Archive for Women’s Health

“Lesson Learned From A Dozen Eggs”

// January 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // Women's Health

“Lesson learned from a dozen eggs”
by Jan Janzen

While living in Ecuador almost 20 years ago, I still remember the question of a woman named Amanda Chavez.  I can see her face clearly as if it was just yesterday and I can still hear the confusion in her voice.  Amanda had a good little business selling eggs.  Many of her customers were foreigners living in the city of Riobamba.  But one day while purchasing my dozen eggs, handed to me most gingerly in a plastic bag, Amanda asked me a simple question that changed my life.

She said, “Jan, why do all you foreigners buy a dozen eggs?   Why 12?”  I looked at her in silence for a moment and then said, “We buy a dozen eggs because that’s how we buy them at home.”  “But why 12?” she asked again as if I hadn’t answered her question.  And for the life of me I couldn’t answer her.  Honestly, a dozen eggs made no sense.  And it really made no sense as we continued to buy 12 eggs at a time in a country that would have sold me 3 eggs, 7 eggs or 14 eggs in that precarious plastic bag.

Amanda’s question haunted me for a long time.  It was innocent enough – a simple question from a woman selling eggs to foreigners with a habit to buy a dozen eggs.  But I realized in that moment that I did lots of things because that’s how I was trained, taught, raised and told to believe.   We all do.

There are very few places I have seen false beliefs more evident than in the arena of breast health.  We have been told to have an annual mammogram after the age of 50 and when we hear the diagnosis of breast cancer, we are expected to have surgery, chemo, radiation and take drugs.  It’s as standard as buying a dozen eggs at a time for people in North America.

However, just because we have always done something does not make it any way true.  Otherwise many barbaric practices and beliefs from the past would still be around today, but they have been discounted as another truth was revealed.

As long as women today accept “the standard”, there won’t be any strong impetus to change the routine.  It doesn’t matter that it doesn’t work; it’s not effective and is actually counter-productive.  People are slow to change when money is involved and there are billions of dollars involved in the breast cancer industry.

Yet, experts say that mammograms cause breast cancer.  Specialists will tell you that you are more likely to die from chemotherapy than from breast cancer.  Statistics prove that radiation doesn’t improve results and can cause further health damage.  Every single drug has a side-effect which can be deadlier than the disease.  So why are we accepting what doesn’t work?  Is it just a bad habit that has become an integral part of our culture?

It’s time for us to stop believing that just because it’s the current treatment or it’s what the doctor recommended or worse yet, what the medical system pays for, is not a good enough reason to blindly accept a protocol or treatment.

There are far more effective screening tools to mammography that are safe and will let a woman know of issues up to a decade before a mammogram.  Why are we not demanding that these tests are paid for, regulated and advertised?  The number of amazing treatments for cancer boggle my mind.  I hear about at least one every week.  Why are we settling for treatment that is archaic and will surely be looked upon in horror very shortly?  And why are we buying into the fear of cancer rather than understanding that we can heal ourselves and there are many doctors, practitioners, clinics and formulas having amazing success using non-standard treatments?

I get a thrill living in countries where I can buy 4 eggs or 10 eggs at a time.  It reminds me that I have the power to choose solutions that make sense rather than doing what the masses are doing.  And once enough of the masses stop following a protocol around their breasts that is not working, then we will see change.  Will you be one of those trend-setters?  I hope so!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jan Janzen is a non-denominational minister, healer and business coach. She is the author of two books and 8 CDs for the spiritual entrepreneur. To receive Jan’s complimentary ebook: 10 Secrets to Living the Life of Your Dreams, visit www.janjanzendaily.com

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

// October 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Women's Health

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include:

A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle.

A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.

A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast.

A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple.

A change in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed).

Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple.

An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast.

A marble-like hardened area under the skin.

These changes may be found when performing monthly breast self-exams. By performing breast self-exams, you can become familiar with the normal monthly changes in your breasts.

A breast self-exam should be performed at the same time each month, three to five days after your menstrual period ends. If you have stopped menstruating, perform the exam on the same day of each month.

Friday’s Gift

// October 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Women's Health

Being Breast Healthy

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. It occurs mostly in women, but men get it too. It is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. And it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The statistics are wild. In the United States, the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her lifetime is 1 in 7; the chance her dying is 1 in 35. (About 40,480 women will die from this disease this year.)

We know that certain risk factors are linked to breast cancer: being female, being over age 55, having a certain genetic risk (BRCA 1 or 2), having personal or family history, being Caucasian, early start menstrual cycle, late menopause. Also: not having children or having them late in life, using birth control pills, being overweight or obese, not exercising, smoking, and having 1, or more, drinks of alcohol per day. The other factors we haven’t mentioned are environmental, to be discussed in detail later. So what can we do? Be proactive and take control.

Get annual mammograms, annual clinical breast exams and perform monthly breast self exams. The monthly breast self exam should follow a routine that is easy to remember and repeat each month. Knowing the landscape of your breast tissue is very important, as you will easily notice any changes that may occur in the future.

So here we go: With no shirt , blouse, or bra on, stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your hips, check for lumps, differences in breasts, nipples, (are they inverted, do they have a discharge?) turn to get a side view of each breast. Do the same with your arms raised above your head, is a breast hanging heavily? Now bend forward, with your hands on your hips and check how your breasts appear in this position. Note the differences so that you can really know what is normal for you. Next, you will have to lie down with a folded towel under one of your shoulders, let’s say the right shoulder. Raise your right arm behind your head. Use the pads of your three middle fingers on your left hand to check your right breast. After you have checked your right breast, put your towel under the left shoulder, raise your left arm behind your head and use the pads of the three middle fingers on your right hand to check your left breast. Be sure to check your entire breast, including under your arm (in the pit area). Use light, medium and deep pressure (three passes, each breast). You can move your fingers in circles, a grid pattern (vertically or horizontally), or the clock method.

We have access to an FDA approved device, called the Breast Chek Kit, that can assist you when you perform your self exam. It can make your fingers more sensitive by decreasing the friction that exists between your fingers and the skin of your breast. It magnifies the feeling under your fingers by about 10 times, allowing you to find abnormalities early, when they are small. By knowing what is normal for you and taking your breast health into your own hands, following the screening guidelines, you maximize your chances of finding irregularities early. It is suggested that you do your monthly breast self exams the same time of the month, each month (preferably the 5th day after your period).

EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES!!

For more information on Breast Health and the Breast Chek Kit and Breast Cream, or to schedule a Breast Health Presentation for your office, or group, please go to our contact page and make a request, or visit us at Body Works Massage & Wellness Center.


Ten Secrets for Healthy Breasts

// August 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Women's Health

At least 70% of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors

Ten Secrets:

  1. Wear your bra as little as possible (certainly not 24 hours a day). Author of “Dressed To Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras”, Sydney Ross Singer, has studies showing that women who wear a bra 24 hours a day have a 125-fold (12,500%) higher percentage of getting cancer than women who do not wear a bra at all.
  2. Be sure that your bra is not leaving red marks on your shoulders as this is an indication that your lymphatic system is being compromised. Your lymphatic system is an important part of your immune system and plays a crucial role in breast health.
  3. Wash all new clothes before you wear them as they have toxic chemicals on them (such as fire retardant) that are absorbed into your body. Also many undergarments are made in less than sanitary conditions in developing countries and undergarments may have been tried on previous to you purchasing them.
  4. Be mindful of what you put on your body in the form of toxic perfume, make-up, tanning lotions, antiperspirants and body creams as everything is absorbed through the skin and filtered through the liver, thereby straining your immune system and diminishing your breast health.
  5. Love your breasts. Emotions play a role in our health and a positive, happy viewpoint about your breasts can contribute to healthier breasts.
  6. Do not use birth control pills. They interfere with the normal hormonal balance of a woman and the increase of breast cancer in woman has skyrocketed since the introduction of the birth control pill.
  7. Learn about Thermography as an option to mammography. Digital Infrared Thermography (DIT) is painless, non-toxic and highly accurate. Safer and more effective than mammography, it has the ability to detect breast irregularities and possible “hot spots” years before they would ever be revealed with mammography or a breast exam.
  8. Encourage young girls to exercise as it helps to delay puberty. Exercise has been shown to decrease the flow of estrogens and narrows the window of vulnerability to breast cancer. Clinical studies have shown young women who are involved in regular exercise and vigorous aerobic exercise programs begin puberty at an older age and have a nearly 200% decreased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Get out and exercise!
  9. Find ways to deal with stress, including meditation. According to Dr. Nan Lu, a classically trained doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and author of “Traditional Chinese Medicine – A Guide To Healing From Breast Cancer”, he believes meditation is the best healing exercise.
  10. Learn how to do lymphatic breast massage as it helps the flow of lymph in your breast tissue and promotes healthy breasts. For instructions on performing a proper breast massage, please visit my website at: www.bodyworksgoespink.com

More on breast health in the future, for now, get to know and love yourself!

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