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I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love getting a massage.  It’s one of the most loving things that I do for myself and it’s so relaxing.  I actually try to make it a point of getting a massage every month with my membership at Massage Envy.  Not only do our bodies need that kind of love, our tatas do too!  Stay with me here –  I’m not talking about anything freaky and I’m not talking about how you can increase your bust size either!

A few years ago I went to a holistic gynecologist who told me to massage my breasts.  I told him that I already knew how to do breast self-exams, but he wasn’t talking about that.  He was talking about intimately massaging my breasts (not in a sexual way), really getting to know them and sending love to them.  It seemed strange to me at first, but after I thought about it for a while, it made sense.  Just like people, our bodies can sense the love, hate or apathy that we have for them. Our bodies can tell when they are being neglected.  Any part of your body that is being loved will serve you better.  When we really love our bodies, we take better care of them — we get sleep, we eat the right foods and we exercise.  Individual parts of our bodies also need that same kind of love and attention.  Our breasts are one of the many things that make us unique as women.  We need to take care of them.  We need to wear the right bras (both regular and sports bras) to give them proper support, refrain from using toxic chemicals (antiperspirant) under our arms and also really get to know them.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, many diseases, including breast cancer, are partially due to stagnation or the improper flow of blood.  It is believed that massaging any area of the body will improve blood flow and the flow of fluids as they relax and rectify the flow of qi (energy).[1]  The flow of bodily fluids is very important in Western Medicine as well.  Our breasts are located near our lymphatic system which transports and processes waste matter from our cells throughout our bodies.  This is one reason why breast cancer can be so dangerous—if cancer cells reach our lymphatic system, they can spread throughout the body.  Therefore it is critical that our lymphatic systems are working properly.  Moving the lymphatic system helps to flush toxins out of the body.  Exercise helps with this, but regularly massaging the breast tissue and lymph areas around the breasts helps to ensure that there is no stagnation.[2]

As young women, many of us have dense and fibrocystic breasts, so it can often be difficult to detect breast lumps when doing breast self-exams.  One way to conquer this problem is really getting to know your breasts.  Breast massage not only allows you to do this, but also sends your breasts the love and healing energy they deserve.

(If you have active breast cancer, it’s best to see your oncologist, finish treatment and get clearance before practicing breast self-massage.  Also, if you notice any lumps or thickening while doing the breast massage, please see your doctor.)

If you google “breast self-massage” on the internet, you’ll get a lot of hits, some of which are quite graphic!  I recommend two types – the tulip technique and the lymphatic breast massage, which can both be done in as little as two to three minutes, but I suggest that you take your time.

1. The Tulip Tap – This technique incorporates Chinese medicine acupressure. During the massage you apply pressure on six points around the breast that line the breast in the shape of a tulip and gently tap each area with your thumb for six to nine seconds.  After that, you use your three middle fingers to tap around the breasts in the shape of the tulip.   The Tulip Tap moves the energy and lymphatic tissue around the breast.  To watch a short video on how to do the Tulip Tap, click here.  Please note that this video also has a demonstration of the Lymphatic Breast Massage discussed below.

2. The Lymphatic Breast Massage – This technique was created by The Breast Health Project and involves pumping, squeezing, pulling and brushing the breast tissue in various directions which mimic how the lymph moves in the body.[3] To watch a short video on how to do the Lymphatic Breast Massage, click here.

If this blog post resonated with you, I encourage you to try both of these techniques and see which one you like best.  They’re both pretty simple to incorporate into your daily or weekly routine.  Whichever method you choose, remember to relax, take your time and send some love to those girls!

–          AmiCietta D. Clarke, Certified Holistic Health Coach & Founder of Clean Body Living, LLC, www.cleanbodyliving.com

[1] Honora Lee Wolf.  “Maintaining Breast Health Through Regular Self Massage”.  Chimedicineworks.com

[2] “October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month:  Are You Aware of What You Can Do for your Health?”

[3] http://www.breasthealthproject.com/lymphatic-breast-massage.html

There is nothing like sitting next to someone with body odor or BO, as my grandmother calls it.  I’ve found that the main cause of BO is stinky armpits and let’s admit it, we’ve all been there – I know that I have!  Using an effective deodorant will prevent anyone from talking about you (or writing a blog post about you :-)).  It’s definitely nice to put on a 24 hour deodorant that keeps you dry and smell free all day, but unfortunately many deodorants and antiperspirants contain toxic chemicals that disrupt our hormonal systems, weaken our immune systems and contribute to chronic diseases such as breast cancer.

Our skin is our largest organ of detoxification and also and protects us from bacteria, UV rays and physical assaults (cuts & scrapes).  Chemicals in body products are absorbed into our skin within seconds and the skin under our arms is even more sensitive as it is near our lymph nodes and often has micro-cuts due to shaving.  There are three common ingredients in deodorant and antiperspirant that have been linked to breast cancer that you want to avoid.

Most “deodorants” aren’t actually just deodorants – they’re antiperspirants.  Their name is indicative of what they do – they stop you from perspiring.  Sweating or perspiring is one of the body’s natural detoxification processes.   Aluminum is the active ingredient in most antiperspirants that blocks sweat glands and keeps sweat from getting to the skin’s surface.  Aluminum has been linked to breast cancer as it causes estrogen-like hormonal effects in the body and estrogen has the ability to promote the growth of breast cancer.   Studies have also found that aluminum is present in the upper outer quadrant of the breast where many breast cancers are found.  Instead of an antiperspirant containing aluminum, opt for a deodorant that contains corn starch or another natural ingredient that absorbs your sweat instead of stopping you from sweating.

Parabens are a common ingredient in body products, including deodorants and antiperspirants.  They’re actually used in 75-90% of all personal care products.  They’re endocrine or hormone disruptors and one study showed that traces of parabens were found in every single cancerous breast tumor tested in the study. They’ve also been linked to early puberty and birth defects.  There are many forms of parabens, so look for anything that ends in the word “parabens.”

We often associate fragrance with something that is clean, however “fragrance” in deodorants and antiperspirants often contains a class of chemicals called phthalates which bind the fragrance to the deodorant/antiperspirant.  Phthalates are also endocrine disruptors and prenatal exposure has been linked to genital birth defects in boys, early breast development in girls and an increased risk of breast cancer in women.  Phthalates are not actually listed on the label of body products, but if you see the words “fragrance,” “perfume” or “parfum,” you can be quite certain that it contains phthalates.  You don’t have to use a product without fragrance (watch out for fragrance free products as they often contain “fragrance” or phthalates), but choose a deodorant that uses essential oils instead of “fragrance.”

There are many other ingredients in deodorants and antiperspirants that are harmful, but I’ve given you three of the most common harmful ones that are linked to breast cancer.  The first thing that I suggest you do is, opt for a deodorant instead of a combination deodorant/antiperspirant.  If you do this, you’ll most likely chose a product that does not contain aluminum.  Secondly, you have to read the label – the back label, that is.  Claims on the front label are often used to convince you to buy the product, whereas the back label contains information to inform you.  You want to choose a product that contains ingredients that you recognize like, shea butter, essential oils, coconut oil, corn starch, probiotics, etc.  If an ingredient has a long scientific name, it’s most likely a chemical.  I won’t lie to you, choosing a natural deodorant might mean that you have to touch up your application during the day, but wouldn’t you rather do that, than put toxic chemicals under your arms every day?

This blog post is about deodorants and antiperspirants, but parabens and phthalates are in almost every other type of body product, so be sure to watch out for them in other products as well.

Now that you’ve learned about some of the toxic ingredients in deodorant and antiperspirant, I want you to do a couple of things.  First go and grab your deodorant/antiperspirant and read the label.  Do you use a true deodorant or a combination deodorant/antiperspirant?  Are any of the chemicals listed above in it?  Are there any additional long scientific sounding ingredients in them?  Let me know in the comments below.

– AmiCietta D. Clarke, Certified Holistic Health Coach & Founder of Clean Body Living, LLC

Do you have a sugar daddy?  Well, I know that I did.  Sugar daddies, life savers and jelly beans – I used to sleep with all of them!  In all seriousness, until a few years ago, I was a full blown sugar addict like millions of other Americans.  To tell you the truth, I still am.  I have only recently learned how to kick my bad habit after educating myself about the dangers of sugar and the cause of my cravings.  I knew that sugar caused diabetes, but had no idea until after I started studying nutrition, that sugar contributes to cancer, and breast cancer in particular.

The average American consumes 130-145 pounds of sugar a year!  Think about it – that’s a significant part of your body weight in sugar!  When I say sugar, I’m not just talking about cookies, candy and cakes.  Sugar is actually a bigger part of your diet than you may realize.  It’s often hidden in foods such as ketchup, salad dressing, bread, baby food and peanut butter.   It is also critical to understand that simple carbohydrates such as white bread, pastries, pasta, rice, etc. convert to sugar very quickly and much faster than complex carbohydrates (brown rice, fruits, vegetables and legumes), proteins and fats.

“When it comes to cancer, sugar is like gasoline to your car – it’s fuel.”[1]  When we eat or drink sugar, it causes a sudden spike in the hormone insulin, which can serve as a catalyst to fuel 1/3 of the more common forms of cancer including breast and colon cancer.  These cancer tumors have insulin receptors on their surface.  The insulin binds to these receptors and signals the tumor to start consuming glucose.  Every cell in your body needs glucose to survive, but these cancer tumors use it to grow.

Obesity is also a major risk factor for breast cancer as a number of large studies have confirmed this association, including the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition which reported that obese women have a 31% increased risk of developing breast cancer than non-obese women.  Obese women, especially those with estrogen receptor positive tumors, have a greater risk of the cancer spreading to their lymph nodes.[2]

Sugar contributes to obesity given its addictive nature.  Have you ever found yourself only wanting to eat one cookie or one piece of candy, but then reaching for another and yet another?  Does the same thing happen to you when you’re eating your broccoli?  I think not.  That is because of sugar’s highly addictive nature.  It is actually eight times as addictive as cocaine and activates the brain the same way that cocaine does.  As we eat sweet foods, dopamine, a chemical that controls the brain’s pleasure center is released.  People who frequently eat sweet foods build up a tolerance similar to that of drug users.  That means the more they eat, the less they feel the reward.  The result is that they eat more and this is one of the ways that sugar contributes to obesity.

It is now pretty clear that reducing our consumption of sugar reduces our risk of breast cancer and can increase our chances of survival for those of us who already have breast cancer, but how do we actually accomplish this?  The first thing that I suggest is learning some of the names of different forms of sugar. Sucrose and anything ending in “ose” is another name for sugar.  High fructose corn syrup (this should be avoided altogether if possible for many reasons and will be the topic of another blog post), evaporated cane juice and rice syrup are just some of the other names for sugar.  I urge you to do an internet search for the many other names for sugar.  Once you identify them, I advise that you start reading labels so that you can avoid the sugars that are hidden in unsuspecting foods, even in the so called “healthy” ones, like Naked Juices.  The average 16oz bottle of Naked Juice contains the equivalent of over 13 teaspoons of sugar!  And don’t be fooled by the label “no added sugars.”  Foods and drinks with this label often have a lot of sugar, so make sure to read the nutrition label carefully.

Increasing your water intake and adding naturally sweet foods to your diet are also great techniques for reducing your sugar cravings.  Most people have cravings because they’re dehydrated.  The next time you’re feeling like something sweet, try drinking a glass of water and waiting a few minutes to see whether you still have that craving.  A great way to curb your sugar cravings is to slowly add naturally sweet foods to your diet.  I added sweet root vegetables such as beets, sweet potatoes and sweet peppers to my diet.  I also get my sugar from a moderate amount of fruit every day.

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with having something sweet every now and then, you just have to make sure that you don’t become addicted to sugar.  I’ve found that eating some dark chocolate, which is filled with antioxidants, satisfies my sweet tooth these days and make sure to indulge in it every now and again.

So there you have it.  Sugar is very detrimental to our health and causes obesity, diabetes and is linked to breast cancer, but you can easily learn to manage your sugar daddies by adopting the simple techniques outlined above.  Good luck and stay naturally sweet!

– AmiCietta D. Clarke, Certified Holistic Health Coach & Founder of Clean Body Living, LLC

[1] Edward Bauman and Helayne Waldman.  The Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Nutritional Approach to Preventing Recurrence (California: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2012), 81.

[2] Bauman and Waldman, Whole Food Guide, 84.