Question:
I am a 36-year-old mother of three. I'm healthy
and active but for the past two years I've suffered breast pain, often
quite severe. Lumps have been found several times but apparently they
are harmless cysts. Recently had a full mammogram and scan and was
given the all clear but I'm still in pain and I sometimes feel blue as
I keep thinking something more sinister is going on. I was also
diagnosed with an underactive thyroid eight years ago and I now take a
daily dose of thyroxine. Could you give me some advice?
Answer:
Breast lumps are always worrying, especially
because the awareness of breast cancers so high. Although many lumps
are not malignant, as is the case with you, it's quite natural to feel
worried. Let me explain my experience with patients who have this type
of problem;
The breasts consist of soft, fatty tissue, fibrous
tissue and numerous ducts, which join together to form the main tubes
that open into the nipples. While you are breast- feeding milk produced
by the fatty breast tissue collects in these ducts and is sucked out
through the nipples by the baby. Lumps, both benign and malignant, are
formed by division of the cells in either the grandular milk-producing
tissue or the tissue that lines the ducts. The firm, fibrous tissue
within the breast can also grow and feel lumpy.
One of the common causes of benign breast lumps is
dehydration - not drinking enough water - and/or drinking too much
coffee. How coffee causes the lumps is not exactly known. Many of my
patients have found that giving up coffee and drinking more water
results in a great improvement, with less swelling before their periods
and no pain or tenderness.
Another common cause is infection. Babies,
especially when they are teething, bite the nipples, causing injury to
the tissue. Any infection -from the baby's mouth or from the
surrounding area of the breast - goes in through the injured skin. Once
the bacteria enter the sweet milky duct, they multiply rapidly. The
original infection leads to an inflammation of the breast called
mastitis, which can be very painful. Pus, which is made up of dead
cells, may appear from the nipples, as the body's white cells - the
infection fighters - notice the situation and attack. Large abscesses
are often formed and when these heal scar tissue is created, which is
also lumpy.
Benign breast lumps tend to hurt more when the
breasts swell before a period. The swelling causes irritation in the
nerve endings as they are stretched. Breast tissue swells in response
to the production of prolactin, the milk-producing hormone that comes
from the pituitary gland. As the level of prolactin rises, the breasts
swell in readiness to produce milk At the same time ovulation stops.
That is why breast-feeding mothers tend to be infertile nature doesn't
want another pregnancy while the mother is nursing. It is worth getting
the prolactin levels in the blood checked to see if they are abnormally
high and whether that is causing the discomfort in your breasts.
The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced
by the pituitary gland. Improving the blood flow to the pituitary
through neck massage helps to stimulate its functioning and that could
help resolve some of your thyroid problems.
Here is my advice for benign breast
lumps
* Avoid coffee, excess salt and sugar, spicy food,
pickles and preserved foods as they cause dehydration.
* Drink l.5 to 2litres of still, filtered water
daily between meals.
* Massage the neck and shoulders twice a week this
will improve the blood flow to the pituitary gland, which controls the
thyroid and other hormonal glands in the .body, including the breasts.
Massagingth e neck and shoulders helps many women patients of mine,
especially before a period. It aids the relief of breast tenderness,
which is one of the cardinal symptoms of PMS, and also helps to make
lumps softer and less painful.
* Massage the breasts, particularly the lumps,
with cocoa butter (widely available from health food sores), using the
thumb and fingers. Do this every, day from mid-cycle until your period
starts; repeat for four cycles.
* Practise yoga to help the circulation,
particularly the cobra, boat swing semi bridge and child poses. You
will find details in theropeutic Yoga, the book I co-wrote with Jiwan
Brar, or you could join a local yoga class with a qualified teacher of
therapeutic yoga.
* Take one capsule of aloe vera (Vega, £7.50 for
60) twice a day for three months.
* Drink a glass of aniseed tea each morning for
two weeks: boil one teaspoonful of aniseed seeds in a big tumblerful of
water for ten minutes. Leave to cool, add manuka honey to taste, then
drink.
Article Source: http://
www.articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/breast-pain-
is-making-me-miserable-1967500.html About the Author
I have obtained MD in General Medicine with
Honours in 1980 and joined The Central Institute of Advanced Medical
Studies in Moscow for post graduation in Acupuncture. I have completed
diploma courses in Acupuncture, Anesthesia, Iridology, Hypnotherapy and
Clinical Fasting. Practicing as Integrated Medicine expert.
Visit my health shop - http//www.drmalishop.com
121 Crawford Street, London, W1U 6BE | 