Every woman dreams of having a seductive, and most importantly - a healthy breast. This is easy to achieve. It is only important to know a few secrets.
Oddly enough, the mammary glands formed during evolution from mutated sweat. But the sweat glands are constantly working with us, and the chest "stays idle" most of our lives, paying for the forced inaction by mastodynia and mastopathy. How to protect yourself from these problems?
A bit of anatomy
From the inside, the mammary gland looks like a strange hybrid of an orange tree with a vine. It consists of 15−20 lobules, divided by layers of connective tissue into sectors equipped with glandular cells in the form of grapes. Connective tissue serves as a kind of biological bra: it supports the breast, giving it a rounded shape. Each lobule is equipped with an excretory duct - the milky passage, which opens with a pinhole at the top of the nipple. This ideal design is disrupted by mastopathy. Fibrocystic changes occur inside the mammary gland: connective tissue grows, as a result of which harder cords, overgrown lobules and small granular seals are felt in the chest. As if in a bra is a bag full of small balls. If such changes cover the entire gland, we are talking about a diffuse, the most common form of mastopathy. There is also nodular or focal mastopathy, when the tissues grow within a few lobes (usually the upper ones in the outer part of the gland) or cysts form, usually quite painful.
Mastopathy has a hereditary predisposition. This does not mean that the disease will necessarily appear, but if your mother or grandmother had mastopathy, pay special attention to the condition of the breast!
What the doctor will say
Some women, having found a seal in the chest, take it for a cancerous tumor and fall into despair. Do not be upset ahead of time - go through a mammogram. Only 3-5% of nodular formations are malignant, and even those respond well to therapy in the early stages. The diffuse and initial stage of nodular mastopathy is treated with vitamin complexes, herbal and homeopathic remedies, preparations with algae and iodine, as well as specially selected hormones prescribed by the doctor. Even if the disease does not cause you much concern, therapy is still necessary. Mastopathy creates a favorable background for the development of breast cancer, and proper treatment reduces its risk. Cysts filled with fluid that were previously removed surgically are now punctured. The doctor carefully punctures the gland, sucks the contents of the cyst with a syringe and introduces a special substance that makes its walls stick together.
A special form of mastopathy
There is a form of mastopathy in which breast tissue does not grow: just on the eve of critical days, the breast increases by 15-20 percent, as if milk was spilled onto it, it becomes heavy, as if something was bursting from the inside. Of course, there is no milk there. In fact, venous blood stagnates in the mammary gland and the tissues swell, which is accompanied by pain and discomfort. This condition is called mastodynia, or mastalgia.
To reduce the manifestations of mastodynia, take diuretic infusions in the second half of the menstrual cycle. They are made from juniper berries, birch leaves and buds, horsetail grass, marjoram, St. John's wort, thyme (thyme), bearberry leaf (bear ears), lingonberry, peppermint and orthosiphon - a tropical perennial plant known in our country as kidney tea. Preparations with Vitex agnus castus extract (Vitex Sacred) will help relieve premenstrual syndrome.
IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR
To notice mastopathy and other breast diseases on time, spend every month self-examination. Examine the chest on the tenth day from the beginning of menstruation, after menopause - on the same day of the month.
- Put your hands on your belt and relax, hold them against your body and tighten your pectoral muscles. Then raise your arms above your head and squeeze your hands into a fist, observing how the mammary glands behave: they should maintain a rounded shape and remain symmetrical, no matter what you do.
- Lift the left breast with your right hand and examine its lower edge, and then vice versa.
- Feel each gland, paying special attention to the upper and outer sectors: insidious nodules most often appear here. You can go from the nipple up and down, moving in concentric circles, or rise from the base of the mammary gland in a spiral. It is better to feel it under the shower or lying on your back with a small roller under the shoulder blade on the side of the chest being examined. Check the left gland with your right hand, putting the left under the head. Inspecting the right breast, follow the same principle.
- Attention: if you notice something is amiss, immediately contact a specialist - mammologist or gynecologist. In the absence of alarming symptoms, do not forget to see a doctor once every 1-2 years, and after 45 years, be sure to do a mammogram every year.
EXPERT OPINION
Mammologist, Ph.D. Marina Lvovna Travina.
Preserving the beauty and health of the breast is not an easy and time-consuming task. The mammary gland is like a litmus test of all hormonal imbalances. Often it is necessary to restore order throughout the body, and not concentrate only on the mammary gland. When we normalize the hormonal background of the ovaries, remove the premenstrual symptoms, the mammary gland ceases to be in a “cocked” state, goes into sleep mode, and in a calm state it is much more difficult to “earn” a tumor than in combat readiness. Healthy breasts require giving up cigarettes, an extra cup of coffee and alcohol. The maximum that you can afford is a glass of red wine at dinner. The rest is an unnecessary risk. Include vitamin C-rich foods in your diet: lemons, kiwi, bell peppers, cabbage. Do not give up carrots, tomatoes, dill and spinach, which contain vitamin A: it increases the antitumor resistance. Thanks to vitamin E, vegetable oil and cereals prevent or inhibit the appearance of tumors and slow down the aging process. The trace element selenium plays an important role in the prevention of breast cancer. It is able to selectively accumulate in tumor cells and inhibit their destructive activity. Therefore, seeds, garlic, shrimp and fish should be consumed regularly.
The next stage of prevention is daily hydration of the breast skin and massage of the gland. These processes can be combined. When rubbing the cream, blood flow to the skin increases and, as a result, its tone improves. The breast should be soft and painless, and daily lymphatic drainage massage, which helps to avoid swelling of the breast tissue, will only be beneficial for her (if there are no contraindications). You can do the massage while standing, lying - to whom it is convenient. I recommend in the shower when hands are in soap and easily glide over the body. You press the little fingers to the sternum with your palms, grabbing the right and left glands, and, squeezing them, lead your hands to your shoulders.
The end point is the shoulder blades and arms on the shoulders. Repeat as many times as you are. Thus, you will conduct a massage of the mammary glands, self-examination, prevention of mastoptosis (breast prolapse) and strengthen the back muscles.
And finally, a very banal, but the most difficult piece of advice: less stress and more positive emotions. You must smile at least five times a day and be glad for something. We often do not notice the good things that are happening around us.Let's make a rule: once a year, for your own peace of mind, you and your entire female home team will be examined by a mammologist and think only about the good!
TEXT: IVAN WHITE-WING. PHOTO: PHANIE / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY RM / DIOMEDIA.COM (2); KHORZHEVSKA / RUSLAN OLINCHUK / OKEA / CHAMILLEW / FOTOLIA.COM (5); PR (1)
Materials prepared by Julia Dekanova
