Cancer
incidence has reached a level (more than a
half million deaths annually) that makes it
virtually cliché to use the term epidemic.
Breast cancer affects one in seven women,
and the brassiere can play a major role in
this potentially devastating affliction. Wearing
this undergarment is considered a necessity
by most women, yet is primarily a habit (and
a dangerous one) virtually forced upon women
by convention and social pressure.
Before
addressing the involvement of the brassiere
in breast cancer, it will be helpful to consider
the general definition of a disease. The prevailing
definition arises, obviously,
from the dominating cultural influence of
conventional medicine. A disease is defined
medically as impairment of the normal state
that interrupts or modifies vital functions,
and is a response to a particular influence
(cause).
The
disease is defined as, or by, the visible,
felt and/or diagnosed changes, which are given
a specific name. The genuinely Holistic view,
however, regards the named
disease (and in some cases even the 'cause'
of it—as in infectious illness, for
example) as symptom. A related collection
of symptoms is called a symptomology,
and arises from an underlying condition (or
collection thereof) called imbalance. Only
the imbalance is specific, whereas the named
disease is not. This is because any number
of so-called diseases can arise from the same
specific imbalances.
This
may at first seem like a semantics issue,
and it would be except for the conventional
remedial approach, which is to fight symptom
and not address underlying imbalance. This
model applies to most 'diseases.'
For
example, in the conventional
view, cancer is considered to be the bad cell
itself—a local condition that spreads.
In the Holistic view, it is a symptom whose
foundation is a collection of systemic
underlying
imbalances that expresses locally. The distinction
is crucial, because lasting or permanent healing
(wellness), cannot be achieved by fascination
with, and opposition of, symptoms alone. Such
distraction is one basis of the failure of
medicine to solve many so-called incurable
diseases.
The
primary source of confusion between disease
and symptom is the germ theory of disease,
which was developed in
the 19th century. Germ theory
posits the invasion of victims by germs. Holistically,
this idea is considered dangerously superficial.
It has produced two 'cultural epidemics' called
the victim/war mentality, and the specific-disease
doctrine. Innocent victims are attacked by
germs—entities endowed with an almost
conscious evil, and these entities cause the
specific, named disease.
Germ
theory also lends itself to
the idea that we must fight wars against the
symptoms. One reason cancer seems so threatening
is that it stubbornly [and not surprisingly]
resists assaults upon its symptoms with the
weapons of medical warfare. Also, since the
tumor is not the disease, symptoms are likely
to re-emerge after the brutalizing course
of conventional treatment. The wrong tool
can make any job difficult or impossible.
Along with germ theory, the specific-disease
doctrine permeated 19th-century medicine and
society, and quickly moved beyond its
spawning ground of infectious illness to become
a paradigm (model) for most categories of
symptoms.
The
Holistic view also recognizes the fundamental
influence of the psyche in health and disease
(this is not the same as psychosomatic). Most
practitioners feel that the psyche is primary,
that imbalance begins there and is disease
per se; i.e., dis-ease - one is not
at ease with being (whether aware of it or
not). The terms bodymind, psychobiology,
and psychoneuroimmunology relate to the
interconnectedness—oneness, actually—of
the psyche and our physicality. What
causes this primary disease condition? We
could as easily ask why there is Fear. The
question ultimately leads to philosophy about
the nature of being, and is beyond the scope
of this essay.
One
important consideration is the spiritual idea
that the circumstances and daily events of
our lives reflect the condition of our psyche.
Fear is a destructive factor itself, especially
in cancer and AIDSyndrome. It might be avoided
by understanding the basis for the Holistic
view that the potential for health or illness
is in the individual. Consequently, there
is no foreign entity to fight, no war to wage.
Nor are there victims. There is only the consequence
of balance or imbalance in the being. Unresolved
imbalance may ultimately appear as any disease
symptom, which will correspond to the individual's
psychobiological (mind/body) pattern of strengths
and weaknesses.
Once
a psychoemotional imbalance is established,
and due to the unity of the bodymind, there
can be a corresponding, or resulting, physiological
disease condition that more directly underlies
the symptomology. Physiological disease is
imbalance also, but this time in our energy/chemistry
system.
Physical
symptoms result from the interaction among
many factors, including, but not limited to:
(1) the quality/quantity of food and the efficiency
of digestion; (2) acid/base (pH) balance;
(3) the efficiency of detoxification processes
and elimination channels; (4) the level and
type of toxins in the digestive tract, blood,
cells, tissues, and especially, in the body
humors (intercellular fluids). It may be challenging
for some people to realize that even the most
puzzling, tenacious 'diseases' can be the
result of toxic overload, but there is substantial
evidence for this in the scientific literature,
though it is largely ignored in mainstream
(mechanistic) medical practice.
In
light of the foregoing suggestions, we
can turn to the matter of the the brassiere
and breast cancer. There exists throughout
the body a system of tube-like vessels which
are a major component of the lymphatic system.
In somewhat oversimplified terms, this is
the body's 'janitorial service.' Critical
components of immune function, lymphatic vessels
help to prevent illness primarily by carrying
away metabolic waste and other poisons. Without
this janitorial pipeline, metabolism would
cease.
On
the sides of the upper body are major concentrations
of these vessels. The brassiere creates a
potentially dangerous restriction by compressing
underlying vessels and preventing waste from
being carried away efficiently. As a result
of the concentration of toxins in lymph vessels
and breast tissue, and of the restriction
of blood circulation, nutrient inflow to cells
is reduced as well. After years of such abuse,
a major cellular alteration may take place—cancer.
Strong evidence for the restriction is that
many lumps found in breast examinations are
sacs filled with lymph fluid. Frequently in
cancer cases, lymph vessels are deemed malignant
or highly contaminated and are surgically
removed, further weakening the protective
system.
The
psyche may play a dual role in bra-related
cancer, one being dis-ease, and the other
being individual susceptibility to convention
and social pressure. For many individuals
who become aware of this information and wish
to help themselves, going bra-less will remain
a considerable source of socially induced
stress, and may even be considered impossible.
It seems unfortunate that many women may risk
illness because society has not yet matured
sufficiently to have created a safe and respectful
space for them in which to make this choice.
As noted, one in seven women will produce
this form of cancer.
Certainly,
women should consider removing such restrictive
garments when feasible, but also when they
usually don't consider doing so. There is
little doubt that should the role of the bra
in breast cancer become widely recognized,
the garment industry could and would respond
with new designs.
The
sports venue already has produced 'halter'
and 'tube-top' types of supporters, more like
wide wraps, that can put less pressure on
the areas in question. Another excellent measure
is professional massage therapy on a regular
basis, which can include specific techniques
for lymphatic drainage. Finally, attention
to diet, nutrition, hydration, cleansing,
attention to toxic exposure (substances and
energies), energy balancing, and stress reduction
or some form of meditation are also worth
considerations.