Dressed to Kill

A look at a breakthrough breast cancer theory and the remarkable evidence to support it Breast cysts and cancer are epidemic at this time in history. The healthcare industry says that the cause of 70 percent of all breast cancer is unknown. Dressed to Kill helps solve this mystery, explaining how one of the greatest threats to breast health is something that women do to themselves every day. This book has its roots in a personal crisis in the authors’ lives, when Soma Grismaijer was shocked to find a lump in her breast while pregnant. Looking for clues regarding the cause of the lump led this husband-and-wife medical anthropology team to develop a new theory and to conduct an extensive survey of nearly 5,000 US women, half of whom had breast cancer, in an attempt to uncover a hidden cause of this devastating disease. Pioneers in the new field of applied medical anthropology, Singer and Grismaijer explain their unique approach to researching and understanding the cultural causes of disease in easy-to-read language that is accessible to the layperson and professional alike. Dressed to Kill has already had an impact on the healthcare and fashion worlds, moving some doctors to rethink the prevention and treatment of breast disease and some clothing designers to rethink their products. Controversial for its challenge to established custom and medical dogma, this breakthrough book is a classic, and this updated third edition continues to suggest new ways of dealing with an old and all-too-common women’s health issue.

Sydney Ross Singer is a medical anthropologist and codirector of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease. He received a BS in biology from University of Utah, after which he attended the PhD program in biochemistry at Duke University. He then transferred to Duke's anthropology department, from which he received his MA degree. He later attended the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston as an MD/PhD student, with PhD studies in medical humanities. In addition to being a highly sought-after speaker, Syd is also the author of several groundbreaking books on lifestyle-related health problems.

Foreword From the Publisher Preface Introduction 1. Looking for the Enemy 2. Making the Connection 3. Dressed to Kill 4. The Big Picture 5. Testing the Theory 6. Taking It to the Street 7. Beauty and the Bra 8. To B or Not to B 9. The Real Enemy 10. If Breasts Could Talk Conclusion References About theAuthors Index