Jamaica Gleaner

YOUR BREASTS

- Jody-Anne Lawrence Lifestyle Reporter

AWOMAN’S body is beautiful with a lot of treasures to be taken care of – and one of those are her breasts. Among our favourite body parts, but sometimes we take them for granted. Outside of checking for lumps, they need some tender loving care.

After a long day at work, we kick off our shoes to relax our feet, but we do not realise the importance of taking off our bra. Anita Teresa Boeninger Feminine Wisdom Teacher and Embodied Leadership Coach, founder of the ground breaking Sex and Medicine Summit, tells Flair that it is important to take our bras off as soon as we get home, and do a self-breast massage daily.

Boeninger, who is also a founding member of the Department of Integrativ­e Health Programs at NYU Langone Medical Center, notes that this routine is important for several reasons.

MASSAGE TECHNIQUES

“The self-breast massage techniques help improve circulatio­n in the breast tissues, including the lymph nodes under the armpit, where precancero­us or cancerous cells are often found. It also helps tone the breast tissues, keeping them healthy and youthful. Studies done on these techniques reveal that they can reduce the incidence of breast cancer,” she told Flair.

She also recommends oils that are best for your breast tissues based on their properties. Boeninger recommends that you use virgin organic coconut oil as a base, and then you can add rose essential oil, which helps with healing trauma or divorce; Rosehips essential oil can also be added; frankincen­se oil to treat cancer and prevent mutation of squamous cells and/or fenugreek essential oil, as it stimulates stem cell growth and is one of the top-rated essential oils for use in breast health.

BEWARE OF THE BRA

She notes that the bras we wear daily are something that can affect our breasts. Boeninger recommends that we avoid bras that have underwires. She explains that we might need support, but recommends wearing bras that have built-in support rather than the wire.

“The underwire tends to cut off circulatio­n in the breasts, and some women-health experts have claimed that use of underwire bras may increase the chances of breast cancer, though this has not been establishe­d with research as yet,” she admitted.

She gave basic steps in improving or maintainin­g our healthy ‘lady lumps’ as well as feminine health. Self-breast massage (five basic moves). Plenty of exercise (aerobic). Drink lots of water daily. Eat leafy greens, anticarcin­ogenic herbs, foods, and teas. If you struggle with hormone imbalance, try using Wild Yam Cream. Yoni steam baths can be very effective for balancing hormonal issues, including fibroids and extreme menopause symptoms.

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