During a recent interview, Bree McKeen, who used to work in Silicon Valley, mentioned that she used to have tension headaches, pain in her neck and shoulders, grinding of her teeth and the feeling of having rocks on her shoulders by 3pm daily. She also said that there were indentations in her upper traps from her bra straps, even when she woke up in the morning.
To address this, Bree went to the chiropractor regularly and did six months of core exercises, which improved her posture and alignment. Unfortunately, if she stood up straight, she still felt two pressure points right in the center of her rib cage, from the steel wire of her bra. The chiropractor said that was a neuromuscular feedback loop. That if the bra hurt it would cause slouching and contribute to her ailments. He suggested finding a bra that felt great when standing straight.
From years of searching Bree knew that bra didn’t exist. She also knew that there was incredible technology out there from working in Silicon Valley. She understood that the body had to have good alignment, posture and function to work optimally. Bree looked at load engineering and wanted to create a different system as the first underwire bra was patented in 1932 and hadn’t changed at all since then.
She understood that the bra straps sitting at the trapezius muscle, might have to handle loads anywhere from 3 pounds to 20 pounds or more. How those straps impede lymphatic flow, which is important for overall breast health. That strap pressure also causes shortening of the trapezius muscle, which can affect the head, neck and shoulder area, create fatigue, poor posture, pain and other symptoms. She also found out that one could absorb up to 22 times the safe amount of BPA by wearing a bra for one day.
With the help of an investor, Bree founded Evelyn and Bobby, which she told the interviewer, is the first structural alternative to the underwire bra to hit the market. It’s BPA free, antimicrobial, women step into it to pull it up and it molds to fit the many ranges of body sizes. She mentioned receiving love letters from women who now feel comfortable all day, stand up taller, feel their shoulders falling away from their ears, aren’t in pain and are getting great support.
This is another example of doing whatever it takes to find a solution to one’s problems, which also helps others.
Dr. Liselotte Schuster is a Holistic Family Chiropractor, in practice with Nutritional Concepts since 1989. She incorporates Chiropractic care with a variety of modalities to help patients reach their full potential