As reported in December, a routine mammogram located a suspicious lump in my left breast. After a couple of months of more mammograms, ultrasounds, consultations and a biopsy that was inconclusive, I finally had the lump cut out, and it was not cancer. Through the two months and more of appointments and procedures, I was truly impressed with the care I received from doctors, nurses, and hospital support staff. Our health system may be taxed to the limit if I am to believe all I’ve heard. Still, my experience was a reassuring one.

Besides an extremely competent breast surgeon, I had two other doctors on my case: my wise and skillful Carleton Place general practitioner of 30 years, and my equally first-rate “alternative” doctor of two decades. I say alternative because I’m not sure how to describe his particular approach to health care. He’s a licensed, experienced M.D. with a refreshingly holistic perspective on why people get sick.
Even before I knew whether the lump was benign or cancerous, I went to see my alternative doctor. He figured that although it was probably harmless, I should take this as a wake-up call. To my mind, this is where conventional medicine and the more holistic approach often part ways. In most cases, conventional medicine would remove the lump, and if it was benign, everyone would heave sighs of relief and that would be the end of the story. The alternative approach spends more time examining why the lump appeared in the first place. There must have been a reason other than “just the luck of the draw.”

The first thing he mentioned as a possibility to consider was my brassieres, especially if they have underwires (they do, or at least, did) for firmer support. He said bras restrict the normal drainage of the lymphatic system whose job it is to remove toxins. Hmm. He also mentioned study results that state wearing a bra is equivalent to smoking cigarettes as a cancer risk. Argh! But when I thought about it, it made sense. Later, I researched the topic and came up with a landslide of details. For starters, the book Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer reports that the more hours per day that women wear bras, the higher their rates of breast cancer. The husband and wife research team based their study on 5000 women. Their research also discovered an undeniable link between the wearing of bras and benign fibrocystic lumps and pain. The study discovered that some women wear their bras even to bed. Good grief. These females have a 113-fold increase in breast cancer incidence when compared with women who wear their bras fewer than 12 hours a day. Furthermore, the average white American woman is 19 times more likely to develop breast cancer than one who wears a bra for fewer than 12 hours a day. A 1991 medical journal article by Harvard University researchers states that women in their study who did not wear bras had a 60% lower rate of breast cancer than those who wore them.

Once I started looking, the evidence was scary. But don’t take my word for it. You can read the book yourself. Read some personal case histories from women who tossed out their bras and discovered their pain and cysts were dramatically decreased or eliminated. Or check out an article by Ralph Reed, Ph.D on the subject.

If there really is such a strong link between breast lumps and bras, why don’t we hear more about it? I don’t know. Lots of experts poo-pooh the notion, and lots don’t — so who’s right? Do I think that lumpy breasts can be prevented by banning the sale of bras? No — I suspect there are other reasons why women develop this problem. Pulling together several clues from my medical history, my alternative doctor suspected toxins in my system as a possible influence. At first, it seemed unfair that this could be so. I’ve been careful about my diet for years. I exercise every day — I’ll spare you all the details. But, as my doc pointed out, we live in a very toxic world and it’s getting worse. There’s tons of evidence to support this claim, and anyway, commonsense tells me it’s true.

The report Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadians (a study commissioned by Environmental Defence, a watchdog group) finds that no matter where Canadians live, their age or occupation, they are contaminated with measurable levels of chemicals that can cause cancer, disrupt hormones, affect reproduction, cause respiratory problems or impair neurological development. The report also explains that in the last 50 years, more than 80,000 new chemicals have been created world wide. And many of those toxins that Canadians are exposed to every day (in our food, drinks, clothing, furniture, electronic gizmos, air, water, cleaning materials, etc.) have never been assessed by our government for their potential effects, either individually or in combination, on human health. Unbelievable.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Whether we like it or not, and no matter how careful we are, there are poisons in our bodies that are doing nasty things to us. I’m thinking there are two things we can do about this: 1) nothing and hope for the best; or, 2) find ways to detoxify our systems regularly. My alternative doc suggested I check out an Ottawa clinic that specializes in detoxification through far infared saunas, homeopathic inhalation remedies, and lymphatic massage. I began going there even before my surgery. I have friends who think I’m nuts and throwing good money after bad. Others, like me, say it makes sense. Do I think that these remedies will save me from lumpy breasts or worse? I don’t know — but it’s worth a try. Too bad that this sort of treatment isn’t covered by health care and available to all. And aren’t I fortunate that I can afford it. These “alternative” approaches are probably keeping me and others out of the hospital system and saving you, the taxpayer, big bucks.

Yes, I threw out all my pretty, lacy, underwire bras, and now own several soft sports bras and undershirts. I wear the undershirts at home, out skiing or under baggy clothes, and trot out a bra only for form-fitting occasions. Now wearing even the loosest bra is analogous to being strangled around the rib cage. I can hardly wait to get home and rip it off. How did I ever put up with them all these years?