3 Vital Steps for Better Breast Health

Lauren G reveals three vital steps to better breast health. (I would add breast massage to the list.)

Chances are that you know someone who has faced a breast cancer diagnosis. Many of us have lost loved ones to breast cancer. There are so many factors on the plate when it comes to preventing and healing breast cancer. In particular, diet is an extraordinarily powerful anti-cancer treatment, but that is a whole separate post in itself. Here, I focus on three lifestyle changes every woman should know for better breast health. Read more

Are Women Better Off Without Their Bras?

Do women need bras? A French study says brassieres are a "false necessity."

Women who go braless may actually have the right idea, new research suggests.

According to the results of a 15-year study in France published Wednesday, bras provide no benefits to women and may actually be harmful to breasts over time. Read more

Why Dieting Is Bad for Your Breasts

Gaining and losing the same ten pounds has a hidden effect on your breasts that may take years to show, says Nicole Blades.

Your breasts are pretty low-maintenance, and you can keep them healthy and sexy just by leaving them alone. Still, there's one move that will mess them up: repeat dieting, which causes your boobs to sag prematurely. Here, how and why plus the right way to keep your set gorgeous and firm.

How Sag Strikes

Some sag is inevitable. Gravity, breast growth spurts in your teens and early 20s, pregnancy, and breast-feeding all cause your boobs to change shape. Any change in the shape of your breasts stretches your skin's collagen and elastin, two components that make skin firm. This leaves your twins less perky over time, says Jill Weinstein, a dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Illinois.

But you'll stretch out the collagen and elastin even more by constantly dieting. Read more

Protect Your Breasts with Vitamin D

To protect our breasts, Dr. Christiane Northrup recommends that every woman check her vitamin D level regularly and keep it in the optimal range.

There's a paradigm shift going on in medicine as new research reveals a far greater role for vitamin D. Vitamin D is not just for kids -- or the prevention of rickets. Optimal levels of Vitamin D (40-80 ng/ml) enhance the creation and functioning of healthy cells throughout the body. In addition to protecting the bones and boosting the immune system, studies show that Vitamin D helps prevent certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, prostate, and colorectal.Exciting new research shows that in the U.S. alone, thousands of new cases of breast cancer could be prevented every year if more women had optimal levels of vitamin D.

A study conducted by Cedric Garland and other prominent vitamin D researchers determined that women with vitamin D levels above 52 ng/ml have half the risk of developing breast cancer as those with 13 ng/ml! Garland (et al) estimates that 58,000 new cases of breast cancer in the U.S. could be prevented per year by raising vitamin D levels to 52 ng/ml. Imagine what the global impact could be! Read more