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Despite billions of dollars spent on years of research, the cause of most cases of breast cancer is still considered a mystery to modern medicine. Genetics, family history, diet, early menarche, late menopause, and other risk factors can explain less than one third of all cases. Most women develop this dreaded disease as a result of some cause that has not yet been recognized.

When, ultimately, this missing link is discovered it will most likely be new to the medical literature. There may have been no studies of this issue at all, or there may have been research but it was either ignored or overlooked for some reason.

When it comes to breast disease, of course, the logical first thing a researcher should look at is the effect of bras on breast health. After all, bras are designed to alter breast shape, and they must do this by putting pressure on the breast tissue. Red marks and indentations left by the bra are signs of compression and constriction, which could affect circulation. Studying breast disease without looking at the effect of wearing a bra is like studying foot disease without considering the effect of wearing shoes.

In fact, there is medical literature on this. Bras are known to cause headaches, numbness and tingling in the arms and hands, backaches, skin pigmentation, breast pain, cysts, reduced melatonin levels, poor digestion, reduced breathing, mastatis and trouble lactating, and more. No study has ever shown the benefits of wearing a bra. While some bras have been shown to be better than others for certain activities, such as sports bras for running, there is no physiological need for wearing bras. The female body was not designed with a flaw that requires 20th century lingerie for support. Like the corset and girdle, which were sold as necessities but were really not, the bra is an object of fashion, not a medical necessity.

Interestingly, the bra has been used as a medical appliance by some doctors. When women suffer from breast pain and cysts, some physicians recommend that women wear a well fitted bra 24/7, to keep the swelling down. This employs the bras as a compression bandage. And some physicians tell women who wish to stop lactating to wear a tight bra for that purpose, as well. It seems the bra does alter breast physiology.

Given these medically known facts about the bra, it is remarkable and surprising that there is almost nothing in the medical literature about bras and breast cancer. After all, breast cancer is epidemic only in cultures

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