The Healthy Breast Foundations Program
by Pam Fichtner

Do you want to love and honour your breasts more fully? Can you commit to diving deeper to truly understand how to reduce your risk of breast cancer and prevent its recurrence? Then this program is for you!!

I have been involved in breast health education ever since I graduated from massage therapy school in Vancouver in 1997. I have provided countless breast massages to my clients over the years, ranging from breast examinations, to breast reduction surgery care, to breast cancer post-surgery sessions. I have also taught breast massage at massage schools and to massage therapists who are already practicing, and to the general public in a variety of formats. I focus in particular in these sessions on how to do breast massage for a client, or how to do it on yourself. 

What was missing for me from these sessions was a more comprehensive program that branched out from the breast massage itself to up-to-date information on all that is necessary for women to feel empowered to make healthy choices for their breast care. I had been aware of Dr. Sat Dharam Kaur and heard from a massage therapist colleague that she had taken her Healthy Breast Program, so I did too! And the knowledge that I gained from it has changed how I take care of my whole self and my breasts in so many ways that I am forever in gratitude to Dr. Kaur and her vision.

Dr. Kaur has been educating women in aspects of the Healthy Breast Program since she graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1989. The program was developed by her, as first described in her book, A Call to Women: The Healthy Breast Program and Workbook, published in 2000, and The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer, published in 2003. She now teaches the program internationally and trains others to teach the program. She also co-founded the MammAlive Foundation, a non-profit organization run by volunteers who are passionate about women’s health and breast health education. Empowering women through preventive and holistic healthcare education that is based on current research is key. They support and coordinate Healthy Breast Educators and educate women globally in ways to reduce their risk of breast cancer. There are so many resources to access on their website and Facebook pages, so please go check them out! 

The Healthy Breast Program is an intensive 12-part learning program designed to educate women and girls in reducing their risk of breast cancer, and assisting recovery from the illness using natural therapies in conjunction with conventional diagnostic and treatment options. The Healthy Breast Program encompasses lifestyle, diet, nutritional therapies, detoxification, essential oils, breathing practices, kundalini yoga, meditation, exercise, and psycho-spiritual work. The exploration into what is meaningful to you and your health is explored deeply and in ways that allows you to incorporate them into your life on a daily basis. There is a manual with all the information that we go through together, discussing and sharing your own personal experiences, which provides awareness and often the motivation to incorporate some of the actions into one’s life. 

I became certified as a Healthy Breast Educator and am passionate about educating women, non-binary, and trans people about their own breast health. There is so much fear about breast cancer that a lot of women just avoid entirely their connection with their breasts—often there is a disembodied experience of them, with a variety of negative experiences from their youth and as they age. There is hesitancy in learning about what one can do, as it can be so overwhelming with all the information out there. That is precisely why this package of information can help you sort through all the misconceptions that are out there as to what is truly the best breast health practices currently. I just love teaching these classes. I have taught a few classes so far, and the women who have attended them are so impressed by the level of knowledge that is shared and the grounded way the material encourages self-care, inspiring us to cultivate a space where we can just do the best that we can do each day for our breast health. It is based on a deep respect for us as women on this planet to take care of ourselves, each other, and the earth. 

One participant who is a social worker at a local hospital says, “Taking these classes allowed me to release fear and replace it with understanding and an extensive tool kit I can access anytime. This course is both comprehensive and practical; each week providing a knowledge base balanced with actionable steps towards breast health. Pam is a natural healer and teacher. Taking the course with Pam and a group of woman added an element of community, accountability, and friendship that cannot be found from simply reading materials. I now have a sense of surrender knowing that I am doing what I can towards my overall breast health, and am so excited for other women to share in this knowledge.”

Many others have told me, everyone should know about this, you’ve got to get this information out to other women—which is exactly the mission of the MammAlive Foundation—connecting to what vibrates within you and your breasts or the scars that remain if you have had breast cancer or other surgery, and allowing yourself the opportunity to feel at one within yourself. There is ample room for healing discussions wherever you are at on your journey. I invite you to take a breath in deeply to your heart and take a step with me onto this path. 

I look forward to meeting you and supporting you on your breast health journey!

Pam Fichtner loves to engage with women, non-binary, and trans folk in helping them to get to know and truly care for their breasts in a variety of formats! Join her in one of these ongoing Healthy Breast Foundations classes. Also see the display ad on page17 of the 27.3 September/October issue of the WHOLifE Journal for when the next class begins. Contact info: sephira@sasktel.net, visit broadway.health, or call 306-230-7407.