Commentary

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone, this is gonna be a short and sweet one since we’re looking at the last day of the year and I know you all have celebration plans of some sort and I know that I do as well. Just wanted to take some time to wish you all a fun and happy New Year’s Eve, and a wonderful new year filled with hope, goals being achieved and fun!  Let’s make this a great year for women’s health, breast news and innovations in breast health and breast implant surgeries and everything breast related!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Good Morning and Merry Christmas!

Well ladies, I really do not have much to say today besides the fact that I wish every one of you a warm, safe, and merry Christmas and holiday season.  This is the time of year when we all count our blessings and look around at our precious family and friends and thank God that we have them in our lives.  I am so grateful for my life and the people I have in it, and this is a day where I like to remind myself to never take my blessings for granted.  And as for you, dear readers, thank you for making this a great year at Breast News Magazine. We hope we can serve you with the best news and information again in the coming year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Alarming Rise in Breast Cancer Cases in Young Girls

One thing that is alarming the medical and cancer treatment community is that they are starting to see a lot more very young women, meaning around the age of 11 or so, with breast cancer.  This is especially alarming because breast cancer typically does not strike women until they are going through the stage of menopause, so it’s counter to the intuitive notion that we don’t really need to worry about agressive screenings and self exams until we are over 40 at least.

Researchers say that breast tissue is extremely susceptible to problems because it is one of the few body parts that we are not actually born with. The cells combine to grow breasts because of hormones, namely estrogen, and estrogen has been pegged as one of the potential fueling chemicals behind the growth of breast cancer.  When you look at possible reasons for the disease’s increasing presence in the younger population of girls, you might find a few different reasons this could be.

Scientists have long speculated that the abundance of natural estrogens and hormone interfering chemicals in our food supply, and even our water supply and meat supply, might be to blame for young girls maturing sexually faster these days. Then again, that could also be simply a function of human evolution, there’s just no way to know for sure.

One thing parents of young girls might want to do as a precautionary measure just in case, which is actually a good idea on many levels, not just to help prevent cancerous growths that may be hormone related, is to have their youngsters drink only purified water, and eat only non hormone treated dairy and meat products, and to minimize processed foods that are made with a soybean base or processed soy products, just to be sure there are not too many artificial, potentially harmful chemicals floating around that might spur hormonally related cancers.

New Drug Offers Menstrual Cramp Relief

There may be a new drug on the horizon that significantly helps out women who routinely experience painful periods.  Many women are affected more so than others by their monthly menstrual cycle by things like breast tenderness, severe cramps, severe moodiness, and even side effects like migraine headaches and other unpleasant health related issues.  The drug, which is only identified tentatively by a boring series of numbers and letters, may be somewhat of a niche blockbuster drugs if it performs well in trials on patients that have issues with menstrual pain every month.

So far it is the only drug that targets the muscles that make the uterus contract specifically, which makes it the most targeted drug developed for the specific purpose of reducing muscle induced cramps during a woman’s period.  I didn’t read about any known side effects yet, but there are bound to be at least a few as with most other pharmaceutical drugs on the market today.  If you have serious problems with monthly cramps, it may be something you want to do a little more research on.  As of yet, there is no estimated release date for the drug, as the release really still depends on how the clinical trials go.

Cleavage in a Wedding Dress, Classy or No?

My fiance loves it when I wear anything that shows a little bit of that peekaboo cleavage.  He always asks me why I don’t dress up that way more often and why I don’t wear even more low cut tops, and I always reply with the same response.  I don’t like to look like I’m trying too hard (A) and (B), it’s just “not me” to dress like that. I feel like I’m hanging out allover the place and I’m too self conscious.  In other words, I’d be the worst centerfold in the world, and if I had a job where I had to dress skimpy, I think I’d never be comfortable.

Which brings me to my topic, since I’m actually getting married here shortly in Las Vegas.  Is cleavage in your wedding dress acceptable? Well, I think it depends on the degree to which you show the cleavage, in my humble opinion.  For example, if you can see more than an inch, that’s probably too much, but a little bit isnt’ bad, in fact it can even look somewhat classy I dare say!  Displaying your cleavage also depends on what type of dress you’re wearing.

For example, if you’re wearing a form fitting dress that would show the outline of all the food you ate that day AND you also happen to be sporting a lot of cleavage, then that’s probably not too classy.  However, if you are wearing a more flowy, natural looking dress that isn’t so tight everywhere, then a little bit of cleavage doesn’t hurt.

I think some famous actress said it perfect when she said that she decides on what to show, and it’s only to show off one asset at a time, so if she’s wearing a booty dress, there’s no cleavage, and if she’s showing cleavage then her legs and butt are completely covered.  It’s one way of helping to ensure you don’t cross the line into hoochie wear.  That’s just my opinion though, take it or leave it! I for one, think I might be picking a dress that puts a little bit on display and is fitting, but not overly tight.

Pregnant Women Beware the H1N1

We talked last time a little bit about breast feeding and how it could actually save childrens lives if the education and support for breast feeding mothers was increased rather than the encouragement of breast formula in poor or disaster areas as is currently mostly the practice now.  Well, I figured it was important to write about the dangers that the H1N1 virus, or formerly known as the swine flu virus, pose to women who are pregnant, and also to children who are younger due to a compromised immune response and underdeveloped immune system and antibodies.  This is another reason breast feeding may be important, it could strengthen young childrens immune responses to scary new flus and viruses that cause problems in those normally with compromised immune systems.

Experts are not sure yet if pregnant women are getting swine flu more easily than others, or even why that would be, but there is definitely a higher percentage of pregnant women who are being hospitalized for the virus when compared to the rest of the population, due to more severe complications, for whatever reason.  It is particularly dangerous to pregnant women for this reason, and so they have been cautioned to be extra careful about coming into contact with it or putting themselves at higher risk for getting it.

For this reason, it has been encouraged that stores of Tamiflu, which has been shown effective against the swine flu virus, be reserved more so for pregnant women, and that they be given priority to receive this treatment if it comes up.  There are no reports on Tamflu shortages yet, but that could happen, especially since experts are predicting that the H1N1 virus will hit us full swing in the fall, when flus usually hit and colds are extra virulent.  So far, the swine flu virus has proven to not be as bad as once hyped, and there is still research being done on why the deaths in Mexico were so disproportionate to the deaths from the flu here in the US.

What initially caused all the concern was that it seemed to break out especially widely in Mexico, and the deaths reported and feared were much more than they have been so far here, although we have heard periodically of people dying from the flu here in the US, but no more than any other run of the mill flu.

Birth Control Pills May Interfere with Muscle Building

Well, we’ve all heard of some friends that claim that being on the pill has made them gain weight, or maybe even in some cases increased the size of their breasts, but also various other parts of their body to their dismay, but there is new research coming out now that is showing that if you’re wanting one of those toned, sculpted and muscular physiques, and have been training to get that kind of body, then you may need to kick your oral contraceptive to the curb unfortunately.  While there are other methods of birth control that are fairly effective, there are none yet that are as easy or as consistently effective as the oral contraceptive.

Believe me, when there is, I will be the first in line to get it, as I can’t stand being on the pill.  The only thing it does for me is give me timely periods and help keep my skin clear, oh and not make me worry about getting pregnant.  But other than that, I feel like it kills my libido and I also do feel that it makes it easier for me to gain weight and may even impact my food cravings.  Tell that to any gynecologist though, especially a male gyno, and he’ll probably look at you with a condescending look (I had this happen, I’m not saying they’re all like that, but some definitely are).

The research that has come out on the pill shows that women who were put through a strength and muscle building training program, when divided into two groups, one that is on an oral contraceptive, and another that is not, the women in the non-oral contraceptive taking group gained almost 60% more muscle mass than those that were on the pill.  Pretty depressing news if you’re on the pill, and happen to be training your little butt off to get those beautiful, sculpted muscles.

The reason they think this happens, but have not been able to be conclusive on this yet, is that the birth control pill increases estrogen and decreases testosterone.  Testosterone is the primary muscle building hormone, and estrogen is a prime component in fat storage unfortunately, so those that are on the pill are supposedly at an automatic disadvantage when it comes to building those sleek, firm, muscles on their arms, legs and belly area.

There will be more to come on this study, but right now it looks like the results are pretty clear cut.  Hmm, can I use this as an excuse that I don’t yet have those Jennifer Aniston sculpted arms yet even though I’ve been training for three months?

Sexy Sports Bras?

Yes, there is such a thing.  And as my  boyfriend has told me, he likes some of my sports bras.  Of course, they’re always the ones with the more minimal coverage, with the barer sides to them, with less fabric overall, but they can still be totally comfortable as well as sexy.  I’ve learned that you can wear lingerie that is both sexy and comfy, you just have to pick the right materials, and above all, you have to pick the right sizes to wear.

Sizing is important in bras.  This may be even more true of the sports bra, since sports bras are mostly made of stretchy cotton, and a tighter fit means you may feel like you’re wearing a vice around your chest instead of wearing a soft, stretchy comfy bra.  Not only can you buy one of the most comfy bras in the world, but sports bras are available in a variety of colors, some sexy and some plain, and you can wear them under any sweater, and some you can even wear under a tshirt because they often come lined so that you don’t get the dreaded nipple showing through the shirt effect that we all try to avoid – unless you like that!

My most comfortable sports bra I ever owned was actually a cheap one by the teenie bopper brand Mudd, and because I bought it so long ago, it’s so nice and stretched out that now it’s comformed to my ever curve, whether I’ve been heavier or not.  My boyfriend keeps bugging me to throw it away and suck it up and buy a new one because it’s white (well, it used to be white) and now it’s a dingy, brownish color from all the years of wear and tear.  Sometimes you just can’t throw away those comfy old bras, it’s sort of like men with their old tshirts I guess.

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years!  Just wanted to make sure I wished all Breast News readers a very happy and prosperous and fun new years!  Hopefully you get to hang out with your closest friends tonight and reflect on what a great year it was (notwithstanding the awful financial news that seemed ot permeate the second half of 2008), and have a few cocktails – remember, red wine is the most breast-healthy if you have a choice

 HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

It’s All in the Bra You Wear…

We went out last night to a local winery with some friends and I ended up wearing a body hugging, longer style stretchy turtle neck that definitely required me to wear a bra that outline the shape of my breasts nicely but didn’t make them look padded or weirdly shaped, so I ended up choosing one of my oldie but goody bras that is a thinner material, and not padded, but is very well shaped and has an underwire so as to lift and shape the breasts.

These are some of the best types of bras to wear with clingy clothes, even sweaters, because they outline and complement the shape of your breasts nicely.  I’m not really one to wear heavily padded bras because I feel that A.) they are not very comfortable, at least for me they’re not and B.)  because they tend to not do what they’re supposed to, which is make your breasts look naturally larger or fuller, and instead make your breasts appear as if you are wearing a stuffed bra.

Now, water bras are a little better, they are almost so realistic that putting one on makes you have the brief delusion that you have giant knockers.  I’ve only tried one of these on, I’ve never actually purchased one, but I did like the way they made my chest look when I tried them on, unfortunatley they made mine look too big and I decided I didn’t want to look like a fluzy since they would have poked out of my clothes in a not so natural or wholesome way.