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Wearing a bra too often
may contribute to breast cancer
©
2001 Guy Malone guymalone.com
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It started innocently enough. A friend forwarded me a note about clicking a link to help underprivileged women receive a free mammogram via corporate sponsors. I added her memo to my weekly Hand-Picked Headlines as a way to help the cause. With 600 people on the list I thought it might do some good. Suffice to say I learned more about mammograms and breast cancer in just a few days than any guy will ever need to know!
I received 3 responses the first morning. Turns out many people consider the whole mammogram industry a scam, as well as the medical treatment of breast cancer in general - opposed to prevention, or natural alternatives. Most interesting was a report stating that women who wear a bra for 12-24 hours a day have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer.
I did my own search on Google.com, typing " bra wearing breast cancer " into the search field, with over 3,000 matches appearing. The idea is that wearing a bra, especially a constricting one with underwires, and especially to bed, prevents normal lymphatic flow and would likely lead to anoxia (lower than normal oxygen content), which has been related to fibrosis, which has been linked to increased cancer risk. The non-scientific and preliminary data was that there was a 125/1 ratio in fact, compared to women who don't wear a bra, or who do so only for formal occasions or exercise. One site mentioned that Japanese women (who almost never wear bras) have almost no breast cancer, but statistics for second generation Japanese Americans are the same as all American women (of course, any number of other factors could play into that). Bruises, red creases in the skin and various pains reported by numerous women and doctors tell their own story.
Most search results lead to the book "Dressed To Kill", and you can click through to read reviews and make up your own mind on this topic. Obviously this report has caused great controversy. Even harsh critics of the book do not disagree with the findings, only the under-researched aspects of the book itself. I of course am no expert, but as a responsible journalist (of sorts), I decided I had to mention these other points of view after promoting the free mammogram site without any real knowledge of the subject.
All I can say for sure after studying this briefly is that it makes sense. More research is being done, but I personally think that women need to be aware of this idea, so they can do the research themselves. As one site said, years ago people thought that linking cigarettes to lung cancer was ridiculous, and this is really not that different, given the players. Both the medical and clothing industries have lots of money to lose if these findings are proven more substantially than they are now - and the findings reach the public - so I don't expect either of these industries to promote or look into the topic too deeply, or to be completely honest if they find that it's true.
While you may be able to trust your personal doctor, he is limited to what the industry teaches him, and "the industry" loses billions when people are healthy, or practice natural, preventative healthcare. All in all, I'd have to encourage women to do the really practical thing that is suggested almost everywhere - try going without as much as is conveniently and socially possible for 2-4 weeks and see how much better you feel (with the exception of especially large breasted women, who are often more comfortable with a bra than without). Unless you really need to, wearing a bra to bed is pointless (I asked around, and many do), and these reports say that you dramatically cut your risks just by taking that step.
I of course realize that beyond health, this is a figure issue as well. My thoughts on "male society" forcing women to conform to a certain image are here, but I have to agree with one site I found that says if a guy needs you to poison yourself, cut off your circulation with tight clothing, cover yourself with toxic chemicals etc... to be attractive to him, then dump him and find someone who appreciates who you are, and wants you healthy and happy!
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