Info about Lactation
HOMEOPATHIC THERAPY FOR BREAST FEEDING PROBLEMS
HOMEOPATHIC AND BODYWORK THERAPY FOR BREAST
Homeopathic Treatment
Feeding Problems!
Homeopathy can help with a number of breast-feeding problems. The homeopathic medicine Graphite may be used to treat cracked nipples, while a number of homeopathic medicines may be used for mastitis. The three most common are Belladonna, Bryonia and Phytolacca.
* Graphites
The remedy Graphites (made from graphite, a form of carbon) taken by mouth is the classical homeopathic treatment for cracked nipples.
Suck two Graphites pills, in the 6C strength, three or four times daily. This medicine is available from many chemists and health food shops and can be used in conjunction with creams to help soothe and heal the nipples.
* Belladonna
The sort of mastitis that responds to Belladonna is usually of sudden onset and the breast is hot, red and very tender, with throbbing pain. The woman herself may be flushed and feverish and the pupils of her eyes may be dilated.
* Bryonia
The type of condition that responds to Bryonia is also usually quite acute. The breast is hard and the pain is typically stitching in character and is made worse by any movement or jarring. The support of a well-fitting bra is helpful. The woman's mouth is often dry and she may be thirsty; she may also have sharp pains elsewhere, including in the neck and head.
* Phytolacca
When Phytolacca is indicated, the breast is hard and there may be an excessive milk flow, with pains that seem to shoot from the breast all over the body. This type of mastitis may be associated with a sore throat and rheumatic aches and pains in the back, legs and elsewhere.
Bodywork Treatment
* Trigger Point Deactivation
Trigger points (sensitive spots) in the pectoral and serratus anterior muscles in the chest can cause extreme discomfort and pain in the breasts and nipples (these symptoms have been reported in both men and women). These symptoms may be accompanied by a sense of engorgement of the breast tissue, related to sluggish lymphatic drainage. If this occurs during breast-feeding, the woman may find it impossible to continue breast-feeding.
It has been reported that deactivation of trigger points, particularly those found in the pectoralis major muscle (located near the armpit) rapidly eases symptoms of pain and congestion.
Trigger points can usually be deactivated by acupuncture, by injections of procaine and by manual pressure and stretching techniques, as used by osteopaths, massage therapists (particularly those with neuromuscular therapy training) and some physiotherapists and chiropractors.
* Lymphatic Drainage
Because some of the main lymph drainage channels pass through, in front of, and around the pectoralis major muscles, if these tissues are tense and shortened (or contain trigger points) lymph will not be able to flow as easily and congestion in the breast tissues becomes likely.
Lymphatic drainage massage (or, if appropriate, trigger point deactivation) can usually ease this restriction of normal lymph flow, and so the congestion.