I use essential oils every day at work, at home, and often give them to friends as gifts. Essential oils have amazing healing potential.

I like to tell the story about the wonderfulness of essential oils from Valerie Ann Worwood book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

My version of the story. A French cosmetic chemist in the 1920s was working in his lab and burnt his arm. He put his arm in a vat of lavender oil. The pain in the arm was less and healed quickly without blisters, redness, or scars.

The easy experiment to prove, “what you put on your skin will absorb to travel and affect your whole body”, can be done with a clove of garlic. First have a close friend analyze your breath. Now rub a cut clove of garlic on the bottom of the foot. Do a good job and massage in the oils of the garlic.  Wait twenty to thirty minutes and breathe on that same close friend. Friend should smell the garlic on the breath.

Breast Health Oils
I call my blend of essential oils Kim’s Best Breast Blend. I researched what I thought would be the right oils for myself. This oil blend is mentioned in my breast massage booklet available here. 

I wanted my blend to have strong healing properties of anti-carcinogen, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, lymph enhancer, skin protection for reduced elasticity (older breast tissue), diuretic to move fluids, blood cleansing, raise immunity, speed healing, reduce scar tissue, reduce pain, mood calming, relaxing and mood lifting. The following twelve essential oils are the ones that fit what I wanted in my oil blend.

Bergamot, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Lavender, Frankincense, Sage,
Geranium, Cypress, Marjoram, Ylang-ylang, Thyme, Rosemary

I put ten drops of each essential oil (120 drops =4ml) in a large bottle and add the apricot oil. The dominant smell is the lemongrass (truly one of the super healers in the bunch. I drink tea with lemongrass everyday. I will tell you the lemongrass tea beats an infection story another time.)

The essential oils that I did not want in my blend are those that add estrogen to the tissue. Estrogen feeds tumors of the breast, uterus, and ovaries. These four essential oils are wrong for breast health;  Clary sage, Niaouli, Fennel, and Aniseed.

Muscle Aches
When I massage clients, I ask if they have any allergies and would it be all right to use lavender and peppermint along with the massage oil. 

“I promise you wont smell like a flower when you leave.“  

Peppermint and lavender are the gentlest of muscle relaxants and work well together to reduce inflammation in the muscles. The power of the nose adds to the topical application. When the nose recognizes the lavender and peppermint smell the brain sends a signal to initiate a relaxation response in the body.  

Skin Irritations
Ron Guba, the leader in aromatic medicine in Australia, developed a great ointment for wound healing (skin ulcers, bedsores, rashes, skin irritations of various kinds).  My search today still shows that “Guba’s Wound-Healing Cream” is not available for the public. Which I think means the pilot study is still ongoing.

Web site of Ron Guba http://www.essentialtherapeutics.com.au
​
Mr. Guba ‘s research of essential oil is mentioned in Clinical Aromatherapy, Essential Oils in Practice by Jane Buckle.

Mr. Guba’s story of success with his formula inspired me to create my own version. My version is not exactly the same blend of oils (I have added a few more proven hard working favourites).  From my own home studies, I have had wonderful results. I call my version, 10-15-20-balm.

10 drops of each essential oil, 15 essential oils, 20 grams of base ultrabalm(from LUSH)

In a half tin of 45 gram ultrabalm (using only half is approximately 20 grams of ultarblam) add 10 drops each of ​​Lavender, Frankincense, Marjoram, Rosemary, Grapefruit, Thyme, Bergamot, Geranium, Sage, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, German Chamomile, Myrrh, and Tea tree oil. Blend completely using a stir stick.

Latest use of Homemade 10-15-20 balm in our home was a serious skin irritation from sawdust. G was surprised how quick it feels better and how fast (under two weeks) it heals the skin.

Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog

A common and often extremely uncomfortable distressing and painful concern I have heard, seen and experienced myself is breast congestion.  

Inflammation can occur with breast feeding, menopause, muscle tension, regular monthly hormonal changes and infections. 

The infection may not be in or of the breast. A tooth infection can cause inflammation in the breast, chest, neck and arm.

What to try to move out the inflammation after you have seen the doctor and the dentist and everything is checked out as ok. 

Icey cool packs on the area of inflammation is helpful. Keep a flat sheet in the freezer and wrap it around the breast tissue. Try a figure eight pattern with the sheet around both breasts. 

Lymphatic drainage massage and gentle breast massage. Lymph massage will help direct the fluid to move and to drain into the body at the collar bone (clavicle), breast bone (sternum) and armpit. Remember to open up the locations the fluids will drain into first with gentle pressings or pumpings of the collar bone, breast bone and armpit.  Direct your massage strokes of the chest, arm and breast pushing the inflammation to exit into the body at the places you just pumped open. 

Movement of the shoulders and arms. Shrug and roll your shoulders. Raise your arms up and do a "climbing a ladder", back stroke, and/or forward crawl motion with your arms.  The movement of your muscles will help move the fluids. A helpful guided demonstration is  this youtube video for lymphatic decongestive exercises by Heather Wibbels, LMT.  Move the breasts with a gentle bounce using a hand can help move the fluids out. 

Results may very, but mostly you should see some difference within the week. After four weeks of daily therapy and a relaxing massage from your massage therapist you should be feeling much better. If not go back to the doctors. Short term inflammation is nothing to worry about, long term inflammation is where disease grows.

Add  lemon juice to the water and green tea that you drink. Lemongrass teas will help reduce the inflammation and improve the health of the breast and the whole body.  Cucumbers are the leading vegetable for reducing inflammation and suppressing the growth of cancer cells specific to the breast.

In the summer months try this refreshing summer time blender drink to detox and reduce inflammation. In a blender add a cucumber with peel, watermelon without the rind, a whole lemon without the harder ends and a little water. Blend it smooth. Adding ice to be crushed in the blender I find is optional if all the fruits and vegetable are already cold.  If it needs to be sweeter add stevia. Adding a little fresh mint (optional but sometimes very necessary depending on my tastebuds of the moment) to the mix will make it more interesting. Adding fresh frozen raspberries gives it a nice healthy berry boost.

​Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog
​
Twelve Health Benefits of Cucumber, plus more delicious cucumber recipes.
​https://www.jenreviews.com/cucumber/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhHqTsz4vJI&list=UUphaJ75smvWi1eCG4jeJQJg
http://www.naturalnews.com/044882_lemon_water_weight_loss_juice_benefits.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19147746
http://www.naturalnews.com/036769_cucumbers_health_benefits_rehydration.html
http://science.naturalnews.com/2010/2602937_Red_raspberries_have_antioxidant_effects_that_play_a_minor_role.html

You may already know that when you have a mammogram what is found has been in there for ten years before it got to a size that a mammogram could detect it. To be able to get a picture of the health of the breast tissue at that beginning stage before the ten years go by, when things are small, at the moment when you can do something that is proactive and optimistic, thermography can take that picture.

Better than receiving the cancer creating radiation of mammography is the thermal imaging of thermography which is available across Canada with two locations in Calgary and three in Edmonton. There is also a blog with interesting articles and studies.
 ​http://www.thermographyclinic.com/locations/canadian-clinics/alberta

Current cost at most clinics is at $250 including follow up consultation.​ www.calgarythermography.com
www.breastthermography.ca/prices.php

Our food is lacking in essential nutrients like iodine that once was in foods and the minerals like selenium is no longer in the foods and magnesium is no longer in the foods etc etc. Our less than utopian world has soil that is naked of nutrients that feeds the body and keeps us healthy. I take food in capsule form, most people would call it supplements, to make the body stop hurting and continue to function properly. 

I like personal stories and first hand accounts. I found this youtube video by Marie Stephens on her channel A Place To Heal. Her personal journey of health has been inspiring. I like what she has to say about iodine and its relationship to breast health. 

To see older articles on breast health have a look at breast massage category on this blog site at http://www.kimdeering.com/blog/category/breast%20massage
​
​Free how to do self breast massage booklet available on this website Your Daily Massage Guide For Breast Health.

Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog

1. Trigger points in muscles sending pain to the breast tissue areas. Feels like long drawn out pain, or maybe best described as a 'think I'm having a heart attack'.
2. Congestion and or inflammation caused by drainage pathways being blocked by tight clothing or a wrong sized compressing bra, tight muscles or inadequate lymph movement from contracted tight muscles. The congestion can be felt as sharp pain and there might be a sensation of itch that is not just dry skin but a sign of tissue being stretched from the inflammation.
3. Injury directly to breast tissue. Trauma to the breast like a hard hit to the breast during sports activities can cause fascial sticking. This pain may feel like a pinch and you may not feel the pain of the restriction until many years later when the breast tissue is loser and hanging or pulling away from the point of impacted fascial restriction.

I have experienced all three types of breast pain. Trigger point pain, congestion and inflammation pain and trauma induced fascial sticking pain.

For me Breast Massage is necessary along with having a fellow massage therapist work out the trigger points of the surrounding muscles of the body twice a month so that there is proper drainage and movement of the fluids of the breast tissue and all the muscles. For more discussion and location of the many trigger points that are causing pain to the breast look at the booklet on this site Your Daily Massage Guide For Breast Health

Breast tissue is delicate and should not be handled in the same way you would massage an arm, back or leg. Apricot oil or grapeseed oil  or coconut oil with essential oils makes the massage experience enjoyable. 

For Immediate Pain Relief
​I have been using a blend I call A4 for years with my clients and myself to help reduce the painful inflammation already occurring in the body, or from a therapeutic massage that can create inflammation and reduce the potential after massage next day pain, and for potential arthritis or inflammation of my own overworked hands.
 
The Four Essential Oils of the A4 blend are:
Wintergreen and Birch are like adding a topical aspirin. Reduces inflammation and reduces pain. 
Clove is an analgesic and antispasmodic that works to reduce pain. You may have heard of people using clove for a tooth ache.
Rosemary is also an analgesic, antispasmodic and a strong warming oil that can burn when used without a carrier oil. 

Kim Deering's Breast Massage Oil Blend
For Breast Massage I like the health supporting blend of the following twelve essential oils in a blend of base oils of apricot and grapeseed. 

To support the health and movement of lymph, blood and mood:  
Geranium, Cypress, and Ylanylang.
For health and protection of skin, lymph and support the elasticity of tissues:
​Lavender, Frankincense, and Marjoram 
Anticarcinogin properties: Bergamot, Peppermint, and Lemongrass 
Reduce fascial restrictions and scar tissue: Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary 

This is the Breast Massage routine that is working for me.
http://www.kimdeering.com/your-daily-massage-guide-for-breast-health.html

Have a look at other articles I have written on breast health and massage.
www.kimdeering.com/blog/category/breast%20massage

Massage for the breasts is about taking preventative action to keeping the breasts and the body healthy so that there are no problems developing.
​
​Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog

Talking to people lately I realized I needed to post the links to the article on the research of citrus fruit oils to prevent breast cancer.  The oils, limonene, found in the skin of citrus fruits, protects the body by accumulating in the fat tissues.

The conclusion is to increase the daily consumption of lemons, oranges, and grapefruit for both men and women.  

Orange and lemon oil can be massaged into the breast with coconut oil as a carrier oil at 10 or 20% dilution.

Citrus fruits are a tasty way to be healthy, stay healthy and massage.
kimdeering.com/blog
​
http://www.kimdeering.com/blog/help-for-your-breast-congestion
​http://tisserandinstitute.org/citrus-oils-and-breast-health/
​http://www.naturalnews.com/050168_lemon_water_detoxification_lemons.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3692564/

I have experienced the painful stiffness of watching a movie at home sitting on the couch and then getting up after the two hours feeling the achy stiffness of what I imagine it would be like to be five hundred years old. Then I tried sitting in the rocking chair to watch a movie for two hours. When I got up I was still as young as I am now and moving without the complaints of stiffness that comes in the first few steps when it usually feels like my body is learning how to move or break out of a cocoon of restriction.

Rocking chairs of all kinds like the swivel rocker, the gliding rocker or an original design wooden rocker is a health supporting chair to sit in. 

The body laying still or sitting still creates stagnation that leads to disease of the body. Movement creates health. The small movements of the rocking chair moves the lymph that filters the 'puddles' of stagnation and increases the oxygen to all the cells. Lymph can not move without the mechanism of muscle action or movement. The lymph system does not have a pump like the heart has for the veins and arteries. The lymph movement is reliant on physical movement of the muscles to gently pump the lymph nodes and connecting vessels. 

Your body needs your help to keep it healthy. When you sit try to rock as much as possible. You will notice the difference.
kimdeering.com/blog

http://www.naturalnews.com/038258_lymph_infants_health.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/048484_lymphatic_system_immune_detoxification.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/038408_lymphatic_system_human_body_healer.html

Laying on the stomach while getting a massage can be uncomfortable for women with breasts of size, dense breast tissue, fibrocystic/lumpy breasts, augmented or just because it is a painful or that tender moment of the month. 

To make this breast support pillow you need  1 pillow and  4 safety diaper pins. 

Place pins to bring the two sides together as done in this picture.

Locally I have found the package of four safety diaper pins at Extra Foods in the baby supplies section. 

Pin the top down as done in this picture. Your pillow is now complete. 

Flip the pillow over for use. The pins should be facing down touching the massage table or your bed away from the body.  

To rest comfortably you will need a pillow for the head.

 I folded a pillow over and stitched it to make a smaller but denser pillow that will be at the right supportive height for my head. The added density to the pillow will allow the pillow to not collapse.

There are a few commercial devices for breast support already on the market. 
 
 http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Massage-T-Wedge-Feminine-Bolster/dp/B008X8VB68/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=16QG8Q54Y911XSXEPPYS

https://www.meyerdc.com/mammagard-breast-orthotic​

 http://www.mtso.ab.ca/search?q=breast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0cjv49sStk

http://www.amazon.com/Breasts-Pillow-Large-Size-massage/dp/B007XXQ0H4/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=mcsah-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=FFE2RIKHA2J2VRSA&creativeASIN=B007XXQ0H4

I like what I have created for myself, friends and clients/patients of the clinic.  When using the breast support pillow I notice that the back is more relaxed and in a more receptive alignment for a massage. There is more comfort to the whole body when there is support pillows. There are health benefits to the breasts and whole body with the reduction in weight loading onto the vulnerable breast tissue when receiving a massage or just when laying prone. 

What the clinic critics are saying about the homemade device: "I need this for home." "Nice." "Comfortable." "Relaxing." "Good for when the breast is tender."

If you come in for a massage and want to try out this breast support pillow and I have not placed it on the table, just ask for it or grab the pink pillow out of the stack of pillows next to the cabinet. The green shoulder support pillows should be used with the breast pillow and then a brown pillow for the head creates the right combination of pillows for a most comfortable massage. This is your massage, you should be comfortable. 

Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog

Yes it is a merry magnesium day every day.  I have started a new experiment on myself, because we can only experiment on the individual self after all, no one can tell me how much magnesium is going to work. My food intact, personal stressors, activity levels, age related hormonal conditions are mine. This can only be a personal experiment.

I have been taking 1000mg of magnesium for ever, almost, maybe just as far back as the last three or four years. I don't remember what I did before then. The 1000mg truly is barely enough to keep the muscle cramps away. So now that I have read The Magnesium Miracle by Dr Carolyn Dean, I have decided to kick it up a notch and see what happens because my interpretation of what I read says that if you are not seeing results then try a different type of magnesium and or more. The advised daily totals of magnesium suggested in the book are under 1000mg. I have read that 1000mg is what an athlete should be taking daily.  

I started slow with 300mg every five hours. Then I changed the evening pill to 500mg and then the dinner time and the evening pill to 500mg. And now I am taking 500mg every five hours, and making that a total of 2000mg daily.  If I wake up at maybe two or three in the morning I decided to try to take one more capsule of 500mg.  And no I have not suffered diarrhoea so far. 

I think the idea of taking 500mg of magnesium every five hours is the right interval for me. Caution Advisory: I do not suggest trying the same as I have done. If you do decide this is an experiment you also want to try, do more research and start slow. I do not expect that I will be at these numbers for an extended length of time, or maybe it might take longer then I think to get things right and this level of magnesium is very necessary for my health.

What I noticed right away. This first week I lost five pounds of water weight. Inflammation of the whole body just fell off. I noticed the water volume and at first thought I had drank too much tea that morning. And then by the end of the week my clothes had wiggle room and my muscles of arms, hips, knees, legs and the breasts felt awesome!! No pain in any joint!! My mood is up and my energy feels way up!! Haven't done any sneezing from being tired this week. 

I am continuing at the speed of 100 mg per hour for the next few weeks/months and see what else will happen. I have read that it may take three months to a year to have my body and my life completely changed.

My personal magnesium goals: 1.Neck muscles and all the muscles of the whole body are feeling good all the time 2.Breasts experience proper drainage and fluid exchange happening always 3.Calcification deposits hiding in the breasts, brain, lungs and whole body dissolved away. 4.Maintain this new level of energy and calm mood every day.  5.Inflammation gone and flexibility of all joints maintained.  And for the future aged me, I would like to see 6.Healthy function of brain, heart, kidneys, bladder, bones, thyroid, immune system and the list of all wonderful systems and parts of the body working wonderfully together to create a gently aged me.

When I look back at my life and body issues and experiences of PMS, menopause, muscle cramps, muscle weakness, muscle twitching, asthma, insomnia, food cravings, mental health moments of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, night terrors, OCD, migraines, and the list goes on. I realize now and know that things should have been better if I had found the idea of therapeutic magnesium earlier. Looking forward I know magnesium is the answer for my health problems.

Read my other blog articles in the category on magnesium
http://www.kimdeering.com/blog/chelated-magnesium
http://www.kimdeering.com/blog/muscle-cramps-magnesium-will-help

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-magnesium-miracle-revised-and/9780345494580-item.html?ikwid=magnesium%20miracle&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage
​kimdeering.com/blog

Several months ago I started an experiment I read about. Painting liquid iodine on the body. If you need the iodine you will see the results immediately with the body absorbing the iodine  without any staining left on the skin. 

Common places to paint are the feet, breasts, the area above the placement of ovaries for cysts, or any place there is hyper scaring. 

This is a short and incomplete list of the positive influence of iodine; Cancer, Diabetes, Brain Health, Prevents Heart Disease, Radiation Protection, Protein Synthesis, Balance the Function of the Thyroid, Fibrocystic Breasts, Cysts, Regulates Estrogen Production in the Ovaries, Reduces Pain, Diminishes Hyper Scar Tissues, Cheloid Formations, Dupuytren's and Peyronie's Contractions, Supports Immune Function, and Destroys Pathogens, Molds, Fungi, Parasites, and Malaria.

Iodine supports many important functions of our body. Do a search for yourself and also check the links below to read more of how iodine is a universal medicine. 

Be Healthy. Stay Healthy. Massage.
kimdeering.com/blog

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/04/iodine-deficiency-affect-childs-brain-function.aspx
http://naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniquesiodine-patch-test.htm
http://drsircus.com/medicine/iodine/iodine-rescue
http://www.normalbodytemperature.co.uk/iodine.html
https://www.womentowomen.com/thyroid-health/iodine-and-the-thyroid-worth-a-second-glance/
http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1288738
http://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/iodine.html

With the summer fruit season almost here there is  the resurfacing of news articles on the cancer fighting benefit of peaches and plums.

May 15, 2014 the news from USA Today,  "Peaches could fight breast cancer, experts believe" and March 29, 2014  "Peaches, skin and all, show promise in breast cancer fight, research finds"  from The Spokeman-Review presents the finding of Giulana Noratto, Weston Porter, David Byrne,  Luis Cisneros-Zevallos that was published in 2009 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, "Identifying Peach and Plum Polyphenols with Chemopreventive Potential against Estrogen-Independent Breast Cancer Cells"

It is recommended that three fresh peaches or plums be eaten daily. The variety of Peaches used in the lab study that destroyed aggressive breast cancer cells are "Rich Lady" and "Black Splendor" plums. And remember to also eat berries, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, blueberries, apples, sweet potatoes, beans, spinach, nuts, and turkey.

Other good articles to investigate on cancer fighting foods can be found here at Science Natural News.

kimdeering.com

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/05/15/9154585/
http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2014/mar/29/peaches-skin-and-all-show-promise-in-breast/
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf900259m
http://www.naturalnews.com/024332_cancer_food_health.html#
http://science.naturalnews.com/Google-Search-Results.html?q=cancer+fighting+foods&cx=010579349100583850635%3Af0xyom6ig-c&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&sa.x=-1104&sa.y=-283&sa=Search&siteurl=science.naturalnews.com%2F&ref=&ss=3285j851833j21