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What Exactly Is A Breast Massage And How Do You Do It?

Montclair Breast Center April 29, 2020 Blog, Health & Wellness

It might not be part of your everyday massage, but there are some health benefits.

BY MARA SANTILLI APR 7, 2020 for Women’s Health Magazine

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a31676972/breast-massage/

When you hear the term “breast massage,” you might think of breast self-exams for lumps. But there’s a whole other kind of breast massage that’s much more pleasurable than a self-check (though you should definitely be doing those, too!).

Breast massage is meant to be a practice of self-love, first of all, and if done correctly and with consent from the client, it can help with stress relief, improving circulation, and releasing pain and breast tenderness.

It might not be on the menu at your local spa or part of your typical full-body massage, but that’s only because touching the breasts is not typically seen as a “comfortable” aspect of traditional Western-style massage. But breast massage has roots in Ayurvedic tradition, explains Alexa Berman, a clinical Ayurveda practitioner. This type of massage is often available at spas that practice Ayurveda.

Curious? Here’s what happens during a breast massage, how it can potentially improve your breast health, and how to practice some self-care on your own breasts.

What exactly is a breast massage?

So, again, a breast massage is not the same thing as a breast self-exam, which is also crucial to evaluating your normal breast health (some studies have found that 25 percent of women discovered evidence of breast cancer by doing self-exams). Breast self-exams involve palpating the breast tissue, and examining yourself regularly from all angles. It’s not really meant to be a relaxing process.

Breast massages, on the other hand, are meant for self-nurturing, Berman says. They’re done within the context of an Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage, or a full-body massage with oil. If you visit an Ayurvedic practitioner, they will massage the breasts in a circular motion, and then move to the armpits and breastbone as well. Or if you choose, you can practice breast massage on yourself using the same techniques (more on that below).

What are the health benefits of breast massage?

It depends on the person and their breasts, but there are a number of potential breast health and mental health benefits to this type of massage. Here are some of the main reasons experts say breast massage can help you.

Keep in mind, though, there really isn’t scientific research on breast massage—so think of the benefits as anecdotal. Breast massage isn’t harmful, though, so it’s totally fine to experiment with it.

It can relieve tension from the breasts.

“From an Ayurvedic perspective, breast massage has a lot to do with releasing tension,” Berman says. “If you don’t get massage, your breasts can get stagnant, since they’re made up primarily of fatty tissue.” Manipulating the area adds movement, and can help clear the channels where fat builds up, she explains. Stagnation in your fat tissue can contribute to benign lumps or bumps forming, and bringing heat and additional circulation to the area may help break that up, according to Berman.

Breast massage can improve your circulation and help with breastfeeding.

Massaging the breasts is helpful to stimulate blood flow to the mammary glands, says Jamie Bacharach, a licensed massage therapist and medical acupuncturist. “Circulation is important in the breast area because it has been demonstrated to release oxytocin, a hormone which inhibits stress and depression,” Bacharach says.

Not only that, but it can help new moms who choose to breastfeed in a big way: Regularly massaging the breasts can keep the milk, along with the blood flow, moving through the breasts and may make the whole process easier and less painful.

Breast massage may aid lymphatic drainage.

The breasts are part of the lymphatic system (so are the armpits), which can become congested and have blockages, particularly if you’ve had a surgery in the chest or breast area. Massaging and releasing stagnation in the chest area can help detox the lymphatic system—you may feel a release from your sinuses and feel the need to blow your nose afterward, Berman says. It’s important to work or have the practitioner work especially on the armpits, where the lymph nodes are concentrated, for additional release, Berman adds. (If you have had surgery in the chest or breast area, speak with your doctor about breast massage first.


Breast massage can provide relief from swelling.

During your period or if you’re breastfeeding, you may experience achy, sore boobs that could use a little bit of TLC from breast massage.

What’s great about Ayurvedic breast massage, Berman says, is that by using oil, and then finishing off the massage with heat (a bath, shower, sauna, or hot towel), you’re opening up the pores and allowing the oil (which, at the spa, is typically blended with herbs) to seep into your skin and deeper into your tissues. “If you have tenderness or swelling, this oil application followed by a bath or shower that allows the oil to seep deeper in will help with pain and inflammation,” Berman says..

Breast massage can be beneficial for stress relief

A massage should be meditative, and especially a massage to such a sensitive area. “Remember to touch with love and compassion,” Berman says. “The intention in your hands will leave an impression on your nervous system and you want that to be positive healing energy.”

As long as you’re not approaching the massage with anxious or angry thoughts, it can be a great stress reliever.

How do you perform a breast massage?

It’s just as simple to practice a breast massage on yourself at home than it is to go to an Ayurvedic spa, if you’d feel more comfy at home.

Of course, it’s important to start in a mindful mental space, and then also find a quiet, peaceful physical space. It’s best to use a basic heated oil, like organic sunflower or sesame oil, Berman suggests. You should start with massaging each breast in a circular motion, moving from the nipple toward the outside of the breasts. It’s important to work on one breast at a time and without adding too much pressure, Bacharach adds, especially if you start to feel soreness.

Then, move to the armpit and outer edge of the breast, moving upward toward the shoulder joint to help detoxify the lymph nodes and unclog any ducts, says Berman. Give your collarbone, shoulder and neck some love on both sides before moving to the breastbone. Finish with a massage in the center of the breastbone, in a slow clockwise circle.

At the end of the massage, Berman advises taking a hot shower or bath to allow the oil to absorb into your pores. You don’t need to use soap though, because the oil is meant to cleanse your skin, she says. Or, if you want to skip the shower, you can wrap yourself in a warm towel and relax for a bit—the oil will seep into your skin as you rest.

In general, it’s safe to practice breast massage, even if you’re breastfeeding. Just consult your doctor first if you have a condition that’s making breastfeeding painful or sore, Bacharach says. If you’ve recently had a mastectomy, it would be best to wait a couple of weeks before performing a breast massage, and then start gently, she suggests. (And talk to your doctor about touching the area, just to make sure you’re cleared to do so.)

But once your stitches are removed, breast massage can be a healing post-op practice. It’s a loving and relaxing self-care practice too. Ayurvedic breast massage is not intended to be sexual by nature, but getting in touch with your body is important, and getting pleasure from it only boosts the benefits, experts say.

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MRIs Can Better Detect Cancer in Women With Dense Breasts

Montclair Breast Center December 4, 2019 Blog, Featured, Medical

From the New York Times
November 27, 2019
By Roni Caryn Rabin

A large study found that M.R.I.s detected tumors missed by mammograms, cutting interval cancers by half or more.

Just under half of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts, which means their breasts have more connective and fibrous tissue than usual, and relatively less fat.
Source: Philippe Garo/Science Source

Many women who have mammograms get normal results that come with a caveat: They are told they have dense breast tissue, which can make their scans harder to read and could leave cancer undetected.

Sometimes those patients are advised to follow up by getting ultrasounds or magnetic resonance imaging (M.R.I.) scans, but for many, it is unclear what their next step should be.

Now, a new study provides strong evidence that supplemental M.R.I.s are more effective in finding tumors in these women than mammograms alone.

The study, of more than 40,000 women with extremely dense breasts in the Netherlands, found that those who had mammograms followed by M.R.I.s, had more tumors detected than with mammography alone. The research also found that those who had M.R.I.s were less likely to find a palpable cancerous lump in between routine screenings; by the time tumors are big enough to be felt, they tend to be more advanced.

The study, the first large randomized controlled trial of supplemental M.R.I.s in women with dense breasts, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

Just under half of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts, which means their breasts have more connective and fibrous tissue than usual, and relatively less fat. Women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women with more fatty breast tissue.

Dr. Wendie Berg, a professor of radiology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and chief scientific advisory for DenseBreast-info.org, said the study’s finding were “very important.”

“The standard practice of mammography alone is not adequate for women with extremely dense breasts,” Dr. Berg said, adding that her own cancer was detected early enough to require minimal treatment because her family history led her to seek an M.R.I.

“Women should be advocating for increased access to screening M.R.I.,” she said.

But though the study results were significant, it is still unclear whether supplementing mammograms with M.R.I.s ultimately reduces breast cancer deaths.

“The ultimate test of the value of M.R.I. screening” in these women will be “whether it improves survival — an answer that we will not have for a very long time,” cautioned Dr. Dan L. Longo, a deputy editor of the New England Journal and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in an editorial accompanying the study.

For all the promise, there is also a downside to using M.R.I.s for breast cancer screening: They yield many false positive results that lead to unnecessary biopsies, and they can detect very early stage tumors that might never become life-threatening, said Carla van Gils, senior author of the study and a professor of clinical epidemiology at University Medical Center Utrecht.

Nevertheless, Dr. van Gils said, the significant reduction in interval cancers — cancers that are diagnosed after a negative mammogram — suggests supplementary M.R.I.s may be a lifesaving tool for women with dense breasts.

“It’s not the same as mortality, but it’s the first step. It’s a prerequisite,” she said, adding that the study is ongoing, and mathematical models will be run to make further predictions about mortality and overdiagnosis. “There are more questions that need to be answered.”

Only about 10 percent of women have extremely dense tissue like the women in the Dutch study. But having dense breast tissue generally makes it harder to see tumors on a mammogram because both the dense tissue and the tumors show up white on an X-ray. Fat, on the other hand, shows up black, so tumors are easily seen.

The Dutch study, called DENSE (Dense Tissue and Early Breast Neoplasm Screening), is a multi-center, randomized controlled trial of 40,373 women between the ages of 50 and 75 in the Netherlands, all of whom have extremely dense breast tissue and had a normal screening mammogram. Scientists randomly invited 8,061 of the women to undergo a supplemental M.R.I., while the remaining 32,312 had only the mammography.

Though only 59 percent of the women invited to have an M.R.I. accepted the offer and had the additional screening, 16.5 additional cancers were detected for every 1,000 women who had an M.R.I.

That in itself was not surprising and had been demonstrated by earlier studies. The researchers were more interested in another question: Did the supplemental M.R.I. screening catch so-called interval cancers that would become symptomatic before the next routine screening, two years hence?

Their analysis found that it did. Among the women in the study who had an M.R.I., the rate of interval cancer detection was 0.8 interval cancers per 1000, far less than the rate of interval cancers in the mammography-only group, which was five per 1000.

Many states now require that women having mammograms be informed that their breast tissue is dense when they get the results, and the Food and Drug Administration is developing similar guidelines. But there is little to no guidance on what women given the information should do about it. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend routine use of additional tests after mammography in women who do not have symptoms or other risk factors, though many patients are referred for a supplemental scan.

“The takeaway is that there is no one perfect screening test, and each patient’s perspective on the best course of treatment needs to be considered,” said Dr. Marisa Weiss, founder of breastcancer.org, an educational resource for patients.

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Dr. Elliott attends conference on “The Ancient Wisdom of Tai Chi and Qigong”

Montclair Breast Center February 27, 2019 Blog, Health & Wellness

Hey girlfriends!

This past weekend, I attended “The Ancient Wisdom of TaiChi and Qigong” conference at Kripalu with Dr. Yang Yang, founder of the Center for Taiji & Qigong Studies.

Breath, energy and movement can help uncover our power to enhance mood, decrease stress and cultivate balance. I encourage all our patients to seek out and find a daily practice that will improve the quality of their lives. Our motto: slow down and pay attention. Check out Kripalu for other ways to de-stress and live more fully.

Dr. Yang Yang currently offers classes in NYC for breast cancer survivors, patients, and caregivers. His next retreat at Kripalu will be May 17–19, 2019: EVIDENCE-BASED TAI CHI AND QIGONG TO CULTIVATE SELF-CARE AND HEALTHY SLEEP.

Yours in health,

Dr. Nancy Elliott

Dr. Yang Yang & Dr. Nancy Elliott

 

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Breast Cancer Risk After Childbirth

Montclair Breast Center February 7, 2019 Blog

The “Breast Cancer Risk After Childbirth” research was published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2018. At Montclair Breast Center, we believe knowledge is power and that prevention is just as important as early detection (if not more so!). This month on the blog, we share the results of this newest study. 

 

BOTTOM LINE

Montclair Breast Center recommends women visit a breast doctor at age 35 for a risk assessment, physical exam and possible screening. Many women won’t need annual screenings until 40, but some women with additional risk factors should consider starting their regularly scheduled appointments earlier, per their doctors’ recommendations.

Additional risk factors include:

  • Family history of breast or ovarian cancer (including aunts, cousins, grandmothers and the paternal side of the family)
  • A prior benign breast biopsy
  • Menstruation beginning at 11 years old or younger
  • Never having a child
  • Having your first child at age 30 or older

 

RESEARCH SUMMARY

  • Data combined from fifteen studies from around the world has shown that recent childbirth results in a short-term increase in breast cancer risk, which is amplified in women who are older at first birth.
  • New information suggests women who have recently had a child are more at risk for breast cancer than their childless counterparts.
  • Cancer risk is 3.5x higher after giving birth for women with a family history of breast cancer.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

  1. Make an appointment with a breast specialist.
  2. Employ risk-reducing strategies, especially If you have had children later in life and have a family history of cancer. Risk-reducing strategies include:
  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Eating a whole-food diet
  • Exercising regularly
  • Reducing alcohol consumption
  • Quitting smoking
  • Eradicating unnecessary stress

 

As always, speak to your breast doctor regarding your personal risk and how you can reduce that risk.

 

 

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Understanding Breast Pain

Montclair Breast Center July 19, 2018 Blog, Health & Wellness, Medical

70% of women feel breast pain at some point in their life.

At Montclair Breast Center, we’re exceptionally equipped to guide you through all your breast health decisions.

Types of Breast Pain

Cyclical Breast Pain

  • Related to a woman’s menstrual cycle, with more pain generally felt before a period
  • 75% of breast pain reported
  • With or without breast lumpiness
  • May be cause by stress, which affects hormone levels

Non-Cyclical Breast Pain

  • Unrelated to the menstrual cycle
  • Less common
  • Felt in a specific spot
  • No known cause
  • Can last for years and then disappear

Non-Breast Origin Pain

  • Unrelated to the menstrual cycle
  • Feels like it comes from the breast, but it actually starts in the middle of the chest. Typically caused by increased stress on joints where ribs and breast connect. Poor posture and age add stress to these joints.
  • Can be caused by arthritis.

Our specialists assess your condition and treat you with the best tools available. Each patient receives a personalized plan.

Treatment

  • Have your doctor verify that your pain is not due to disease or cancer
  • Try wearing a bra with more support – or try not wearing a bra at all
  • Maintain ideal body weight
  • Evaluate your eating habits. Some women find the following changes offer relief:
    • Decreasing caffeine intake
    • Eating a low-fat diet with more grains, fruits, and vegetables
    • Reducing salt
    • Taking a vitamin supplement
      • Vitamin B6 – 100 mg daily
      • Vitamin E – 400 IU daily
      • Evening Primrose Oil – up to 1,000 mg 3x per day
  • Evaluate the stressors in your life and make necessary changes; try yoga or meditation.

For more information about breast pain causes and treatments, contact us!

 

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Keeping Your Bones Strong: Calcium for Lifelong Bone Health

Montclair Breast Center July 17, 2018 Blog, Food, Health & Wellness, Health Care

Maintaining bone health is a lifelong process and women of all ages should take steps to reduce bone loss. If detected early, osteoporosis can be prevented and treated.

 

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder characterized by declining bone strength, poses a major threat to women. 54 million Americans have low bone density or osteoporosis, and about one-in-two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is largely preventable, and early detection is critical to prevent devastating complications such as hip and vertebral compression fractures.

Women reach peak bone mass in their early twenties and then start to lose bone at a rate of 1% per year at age 35. After menopause, this rate increases dramatically. The probability that a 50-year-old Caucasian woman will have a hip fracture during her life is 16%.

 

How Do You Test?

In keeping with our proactive approach to women’s healthcare, Montclair Breast Center offers testing for osteoporosis. Our Bone Density Unit performs a non-invasive test for osteoporosis. Results are same-day.

The Bone Density Unit takes an x-ray of the hip and spine that measures bone mass. After the test, the team at Montclair Breast Center will discuss individualized approaches with you to increase your bone density, if needed.

We recommend a baseline scan at age 45-50. Screening should continue on a regular basis every 2- 3 years.

 

How Much Calcium Do You Need Daily?

  • Age 19-50: 1,000 mg
  • Age 51+: 1,200 mg

 

What Can I Do?

Your body needs calcium to keep your bones dense and strong. Low bone density can cause your bones to become brittle, fragile and easily break even without obvious injury.

Our bodies absorb less calcium as we age, so it’s critical to consume enough calcium-rich foods.

In addition to helping prevent breast cancer, Vitamin D also helps your body absorb calcium. Win-win!

Calcium rich foods include dairy, sardines, and dark, leafy greens. Vitamin D enhanced your bodies absorption of calcium. Some foods (such as salmon) contain both vitamin D and calcium.

 

CALCIUM RICH FOOD Amount     Calcium (mg)  
Almonds 1 oz. 97
Amaranth, cooked 0.5 cup 135
Arugula, raw 1 cup 125
Bok Choy, cooked 1 cup 158
Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 180
Buttermilk 1 cup 300
Chard or Okra, cooked 1 cup 176
Collard greens, cooked 1 cup 357
Hard Cheese (cheddar, jack) 1 oz 200
Kale, cooked 1 cup 179
Legumes, general, cooked 0.5 cup 15 to 50
Mackerel, canned 3 oz. 250
Milk (skim, low fat, whole) 1 cup 300
Molasses, blackstrap 2 Tbsp 342
Mozzarella 1 oz 200
Mustard greens, cooked 1 cup 152
Nonfat dry milk powder 5 Tbsp 300
Oatmeal, instant 1 package 100 to 150
Salmon, canned, with bones 3 oz. 170 to 210
Sardines 3 oz. 370
Sesame seeds, whole roasted 1 oz. 280
Sesame tahini 1 oz. (2 Tbsp) 130
Sour Cream, cultured 1 cup 250
Soybeans, boiled 0.5 cup 100
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 240
Swiss or Gruyere 1 oz 270
Tofu, firm 4 oz 250 to 750
Tofu, soft 4 oz 120 to 390
Turnip greens, cooked 1 cup 249
Yogurt 1 cup 450

 

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5 Ways You Can Prevent (Or Detect!) Breast Cancer

Montclair Breast Center June 6, 2017 Blog, Food, Health & Wellness

Understanding your risk and being proactive about your breast health can help lower your overall risk, or find breast cancer at an early (and more treatable) stage.

It’s common knowledge that smoking is the #1 cause of lung cancer and too much sun exposure will increase your odds of skin cancer, but did you know there are behaviors that increase your chance of breast cancer, as well? While some risk factors are unavoidable – your family history, ethnicity and age when periods started and stopped – there are things you can change.

1. EAT REAL FOOD. Women who are overweight (BMI over 25) after menopause have a 30-60% higher breast cancer risk than those who are lean. The simplest way to keep your waistline in check is to consume food as close to its original source as possible (think: fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish). Additionally, all those delicious antioxidants help prevent cancer cells from forming!

2. MOVE YOUR BODY. According to the large-scale, decades-long Women’s Health Initiative study, women who walked 30 minutes per day at least five days a week decreased their breast cancer risk by 20%.

“If you can’t make time for being physically active in your daily life, plan to make time for being sick.” – Rachel Ballard-Barbash, National Cancer Institute (NCI).

3. UPGRADE TO A 3D MAMMOGRAM. Doctors are now able to find, and treat, Stage 0 breast cancer. Typically called DCIS, this early stage mutation is more easily found with top-notch diagnostic tests, such as a 3D mammography. Treatment is typically a lumpectomy and radiation. Radiation therapy can reduce the risk of recurrence by about 60%.

4. TAKE A GENETIC TEST. Depending on your family or personal history, your breast doctor may recommend genetic testing. If you test positive for a genetic mutation, your risk increases significantly: 40-85% over the course of your life. Fortunately, there are medications (such as tamoxifen) that effectively treat and prevent some types of breast cancer.

5. KNOW YOUR BREAST DENSITY. Around 40% of women age 40+ have dense breasts. Breast density is not determined by how a breast looks or feels, but instead through a mammogram. Both dense breasts and cancer tumors appear white on a mammogram – akin to “looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm.” Fat, on the other hand, appears black on a mammogram – creating a greater contrast against white tumors.

Density classification is usually included in your mammogram report, but if not, ask your doctor. The information could warrant a n additional screening test, such as an ultrasound or MRI, and ultimately could save your life.

6.  FIND A SPECIALIZED BREAST RADIOLOGIST. Catch it early! Women routinely see a dentist and gynecologist, but many don’t have a trusted physician dedicated solely to breasts. We recommend women see a breast doctor instead of a general radiologist. A breast doctor will help determine your personal risk, suggest prevention strategies and recommend appropriate breast monitoring so that any changes can be identified early and handled immediately.

Deciding who will read your mammogram is important, as early detection usually means avoiding chemotherapy.

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