With so much
media coverage and hype out there today, when it comes to your health,
it’s hard to know what to believe. While doctors tell you to
get your yearly mammogram, new medical research studies indicate that
mammograms are inaccurate. The statistics on the numbers of women
with breast cancer can be scary and unnerving. You can actually start
thinking that the probability of getting breast cancer is more likely
to happen, than not. What having healthy breasts really all boils
down to is getting to know your body in a loving, nurturing, healthy
way. Instead of invasive testing, I suggest self-exams and self-massage,
for example.
My breasts
are sacred to me and I want to keep them. I’m not comfortable
putting my health care solely in the hands of someone else. So I started
seeking information. I have come to know more about my own body than
anyone else does by educating myself and using my intuition. Books
and articles can help you get started, but then you must decide what
information resonates with you, what feels good. The books and teachers
that have taught me much about myself are few, but potent. The women
writing these books are outside of the mainstream, not afraid to go
against the tide of popular belief. Radical perspectives emerge by
learning to trust your process in getting in touch with your own body.
Susun S. Weed,
herbalist and Wise Woman, is the author of two of these books. “The
New Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way” and “Breast
Cancer? Breast Health!” These books have helped and guided thousands
of women thru the uncertain terrain of menopause and breast health
over the last several years. What we never learned from our mothers,
because they were never taught, we can learn from the Wise Woman traditions
handed down from woman to woman over the centuries and reconstructed
by Weed, in particular. Susun has brought the art of making simple,
practical herbal preparations into the light for the willing to learn
for themselves. Herbal preparations that can be made from weeds right
out of your own back yard with profound results.
The other book
that has been of utmost importance for me and women all over the world
is Dr. Christiane Northrup’s bestseller, “Women’s
Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.” Dr. Northrup is a gynecologist
and co-founder of Women to Women Health Care Center in Yarmouth, Maine.
Christiane Northrup is a medical doctor in the technical sense, but
her philosophy is very much outside of conventional thinking. Her
premise is that you can “create” health on a daily basis
and what you think and feel about your body dramatically affects it.
Changing the basic conditions of your life that lead to health problems
can cause you to heal faster and more completely. Northrup’s
focus on connecting life style and one’s thinking process to
health is a critical factor generally overlooked in western medicine.
In the search
for knowledge and good practical information these books can be invaluable.
I have listed several of the best tips and affirmations for creating
and maintaining breast health suggested by these women, along with
a few of my own. I hope these can serve as a guideline to a better,
healthier, more empowered you. May you feel the confidence and security
of knowing more about your beautiful body.
1)
If your breasts could speak, what would they say? SW
2) Take off your bra. SW
3) Remember thoughts and feelings have physical effects.
CN
4) Most women have one breast that is slightly smaller
than the other. This is a part of nature’s imperfect perfection.
CN
5) The vast majority of women will not get breast
cancer. CN
6) Using herbal oils can dissolve lumps and bring
relief to painful breasts. PV
7) Most breast lumps are harmless. SW
8) When it comes to matters of breast health, you
are your own best authority. CN
9) Do your monthly breast check-in with the idea
of just sending love into this area of your body instead of fear.
CN
10) A powerful immune system can help prevent breast
cancer. SW
11) Breast self-massage helps prevent cancer as well
as detect it. SW
12) If your mother had breast cancer you need to
understand you are not your mother. And you don’t need to follow
that path. CN
13) There is no doubt that the most common type of
breast pain occurs premenstrually and is related to the hormonal changes
in your body that are part of your menstrual cycle. Don’t worry
about it! CN
14) Eating shitake mushrooms can help lower the risk
of breast cancer. PV
15) Women whose diets are rich in calcium (1300-1500
mg a day) from dietary sources have less breast tenderness. SW
16) Regular ingestion of live-culture yogurt improves
digestion of calcium from all sources, helps prevent cancer and strengthens
immune system functioning. SW
17) Be good to yourself and take a relaxing bath
once a week. PV
18) Spend time with a journal. SW
19) Greek women consume lavish amounts of olive oil,
goat cheese, and animal fats (up to 60 percent of total calories),
yet have some of the lowest rates of heart disease and breast cancer
in the world. SW
20) Love your breasts. PV
Remember: self-love
is the best preventative. JS
(Thanks to
Susun S. Weed and Dr. Christiane Northrup for their excellent information.)
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