By: Joy McCarthy - Holistic Nutritionist
As you probably know by now, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. My personal feeling is the way to combat breast cancer and prevent ourselves from becoming another statistic is to take action by doing things to prevent breast cancer. Before I continue, my heart goes out to anyone affected either personally or by a loved one who has suffered from cancer. We put so much effort into research, which is all fine and dandy, but why not put more effort forth into taking better care of our own vessel and our very own boobs? I think we can all agree that even if we live the most healthy holistic lifestyle possible, there are still things that we can do to take better care of our boobs.
Here are my top 3 tips for creating the most healthy boobs:
1. Dry skin brush: If you’re already doing it, then your boobs thank you because it stimulates lymphatic flow and in doing so, helps your body better detoxify. Dry-skin-brushing-newbie? You are in for a real treat my lovely! Dry skin brushing is incredibly invigorating, rejuvenating and uplifting. What better way to love our bodies than to strip down to our birthday suit and spend a few minutes before you shower giving yourself a good brush.
Please note when you dry skin brush your beautiful boobage area, avoid the nipple, and brush in a circulation motion moving towards the armpit, precisely where you want those toxins to exit when you sweat. 889 Yonge has a beautiful dry skin brush made of 100% natural materials and it has a long handle - great for those tough to reach areas. Want more info on how-to-skin-brush? Check out my video here: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2010/06/15/dry-skin-brushing-for-glow-immune-health/
2. Avoid anti-perspirants or use sparingly. There might not be “conclusive” evidence that anti-perspirants cause breast cancer but it’s common sense! Clog up the very pores right next to your boobs and what is going to happen to those toxins that want to escape? Furthermore, parabens have been found in breast cancer cells which are estrogen-like chemicals in many personal care products such as anti-perspirants.
I realize if you sweat a lot that you might want to clog em’ up while doing a presentation, for a special occasion or while on a hot date, but for the most part, PLEASE AVOID. Interestingly, there have been studies showing an increase in breast cancer in women who shave their armpits every single day. This makes sense to me. You shave, you open the hair follicle, then you slather on chemicals (aka anti-perspirant) which get absorbed directly into the blood stream and your breast tissue is right there. 889 has some chemical-free deodarants and body sprays that I personally use myself.
3. Make sure you poop 1-3 times every single day. It’s not always about quantity, but quality is the most important thing. Watch this video from Bryce Wylde on what your poop should look like. When you have a quality detoxifying BM (bowel movement) you effectively eliminate toxins including harmful estrogens that cause cancer. This is why eating a high fibre diet is directly associated with a lowered risk of breast cancer.
If you have trouble pooping or poop too often and lack good quality, then there are a variety of causes. Here is an article on some causes on constipation: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/07/13/constipated-reasons-your-poop-isnt-leaving-in-a-timely-fashion/
Additionally, diet plays a HUGE role, as does your stress level in the quality of your poop. If you want some help on getting your BM’s on track, then book a 15 minute complimentary appointment with me at 889 Yonge and I can share with you how I can help you and you can tell me ALL about your poop!
If it didn’t sound so gross, I would totally launch a poop-challenge, kinda like a raw food challenge or a 10-day healthy eating challenge, but the marketing would fail miserably I fear. The reason I tell you this is that the number of clients who have improved their digestion and by doing so, their BM’s just by adding chia seeds to their diet is astounding. Here is a great recipe for chia pudding: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/09/16/chia-chocolate-pudding-with-local-peaches/ If you haven’t already done so, you need to get on the Chia Goodness bandwagon at breakie please! 2 spoonfuls of this magical cereal and you will be pooping rainbows! And lucky for you… you can buy Chia Goodness at 889 Yonge. If you read our blog and live out of the city, here is the website for Ruth’s Chia Goodness.
Here are 10 more healthy holistic boob tips on my own joyous health blog: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2010/10/28/10-holistic-healthy-boob-tips/
