Blocked milk duct is a common challenge among women who are breastfeeding. According to research, two-thirds of all breastfeeding women experience blocked milk ducts while breastfeeding.
Every woman who has had a challenge with blocked milk ducts can testify that it causes extreme pain. If it lingers without the right treatment, it can lead to lumps in the breast and full-blown mastitis, which is an inflammation of your breast tissue. When milk accumulates in the breast after the milk ducts are blocked, it creates pressure, which can lead to lumps.
Blocked ducts are a huge public health challenge. It has accounted for the reason why many babies aren’t appropriately breastfed. This has affected the health of such babies as they are at a high risk of:
- Type 1 and 2 diabetes
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS),
- Childhood obesity
- Leukemia
The health risk for the breastfeeding mom who has stopped breastfeeding includes:
- Higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer
- Retained gestational weight gain (retaining baby fat)
- Metabolic syndrome
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ovarian cancer
- Myocardial infarction
How to identify blocked milk ducts
Women who are experiencing this challenge can easily spot a reddening on either breast or both. You’ll also notice a swift reaction from anyone experiencing blocked milk ducts whenever there’s contact with the breast.
Blocked milk ducts make the breast more painful whenever it is full or when it is time for you to feed your baby. If you begin to feel feverish and/or aches and pains, it is a sign of mastitis, which shows that your body is trying to ward off infection.
Traditional Chinese Medicine on Blocked Ducts
TCM believes that blocked ducts and mastitis are a result of the blockage of the blood and Qi.
Qi is the force that gives life to all living things. Qi and the blood flow in the meridians throughout the body for the proper functioning of the organs. The meridians have their connection points: the breasts are connected to the meridians in the stomach while the meridians of the liver are connected to the nipples.
There may be a blockage to Qi and the blood sometimes. When this happens, there’s heat pressure because Qi, like Yang, is hot. When heat sensation occurs on one spot, it causes red spots, swelling, fever, and mastitis.
How TCM works
Since blocked milk ducks are a result of the blockage of Qi and blood, which leads to a build-up of heat, TCM aims to treat it by clearing the blockage and reducing the heat sensation.
This can be achieved by using a blend of Chinese medicine; some herbs work on the liver and stomach meridians (remember they are connected to the breasts and nipples). The herbs infuse cold to these positions to target the heat sensation.
Chinese herbs that cure blocked ducts have dandelions since the plant is cold, and it aims for the stomach and liver meridians. Another herb used is licorice, and it works effectively on the stomach meridian by expelling the heat sensation.
In conclusion, TCM is a natural way to treat blocked ducts, and it is an effective treatment when combined with other TCM treatments such as Qipong, acupuncture, a healthy diet, and herbal teas.
