BREAST
SELF-MASSAGE IS SIMPLE
©Susun S Weed
An excerpt from
www.breasthealthbook.com.
Susun S. Weed, Author
of Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise
Woman Way
Breast self-massage
is simple. Breast self-massage is pleasurable.
Breast self-massage helps prevent cancer
as well as detect it. Breast self-massage
helps keep breast skin supple. Breast
self-massage is a way to be intimate with
your breasts. Breast self-massage is a
piece of women’s wisdom. Breast
self-massage is safe. Breast self-massage
is free.
Many of the women
I’ve talked with say they don’t
do breast self-exams, though most think
they ought to. No one wants to look for
(or, heaven forbid, find!) cancer. We’ve
been trained to avoid danger, and looking
for cancer sounds like looking for trouble.
Our bodies are influenced by what we think,
so how can it be safe to spend time every
month doing a breast self-exam, worrying
if we’re about to find a lump? But
we feel guilty when we don’t.
And what are we
supposed to feel when we touch our breasts
anyway? They feel full of lumps! Most
of us aren’t sure how to touch or
examine our breasts or what we’d
do if we did feel something truly suspicious.
Our guilt and confusion make it all even
more complex.
Breast self-massage
offers a way to let go of this tension
and get in touch with yourself. This soothing,
nurturing self-massage is a pleasurable
and relaxing way to get to know your breasts.
It avoids the worry of checking for cancer,
while providing an excellent early-warning
system should cancer arise. Regular, loving
touching of our breasts allows us to recognize
normal breast changes without fear, and
gives us time to respond thoughtfully
to abnormal changes. Breast self-massage
is also a quiet, focused time that allows
the Wise Healer Within (see page 83 of
the book) to alert us to any changes that
require our attention.
Infused (not essential)
herbal oils are an important element of
breast self-massage. When herbs are infused
into oil, active plant components are
liberated and can be massaged into breast
tissue - where they help reverse abnormal
cellular changes such as hyperplasia,
atypia, precancers, and in situ cancers.
It’s fast and fun to make your own
infused oils (see page 297), or you can
buy them (see page 75). But if you don’t
have any, plain olive oil works fine.
If you already know
breast self-exam techniques, let them
inform your fingertips during your breast
self-massage. If this is all new to you,
take a few months to learn about your
breasts with self-massage before doing
breast self-exam. They complement each
other: Let the pleasure of the massage
infuse the exam, and let the effectiveness
of the exam inform the massage.
WHEN SHOULD I DO
MY BREAST SELF-MASSAGE?
Now. Anytime. All
the time. Sure, your breasts are less
lumpy at some times of the month. But
you can do breast self-massage whenever
you want, even if you’re lumpy.
If the best time for you to pay attention
to yourself is when you bleed, because
that’s when you take time to be
alone, then that’s the time to do
breast self-massage. You could do it every
week and get to know how your breasts
change with your cycle and with the moon,
but most likely you’ll do it every
month. I like to do my breast self-massage
when the moon is new.
HOW DO I DO BREAST
SELF-MASSAGE?
First, make or buy
some infused herbal oils or ointments.
You’ll want several, as each offers
unique benefits.
Then, create a comfortable,
private place where you can lean back:
in a warm bath or propped up with cushions
in bed. (Protect linens and clothing from
oil stains.) Arrange yourself there, bare-breasted,
with your infused herbal oils close at
hand.
Let your eyelids
fall. Put your hands over your heart and
hum. Cup your breasts with your hands
and hum. Imagine or visualize energy streaming
out of your nipples. Allow your breasts
and heart to open and flow as you hum.
Open your eyes.
Transfer some herbal oil or ointment to
your palms. Rub your hands together briskly
until they feel warm. Place them on either
side of one breast and hum.
Cup your fingers
alongside or under your breast, thumbs
touching and up as high on the chest as
possible. (If your breasts are very large,
rest the right breast in the right palm
and massage with the left thumb, starting
in the armpit and moving toward the center
of the chest.) Press in and slide your
thumbs down toward the nipple, pressing
the breast tissue into your fingers and
palms. Stretch your thumbs up toward the
collarbone again, but slightly farther
apart, press in and slide down.
Continue until your
thumbs are as far apart as possible (the
middle of your chest and your armpit).
Repeat, gradually increasing pressure,
but only as long as it feels good. Caution:
There is a slight possibility of spreading
breast cancer through vigorous massage,
rough handling, or very deep pressure.
Transfer more oil
or ointment to your palms and rub your
hands together. Cup your breast as before,
thumbs up and touching. Hum. Repeat the
previous pattern, but break up the stroke:
Instead of a long, slow, smooth stroke,
use your thumbs to make a lot of overlapping
short strokes, gradually moving down the
chest. Try various degrees of pressure.
Raise the arm of
the breast you’re massaging, and
put your hand behind you or on your head.
If your breast leans to the outside, prop
a pillow under that shoulder or lean over.
Cover your breast with your free hand
and hum.
Dip your fingers
into your oil or ointment and, starting
in your armpit, press the fingerpads of
your first two or three fingers down with
enough pressure to hold the skin, and
make a small circle. Don’t let your
fingers slide over the skin. Keep making
little circles (with enough pressure to
feel the underlying structures) as you
trace an imaginary spiral from your armpit
around and around your breast, growing
ever smaller until you reach your nipple.
(If it is difficult or impossible for
you to use your fingerpads, use your palm.)
Cover your breast with your hand and hum.
Curl your fingers
into your armpit and gently grasp the
ridge of lymph-rich tissues and muscles
that extend from the shoulder down into
the breast. Move up and down this ridge
several times, using small squeezes or
long glides or little spirals or your
own strokes.
As you touch your
breasts, imagine or visualize your fingertips
emitting healing pink sparkles that embrace
and nourish your breasts. Let your fingerpads
sink deeply into your breasts. Allow any
held distress to be soothed by the balm
of the infused herbal oil/ointment. Let
overactive energy be calmed by the rhythm
of your fingers circling, circling, spiraling,
spiraling.
Apply more oil or
ointment with your fingerpads, making
large gliding circles from midchest to
under your breast, up toward the armpit
and over and around, again and again,
with a steady rhythm.
When you’re
done massaging your breast, close your
eyes and relax. Hum. Call to your Wise
Healer Within as you hum.
Massage your other
breast, starting from the beginning: Put
your hands over your heart. Hum. Cup your
breasts. Hum. (Is there a difference between
the breast that has already been massaged
and the one that hasn’t yet?) Rub
your oily hands briskly together; hold
either side of your breast and hum. Extend
your thumbs and massage as before, including
all of the previous strokes and ending
with your eyes closed, relaxing deeply
and allowing yourself to contact and listen
to your Wise Healer Within.
AFTERWARDS . . .
After your breast
self-massage, take a moment to record
your experience. This will help you learn
more quickly what’s normal for you.
You can draw a map of your breasts to
help you remember what you’ve felt.
Try using colors. Write down any messages
offered to you by your breasts or your
Wise Healer Within. If you like, make
up a little song to hum during your massage.
The keynote in breast self-massage is
pleasure.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Vibrant, passionate,
and involved, Susun Weed has garnered
an international reputation for her groundbreaking
lectures, teachings, and writings on health
and nutrition. She challenges conventional
medical approaches with humor, insight,
and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of
herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman,
her animated and enthusiastic lectures
are engaging and often profoundly provocative.
Susun is one of
America's best-known authorities on herbal
medicine and natural approaches to women's
health. Her four best-selling books are
recommended by expert herbalists and well-known
physicians and are used and cherished
by millions of women around the world.
Learn more at www.susunweed.com
DRY
VAGINA
© Susun S. Weed
An
excerpt from New Menopausal Years, the
Wise Woman Way, Alternative Approaches
for Women 30-90 by Susun Weed
Available at www.ashtreepublishing.com
“You
have been wet and fertile at the will
and whim of your body for most of your
years, great- granddaughter,” murmurs
Grandmother Growth. “But you have
Changed. You grow moist with readiness
for play now only when you truly desire
it, not at reproduction's dictates. Have
no fear that your springs have run dry.
If you consciously call up your flood
of pleasure, it will answer. This is one
of my greatest gifts to you, young Crone.
No longer will you be accessible to those
who do not inspire love and trust in you.
The great portals of life, your womb,
your vagina, now serve only you, now open
only at your bidding.”
Step
1: Collect Information
We
are given two contradictory pictures of
post-menopausal sex. On one hand, we're
to look forward to freedom from conception
worries, resulting in more spontaneous,
relaxed, joyful sex filled with multiple
orgasms. On the other hand, we're to expect
dried-up, atrophied vaginas and dyspareunia
(painful intercourse).
Thinning
and drying of the vaginal tissues in the
post-menopausal years is often first noticed
during sexual activity when the expected
lubrication is slight or absent. Is this
normal?
Yes;
almost all post-menopausal women will
experience a lessening of sexual lubrication.
No, you don't have to give up your sexual
self. Crones know there are many ways
to ecstasy besides intercourse, and many
ways to be slippery when we want to be.
Step
2: Engage the Energy
•
Homeopathic remedies include:
?
Bryonia: root chakra overheated and dry,
dry vagina, dry stools/constipation
? Lycopodium: lack of root stability,
vagina very dry, self-confidence withered,
skin dry
? Belladonna: vagina painfully dry and
too sensitive to tolerate touch
•
This yoga posture sounds simple, but requires
concentration. Squeeze the anal/pelvic
floor muscles firmly while inhaling; hold.
Breathe out, holding the root lock and
add a chin lock. Hold for two seconds.
Visualize the nectar of the universe flowing
down your spine and between your legs.
Relax as you inhale.
•
Slowly, slowly. Give yourself plenty of
time to warm up before inserting anything
into your vagina.
Step 3: Nourish and Tonify
•
Eat more fat, especially foods rich in
essential fatty acids, such as flax seeds.
Most women find 2-3 tablespoonsful/30-45
mg of freshly ground flax seed daily enough
to create a noticeable difference in a
few weeks.
•
Comfrey root sitz bath (two quarts/liters
of the infusion) is an old favorite for
keeping vaginal tissues flexible, strong,
and soft. Sitz for 5–10 minutes
several times a week.
•
Drink more water, not more tea or coffee
or juice or soda . . . water. Or boil
a small handful of rice in two cups/500
ml of water to make a thin broth regarded
as an ideal internal moistener for women
with dry vaginal tissues or dry mouths.
Drink freely.
•
As part of your love play, chew on a small
piece of dong quai root.
•
Pause for the soothing cooling touch of
chickweed tincture, 25–40 drops
in water, several times a day for 2–4
weeks, and see if your hot, dry vaginal
tissues don't smile moistly.
•
Increase lubrication and the thickness
of your vaginal walls by starting your
day with: 25 drops of motherwort tincture
or 1 tablespoon/15 ml freshly ground flax
seeds. Look for results within a month.
•
Acidophilus capsules inserted vaginally
help prevent yeast infections and create
copious amounts of lubrication. Insert
one (or two) about 4–6 hours before
lovemaking.
•
Comfrey ointment is the ally of choice
when skin needs flexible strength. Rub
in the morning and night and use as a
lubricant for love play. The vulva will
be noticeably plumper and moister within
three weeks.
•
If you have access to slippery elm, try
this soothing vaginal gel. Slowly heat
2 tablespoons/30 ml slippery elm powder
in a cup/250 ml of water, stirring until
thick. Cool (you can even chill it) before
spreading over and inside the vulva and
vagina. This gel lubricates, heals, and
nourishes.
•
Exercise, exercise. Every part of your
body will age more gracefully if you work
it out regularly. That goes for your vagina
and vulva, too. Weekly orgasm is the recommended
exercise, but daily pelvic floor exercises
tonify the vaginal tissues.
Step
4: Stimulate/Sedate
•
Avoid the problem! Try sex without intercourse.
•
Ointment made from wild yam is said to
restore youthful moistness and elasticity
to post- menopausal vaginal tissues.
•
You are more likely to be troubled by
vaginal dryness and the loss of lubrication
if your adrenals have been exhausted by
overuse of coffee, alcohol, and white
sugar; severe stress, or steroid/cortisone
drugs.
•
Herbalist Rina Nissim suggests applying
the essential oil of Salvia sclarea to
vaginal tissues that have lost their elasticity.
Dilute with olive oil; pure essential
oils can be fierce on sensitive mucous
surfaces.
Step
5a: Use Supplements
•
Daily doses of 100–600 IU of vitamin
E for 4–6 weeks can help you increase
vaginal lubrication. You may need to continue
with your daily dose for months to maintain
your juiciness. Experiment to find the
lowest effective dose for you.
•
Astroglide™ is favored by those
who like to have slippery fun.
Step
5b: Use Drugs
•
Polycarbophil, the active ingredient in
Replens™ pulls water into vaginal
cells to restore and maintain healthy
lubrication. It also increases alkalinity
in the vagina, reducing vaginal infections.
•
Estrogen creams really do revitalize vaginal
tissue. But may increase risk of endometrial
cancer more than oral estrogen. Occasional,
rather than regular, use minimizes risk.
If
you liked this excerpt by Susun S. Weed,
you will want
New Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way
available from www.ashtreepublishing.com.
BLADDER
INFECTIONS
© Susun S. Weed
An
excerpt from New Menopausal Years, the
Wise Woman Way, Alternative Approaches
for Women 30-90 by Susun Weed
Available at www.ashtreepublishing.com
“If
you let that fiery wise blood just sit
there in your belly, great granddaughter,”
admonishes Grandmother Growth, “you'll
get the urge to quench that heat. You'll
get a tickle, a twinge, an urgent call.
But you won't have the moisture you need.
It's boiled away. It's gone up in steam.
“So
I'll say it once more: circulate your
wise blood, granddaughter. Spiral it around
and up to your crown. Take action on your
anger. Pleasure yourself. And you'll be
one of those old crones, like me, whose
eyes sparkle with mirth and flash with
intention.”
Step
1: Collect Information
Bladder
infections are also known as cystitis,
urethritis, and UTIs (urinary tract infections).
When bacteria grow in the bladder, the
resulting infection usually causes symptoms
such as: a burning sensation during voiding,
overwhelming urgency, frequent but minuscule
urinations, incontinence, bloody urine,
and pelvic pain. Up to 25 percent of bladder
infections in post- menopausal women are
silent or symptomless.
Bacteria
enter the bladder in three primary ways:
when feces are spread to the bladder opening
(such as wiping from back to front after
toileting), when the tube leading to the
bladder is irritated or bruised (as from
use of a diaphragm, pelvic surgery, or
prolonged/vigorous vaginal penetration),
or when there is an in-dwelling catheter.
The
thinning and shrinking of reproductive
and bladder tissues that may occur in
the post- menopausal years contributes
to bladder infections in older women,
as does lessening of vaginal acidity.
Sometimes
tiny ulcerations appear in the wall of
the bladder; this is called interstitial
cystitis (IC). Some of the remedies in
this section are contraindicated for women
with interstitial cystitis.
These
remedies are substantially the same ones
that delighted and aided the readers of
my first book: Wise Woman Herbal for the
Childbearing Year.
Step
2: Engage the Energy
•
Flow, flow, flow. Head off that bladder
infection by drinking a glass of water
hourly as soon as you feel the first urgency
or burning. It is tempting to stint on
drinking if you find yourself unexpectedly
incontinent, but don't. Bladder infections
only make incontinence worse.
•
Urine is ideally neutral to slightly acidic
(pH 5.8–pH 7). Very acidic urine
(below pH 5.5) encourages infections.
An established infection gives rise to
alkaline urine (pH 7.5 or higher), which
causes stinging and burning. Test your
urine with pH paper at any time except
first thing in the morning. Cranberry
juice lowers pH; vitamin C raises it.
•
Cantharis is a homeopathic remedy for
scalding urine.
Step
3: Nourish and Tonify
•
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) contain
substances that kill bacteria and make
your bladder wall so slippery that any
escaping bacteria can't latch on and thrive
there. Unsweetened cranberry juice (or
concentrate) is the most effective form.
(The sugar or corn syrup in cranberry
cocktail-type juices and cran-apple juices
can feed the infection.)
Drink
freely, at least a glass a day, up to
a quart/liter a day for acute infections
unless your urine's pH is already low.
•
Pelvic floor exercises help prevent and
relieve bladder infections too! Try this
one: After urinating, close your eyes,
relax, breathe out, and see if you can
squeeze out an extra dribble.
•
An overgrowth of vaginal yeast may be
irritating your bladder or urethra. Eat
one cup of plain yogurt 4-5 times a week.
Step
4: Stimulate/Sedate
•
Uva Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva ursi) is
an old favorite for strengthening the
bladder and ending chronic silent bladder
infections. I prefer a hot water infusion
of the dried leaves, but know women who
have successfully used cold water infusions,
tinctures, even vinegars. A dose is 1
cup/125 ml of infusion; 10-30 drops of
tincture; 1 tablespoonful/15 ml of vinegar;
3–6 times a day initially, then
1–3 times a day for 7–10 days.
In very chronic cases, eliminate all forms
of sugar (even fresh fruit, fruit juice,
and honey) for a month as well.
•
Yarrow is a urinary disinfectant with
a powerful antibacterial action and an
astringent effect. A small cup of the
infusion, once or twice a day for 7–10
days, tones up weak, lax bladder tissues.
Combines well with uva ursi. Results may
be felt within hours.
•
In my experience, Echinacea purpurea and
E. augustifolia are as effective as antibiotics
in clearing bladder infections and do
not contribute to vaginal yeast. (See
Step 5b.) A dose is 1 drop echinacea tincture
per 2 pounds/1 kilo body weight. (For
150 pound/70 kilo person, use 75 drops
or three dropperfuls.) In acute cases,
I give the dose every 2 hours. As the
infection clears, I lengthen the amount
of time between doses until I'm down to
1–2 doses a day, which I continue
for another 2–10 weeks.
•
Women who wash their vulva with soap and
water are four times more likely to get
vaginal and bladder infections. Douches,
bubblebaths, tampons, nylon underwear,
and pantyhose may also irritate the urethra
and contribute to bladder infections.
•
Known bladder irritants include: alcohol,
black tea, coffee, sodas, citrus juices,
chocolate, cayenne, and hot peppers. (An
herbal tincture in an alcohol base won't
irritate the bladder if you take it diluted
in a glass of water or a cup of herb tea.)
•
Urinating after love play flushes out
bacteria and cuts down on UTIs. Urinating
before love play increases your risk of
a bladder infection.
Step
5a: Use Supplements
•
Ascorbic acid wrings the kidneys, flushes
the bladder, and raises urinary pH. Try
500 mg hourly for 6–8 hours. CAUTION:
IC sufferers — avoid!
•
Be careful about taking calcium supplements
if you are prone to bladder infections.
Calcium supplements increase bacterial
adherence to the bladder wall, increasing
bladder infections.
Step
5b: Use Drugs
Antibiotics
are the standard medical treatment for
women with bladder infections. But taking
antibiotics frequently causes vaginal
yeast overgrowth (which can lead to bladder
infection). One — nitrofurantoin
(Macrodantin) — seems to cause microscopic
scarring and ulceration of the bladder
wall, precipitating IC.
Step
6: Break and Enter
Dilation
of the urethra is expensive, painful,
and causes tiny scars on the urethra,
which may lead to interstitial cystitis.
I have seen it referred to as “the
rape of the female urethra”. No
controlled study has shown this procedure
to be effective at limiting chronic bladder
infections. Do pelvic floor exercises
instead.
Legal Disclaimer: This
content is not intended to replace conventional
medical treatment. Any suggestions made
and all herbs listed are not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease, condition or symptom. Personal
directions and use should be provided
by a clinical herbalist or other qualified
healthcare practitioner with a specific
formula for you. All material contained
herein is provided for general information
purposes only and should not be considered
medical advice or consultation. Contact
a reputable healthcare practitioner if
you are in need of medical care. Exercise
self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.
Susun
Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com
and www.ashtreepublishing.com
For permission to reprint this article,
contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com
Vibrant,
passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has
garnered an international reputation for
her groundbreaking lectures, teachings,
and writings on health and nutrition.
She challenges conventional medical approaches
with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic
knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly
pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic
lectures are engaging and often profoundly
provocative.
Susun
is one of America's best-known authorities
on herbal medicine and natural approaches
to women's health. Her four best-selling
books are recommended by expert herbalists
and well-known physicians and are used
and cherished by millions of women around
the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.com
