women into taking hormones or drugs. If your bone density is low, use the remedies in this section and schedule another test (for at least six months later) before agreeing to such therapies.

 

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Brittle Nails - Easy To Break

Nails define your hand in many ways. The shape and the look of nails make your hand look good. By using a good nail polish it can make your hands look better. But if nails are bad then no matter how much you cover it up it will not work. Brittle nails are one of the problems with your nails. These nails happen to be so weak that they break, spilt or tear very easily. It is the dryness in the nails which reaches to such an extent that they tend to break without much hassle. Brittle nails are a common problem faced by many women.

 

Some of the causes for brittle nails is due to excessive contact with water, detergent, drying out of nails due to overheating in your own house, constantly falling ill and increasing use of nail polish remover. When it comes in contact with chemicals present in detergent or cleansers it makes the nails very weak. Your nails are also affected due iron deficiency. When you go for swimming the chlorine water does not work in your favour. You also lack essential calcium and fatty acids which makes your nail strong and less brittle. Low levels of zinc, iron and also thyroid problems may lead to brittle nails.

 

Some of the things which you can do to avoid brittleness of your nails:

 

• Massaging your nails with castor oil frequently as this would keep your nails fit and fine

• Whenever in contact with chemicals wear cotton gloves and on top of the rubber gloves as it would protect your nails from getting wet either by sweat or water

• Involving food like salmon, tuna, shrimp, trout, milk in your diet improves your nails life

• Intake of herbs and vitamins as consulted by doctor should be taken

• Keep your nails short if you know they are brittle

 

Bridal Lingerie Buying Guide

It's your special day. You've probably thought about it for years, maybe since you were a little girl. But, how much thought have you given to the Wedding Night? When the wedding dress comes off, your bridal lingerie will tempt the groom (as if he actually needs any tempting) and help turn your special night into the romantic scene of your dreams.

 

Bridal lingerie has traditionally been white, ivory or cream coloured. You can use pale colours, however never do this with a white dress as the lingerie could show through. If you have chosen a darker colour dress, then darker bridal lingerie is fine.

 

When purchasing online be sure to order early to ensure the lingerie will arrive in time for your special night. Also, lingerie inventories and styles change often, so something you see one day might not be available the next. 

 

Lingerie sets are always a good choice. They match a top (like a camisole or bustier) with panties or a thong. Remember, when you purchase as a set you also usually save money.

 

When buying your bridal lingerie, don't forget garter belts.

 

Bridal Lingerie Fit

 

Whatever bridal lingerie you choose, be sure to try it on with your wedding dress. Bridal lingerie, especially a bustier or corset, may change your shape and make your wedding dress look different.

 

Baby dolls are loose fitting and look good on everyone. Bustiers and corsets are more restrictive and will shape your figure into more of an hour glass figure.

 

Honeymoon Lingerie

 

Remember, on your honeymoon all bets are off. You might consider something a bit more risqué.

 

Perhaps a sheer or see-through baby doll or teddy. You should also stock up on sexy clothes for nights on the town. 

 

Bridal Lingerie Checklist

 

• Lingerie in white, cream, or ivory if you are wearing a white dress or choose a colour to match your dress

• Purchase early so the lingerie arrives well before the big day.

• Check out lingerie sets in order to save money

• Be sure your bridal lingerie fits with your wedding dress

• Don't forget the extras - like garter belts

• For the honeymoon choose whatever you want - go a little crazy

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Bridal Gowns - How To Find The Perfect Wedding Dress

Style, colour and ceremonial importance of the bridal gown worn by the bride during the wedding ceremony depends upon the culture and religion of the couple getting married.

 

White is the preferred colour of the bridal gown among the westerners. Creamy shades such as ivory, ecru and eggshell are also used in making bridal gowns. Queen Victoria of England, wore a white bridal gown when she got married to Albert of Sax-Coburg in the year 1840. Since then the white bridal gown became the norm in all marriages. In the earlier years, bridal gowns were made in any colour except black. Innocence of the childhood and purity of heart was symbolized by the white bridal gown.

 

A bride to be can spend weeks and sometimes even months looking for a perfect bridal gown because of the variety of designs and styles available. Determine three things - theme of the wedding, time of the year the wedding is held and the budget - with these three things finalized, picking up the correct gown will become easier.

 

Choose a gown style depending upon the style and formality of the wedding function. In a formal wedding it is better to wear a formal bridal gown. Besides a white bridal gown, another appropriate choice is ivory which is also considered as a formal wedding gown. Bridal gowns in pink, peach and ice blue are also becoming very popular. 

 

The average retail cost of a bridal gown is around $700. Prices of designer and premium gowns start from $2000.

 

Maggie Sottero, Mon Cheri, Marisa, Pronovias, Mori Lee, Davinci, Demetrios, Bonny, Eden Bridals and Mikaela are some of the popular designer bridal gowns.

 

When selecting the bridal gown, take someone close to you and who knows what is best for you. This will help in getting a gown which is not radically different from the usual style suitable for you.

 

It is better to ensure the bridal gown is comfortable and it is not restricting your movement. Getting a bridal gown can be a demanding process so initiate the process well in advance. Compare the designs from various fashion magazines and also go through family photo albums to know which will be the most suitable style.

 

Prior to committing yourself on a particular design, try different types and designs. If the bridal gown is custom made, allot six months for the making of the gown. Too many friends accompanying you during the shopping for gowns will only confuse you and you may end up making an incorrect selection.

Breasts Discharge & Lump

Most of the women face breast discharge or lumps that usually causes discomfort and to lead to the risk of breast cancer.

 

Breasts are supposed to be most attractive part of a female body. Most of the women feel pride to have beautiful breasts but what if they are not healthy? Women who provide breastfeeding to their child have breast discharge which is quite common but in any other case it might be a symptom that needs treatment. Any sort of breast lump also needs to be examined so that there is no risk of breast cancer at a later stage.

 

Circumstances other than normal breastfeeding, where a woman faces continuous breast discharge may be due to hormonal imbalance known as galactorrhoea. Any liquid release other than breast milk could be a sign of infection, inflammation or tumour in the breast. The pituitary, thyroid, adrenal and ovarian glands are responsible for the production of breast milk. If the thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones then it could lead to untimely release of breast milk. Other reason could be a non-cancerous growth on the pituitary gland and at the same time the menstruation may stop. Even if there is some diseases of the part of the brain that controls pituitary gland or causes such as stress, sexual simulation or intake of drugs such as birth control pills, narcotics, antidepressants could be held responsible for breast discharge. 

 

Most of the abovementioned cases don’t have much risk whereby the physician may ask for blood test, breast tests or analysis of the fluid. If the liquid is not milk or is bloody, thin, green, and white or yellow it could be possibly a breast tumour or infection. In case the blood levels of the hormone controlling breast milk known as prolactin increases or if your menstrual cycles changes, the physician may ask you to look for your pituitary gland. Pituitary tumours can be removed through surgery. 

 

Remember that if there is any breast lump found, it is not necessary that it is going to be cancer. The most common reason for non-cancerous breast lump is a condition known as fibrocystic breast changes. These lumps are filled with fluid and become painful and swollen few days before the menstrual cycle and again shrink after the menstrual cycle. In case the lump doesn’t disappears even after a month it needs to be examined by the physician. 

 

Non-cancerous lumps could be formed by blood clots in the breasts, any breast infection, fibroadenoma, lumps in breasts including bloody liquid from the nipple, inflammation of the tissue beneath the nipple due to some hole in the duct. 

 

For more information visit our recommended website http://www.womensreproductivehealth.info.

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Breastfeeding 101: Find The Perfect Breast Pump For You

Breast feeding is said to be the best nutritional choice for feeding your new new-born baby, but it also has proven health benefits for moms as well. You can lose that pregnancy weight quicker by breastfeeding because it burns extra calories and lowers your body fat content - without exercise! Breastfeeding also releases a hormone called oxytocin which will cause your uterus to contract and return to its normal size more rapidly. It reduces the amount of postpartum bleeding and also improves the storage of minerals in your bones which lowers the risk of osteoporosis. Breast feeding can also help in preventing ovarian and breast cancers. And of course, it’s a wonderful way to bond with your new baby.

 

So if you are a new mom, or mom-to-be who has chosen breast feeding instead of the prepared formula method, you are probably interested in using a breast pump. Breast pumps are especially great for moms who work outside the home or who can’t be available at every feeding time for their new-born. They come in several designs and the two options for usage are either manual or electric.

 

As in most situations, there are pros and cons each method. Following are some details on these two types of breast pumps to help you make an informed decision and prepare before you buy - or rent.

 

Manual pumps are preferred by lots of new moms who say that they appreciate the convenient size. They are simple to use because you control the suction manually. Hand pumps are also more affordable, lighter and quieter than electric pumps, and many new mothers say it is a more natural feeling - closer to how it feels when the baby is feeding directly from your breast. 

 

For busier and working moms, an electric pump might be a better choice than the manual kind because they are much faster at pumping and some models even have the option to pump both breasts at the same time. 

 

Breast pumps are widely available for purchase and you might also like to know that many hospitals offer the option of renting a top-of-line model directly from them. You’ll have to estimate the cost per day in comparison to the price you would pay if you purchased your own though to make sure that it will work out for you financially.

 

Being a new mom can have its share of challenges, so be nice to yourself and look for a breast pump that best suits your lifestyle. By comparison shopping online or polling some moms who have been though the experience, you’ll save yourself both time and effort that you’ll be able to share instead with your new bundle of joy.

Breast Self-Massage is Simple

What is breast self-massage? When should you do it... and how? This short article discusses the benefits - and how to - of breast self-massage.

 

Breast self-massage is simple. Breast self-massage is pleasurable. Breast self-massage helps prevent cancer as well as detect it. Breast self-massage helps keep breast skin supple. Breast self-massage is a way to be intimate with your breasts. Breast self-massage is a piece of women’s wisdom. Breast self-massage is safe. Breast self-massage is free.

 

Many of the women I’ve talked with say they don’t do breast self-exams, though most think they ought to. No one wants to look for (or, heaven forbid, find!) cancer. We’ve been trained to avoid danger, and looking for cancer sounds like looking for trouble. Our bodies are influenced by what we think, so how can it be safe to spend time every month doing a breast self-exam, worrying if we’re about to find a lump? But we feel guilty when we don’t. 

 

And what are we supposed to feel when we touch our breasts anyway? They feel full of lumps! Most of us aren’t sure how to touch or examine our breasts or what we’d do if we did feel something truly suspicious. Our guilt and confusion make it all even more complex.

 

Breast self-massage offers a way to let go of this tension and get in touch with yourself. This soothing, nurturing self-massage is a pleasurable and relaxing way to get to know your breasts. It avoids the worry of checking for cancer, while providing an excellent early-warning system should cancer arise. Regular, loving touching of our breasts allows us to recognize normal breast changes without fear, and gives us time to respond thoughtfully to abnormal changes. Breast self-massage is also a quiet, focused time that allows the Wise Healer Within (see page 83 of the book) to alert us to any changes that require our attention. 

 

Infused (not essential) herbal oils are an important element of breast self-massage. When herbs are infused into oil, active plant components are liberated and can be massaged into breast tissue - where they help reverse abnormal cellular changes such as hyperplasia, atypia, precancers, and in situ cancers. It’s fast and fun to make your own infused oils (see page 297), or you can buy them (see page 75). But if you don’t have any, plain olive oil works fine.

 

If you already know breast self-exam techniques, let them inform your fingertips during your breast self-massage. If this is all new to you, take a few months to learn about your breasts with self-massage before doing breast self-exam. They complement each other: Let the pleasure of the massage infuse the exam, and let the effectiveness of the exam inform the massage.

 

When Should I Do My Breast Self-Massage?

 

Now. Anytime. All the time. Sure, your breasts are less lumpy at some times of the month. But you can do breast self-massage whenever you want, even if you’re lumpy. If the best time for you to pay attention to yourself is when you bleed, because that’s when you take time to be alone, then that’s the time to do breast self-massage. You could do it every week and get to know how your breasts change with your cycle and with the moon, but most likely you’ll do it every month. I like to do my breast self-massage when the moon is new.

 

How Do I Do Breast Self-Massage?

 

First, make or buy some infused herbal oils or ointments. You’ll want several, as each offers unique benefits. 

 

Then, create a comfortable, private place where you can lean back: in a warm bath or propped up with cushions in bed. (Protect linens and clothing from oil stains.) Arrange yourself there, bare-breasted, with your infused herbal oils close at hand.

 

Let your eyelids fall. Put your hands over your heart and hum. Cup your breasts with your hands and hum. Imagine or visualize energy streaming out of your nipples. Allow your breasts and heart to open and flow as you hum.

 

Open your eyes. Transfer some herbal oil or ointment to your palms. Rub your hands together briskly until they feel warm. Place them on either side of one breast and hum. 

 

Cup your fingers alongside or under your breast, thumbs touching and up as high on the chest as possible. (If your breasts are very large, rest the right breast in the right palm and massage with the left thumb, starting in the armpit and moving toward the centre of the chest.) Press in and slide your thumbs down toward the nipple, pressing the breast tissue into your fingers and palms. Stretch your thumbs up toward the collarbone again, but slightly farther apart, press in and slide down. 

 

Continue until your thumbs are as far apart as possible (the middle of your chest and your armpit). Repeat, gradually increasing pressure, but only as long as it feels good. 

 

Caution: There is a slight possibility of spreading breast cancer through vigorous massage, rough handling, or very deep pressure.

 

Transfer more oil or ointment to your palms and rub your hands together. Cup your breast as before, thumbs up and touching. Hum. Repeat the previous pattern, but break up the stroke: Instead of a long, slow, smooth stroke, use your thumbs to make a lot of overlapping short strokes, gradually moving down the chest. Try various degrees of pressure.

 

Raise the arm of the breast you’re massaging, and put your hand behind you or on your head. If your breast leans to the outside, prop a pillow under that shoulder or lean over. Cover your breast with your free hand and hum. 

 

Dip your fingers into your oil or ointment and, starting in your armpit, press the finger pads of your first two or three fingers down with enough pressure to hold the skin, and make a small circle. Don’t let your fingers slide over the skin. Keep making little circles (with enough pressure to feel the underlying structures) as you trace an imaginary spiral from your armpit around and around your breast, growing ever smaller until you reach your nipple. (If it is difficult or impossible for you to use your finger pads, use your palm.) Cover your breast with your hand and hum. 

 

Curl your fingers into your armpit and gently grasp the ridge of lymph-rich tissues and muscles that extend from the shoulder down into the breast. Move up and down this ridge several times, using small squeezes or long glides or little spirals or your own strokes.

 

As you touch your breasts, imagine or visualize your fingertips emitting healing pink sparkles that embrace and nourish your breasts. Let your finger pads sink deeply into your breasts. Allow any held distress to be soothed by the balm of the infused herbal oil/ointment. Let overactive energy be calmed by the rhythm of your fingers circling, circling, spiralling, spiralling.

 

Apply more oil or ointment with your finger pads, making large gliding circles from mid-chest to under your breast, up toward the armpit and over and around, again and again, with a steady rhythm. 

 

When you’re done massaging your breast, close your eyes and relax. Hum. Call to your Wise Healer Within as you hum.

 

Massage your other breast, starting from the beginning: Put your hands over your heart. Hum. Cup your breasts. Hum. (Is there a difference between the breast that has already been massaged and the one that hasn’t yet?) Rub your oily hands briskly together; hold either side of your breast and hum. Extend your thumbs and massage as before, including all of the previous strokes and ending with your eyes closed, relaxing deeply and allowing yourself to contact and listen to your Wise Healer Within.

 

Afterwards

 

After your breast self-massage, take a moment to record your experience. This will help you learn more quickly what’s normal for you. You can draw a map of your breasts to help you remember what you’ve felt. Try using colours. Write down any messages offered to you by your breasts or your Wise Healer Within. If you like, make up a little song to hum during your massage. The keynote in breast self-massage is pleasure.

 

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

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