Breast Pain, lumps and bumps.
What is the first word that comes to mind when someone begins to have breast pain?
How about when you find a lump or a bump of some sort.
It scares you and gives you chills down your spine.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I know a few months ago I found something in one of my breasts and was having some un-explainable breast pain.
I slightly freaked out, went to one of my colleagues, she gave me some supplements, and I gave a a month or so.
There was some improvement but I was still having the pain and the lump was still there.
So I went and got a breast thermogram with Gaye @ Holistic Breast Health. But I still had to wait a few weeks for the results.
Side Note: Know that if and when you do get a breast thermogram, know that about 95% of women who have them, never had a ‘normal, everything is healthy’ kind of result.
Gaye walked me through the results, which showed some ‘areas to work on.’ These areas showed congestion, and with congestion can be problems.
This still did not make me feel that great, and I was still quite nervous about it all.
So Gaye recommended getting a breast Ultrasound.
Now for those of you who do not know, you can not get a breast ultrasound in Charlotte, without getting a mammogram first and in order to get a mammogram you have to have a certain doctors note.
Ugh!
Another side note: For those of you who are not aware, there are many studies coming out that those women who have ‘dense’ breasts, or smaller breasts in general, mammograms are not affective, this is something that Gaye explained to me. www.AreYouDense.com was made by a woman, Nancy, who On February 3, 2004, was diagnosed with Stage 3c breast cancer six weeks after receiving a “normal” mammography report.
So it goes to show you that especially those with dense breasts mammograms are not always the best answer.
So what was the answer??
Gaye then told me about a company called, Herscan.com which is an awesome company who travels around the country giving breast ultrasounds to women who are concerned about an area in their breasts.
**They travel to Charlotte every quarter or so and will be in the North Carolina area June 5 through the 9th**
Ultrasounds are the best way to detect if anything is going on that shouldn’t be in your breasts!!
So I had the ultrasound, and then had to wait for the results for 2-3 weeks.
Ugh!
With prayer and being how cool God is.
God gave me a peace that surpassed all understanding, which I sure appreciated.
Because waiting for those results sure helped me develop that virtue of patience that we all need, right?!
But long and behold, the results came.
And praise God -were free and clear of any issues what so ever, whew!!!
A sigh of relief!
The thing was, I still had this breast lump, what to do with that?
Well that’s when Gaye referred me to Effie Hall, the miracle worker breast lymphatic massage and educator.
She worked wonders and after a few sessions, not only was my lump gone, but my breasts are less dense, no longer tender and just feel so much healthier.
Here are the 3 Tips she gave me:
- Massage your breasts – yes you need to know where all your lumps and bumps are. When you have an area with a bump, you need to work that area.
The breasts are made up of lymphatic tissue. This tissue does not move on it’s own and needs you to move it not only with your fingers but movement with your body.
Us Americans do not allow any movement when it comes to our breasts. We strap them down and squish them with underwire and straps.
The tighter the bra, the less movement.
The less movement, the more stagnation.
The more stagnation, the more issues – pain, lumps, and bumps you will have!
There have been a number of women who have mentioned breast issues and the first thing I tell them is to get rid of that underwire, get rid of the tight bras, and wa-la all the breast issues go away!!
(I will have to write another article on the signs and symptoms to not ignore or look for that are more serious)
The best thing to do is to work starting at your nipple and work out towards the end of the breast – sort of like starting at the center of a wheel and work out like the spokes on the wheel.
The areas you need to focus on are around the arm pit.
Did you know your breast goes all the way up into your arm pit region?
Yes so be sure to work that area.
Think of it like ‘milking honey out of a sponge’, because the lymph fluid is thick like honey and you must use some pressure to get it out of the congested breast areas.
If you find a particular area that is uber tender, well that is an area you really really need to focus and work on.
2. Do not wear underwire bras — Try not to wear tight bras — Going bra-less if you can is even better.
Ok so I got ahead of myself. But I repeat it again because underwire, although gives nice shape to a breast, it is not very healthy.
I can hear you now, but , but , but.
Well what I say to you is, wear your underwire when you need it to that event or what not, then the minute you can, take it off and get your breasts moving!
But I will tell you, once you are used to allowing that lymph to flow in your breasts and give your gals freedom.
They really do not like it when you constrain them again, it just will not be as comfortable as an underwire may have been. 🙂
3. Applying Topical Iodine to your breasts.
Yes so breast tissue or any tissue for that matter that likes to form cysts especially need iodine.
Iodine helps to shrink and prevent cysts.
One thing you need to make sure of though is that the quality of the iodine is super important.
Iodine can come from all kinds of toxic sources, so you want to be sure you are using an iodine that is clean.
I prefer Lugol’s iodine and mix it with an herb called phytolacca which also helps with lymphatic flow.
(We have started carrying this at the office and can ship it to those that are out of state as well. )
So what you do, is rub it on your breasts and note how long it takes for the iodine to go away.
If the yellow color on your breasts is gone in a matter of an hour, then you need more iodine.
Anything that is on your skin gets absorbed into your blood stream in seconds.
So when the iodine is absorbed fairly quickly you know you need it!
If by the end of the day it is still there then, I would only use the iodine every few weeks.
If you are one that absorbs the iodine quickly I would use it consistently 1-3x a week.
*You can get too much iodine, and it can aggravate some people, but don’t worry I’d be happy to help you, no stress!
My passion and God given calling is working with women who are struggling with health issues and giving them a natural approach in healing themselves.
We can run lab work to determine the underlying cause and then put together a personalized protocol to meet your body’s needs.
*If you are reading this and you have had breast cancer or going through breast cancer, then I would recommend seeing Dr. Megan Ding, who specializes in Integrative Cancer Support. She is also here in our office and does a free 15 minute consultation.
Feel free to click here to schedule. 🙂 Or call the office at 704-543-5540
**If you are interested in having Gaye and Effie come to the office and give an educational talk on Breast Thermograms and Lymphatic Massage, feel free to reply to this email so I can get a head count and let them know that there is an interest. 🙂
Happy Friday!
Be blessed on this day and always.
Love,
Dr. Michelle