Tuesday Tips. Bras Linked To Breast Cancer?

The theory explaining these findings is that the bra, an elastic garment designed to alter breast shape, applies constant pressure to the soft breast tissue, compressing and constricting lymphatic vessels. Evidence of this constriction are the red marks and indentations in the skin left behind by the bra. Since the role of the lymphatics is to flush out toxins and debris from the tissues, impairment of lymphatic flow can lead to the toxification of the breast tissue. These toxins include endogenous toxins resulting from the consequent tissue hypoxia, as well as the exogenous toxins that contaminate our food, water and air in our polluted world. Many of these toxins are carcinogenic. The bra concentrates these in the breast by preventing the lymphatics from flushing them away.

• 3 out of 4 women who wore their bras 24 hours per day developed breast cancer.
• 1 out of 7 women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed developed breast cancer.
• 1 out of 152 women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day got breast cancer.
• 1 out of 168 women who wore bras rarely or never acquired breast cancer.

So the difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was 125-fold!

Bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as men. 

It is well known that the established risk factors for breast cancer only explain maybe 25% of the cancer cases. In other words, about 75% of the women who get breast cancer do not have any of the typically mentioned risk factors such as earlier history of breast cancer, smoking, or early menarche. Maybe wearing an ill-fitting bra (or even just any bra?) is a risk factor that could explain much of that 'unknown' variation!

Bra wearing may also be connected to cancer in other ways.  Wearing bras slightly increases the temperature of the breast tissue, and women who wear bras have higher levels of the hormone prolactin.  Both of these may influence breast cancer formation.

Many people say that bras causing breast cancer is just a myth.  It is true that bras do not cause breast per se, but ill-fitting, too tight bras can help cancer growth since they can prevent your body from excreting dangerous cancer-causing chemicals. And, as bra industry and even Oprah have noted, 80%+ of women wear the wrong-size bra.

Ladies, next time you take your bra off, look at yourself in the mirror. You might see red lines on the sides and/or underneath your breasts, and marks on your shoulders from the straps.  This is not a good sign, the lymph flow might have been been cut off.  Push-up bras and those with underwire or high side panels have even more constricting effect on the lymphatic vessels. It's time to buy a better fitting one. Also try give your breasts free time from bras every day - if possible at least 12 hours.  Your hubby will love you! :)

All of this may sound far-fetched... your doctor may have never heard of it, but the evidence is there. Preventing breast cancer should be a very important matter for all of us. Drastically reducing the amount of time your breasts are bound in bras and being conscientious of only wearing well-fitting bras are easy steps to take that might save you a fortune in medical bills, and even your life!

The truth is we don’t know what causes breast cancer. It could be a mutation in the BRCA gene or your anti-perspirant deodorant, a lack of emotional connection to your feminity or not having had a baby by 30 and breast-feeding it for 2 years. There are so many possibilities but no smoking gun. But this fact does tell us one thing – cancer is most likely caused by a myriad of factors; if it wasn’t we would know were it came from by now!

True or not I'm gonna let the girls go free more hours a day!