For Lymph’s Sake Set Them Free!
This is for anyone that has breasts, knows someone that has breasts, and is generally open to learning about improving breast health by becoming more aware of your lymphatic system.
Why should I care about lymph fluid in my breast?
Anyone that has experienced swollen tender breasts can probably answer this question. Because it hurts. Anytime we have excess fluid, the tissue in question will be affected in some way. Your lymphatic system is largely water but among its many jobs is also responsible for cellular waste removal. If your lymphatics is sluggish you not only have waste accumulation and fluid build up but also have reduced blood flow in that area.
Why is that important?
Your lymphatic system does not have a pump and relies on muscle/skeletal movement and deep breathing to move through your body. If waste is unable to effectively exit and at the same time tissue is not getting adequate blood supply - tissue can become diseased. Did you know that about 75% of breast lymphatic fluid drains from each breast into the 20-30 nodes that are located in each armpit? Did you also know that lack of movement slows down this process. Things that can contribute to slow moving lymph in breast tissue are:
~ Lack of natural movement (think sitting at a desk all day)
~ Antiperspirant use or not sweating enough
~ Restrictive bras (think wearing a sports bra all day)
~ Substances that are inflammatory to you (this can cause the lymph fluid to become thicker and move even slower)
~ Dehydration (lymph is largely water)
~ How well you manage stress (tight tissue doesn’t eliminate well or receive blood flow well - imagine clinching your fist all day)
How can I improve breast health?
Move your body! Multiple times throughout the day! In multiple different ways!
Wear loose fitting clothes and think of bras as activity specific. If you don’t need to wear one - For Lymph’s sake - set them free :)
Start doing self manual lymphatic drainage (here are 4 quick techniques):
Place right hand at the base of your neck on the left side just above the collar bone. Press down gently and make a half circle motion into the hollows just above collarbone 5-10x (repeat on other side)
Place your whole right hand inside your left armpit and gently pump and pull in a slightly inward and upward motion 5-10x (repeat on other side)
Place right hand under left breast and gently push breast toward left armpit 5-10 times (repeat on other side)
Finish with some full diaphragmatic breaths (note: your stomach should extend out when you are doing this properly)
To demonstrate how impactful manual lymphatic drainage can be, I would like to share a testimonial from a client of mine. She has now been symptom free for over two years.
“For 20 years I have battled with fibrocystic breast tissue which resulted in cysts developing in my breasts, and at times needing to be surgically removed. In addition, I was diagnosed with a rare, untreatable breast disease called granulomatous mastitis. The disease caused me to develop extremely large and painful masses in my breasts that would take months to clear up. After multiple biopsies, and ultrasounds, my doctors were even unsure of how to treat this type of mastitis. After meeting Carla, she began to consistently incorporate Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) into my massages. As a result, I have not had any cysts or mastitis flair-ups in over a year. I also received normal results for my most recent annual mammogram for the very first time. MLD has truly changed my life.” Leslie G.
I hope you found this informative! As always, if you have any questions please reach out. If I don’t have the answer, I can try to find it for you :)
Warmly ~ Carla