I haven’t regularly worn a bra now for many years, so many that I actually can’t remember exactly when but I am guessing at least 15 years.
When I first stopped wearing a bra it was because I read some research that suggested that the underwires in a bra acted as a kind of antennae for electro magnetic frequencies and then concentrated the EMF around the breast area which could eventually lead to cancer. I never thought to reference the work at the time and almost forgot why I stopped wearing a bra as it had become as commonplace to me as the reason why most women choose to wear a bra.
Then today I read an academic article by medical anthropologist Sydney Ross Singer “How Bras Cause Lymph Stasis and Breast Cancer” and was horrified to learn that doctors knew in 1931 that bras were causing breast cancer and that Dr. John Mayo, of the Mayo Clinic actually wrote an article for the Annals of Surgery on this very subject in 1931, titled “Susceptibility to Cancer”. In this article he says:
“The problem caused by bras is due to their constriction of the breasts, particularly of the lymphatic system, which is responsible for eliminating toxins, cancer cells, bacteria, viruses, and cellular debris from the breasts. The lymphatics are an essential circulatory pathway of the immune system. Constrict the microscopic, easily compressed lymph vessels with tight bras, and the result is lymph fluid congestion in the breasts, or lymph stasis, along with tissue toxification. This can cause breast pain and cysts (which are filled with this lymph fluid). Over time, as the breasts progressively become toxic from impaired lymphatic drainage, cancer could result.”
This research wasn’t an isolated piece of research done before probably everyone reading this was even born and then forgotten about either.
In 2014 in the journal Clinical Dermatology a paper disclosed findings that when the lymph is preventing from moving in the breasts, the immune system is compromised along with its ability to fight cancer.
In 2017 a study in the Journal of Dermatological Science states that breast surgery can also damage the lymph in this area and “may promote tumor progression via impaired adaptive immune response.”
In 2018 another article published in the Journal of Dermatological Science, called, “Lymph stasis promotes tumor growth” had similar findings.
Other articles discuss that whilst long term inactivity of the lymph in the breast area is a major cause of cancer there are other factors which include:
- herpetic infections
- ionizing or ultraviolet (UV) radiations
- burns
- all sorts of trauma (especially amputation)
- tattooing
- intradermal vaccinations
Whilst some of the above you may have no control over we can all make a massive difference to something we do all day, every day often purely in the name of fashion. Tight clothing, without a doubt, negatively affects the flow of lymph. There is also a very easy way to see if your lymphatic vessels are being affected – by the appearance of indentations and marks in the skin. I sometimes see clients who come for massage with such severe indentions that it appears the skin is close to breaking but virtually everyone who wears a bra will have some degree of marking where the bra has been. This marking is a sign of compression of the tissues and impairment of the lymphatic function and hence immune system.
Women particularly have long been influenced by the whims of culture and fashion to dress and appear in a certain way and to alter their body shape to fit with those whims. Until now you have maybe never even considered that our biology and ultimately our health and even our diseases are modified and determined by these whims. We cannot change our body shape without a constant application of pressure to our soft tissue, the application of pressure is affecting the flow of lymph fluid and when lymph fluid does not flow properly over a prolonged period of time, disease is likely to follow.
The Other Side
There are detractors from the theory that wearing a bra can contribute to cancer. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle conducted a fairly large study of 1,500 women although all of these were chosen because they had no history of breast cancer within their families. These researchers found no connection between wearing a bra and breast cancer. This study was, however, found to have some flaws in the way that it was conducted and had a conflict of interest due to the source of some of its funds!
The study was also totally dismissive of any other study that had been conducted in this area.
What is the alternative?
The alternative to wearing a bra is to wear a vest top or camisole. Some are available with a bra cup inside of them, although beware if these are tight fitting. Whatever you choose should never leave indentation marks on your skin.
At the start of this article I said that I don’t regularly wear a bra, that doesn’t mean to say that I never wear a bra. There are occasions when wearing a bra is useful:
- Strenuous exercise – if you play an active sport or have a hobby such as jogging it would be wise to wear a sports bra during the period of activity. When I go to a yoga class I don’t wear a bra because this is a low impact exercise but when I rebound I do wear a sports bra.
- Evening wear – there are times when even I want to accentuate my figure and if I go out for an evening wearing a dress that needs me to have some support then I will wear a bra. These are infrequent and short periods of time and will therefore minimise any loss of lymph activity.
For the times when you do wear a bra make sure that the bra you have is correctly fitted, again to minimise the amount of damage done.
If you have worn a bra for 30, 40 or more years then suddenly not wearing one is probably going to seem way out of your comfort zone so here are a few ideas on how to transition:
- Start by not wearing a bra in the house. The first step would be to remove your bra when you get home from work so that you have a longer evening period for your lymph to recover.
- Skip wearing a bra at the weekend and experiment how you feel by substituting your bra for a camisole or vest top for shopping trips.
- When you feel comfortable with a camisole for shopping trips then extend that habit into your work day.
- Now you are ready to only wear your bra for special occasions and for sporting activities.
In conclusion
The bra that you wear is altering your natural shape and preventing your lymphatic system from doing its job as part of your immune system. The likely reason that you wear a bra is to conform with cultural and fashion expectations. Conforming with those expectations could be seriously compromising your health and putting you at risk of breast cancer.
There are alternatives to wearing a bra, experiment and adapt what you wear to the level you feel comfortable with. You don’t have to always go without a bra and selective wearing of a bra is probably not a serious health risk.
Most importantly be brave. We have a whole new reason to burn our bras ladies that has nothing to with throwing off the yoke of male oppression but instead a liberation of women from breast cancer.
Further Reading
How Bras Cause Lymph Stasis and Breast Cancer by Sydney Ross Singer
https://www.academia.edu/36287546/HOW_BRAS_CAUSE_LYMPH_STASIS_AND_BREAST_CANCER
2015 Comparative study of breast cancer risk factors at Kenyatta National Hospital and the Nairobi Hospital J. Afr. Cancer (2015) 7:41-46.
2016 Wearing a Tight Bra for Many Hours a Day is Associated with Increased Risk of Breast Cancer Adv Oncol Res Treat 1: 105.
2016 Brassiere wearing and breast cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis World J Meta-Anal.Aug 26, 2015; 3(4): 193-205
2016 Lymphatic Vessels, Inflammation, and Immunity in Skin Cancer Cancer Discov. 2016 Jan; 6(1): 22–35.
2017 Surgical damage to the lymphatic system promotes tumor growth via impaired adaptive immune response. Journal of Dermatological Science April 2018Volume 90, Issue 1, Pages 46–51
2018 Lymph stasis promotes tumor growth. Journal of Dermatological Science
Could There Possibly Be a Link Between Underwire Bras and Breast Cancer?? By Dr. Sadeghi https://goop.com/wellness/health/could-there-possibly-be-a-link-between-underwire-bras-and-breast-cancer/
