Breast Massage

 


 

Breast Massage is gaining recognition, as it can provides great benefits for general breast care and breast health. In many places the law prevents a woman's chest being massaged this law needs to reviewed.

I learnt breast massage back in 1992 but it is not tort in many main stream massage schools due to its sensitive nature.

I ran a workshop once on breast massage for the midwives at the local woman hospital showing what it is about and the benefits for nursing mothers.

Breast Massage may help with.

  • Lymph and blood circulation: The breast is a matrix of lymphatic node and ducts and wearing a bra restricts the lymph and blood flow. There was a book written called Dressed To Kill: The Link between Breast Cancer and Bras it talks the link between bra wearing and bra disorders, how can the bra hurt you, wearing it more than 12 hours, wrong size bra, poor fitted or worn wrongly can interfere with lymph and blood circulation.
  • It gives a sense of lightness. I have client comment on they have a sense of lightness. Breast massage can help with improving structural integrity of the breast
  • Promote lactation: If you find that the milk is flowing breast massage can help. When I was learning breast massage, the postnatal sister of a student I was tutoring let me work on her, I got told latter with in 1.5 hours after the massage her milk product went into over drive. So those mother who donate milk to hospitals this would be great for them.
  • Helps reduce blockages in the glands and ducts.
  • Helps reduce non-malignant lumps.
  • Maintain the health of the Cooper's Ligaments, the fascia that support the breasts. Keeping this tissue healthy can help minimize sagging.
  • Engorgement: the breasts are hard, swollen and painful because their blood vessels are congested (too full).
  • Breast pain and breast tenderness
  • Edema: this is normal happens during you period.
  • Mastitis: Mastitis is inflammation of the breast tissue, particularly the milk ducts and glands in a breast, the ducts become blocked when the breast is too full. My wife at the time experienced mastitis with her first 2 children from a first marriage, she was happy that she didn't getting mastitis with our first child.
  • Fibrocystic breasts: it is some time called lumpy breast. This is when the breast lumps and feel painful
  • Maintain the suppleness of the breast tissue: I had a client with one breast that basically felt like she had a bag of beans in her breast. It took 4 treatments, it to become normal again.
  • Breast Cancer Minimization: Studies done show that breast massage for the breast may help prevent breast cancer by moving toxin and dead cell out of the breast tissue. You also need to take into account general breast care such as your diet and what you are putting into your body.

I showed a client, a large girl, a basic self breast massage which she could every night after taking her bra off and in the morning when she showered. She said in a few days her breasts were not as sore, hot and heavy.

There is a book written called Dressed To Kill: The Link between Breast Cancer and Bras it talks the link between bra wearing and bra disorders, how can the bra hurt you, wearing it more than 12 hours, wrong size bra, poor fitted or worn wrongly can interfere with lymph and blood circulation.

You can use the follow self breast massage techniques, this can be done at the start and end of your day and after you take your bra off at night to help care for your breasts.

I recommend starting from the left side first as the main lymph duct drainage from left to right

Step One: Use your fingers to gently smooth away from the nipple. These movements travel from the nipple and directly away using no more pressure than what you would apply to your eyelid you can move in a clockwise or counter clock wise motion to completely do the whole breast. Too much pressure would flatten the lymphatic vessel and stop the flow the movement of toxins and fluids in to the lymph ducts. Also, make this stroke slow, not fast, for it to be effective.

Step Two: Gently massage the breast with a kneading-like motion, using lifting and pressing movements.

Step Three: Slowly and carefully use your hands to twist the breast in a clock-wise and counter clockwise direction, being careful not to put too much tension on the breast.

Step Four: Use both hands to apply several, moderate pressure to compress the breast to flush fluids into the main lymph duct.


So you can see Breast Massage is important part of a woman's health and well-being in breast care and general breast health.