Women have been taught about breast care from their first gynecologic appointment.  Breast self exam is one of the techniques learned for taking care of our body.   We have been taught that pain means something is wrong and it must be treated.  The American Academy of Family Physicians states that one of the most common reasons that woman consult a physician is painful breasts.  Breast pain is connected to hormonal fluctuations from menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and breastfeeding.

In understanding our breasts we need to have some information on breast anatomy.  Breasts are made of a mixture of fat, fibers and glands. The glands or ducts are ready to make milk and prepare to do so each month during our menstrual cycle. The fibers, like strands of thread or rope support the breasts and hold up the glands. The fat cushions the breasts.  Each woman has different amounts of these three components, which are determined by our genes.  The lymphatic system is part of the breast anatomy and contains an abundance of lymph vessels.  Fluid has a tendency to accumulate in the breast which causes feelings of swollen painful breasts and in breastfeeding the experience of engorgement.

 The lymphatic system is critical to the body’s ability to drain stagnation of fluids, detoxification, and regenerate tissues and filter out toxins and foreign substance.  Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (LDT) is a non-invasive gentle hands on technique designed to facilitate proper functioning of this very important system.  LDT is beneficial to correcting numerous conditions as well as stimulating the immune system and balancing the autonomic nervous system.

One of my clients asked for LDT for her cystic breasts and feeling of breast soreness.  She has a family history of breast cancer and she wanted to be proactive.   Her routine mammogram showed calcifications (Calcifications are the result of cell debris, inflammation, trauma, etc…).  We started with 15 minutes of LDT which included neck, abdomen and arms.  The rest of our time we used massage to complete her one hour session.  Each following session we increased the total time of the LDT used.   She came regularly one time a month and when she had her yearly routine mammogram there was a reduction in the number and the size of the calcifications.  Needless to say we are continuing our monthly sessions.