When you make a conscious choice to meditate, set aside a particular time every day and allow your whole being to simply be, any of the examples I have used above suddenly transform from an unconscious, enjoyable action and become meditative practice. Sitting in regular meditation invites clarity and balance to reflect in the way you walk through the world. Relaxed breathing and calm response begin to form your answers and reactions. The absence of tension from your body, mind and spirit supports your every system in health. Our Meditation Retreat is a wonderful beginning, re-acquaintance, or continuation of time only for You.

The modern day Women s Retreat replaces the ‘circle’ that women have sat in since time immemorial to discuss the affairs of their community. Traditional women of all ages, have partaken of these events that offered women a nourishing tribal succor that is so lacking in our western culture.

Women s retreats invite women into the embrace of their own clan to find answers to all aspects of their lives. Be this physical emotional spiritual or sexual the archetypal women s circle offered women a retreat into the embrace of the wisdom of the feminine.

Wise Women Retreats in Bali facilitated by My Health Sanctuary are committed to restoring the health & well being of women. We offer women of all ages the opportunity to take 7 days out from their lives, just for themselves. These beautiful restorative, fun, nourishing & trans-formative experiences invite women to live authentically & consciously. To validate personal issues & to be nurtured by a community of like minded women.

This Women Retreat celebrate wisdom knowledge health compassion & the truth of the gentle feminine.

How do I Massage my Breasts?

You can easily massage your breasts as a part of your normal beauty regime. This can be done after you shower & before you dress.

Choose your favourite massage oil making sure that it is from an organic vegetable source. Do not us Baby Oil as this is a mineral based oil & not good for your breasts & body.

Raise your arm above your head & with the other hand begin to massage.

Gently begin to massage each breast starting at the centre of your chest, travelling down & around your breast in a counter clockwise motion for your left breast & clockwise for your right. Use firm pressure making sure it feels right for your body. If you are pre-menstrual you may need to be a little more gentle. You can gently squeeze the area under your armpit as you massage. This will help to pump the lymphatic fluidsd & reduce any tendency to lumps developing in your breasts. Cover your entire breast & nipple with these gentle circular movements & stop when you feel complete.

Even a daily 1-2 minute massage of each breast does wonders for your health, well being & libido!!

What Are The Benefits Of Self Breast Massage? 

It’s an excellent way to ensure breast health throughout a woman’s life.

It allows for the waste product in the lymphatic fluid to be discharged fully.

It allows clean and vital blood to flood the area.

It stimulates the entire endocrine system via working on the energy meridians of the body. Thus providing the entire system with a charge up! 

It balances our delicate female hormones. 

It REALLY helps with PMS, mood swings, menstrual cycle breast tenderness, pain, cysts and fluid retention, menstrual irregularities all will be affected positively by regular breast massage.

It keeps us in contact with our breasts. The strokes of the massage allow us to check for lumps accessing early detection.

~AND IT KEEPS OUR BREASTS TONED, LOOKING SENSATIONAL 
AND HEALTHY!

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How Do I Examine my Breasts?
VISUAL:
Stand in front of them mirror with your breast exposed.
Visually examine your breast and note any changes.
Does one breast look any different to the other?
Note skin and nipple changes or discharge.
Inspect your breast in 4 steps
a] Arms at the sides.
b] Arms overhead.
c] Hands on your hips pressing firmly to flex your chest muscles.
d] Bending forward.

PHYSICAL:
a] Lying down place a pillow under your right shoulder. 
Place your right hand under your head.
Using the first two/three finger pads of your opposite hand begin to palpate your breast.
Start at the nipple and work your way around the breast expanding the circle outwards and including the under arm area.
Use 3 different kinds of strokes. Light medium and firm over each area of the breast. The deeper stoke is done by pressing deeper into towards the rib cage.

b] Standing up (this can be done under the shower) raise your right arm and with soapy or fingers oiled with almond oil check both breasts as you have done lying down.

MENTAL:
In a relaxed state allow your mind scan the inside of your breasts. Is there any pain, sensation, anything different or unusual? Mentally explore your breasts for whatever images you can experience, sensations colours, and temperatures. Become totally familiar with your breasts for an inner perspective.

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The Peaceful Heart
Last but not least! Stress is one of the greatest enemies to vibrant health & energy. Fostering inner peace in whatever way you can is one of the hall marks of good breast health and a balanced hormonal system. Taking time out just for you increases your endorphins, the happy hormone. And hanging out with you women friends interestingly also helps us to become more balanced & content!

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Maca.
Maca is effective as it promotes the ovaries and the other glands to produce the needed hormones.

Balancing Blood Sugar.
What we eat directly affects and influences our blood sugar levels. A high glycemic index food raises blood sugar rapidly and a low glycemic index raises blood sugar slowly. Hormones released in response to the food that we eat control our blood sugar. High insulin levels will increase oestrogens dominance

Exercise.
Exercise produces endorphins the body’s natural HIGH mechanism. Exercise alleviates moodiness and depression and a 30-minute workout daily brings s much relief as a natural anti depressant.

Water.
Dr Batmanchelidj in “your Body’s Many Cries for Water” states that dehydration through inadequate consumption of water causes the breast to secrete a hormone called prolactin, which at times can cause the breast to form cancerous tissue.

Water also flushes the liver, kidneys and the breast, the biological role of the breast is as a fluid secreting organ. If we are dehydrated the breast is not flushed of its natural waste products.

Inadequate amounts of water can cause a build up of toxins in the body generally lowering vitality and preventing the lymphatic fluids systemically in the body (the breasts are full of lymph nodes, as any woman with PMS will attest to!) from being cleansed.

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This discovery caused many problems including the issue of voluntary prophylactic mastectomy. The truth of the issue here is that true hereditary breast cancers according to the American Cancer Society are only 5% of all breast cancers. Much of the beast cancer epidemic is due to the increasing exposure of women to radiation, chemical mimicking oestrogens, chemicals and pathogenic factors. 95% of women do not have the breast cancer gene mutation.

There is a lot of controversy over the BRCA1 gene. The University of UTAH did research into this gene in a Mormon community in south west UTAH. This group of people had a generational history of breast cancer.
The study was under scrutiny as these people were subjected to the fallout form nuclear testing in the area. A total of 26 above ground tests and 11 underground detonations occurred in 1951 and 1980.

The Mormons were tested for cancer and there existed an increased incidence of cancer in all age groups in fact 61% in all age groups. By 1996, when the blood collection was collected for the gene identification study, 45 years of radiation exposure had passed. This is plenty of time for radiation exposure to have caused significant gene damage.

From these studies it was impossible to tell if the BRCA1 gene had ever been present prior to the testing.
Did the Utah clan of “One-breasted” women suffer genetic damage form radiation or were there hormone-disrupting chemicals that commented their food, fish ad livestock?

The tests are still under question. What remains is a fear in women’s heart that if they carry this gene they are automatically up for breast cancer and at this stage this cannot and has not bee substantiated. For the overwhelming majority of women the blame for breast cancer needs to be placed elsewhere.

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Dr Gary Burger in “ The couples Guide to Infertility” reports that Pill users after they come off the Pill nay not ovulate or menstruate due to the disrupting affects of the Pill on the natural rhythmic flow of hormones from the hypothalamus to the pituitary to the ovaries. The Pill may also cause damage to the glands that produce the kind of cervical mucous that is necessary for fertilisation to occur.

New Side Effects of the OCP.
The American Journal of Epidemiology recently reported that Pill users have increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2002 reported that in a study people suffering liver disease 83% of the women in the study were users of the Pill.

The following are a list of many vitamin and mineral imbalances caused by the Pill.

• Vit A – levels are increased on the Pill
• Vit B – deficiencies are recorded.
• Vit B2 – The bodies requirement are raised.
• Vit B6 Depletion is mild to severe
• Folic Acid – Levels are reduced.
• Vit B12 – Levels are lowered.
• Vit C – Levels are reduced by 30%.
• Vit E – The need for vitamin E is increased.
• Vit K – Levels are higher.
• Taurine – Reduces levels of amino acids necessary for the healthy function of the thyroid gland.
• Copper – Absorption is increased.
• Magnesium – lowers levels,
• Selenium – Lowers levels.
• Zinc – Lowers levels significantly.
• Prostaglandins – Lowers levels of certain prostaglandin’s These are normally made from essential fatty acids using zinc as a catalyst and decrease tendencies to clot formation.
• Blood Lipids – low-density lipids are increased.

Our next article talk about Breast Cancer & your Gene Connection …. so watch this space!

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By taking The Pill you are tampering with your most sensitive physiological and psychological process. By interfering with these processes many profound changes can be initiated in your body. Some are long term and can result in serious health problems such as breast cancer. For the best part of 3 decades it has been known that sex hormones cause cancer in hormone dependent tissues like the breast.

Teenagers And The Pill (OCP)
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to potent artificial steroid drugs contained in the OCP. The breast tissue of a young woman is still developing and is particularly sensitive to over stimulation from synthetic oestrogens In one-landmark study researchers found that women who took the Pill before the age of 20 were diagnosed with breast cancers with a much worse prognosis than women with breast cancer who took the Pill at later age or who had never taken the Pill.

IN 1989 The British Medical Journal reported that women who used the Pill before the age of 25 increased the relative risk of breast cancer by 50% and for women who used it for more that 6 consecutive years raised their risk by 320%

Instead of relying on the Pill to regulate problem periods and associated problems, girls would be much better off to correct the problem at its source. Improve diet; nutritional supplements, exercise and attending to emotional stresses are all important in controlling young women’s hormonal problems. 

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Before we met with Annie we had been trying to conceive for almost 18 months. During that time we had two miscarriages. Meeting with Annie not only fill us with confidence, but we followed her program and advice and fell pregnant about 6 weeks later. Thank you Annie for having such an impact on our lives!

A woman’s body that is continuously exposed to high amounts of synthetic estrogen, e.g.: the use of oral contraceptives & HRT is sowing the seeds of potential breast cancer. Synthetic estrogen & progesterone found in the PILL & HRT have been listed as known human carcinogens.

Estrogen Dominance. Is This ‘Estrogen Out Of Control’?

Balance of hormones is always the key to a properly functioning hormonal system. There is global issue of women experiencing deficient or excessive estrogen level with concurrent progesterone imbalance. Even women with low estrogen can have estrogen dominant symptoms if she makes low levels of progesterone.

For the last 2 decades research into the issue of Estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency has shown in female problems such as painful periods, PMS, bloating, mood swings, fibroids, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), cancer & many other symptoms.

How Does the Pill (OCP), HRT and Other Hormonal Drugs Affect My Hormone Imbalance?

When there are issues of hormonal imbalance & even if your skin is reacting, the medical solution is to “Go on the PILL”! With 4 decades of prescribing The Pill and the well-documented evidence of the side effects of the OCP (Oral Contraceptive Pill), doctors are still inadequate in their warning of woman of the potential and serious problems associated with taking the Pill. Hormones not only direct and determine physiological processes but also influence emotional and psychological states.

Watch this space for more fab info on how our hormones affect all aspects of being Woman.

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What Are Trans Fats & How Do They Affect My Hormones?

‘It’s why your pie crust is so flaky and why Ritz biscuits stay crisp’ Trans-fats are formed when oil is hydrogenated. Hydrogenating allows the fat/oil to stay solid at room temperature. Trans-fat is essentially ‘shortening’ or ‘margarine’. The American Institute of Medicine has warned that no level of trans-fat is safe to consume. Trans fat has been shown to cause hormone disruption, heart disease, cancer and insulin resistance. It acts like a plastic floating around your blood stream!

Foods that have many trans-fat include most fast food, commercially baked foods, chips and crackers, spreads sauces and mixes. Also some breakfast cereals and energy bars, tortillas, fish sticks, microwave popcorn, frozen foods and pizzas contain trans-fats.

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What Can Go Wrong With Our Breasts?

During our periods our breasts can become lumpy, swollen, painful, tender & full of fluid. In pregnancy & during breast feeding we can have blocked ducts & mastitis a reddening painful swelling of the breast & nipple.

At menopause we can suffer pain, swelling, loss of tone & breast cancer!

What Causes Changes in a Woman’s Breasts?

Mostly hormones ~ especially artificial ones ~ & stress!

What Are Hormone Disruptors & How Do They Affect My Breasts?

Hormone disruptors come in many forms like chemicals, hormone-laden meats and dairy products e.g. cage chickens, chemical laced junk foods, non natural household product & many more. In the entire history of human civilization there has never been such dangerous levels of chemicals in our foods, environment and in our bodies. Exposure to toxic chemicals that possess unintended hormonal actions has resulted in anatomic, physiologic, reproductive, carcinogenic and behavioral abnormalities to all forms of life on this planet. Toxic chemicals have been undeniably proven to contribute to the escalating issue of cancer in our communities.

Stay tuned for my next article on how chemicals affect your breasts & your unborn baby! And check out our website for how to balance your hormones with a Womens Hormone Program

You can join us at our Wise Women Retreat in Bali to help you know about women problems and how to tackle these.

For the long-term planners of parenting I highly recommend that you both take a de-toxification program under the guidance of a trained practitioner. This will really strengthen your body and balance your hormones maximising fertility.

For those couples experiencing long-term fertility issues there are some excellent estrogenic or progestogenic herbs (depending on the individual woman’s hormone balance) that can be prescribed to rectify this health issue. Optimal fertility can be restored with good success as long as there are no medical problems. Each couple is different and it is always advisable to seek the assistance of a fully qualified Natural Health Care Practitioner.

Finally I would like to commend any couple for the steps taken with your health prior to conception. Every positive health decision you make will be guaranteed to support your baby, your bodies and your long term overall health, happiness and well-being.

A carefully structured Preconception Program will induce a state of  harmonious hormonal balance for the woman. This is essential to maintaining fetal growth and development. If you are out of hormonal balance or if you have been on the oral contraceptive pill, your chances of immediate conception can be reduced. Temporary infertility may be on your cards.

In the 3 months prior to your desired conception it is recommended that you enter into a Program to enhance your fertility. Here you will need to carefully monitor your diet, your stress levels, your ovulation and your overall well being. Keeping fit and supple are all bonuses in producing a healthy ovum.

Taking time out to look after yourself to rest & enjoy your relationship & to deal with its issues goes a long way to creating a positive environment in your heart soul & body for your new baby

As your body is about to embark upon the 24 hour job that is needed to grow your baby, an appropriate supplement regime, suited to your body type and health history is strongly recommended. For example, if you are a blond, blue-eyed Anglo Celtic woman you will definitely need a calcium and sodium supplement

Committing to an individualised program of Herbal and Homoeopathic hormonal balancing, cleansing and building will go a long way to a healthy morning-sickness free pregnancy, serene lactation and long term vitally for yourself & your baby. 

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