Love Your Lymph's!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought I would let the nurse in me educate my readers about the importance of lymph nodes. If you're not certain about what they are, lymph nodes are tiny nodules found throughout the body and are an important part of your immune system. This is how cancer cells can quickly spread through the body once it enters the lymphatic system. So taking care of your lymph's is just as important as performing a Breast Self Exam (BSE).

The lymphatic system is a miraculous system filtering cancer causing cells, debris and toxins out of your body. Here are some ways you can love your lymph's!

Rub it out!
Massage is an excellent way to increase your circulation and lymphatic flow. I highly recommend a trip to a massage therapist at least once a month, not only for the benefits of lymphatic circulation but therapeutic massage has numerous benefits(which may be another topic in and of itself). However, in this economic time, massage can be pricy for anyone's budget. You can receive the benefit yourself by gently rubbing your breasts in a circular motion in one direction for about 5 minutes, then switch to the opposite direction.

Ditch the bra!
Especially under wire bras which inhibit blood and lymphatic flow allowing toxins to accumulate around breast tissue. Think about when you are getting blood taken. A tourniquet is applied to cut off the blood flow building pressure behind the restriction. The same thing is happening when wearing snug fitting or underwire bras. Pressure builds in the breast tissue and cannot drain properly, causing cyst formation. So choose comfortable bras that aren't snug around the under arm area or underneath the breast areas and now you have an excuse to go without a bra whenever you can. I myself have opted for sports bras & thin tanks that have "shelf bras". Since then I dread going back to a regular confining bra when I have too.

Avoid conventional antiperspirants!
Now let me make it clear, antiperspirants do NOT cause cancer however, the body has a few significant areas where is rids itself from toxins in the form of perspiration; behind the knees, ears, groin areas, and armpits. Antiperspirant does exactly what it says, it impedes perspiration. So if you're using antiperspirants, you're inhibiting the body from purging the toxins in the armpit area. The body has to deposit these toxins somewhere, so it does so in the lymph nodes causing a high concentration of toxins and leads to cell mutations; in other words CANCER. Applying antiperspirants right after shaving increases the risk due to the tiny nicks created in the armpit after shaving, allowing the chemicals to enter the body even faster. So instead of using an antiperspirant, choose a deodorant instead. These simply mask the odor without inhibiting the body's natural defense of perspiration.

Work it out!
Yes, exercise! Cardiovascular exercise increases blood and lymphatic circulation, allowing for those nasty toxins to be flushed from your body. And how is one way it does that???? SWEAT! So go,...do whatever you need to do to get a good sweat going!

You are what you eat!
By now every one of you knows how important a healthy diet is. But let me give you a different view about what you are putting into your body. Read the back of your food labels. If you can't pronounce it,....DON'T EAT IT! Seriously, your body doesn't know what to do with chemicals. It has no way of being able to break them down, so these chemicals then get deposited into the body's cells and tissues, reeking havoc for years on the body's natural defenses. So stick with fresh vegetables (the darker & more colorful the better), whole grains, legumes, and foods high in Omega-3's, such as flax seeds, salmon, tuna, and herring.

I hope these tips will help as you consider a lifestyle to improve better health for you and your family.

Please don't let this topic be read and forgotten. Forward it to all of the "females" you know. Sharing a defense against breast cancer is a gift!

Have an intimate day!

Jennifer