Don't know if this is "correct" to ask you this question here (since I read about it in CS), but on the subject of a Vegan diet and a good immune system, one of the things on your list was #7...avoiding commercial deodorants and going braless. Could you explain to me what effect commercial deodorants might have on our bodies and, of course...the braless concept?? Didn't want to ask on CS (too many people!!) Thanks!

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2002

Answers

Hey Marcia,I'm not em,but I will share what I was taught.We drain toxins through our lymphatic system,Lymph nodes ,glands We also drain through sweat,urine etc.Women's bras are usually tight right in the spots our bodies need to drain ,and,deodorants plug up our sweat glands that need to evacuate.I err on the side of caution and follow these rules and so do my daughters.Sports bras seem to be a little better if you get a good one.I picked up these things muslim and pakistani women wear they look like sports bras ,but are really loose.Works for me,....but I am not 16 any more,and it appears my nursing children have made off which a sizable chunk of my former endowment!!!!Sorry fo jumping in,EM should show up soon I am sure!!!

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Thanks, Teri. For me it would be lots easier to "dump" the bra than the deodorant!! Hate them things :-)! Wonder if there are any kinds of natural ways to deodorize??

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Yeah, what Teri said!!

It's the anti-perspirants that are REALLY nasty, since their intended purpose is to stop up the pores. But there are lots of natural deodorants out there. In my house we use the crystal ones, and KISS MY FACE brand name and others. They use no chemicals, and certainly no aluminum, which many think has an alzheimers connection.

Another caveat is using commercial deodorants right after shaving. Theory being the chemicals are more quickly absorbed, and all this stuff is right next to the part of the breast that is the most commonly affected in breast cancer victims.

Course the bra thing is controversial, like everything else, but I figure what can I lose? Some studies showed a higher percentage of breast cancer in women who wear bras the tightest, and most hours of the day, and an especially high rate in women who wear them at night (??who does that??).

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Hey EM, if you don't wear a bra won't they get all floppy like a savage womens? I mean really, won't they!!???

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Tren, I AM a savage woman!!

Iffen you mean do your boobs turn saggy if you don't wear a bra? Nope, "studies have shown".......:) that it matters not a whit if you do or not, they will droop anyhow when they're ready to droop. Law of gravity; determined somewhat by genetics; only thing will postpone it I know of is exercising the surrounding muscles.....or implants!

You poor young thing, your time will come.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

I am soooo glad you asked that question, Tren!! I wanted to but...too embarrassed I guess. Thank you, Aunty Em, for giving me peace of mind about the bra thing. I try to wear one as little as possible. I don't have a problem with not wearing one...other people do :-)!! I just lift them 5 gal. water buckets and hay bales higher for the "chest exercise"!!

Okay...one more thing...what's your opinion on yearly mammograms? Good or bad because of the radiation? Sorry to be such a pain!

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Oh Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.........sorry, but that's so fun to say!.......please do not let it enter your mind that you could be a pain! You are such a sweetheart and I love you dearly, really! 'Sides, can't think of much that gives me more pleasure these days than people askin my advice......I get to blab away and make like my opinions are important!

You probably know what I'm gonna say about mammograms, right? Never had one, never will. Call me crazy, (you'd have lotsa company!) , but it seems pretty much like madness to me to use radiation, which everyone has known for a century or so causes cancer, to see if we might have cancer. My paranoid side thinks its a plot to make money off of women's fear; appears to be a pretty dang good plan to increase one's customer base by helping to cause the disease, then convincing women they must come to you to cure it,use all their great scientific methods,and when they fail, which is usually the case, listen to them tell you about how your you have received the best that modern medicine had to offer, and they are very excited about the next drug soon to come; my more mellow side thinks its just another stupid idea with good intentions that people have been brainwashed to believe is not only a good thing, but absolutely necessary,and you are almost a bad person if you question it.

Therein lies the other reason I don't believe in em; especially when they insist we do them annually. I even have problems (gasp) with the insistence on monthly self-exams. I guess I have come to really believe that what we focus on grows, whether its ideas or disease, and a focus, however peripheral, on whether or not we might have contracted disease in our breasts every month ssem as if it could be a likely invitation for that very thing to happen.

Just my obnoxious opinions, per usual, but thanks for asking!

Peace,

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

Thank You Aunty Em!!!! Yup, I was suspicious 'bout what you'd say on the subject of "mammos", but I really wanted (needed?) your opinion! I have an appointment on the 22nd. of this month to get "squished" and am not looking forward to it. Last one I had was when I turned 45 and my doctor says now that I'm 50 I need one every year!! Why??? There is absolutely NO family history. She tells me that it's free to every woman (over 50) in my state (Maine) so I should just do it! I don't mind the glucose test every year for diabetes since it is in my family...but breast cancer...no way!!

Thanx for your valued opinion!!

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

If I could add something. I found that after I detoxed and started eating a more natural diet, low in chemicals and pesticides and take a bunch of supplements, I no longer have smelly sweat under my arms. My sister used to have swear pouring out of her arms when she was younger so bad that a doctor gave her a drug to control it. Since then, she has detoxed for aluminum poisoning that she accumulated working in a printing company. By the way, her boss got Alzheimer's.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2002

I second that on the eating, Dee, though I doubt that I'm as good about it as you are. Still, changing my eating habits seems to have change "the stink". When I (infrequently) shave the pits, I use a finely powdered clay (rather than talc), because deoderant of any sort is too stinging for me. Otherwise, I really like Weleda [pump] spray on deoderant. I think its Citrus, anyway, the lemony one. I never could get into those crystals, and they never seemed to work all that well for me! I like the citrus smell too.

As far as mammograms, I feel very confused about the whole issue, but I can tell you that I have been extremely annoyed to have to have repeated views taken because they don't like how the first ones turned out, and different methods used (MORE x-rays) because I have dense tissue -- I have ended up with 2-3 times MORE exposures than "normal" each time. Currently, I am just avoiding going. And WHY, pray tell, do WE have to do all those contortions to position our bodies in such excrutiating fashion -- WHY do the MACHINES not adjust to fit US? I guess I don't expect you all to answer that, however.

As far as bras, I have to wear one, or my back will ache horribly and go out of adjustment that much faster. I was reading some information that most of us are not wearing the proper size bra (of course, try to find one that is the correct size and SHAPE for your body!). Grrr. One shape/size does NOT fit all!

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

I have tried more bras than Heinz has pickles for these droopy ol' things of mine but its extremely rare that I find one thats comfortable. Funny, when I was younger, thinner and more pert i couldn't/wouldn't go braless because of the abrasion of my shirt and the looks factor. Now I am much heavier and droopier and I go braless about 80% of the time. I am positive I have heard of studies or theories regarding antiperpirants and lymphatic cancer in the last year or so. The theory points toward increased risks from antiperspirant use.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

Speaking of wearing a bra while sleeping...isn't there a specific bra advertised to be worn while sleeping? I, too, think it's dumb to sleep in one, but maybe the sleep bra would be okay to wear during the day! Better than nuthin' especially when a bra is really needed! Think I'll check them out along with the detox thing. Why is it that now that I'm getting "ancient" I worry 'bout all this stuff! Should've thought about it 30 yrs. ago :-)!!!

I think I'm dumping the mammogram, though! Thanks, everyone!

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

Marcia, there are ways now to check the breasts for lumps and cancerous bad things in general, it's a digitized ultrasound technique that uses no radiation. If you have small dense breasts that refuse to squish ( not fun, I know, had three mammo's already) with traditional mammography, it is the way to go. Small dense breasts don't mammogram well, the radition doesn't differentiate between the dense tissue and suspicious tissue well, the ultrasound does a better job, and is totally safe. Ask your Ob/Gyn about it, costs more, but I think it's worth it. Breast cancer can be cured IF caught early, the earlier the better, months or years before you or your doctor can feel the lumps, the mammo and ultrasound will pick them up. Early detection, early cure.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2002

Oh, I forgot, Rite Aid sells a natural non aluminum deodorant that costs around 4 dollars, Crystal Roll On Body Deodorant, works very well, stops the wetness as well.

I totally agree that using the aluminum based deodorants is a foolish way to put your health at risk, smearing a toxic chemical on your freshly shaven underarms doesn't make any sense!!!

The bra-less part I have trouble with though, bras that I wear aren't any tighter than the cloths I wear, does this mean we should also go naked as well??? That cloths are harmful to our health???

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2002

Annie and others,

Information I have read said that it is what bras are made out of that causes health problems. Synthetic bras are a no-no. All cotton are suppose to be okay. Now, has anyone ever found a good, all cotton bra? I'm still looking.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2002

I have to disagree with EM. The comment "I guess I have come to really believe that what we focus on grows, whether its ideas or disease.." is really too globalized. Most women consider breast exams/awareness as prevention, same as tooth brushing/flossing, same as cleaning wounds. Don't you think focusing on your teeth having decay would bring decay? ;) Or cleaning that gash from the ^%$# fencing would focus on the possibility of infection? Disease is obviously not that simple.

I obviously disagree. The odds for getting breast cancer are not as simple as 'family history' or not. Check out Dr. Susan Love's "Breast Book" for more and well-documented information.

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2002

Oh, side note: in a recent massage magazine it was stated that a study found that 85% of women wear bras that do not fit properly.

For folks unhappy about the discomfort that the mammogram causes....remember that we in North America in the USA are lucky to get to choose whether or not to have one. For the majority of women in the world it isn't a choice. We are the exception in our decision to use/not use the latest western world technology or not. Generally, even women with no money in the USA can choose to go to a health clinic for free gyn exams and mammograms. If you feel uncomfortable physically or philosophically then do not have the tests done. Just know that YOU get the choice. Isn't THAT grand?

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2002

I think people, especially women, get bombarded with so much conflicting info from the medical profession and different "studies" that we all don't know who to trust anymore! I do know that the power of the mind is amazing and that it's very possible to heal the body through the mind. So maybe it's also possible to injure the body through the mind??! I'm not uncomfortable at all with the discomfort a mammogram will cause, after all, it's done as quickly as possible and other than a little bruising the next day, it's bearable. But with this "preventative radiation" (oxymoron??) are we possibly causing more breast cancer than would have occurred otherwise??

Oh BTW, Aunty Em (or anyone?)....Is the aluminum in deodorants cummulative in our bodies? What I mean is do we have to detox the liver, etc. to rid ourselves of it or will it disappear on it's own over time with a healthy diet and non-aluminum deodorant? Thanx...you folks are so helpful!

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2002

And...just one more thing...you can be dang sure that if there WAS such a machine as a "man-o-gram" it would be the safest most painless procedure possible :-)!!!

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2002

Terry, try Decent Exposures. http://www.decentexposures.com/index.shtml

I confess that I have not yet tried one of their bras. I have yet to decide what size I need, and personally, I don't think they're information is that helpful. But I'll probably get around to it eventually. I get bras with all-cotton knit cups, which is the only fabric I can stand, from Sears. Of course, the back stretchy parts are not all cotton, and I think the straps are synthetic.

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2002

Hm...interesting points, Anne. I really don't view monthly breast exams as comparable to brushing my teeth or dressing a wound. My own personal teeth brushing has little or nothing to do with decay prevention, which I believe is more connected to an out of balance Ph than dirty teeth. I surely don't have my mind on tooth decay when I brush em, just do it cuz otherwise they get ickey. With wound dressing, I would be doing it cuz I know a clean wound will probably heal better and with less risk of infection, its true. But if I were to check my breasts every month, LOOKING FOR LUMPS, in other words, searching for DISEASE in them, to my way of thinking, I would be creating just the situation I do not care to welcome. I would rather create a spiritual/mental environment within myself wherein I expect good health to continue, because good health is our natural condition.

As far as considering the US a land of medical freedom....I cannot express how strongly I find this NOT to be true! Yes, it would indeed BE grand if it were, but its not even close. Women are not only encouraged to have mammograms, they are guilt tripped into it;made to feel like they are DOING SOMETHING WRONG if they reject this suggestion. I don't know about where you live, but here the television and radio has CONSTANT 'public service ads', insisting all women over 40 get their yearly dose of radiation. I have several friends who have been treated like dog doodoo by medical personnel when they have declined the 'offer'.

If we truly had freedom of choice in our medical decisions, we would be able to freely choose alternative treatments for whatever the hell we wanted, but as it is, we can get our kids taken away for choosing thusly. We can be PUT IN JAIL for 'making medical claims' for any product/service that doesn't fullfill the pharmaceutical/government establishment's narrow profit-motivated guidelines. Even naturopaths who have hundreds of success stories, hundreds of patients who swear to the efficacy of these practitioner's non-toxic, no side effects methods. Thousands of people suffer and die terrible deaths every single day in this country because they are not aware that there are myriad alternatives to the drugs/surgery/radiation schemes of western medicine, and when they do find out about them, they have to jump through hoops, go to other countries, or break the law to utilize them.

This is indeed a great country in many ways, yes, but freedom of medical choice is an area that, in my not so humble opinion, needs LOTS of work, and is getting worse all the time.

Sorry, but this is one of those issues that really gets me riled! :)

Peace and freedom,

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2002

It's funny that this topic has come up. I have been reaing about this very thing. Susun Weed says that it's the heating up around the breast area that causes so much harm. She also feels the same way about Mammograms which EM has already told us about. I've decided to go with figure fitting cropped camis for everyday. And a cami with a shelf bra sort of like a built in sports bra) for going out on special occasions. My GYN has wanted me to get a mammogram for about 5 yrs. I just didn't want to do it. I had this dread feeling about it. So I didn't do it.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Perhaps I should reiterate, there are ways to check for breast cancer that do not involve radiation, there are digital untrasound techniques that are sometimes more accurate for early detection of cancer than mammography, especially for small, dense breasts!!!!!

Hanes Her Way makes many fine, all cotton bras, I have been wearing them since they came out years ago, Wal-mart has them for under 9 dollars. Going bras-less makes my nipples sore, plus it is not always appropriate to be showing the entire viewing public obvious nipples under the sweater or t-shirt!!!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Yeah, I'm with you, Annie, I don't have the guts to flop around in public, although it bothers me that such a natural thing should be shameful. But like I said in my CS post, for most of us who spend much of our time at home, my bra-wearing time doesnt amount to much. As to irritating nipples, I went through hell when I breast -fed my first baby, scabs and bleeding for four months......after they finally healed, nothin much bothers em anymore!

Thanks for the info on ultra-sound. I know little about it, will have to do some research. It sounds like perhaps a better choice for those women who want to go searching for lumps.

Blessings,

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Here's an article from the Mpls/St Paul paper last week: DOUBTS ABOUT MAMMOGRAMS

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002