Breast Mastitis and TCM

Breast mastitis is very common in nursing mothers. It can be quite painful and is hard to treat in western medicine. The best thing a mother can do is alternate breasts while feeding if possible. Below is some info I picke up off of http://tcm.health-info.org on breast mastitis and treatment. The most common form is from Liver Qi Stagnation from eating the wrong foods, eating too hot foods frequently as well as bottling up emotions. This creates stagnation in the liver, which creates heat, which creates mastitis (as the liver meridian runs right through the breasts). I have seen many women treat this themselves with chinese herb compresses and working on letting go of their emotions.

Mastitis

Diagnosis

Acute infection of breast (abscess). Distended breast, painful, swollen w/lumps. If caught early can be massaged out, treated with warm moist herbal washes & compresses. If left untreated or unnoticed may manifest with flu like symptoms (toxic Heat). As it grows & fills with pus it can get very painful & lead to forming an abscess. This is when it will get red & hot. Internal blockages are deeper & generally can’t be seen on the surface, grow slower, are harder to detect, & are tougher to move or break-up. The major cause is during breastfeeding the milk stagnates (from irregular feeding, not enough stimulation, etc.), this results in blocked duct(s) & creates the infection.

Etiology

2 types → late pregnancy & postpartum

Postpartum

1. LR Qi stagnation w/ ST Heat – emotional stagnation, eat too rich/hot food → ST Heat → Qi stagnation & Heat turns milk into blockage → infection.

2. Toxic Heat invasion – at beginning of breastfeeding nipple is not tough, it cracks & milk stagnates in the crack leading to infection. If nipple is too small the baby will suck with great force & may injure the nipple, it then gets invaded from the exterior.

3. All 10 fingertips go to HT & nipple, sores on fingers cause pain → mother breastfeeds less → milk stagnates & toxic Heat invades (forms).

4. When it is time to stop feeding, or too much milk is being produces this may lead to retention → stagnation → Heat → infection.

Late Pregnancy

1. Internal – all Essence goes to low Jiao for fetal growth, then anything that may cause Heat (woman is already Fire at this time) → the Heat follows the Chong Mai & goes into breast creating the infection. i.e. Yangming Heat

Pathogenesis Differentiation & Treatment

Postpartum

Early stage → remove blockage, open Jing, dissolve.

LR Qi stagnation → ST Heat

milk secretion is not smooth, emotional stress, diet, start w/ hard lump → breast engorgement, may get flu like symptoms → LR ST Heat

P/T – soothe LR, clear ST Heat, promote milk secretion & dissolve hardness

Rx – Gua Lou Niu Bang Zi Tang

+ clear Heat herbs (Pu Gong Ying, Zao Jiao Cao)

External treatment – massage (from base to nipple)

- Heat w/ moist herbal compresses (Pu Gong Ying)

Late stage

Toxic Heat