Your breast health needs attention, dear ladies. Inculcating the habits in your daily routine can be beneficial for you. Try them!
Breast health is often looked at as mammography sessions or self examination, but breast health is a whole lot more than this. Your breast health matters everyday, and it is affected by your daily habits. We often overlook them and neglect the issues that can arise later. Diet, exercise and massaging your breasts can make a world of difference to your boobs, ladies!
Even as breast cancer continues to be on the rise globally, a lot of women tend to ignore that breast health matters. Dr Gandhali Deorukhkar, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, says there are some breast-related habits that every woman should follow.
How to maintain healthy breasts
1. Consume a healthy diet, rich in antioxidants
Eating food rich in antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals can boost your breast health and prevent the onset of many diseases like cancer. One of them is grapes, which are packed with vitamins C and K, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and antioxidants such as resveratrol and beta carotene—all of which can help prevent chronic diseases.
2. Do pectoral muscle or chest exercises
Exercising daily and indulging in yoga keeps you fit and healthy. Inculcating some chest exercises like cobra pose, traveling plank, pushups, plank, etc can keep your breast firm and healthy. It also prevents saggy breast. Deorukhkar comments, “Exercises that promote the firmness of pectoral muscles like incline push-ups, flat bench press, chest dip, resistance band pullover,s etc should also be added by women in their regular workout regime for breast health”.
3. Moisturize the skin around areola
Areola is the area of dark-colored skin on the breast that surrounds the nipple. Deorukhkar tells HealthShots, “A massage on your bust with a special sponge, glove, or ice cubes wrapped in a cotton towel will stimulate circulation and the skin will be dripped and nourished, it will gain flexibility and healthy beautiful packaging”. You can even massage your bust with oils such as almond, coconut, olive oil, or fenugreek oil. It will keep your nipples hydrated.
4. Massage the lymphatics around the breast tissue
Lymphatic massage is different from normal breast massage. In this the pumping movement is done, where the breast is moved using some light pressure and then the breast is released gently, allowing it to return to its normal position. It’s easy to learn and can be beneficial for maintaining breast health.
5. Your breasts deserve the correct-sized bra
A lot of women around the world wear the wrong bra size. It eventually leads to saggy breasts. It is important to wear the correct size of the bra so as to keep your breasts fit and firm.
6. Take supplements containing Vitamin D and E
Deorukhkar comments, “A lot of research has confirmed that low levels of vitamin D lead to breast cancer”. Vitamin D plays a major role in controlling normal breast cell growth. Also, vitamin E can alleviate breast pain, especially during one’s menstrual cycle.
