Fibrocystic Breasts/Esstrogen Dominance

Hi,

This is my first time posting to this forum, but I have some questions and I would appreciate any advice.

I am 36 years old and I have always loved running, but a severe and persistent case of shin splints in the late summer of 2011 changed my running obsession in to a search for other activity that would make me feel as good as the runners’ high I love so much. The gym did not cut it (sooo boring to be on an elliptical machine!) so I started taking the yoga classes at the gym and got hooked on yoga. However, I crave intense sweaty exercise and so I started practicing Bikram yoga on June 2, 2012 and immediately started a very regular practice. I have been taking class pretty much daily, with one long break of about three weeks when school started (I am a teacher so late August and early September get kind of crazy!).

The shin splints literally melted away in front of my eyes, as did fat deposits I thought would never budge. I also loved the high I get from class and the fact that it is safe to practice on a very regular basis, unlike running 6 miles a day. (Weirdly, this was also about 90 min. of exercise for me. I guess I just naturally crave a 90 minute daily sweatbath.)

So a new issue for me is fibrocystic breast pain and tenderness, with swelling and…uh, “growing” breasts. They are giving me a lot of trouble, for about a month now, on a daily basis, since mid-October.

Coupled with this is a lot of stress and crying. I have recently started a business (a nonprofit teaching college courses for teachers) on top of my teaching job, so I have been pretty much working ’round the clock. I know, it is not ideal, but if this business is going to get established I will not be able to cut back on the workload for a few months. I can’t just stop working because there are many teachers signed up for courses starting in January. So, I just have to get through this time of extra stress and work.

Because of the stress, or maybe due to estrogen dominance, I have been very weepy and lue for about a month (also since mid-October). I even started crying in class the other day, during the FIRST posture. I was concerned that I would continue crying the whole class, but luckily it lasted just one posture.

I saw a naturopath for the condition, and she said to go off coffee and caffeine. So I did, on Saturday (It is now Tuesday). As an inveterate coffee drinker since the age of 15, this has been a struggle of epic proportions. Especially having to teach my very first day ever in ten years of teaching, caffeine-free yesterday! That was a new experience. Poor kids. I told them that I was struggling, and cautioned them to never take up a daily coffee habit. They are 12 and 13 years old and many start drinking a daily cup at this age. The naturopath said Maté was OK so yesterday I drank a cup in the AM and today I did so as well. It’s no coffee, but it is something. 🙂 I am a little concerned, though, as it does have caffeine, and that is implicated in the breast condition.

Anyway, my breasts are so painful at this point that I feel them when I sleep. The spine strengthening series is hard, but I kind of feel like it gives them a little “massage” so I do it anyway.

The naturopath put me on a cruciferous veggie pill, potassium iodine, vitamins B, D, and C, and an adrenal support supplement. She also told me to eat for my blood type (O positive) which includes red meat. Another doctor (an allopathic, conventional Dr.) had told me no red meat. So today I am consulting a third Dr., a naturopath who specializes in women’s hormone issues, to see what she thinks. I love red meat, to be sure, but if it is detrimental to my breasts’ recovery, I will stop eating it again. Also, I have been going bra-free as much as I can, only putting it on right before class starts and taking it off as soon as I am done teaching. (Just can’t handle the thought of standing in front of middle school kids with the girls swinging freely. They are size C but probably more like a D now so they are not “discreet” shall we say)

At this point, I would probably lop off my left foot to make my breasts feel better. 🙂

One more thing that happened last night is I woke up drenched in bed. I had to get up and change PJs, I was so soaked with sweat.

So, Dr. Yoga, fellow yogis and yoginis, anything I can do? I hope you have some good advice for me. Thanks for reading!