Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and for most of us we are aware of various breast cancer campaigns and fundraisers.  We have heard about it, we see pink ribbons often on merchandise but it really doesn’t hit home until a close friend or relative or yourself get the diagnosis. As I am writing this my hair is pink, really pink. I have made a pledge for the month of June to Go Pink as part of a national fundraising campaign in Australia to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research.  So with breast cancer awareness facing me in the mirror I was thinking which essential oils would be helpful for breast health?

 

Know your lemons

Prevention is cure the saying goes but is breast health something that most women prioritize at all?  There are so many resources available like  Knowyourlemons to educate women and men, because breast cancer can affect men as well.

Focus on the shape

One thing that I immediately noticed when looking at lemons is the fact that their shape resembles the shape of the breast. It is amazing that there are foods that resembles the body part that they are good for. Have a look at this helpful image from livelovefruit.com

Why is citrus so good for breast health?

Citrus fruits are very high in limonene which can prevent breast cancer and inhibit cancer cells.  Limonene is a compound found in the peel of citrus fruit. Orange peel has the highest amount of limonene.  Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t really like orange peel, except perhaps in orange cake but that is not a healthy way to get limonene into my body.

Citrus essential oils

Citrus essential oils  however are made from the peel of the fruit so loaded with limonene. Limonene belongs to the group terpenes which has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, disease fighting properties. Another great benefit of limonene is its ability to combat stress and anxiety.

Citrus essential oil  is very high in limonene which  inhibits inflammation as well as activates phase 2 of the liver detoxification which is super important to neutralize cancer forming cells.

 

How to use citrus essential oils for breast health

Essential oils are not meant to be ingested and if you think about it, I just told you that citrus essential oils are made from the peel.  Therefor if you would not eat a cup full of orange peels then why would you drop 2 drops of orange essential oil in water and drink that?

Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil, that is another vegetable oil to dilute the essential oils. A good carrier oil for breast health would be organic coconut oil or jojoba oil. You can read more about carrier oils here on another blog that I wrote.

 

Happy breast balm

Here is an essential oil mix for looking after your breast.

Now I do want to stress the fact that this is not an alternative treatment for any breast disorder or breast cancer. Using essential oils if you do have breast cancer need to be discussed with your doctor first.

I am all for natural therapies but when it comes to breast cancer there has been a lot more research done by the Breast Cancer Foundation than any alternative therapy organization.

I think it would be good to use natural therapies to address the fear and anxiety that is caused by the diagnosis and support your body that way and let the oncologist deal with your cancer.

Dilute in a carrier oil to a 10 % dilution

Lavender oil

Lavender is such a versatile oil and no wonder that it made it into this mix as well. High in linalool which makes it a great oil to take care of anxiety and stress. You can read more about Lavender here.

 

 

Sweet orange oil

This very uplifting oil is very high in d-limonene and have the ability to promote healthy cell growth and strengthen the immune system. Studies have been done on sweet orange oil’s ability to inhibit tumour growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Sweet Orange Essential Oil 30 mL

Orange Sweet is most commonly known for its wonderful uplifting and calming scent. It j… [More]

 

 

Lemon oil

Great for the lymphatic system and to aid the liver in its detoxification process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Lemon Essential Oil 30 mL

Lemon is one of the most easily recognized oils because of its refreshing, energizing a… [More]

 

Geranium oil

Geranium is another great oil to aid in lymphatic drainage. You can read a bit further about the uses and benefits of Geranium oil here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Egyptian Geranium Essential Oil 10 mL

Geranium Egyptian is a marvelous skin-balancing oil and can help improve the overall sk… [More]

 

Frankincense

This oil has been highly valuable from biblical times , no wonder it was one of the gifts that the wise men brought for baby Jesus. Frankincense has anti-inflammatory and healing properties which makes it a great oil to use for looking after your breast. I do see some bloggers advocating that you ingest Frankincense or claim that it can cure or prevent breast cancer.  Please follow safety guidelines when using essential oils and always remember aromatherapy cannot replace breast cancer treatment. It can be used as a complimentary treatment if you have confirmed that it is suitable with your oncologist.

General Safety Information

Always use good quality essential oils, preferably organic. One of my favorite companies where I personally get a lot of my oils from is

Plant Therapy.

Do not take essential oils internally or apply essential oils undiluted topically.

Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil.

Follow Dilution recommendations on the Essential oil Dilution chart.

Pregnant women have to consult with a qualified aromatherapist and or midwife and doctor before using essential oils, especially topically.

If you have liver damage, cancer, suffers from epilepsy or other medical problems and take medicine on a regular basis  then you have to use essential oils under the guidance of a trained aromatherapist.

Before using essential oils on children you should consult with a qualified aromatherapist.

You can have a read here about using essential oils for children.

Check whether the essential oil of your choice is safe to use around your pets. Here  is a list of essential oils safety for dogs.

 

Happy lymph, happy life

Understanding how essential your lymphatic system is for your immune system is really important. What is your lymphatic system? Well that is your body’s waste system. You have more lymph fluid in your body than blood. The only difference is the lymphatic system does not have a pump. You are the pump. The more you move the better your lymph move.

Our sedentary lifestyles is not doing us a favor at all because a sluggish lymph can make us feel really lethargic, cause foggy thinking, headaches, inflammation, joint pain and fluid retention.

Besides moving more you can also do lymphatic drainage massage. Now there are massage therapist who specializes in lymphatic drainage but you can also do it yourself. Especially around the breast area. Joyce Sebotta is a breast health educator and has a step by step video that you can watch here as well. This is something that you can do daily to nurture and protect your breast.

 

Take care of you

Women especially mothers can often develop rushing women syndrome. It is a phrase that Dr. Libby Weaver, a nutritional biochemist,  came up and it is also the title of one of her books in which she goes into depth about what happens really in our bodies when we live under constant stress, hormone imbalance and making poor lifestyle choices. You can  check out her book below if you click on the image.

Often breast cancer is the thing that stops them in their tracks and forces them to take a really good look in the mirror.  The thing that slows them down and strips them of so much and forces them to appreciate life, family, love and health.

No matter where you are in your journey please take care of you so that you can take care of those you love.  That means that you have to make your own physical, mental and spiritual health a priority.

Take care of you so that you can take care of those you love

Elize

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.aromatherapynaturesway.com/lymphaticbreastmassage/

https://knowyourlemons.com/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/d-limonene#benefits

https://www.aromatherapynaturesway.com/aromatherapy-science/