[.ca] Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras (ISBN 1930858051)

From Amazon.com:
Singer and Grismaijer have collected striking (but preliminary) evidence that bra-wearing may be a major risk factor associated with breast cancer: women who wear tight-fitting bras 24 hours a day are 125 times more likely to have breast cancer than women who do not wear bras at all. Their interpretation is that tight clothing inhibits the proper functioning of the lymphatic system (an internal network of vessels and nodes that flushes wastes from the body) and leads to a buildup of carcinogenic compounds in the constricted areas. Although it must be emphasized that their studies are preliminary, still controversial, and definitely need to be followed up with detailed analyses of correlative factors (do these women have higher rates of smoking? do they have less-healthy diets?), this book should be read by anyone concerned about breast cancer. Possibly a very important book that could save many lives.

AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE, BUT LISTEN UP - THEY'RE RIGHT!:
It's obvious from the reviews here that this book brings out strong emotion in readers. They either see it as a life saver or are furious at the authors for suggesting a connection between wearing a bra and getting breast cancer. While I agree with the people who say the book makes sense, I'd also like to add that for me it was great to see something posItive in print about going braless. Personally, I have always hated wearing a bra and the first thing I do when I get home from work is to take off my bra. On days when I am home all day, I don't wear one. I put one on when I'm wearing clothes that would make it too obvious that there was no bra underneath if I didn't wear one, but I also heavily avoid such clothing. I do not do this because I'm trying to avoid cancer, but because bras are uncomfortable and (in my estimation) they serve no purpose. The problem for me in more than 30 years of trying to avoid wearing a bra is the many conflicting ways other people interpret my behavior. In my younger years, my husband used to call it "the no-bra look" and that always made me angry. I would reply that it is not "a look" -- I am not trying to "look" like anything, I am merely trying to be comfortable. If I sometimes "jiggle' that can be interpreted as some kind of moral evil. Why? Are breasts evil? You might think so if you consider the fuss made over Janet Jackson's breast at the 2004 Super Bowl! To other people I suppose I just look like an uneducated slob -- after all, where do you see women without bras? In poor countries, in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Don't "civilized" women all wear bras? The authors point out that the bra is a fairly recent invention. For thousands of years of history, women got by without wearing bras. These authors are not the first to believe in a connection between bra-wearing and cancer. In 1983, I was in the hospital and the woman in the bed next to mine had cancer. She told me she got the disease from wearing a bra. Apparently, her doctor thought so. I have read of this in other sources as well. But since the cancer industry brings in Big Bucks for many institutions and individuals, this simplistic idea -- that taking off your bra will decrease your risk of getting breast cancer -- will not appeal to any of them. I found most poignant of all the authors' statement that not one of the organizations or individuals to whom they sent their research replied. This is just too emotional an issue for any of those organizations to even comment. The authors mention that one of the reasons that's been given for wearing a bra is the belief that your breasts will get saggy over the years if you don't wear one. I heard that argument many years ago too and now I've been avoiding bras long enough to have an answer to that by looking in the mirror. Nope, they don't sag! I won't go on a crusade to tell other women to quit wearing a bra, but I hope more women will think about why they wear one and if they find their bra uncomfortable, try taking it off. Believe me, not having anything cutting into your shoulders and mid-section is really wonderful. And it's nice to know I have been reducing my risk of breast cancer by doing what feels good.

Should be Required Reading for all Women and their Sig Other:
Dressed to Kill should be required reading for all women and their significant others. In clear language, it provides a very logical explanation for something that should be, but is not, common sense. Fasionably tight shoes show their harm through deformation of women's feet. Bras do not provide that clear signal. However, this book provides information for all women to make an informed decision. It was a valuable asset for me and my wife. Many thanks to the authors!

Hidden Weapon of Distruction:
As a holistic practitioner with my primary focus on lymphatic drainage in conjunction with colon therapy, Dressed to Kill is on my "suggested reading" List. The authors note in their book that there is no warning label on bras. Why should anyone have concerns? From the statistics alone that are quoted, the reader can get a really good idea! The authors give a rare insight into some of the hidden dangers that societal changes have brought upon women in general. However, don't judge a book by the cover. There is a segment in the book as well as other references to "other binding clothing," so men, this will address some issues that you should heed. This book is easy to read and understand. It is surely one that should be passed around from mother to daughter and friend to friend.

An important book:
I have been working as a physician, combining acupuncture and ostepathic manipulation for many years. Stagnation is a major cause of disease in many areas of health and breast health is no exception. There is a strong negative correlation between bra wearing and breast health. Certainly in some social situations, modesty dictates that a bra be worn at certain times. But going braless when possible contributes to both breast health and firmness. Without meaning to deny the genuine discomfort of the more generously endowed women who have written in, comfort is NOT related to size. Not being able to go braless indicates a situation of restriction and stagnation in the breast. Many "large" women find that this pain goes away after a few days simply by going braless. In other cases, acupuncture and herbal therapy, and/or manual lymph drainage may be required to address the painful stagnation before going braless at home is comfortable. Of course, wearing exercise bras during exercise is appropriate for many if not most women. The double-blind study is the gold standard of western medicine, but common sense dictates that this standard is only applicable to drug therapy studies. To suggest that such a study is appropriate to assess this validity of the author's claims about breast cancer is ludicrous. How could you possibly design a study where neither the patient nor the doctor knew which patients were wearing a bra? I haven't met a women yet who can't reliably answer the question "Are you wearing a bra?" This sort of criticism cannot possibly be motivated by legitimate questions of scientific merit, so personal issues around sexuality are the prime suspect. The high school equivalency exam requirement is set by taking the average scores of eight graders - a clear admission that we do not expect students to learn anything useful in secondary education, such as understanding the term "double-blind study." A common theme in both osteopathy and traditional acupuncture theory is that lack of movement or stagnation is a major contributing factor in all forms of disease. The entire purpose of a bra is to restrict movement. A correlation between excessive bra wearing and disease is therefore self-evident. I can't imagine that any of the critical reviews written to date came from MD's - I would certainly hope that sufficient training imbues a certain humility with regards to the limits of our new fledgling system of medicine in the west. Interestingly, medical schools are compelled by accreditation standards to discard textbooks older than ten years old, as they are considered dangerously out of date. No such requirement is placed on textbooks relating to Chinese medicine in acupuncure schools, as this is recognized as a more mature system, having an unbroken written record for several millenia. We would be well served to look to the east with a bit more respect and sincere attempts at understanding ancient wisdom from a modern perspective. This book is an attempt to bridge that gap in one area of medicine. It may well have flaws, but it is worth further study.

An argument for natural common sense:
This book was both informative and affirming...and a reminder of the endless ways our societal values control women's bodies. It made me recall back to my teen years when my mother and I had an ongoing battle about my refusal to wear a bra. My mom saw in my actions rebelliousness and promiscuity. My real reasons? What a ridiculous thing to do to my body! How uncomfortable and unatural! I hated the way people would stare at my braless chest, but hated the loathsome binding feeling even more. This book is yet another argument for listening to our intuition and natural common (as opposed to culturally conditioned) sense.