OM in the news this week! Check it out!
OM in the news this week! Check it out!
OM in the news this week! Check it out!
“The breast health (& heart) health comes from living a life in which giving and receiving are equally balanced and in which you eat well & move your body joyfully, vigorously and regularly.”
~Christiane Northrup
October is Breast Health Awareness Month. A recent BMC Cancer study conducted in Toronto reported that 47% of women with breast cancer seek complementary care in addition to their Western medical treatments. Traditional Chinese medicine offers an array of options that can assist women with everything from chemotherapy side effects to insomnia and anxiety. In addition to the many benefits alternative medicine can have for a woman with breast cancer, there are also a number of natural preventative steps that Chinese medicine health providers can recommend for young women.
The breasts are closely located to the body’s major lymphatic system, which is in part why breast cancer can be so dangerous. If it reaches the lymphatic system, it can spread throughout the body. To help prevent the development or growth of cancer in the breasts, it is paramount that the lymphatic system is healthy and moving. The more movement in the lymphs, the more toxins are flushed out. Movement can be achieved by exercise, but it’s also helpful to massage the breasts and lymph areas regularly to ensure there is no stagnation.
Lara Koljonen, LAc, is a PCOM San Diego graduate and acupuncturist practicing in San Diego. In addition to her acupuncture practice, Koljonen started “Essentially Pink” in 2006, a movement to infuse the wisdom of Chinese medicine into mainstream culture and make breast health tips accessible. Koljonen offers a myriad of helpful advice for breast health on her website.
As far as self-massage for healthy breasts, Koljenen says “Breast health is movement. Moving your lymph tissue, moving your body’s energy and blood flow. With stress and negative thinking we create energy stagnation and block lymph, energy, and blood flow. The lymphatic system is different than the circulatory system, it does not have a heart to pump it so it only moves when you move it, ex: exercise and breast health techniques such as the Tulip Tap (The tulip refers to the acupressure point pattern around the breast to increase health by increasing movement) and self breast massage (Self breast massage moves the lymph in the breast and the tulip tap moves the lymph around the breast).”
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OM in the news this week! Check it out!
OM in the news this week! Check it out!
