The affliction of many breastfeeding mothers is mastitis. The causes of this disease are streptococci, staphylococci and other pathogens that cause inflammatory processes. Acute mastitis can occur when these pathogens enter the breast through the milk ducts or cracked nipples during lactation. By the way, this disease can develop not only in nursing mothers. In medicine, there are cases when this disease affected women during pregnancy.
The process of occurrence of mastitis
When pathogens penetrate through the wound surface of the cracks into the lymphatic vessels located in the thickness of the nipple tissue, they spread further throughout the mammary gland. It should be noted that infectioncan get into the chest not only in this way. Chronic pathologies of an infectious nature that are present in the body of a young mother can also cause the development of mastitis. These include inflammation of the tonsils (tonsillitis), soft tissues of the tooth (pulpitis), paranasal sinuses (sinusitis).
Mastitis or lactostasis?
You can never rule out the possibility that mastitis will appear in a nursing mother. Treating it can be quite difficult. But numerous folk methods of treatment, based on many years of experience in use, contribute to the speedy relief of the condition of patients.
Mastitis is often confused with such a similar symptomatic disease as lactostasis. These are two different diseases. Lactostasis is observed in the form of blockage of the milk ducts, which is preceded by an incorrect or insufficient process of emptying the breast. In this case, in the case of a neglected similar situation, mastitis of a non-infectious nature may develop. In this case, the general well-being of a woman instantly deteriorates to such a state that emergency medical attention may be required.
How to treat mastitis with folk remedies: warnings
Traditional medicine is quite popular today. In many cases, home-prepared remedies are effective in the fight against many ailments.
But often there is a risk of deterioration of the patient's condition with the thoughtless use of dubious recipes. For this reason, prior consultation with a doctor is required before starting self-treatment.avoid unintended negative consequences. It may turn out that only official medicine needs help.
As for directly such a disease as mastitis, treatment with folk remedies in some cases really speeds up the healing process. Also, with the help of them, the disease can be prevented. However, it should be remembered that it is also not worth excluding the possibility of harm by using this method of treating mastitis.
Forbidden treatment of mastitis
Under no circumstances should warming of the mammary glands be used in this disease. So you can only aggravate mastitis. Treatment with folk remedies in the form of compresses or lotions of hot temperature will create favorable conditions for the accelerated reproduction of pathogenic bacteria. This will cause the disease to progress. The warming method is sometimes advised by experienced mothers and grandmothers, not realizing that it can improve the condition only with lactostasis. Applying hot herbal decoctions and other mixtures will help relieve the symptoms of mastitis on the outside of the chest. This can be taken as a positive effect of the treatment, but the procedure will affect the focus of infection in the above way.
At the slightest suspicion of mastitis, warming up the mammary glands should be categorically refused.
Effective folk remedies for mastitis
To improve the condition of a sick breastfeeding woman, the following folk remedies for mastitis are used.
Rice lotions
For noticeable reliefcondition of the patient, rice starch diluted with water (until the consistency of thick sour cream is obtained) should be applied to the chest. The improvement becomes clearly noticeable after a couple of hours after the procedure.
Fresh vegetables
In order to reduce tightness in the chest with mastitis, it is recommended to apply fresh coltsfoot or cabbage leaves to it. You can also use grated carrots. You can fix the funds with a bandage or bra (if this does not cause discomfort and pain). These products are able to stop inflammatory processes.
Healing mixtures
How else can you get rid of such an ailment as mastitis? Treatment with folk remedies involves the use of a variety of mixtures made from herbs, oils and other products. Here are the recipes for the most popular ones:
- It is necessary to carefully mix one chopped narcissus bulb with rice porridge cooked in water or rye flour. The product must be spread on the surface of the breast affected by mastitis.
- To alleviate the general condition of a nursing mother with mastitis and to stop the inflammatory process, it is recommended to apply a cake made from rye flour, fresh milk and butter to the sore breast. It is necessary to apply the remedy at night. To achieve the desired result, repeat the procedure several times.
- It is necessary to combine raw beets, chopped with a fine grater or blender, with honey in a ratio of 3: 1. Applythe resulting remedy is needed on the breast affected by mastitis. To completely get rid of the disease, at least 20 such procedures are required.
Herbal infusions and decoctions
What other ways can mastitis be cured in a nursing mother? Treatment is also recommended with the help of herbal remedies. Recipes for some of them are given below.
- You need to grind 10 g of licorice root and 50 g of mandarin peels with a blender or meat grinder and mix. Then they must be combined with boiling water in an amount of 400 ml (about 2 cups) and left to infuse until cool. It is recommended to use the strained infusion orally twice a day, 200 ml each. In this way, you can prevent the reproduction of staphylococci from the inside.
- It is necessary to combine Japanese sophora, medicinal sweet clover and eucalyptus (in the same amount). The resulting collection (3 tablespoons) must be poured with boiling water (about 200 ml) and boiled for 5 minutes. It is required to strain the resulting broth and add butter to it in the amount of 100 grams. It is recommended to apply the prepared ointment on a sore chest.
Vodka
To prevent the occurrence of a purulent inflammatory process in the tissues of the mammary glands, traditional medicine recommends first of all wiping the chest with vodka (can be replaced with medical alcohol). Then you need to express all the milk. After that, a vodka compress is required to be applied to the entire surface of the chest.
Other folk remedies
In addition to the methods described above,There are other folk methods for the treatment of mastitis. Pieces of kombucha can be applied to sore spots of the chest and, having secured them with a bandage, kept in this state for several hours. It is also recommended to use a mixture of Japanese sophora and vodka. These components should be combined in a ratio of 1: 2 and infused for three days. It is necessary to strain the resulting remedy, and then wipe the breast affected by mastitis with it several times a day.
When using all folk methods, it is especially useful to use a complex of vitamins to get a greater effect. A substitute for it can be tea made from sage, mint, rose hips or viburnum. All components must be combined in equal proportions, pour boiling water (200 ml of water per spoon collection) and insist for two hours. Strained infusion is recommended to be taken orally with lemon juice twice a day.
Compresses for mastitis: rules of use
Compresses are the main way of traditional medicine to get rid of this disease. They are able to save a woman from pulling pain and a feeling of "bursting" of the chest. The main principle of the use of compresses in this case is the exclusion from the list of used components of hazardous substances that can be used both unknowingly and consciously.
As mentioned above, it is strictly forbidden to warm up the chest with mastitis. That is, compresses for mastitis should be applied warm or cool, but not hot. It should be realized that there is a process in the mammary glandsinflammatory nature, and warming up will only aggravate the situation.
Compress made from starch and oil
It is necessary to combine potato starch with vegetable oil (sunflower) and mix thoroughly until a mass of a homogeneous consistency is obtained, resembling thick sour cream. Apply the resulting product in the form of a compress should be slightly warmed up on the hardened areas of the chest.
Compress of honey and cottage cheese
What other foods can stop mastitis? Treatment with folk remedies can be carried out with the help of cottage cheese and honey. A compress with these components should be applied to the chest all night. It is required to apply a layer of honey on a gauze or fabric sterile napkin, followed by cottage cheese. To prevent leakage of the product, you can place a piece of waxed or compress paper under the material. The compress should be applied to the sore chest (with a layer of cottage cheese to the skin). For reliability, it should be fixed with a bandage. After removing the compress, the chest should be rinsed with water at room temperature.
Onion compress
This compress is recommended for use during the daytime. First you need to bake onions. It is recommended to do this with the help of an oven and a dry, clean frying pan with a lid. Onions do not need to be peeled before baking. Then it is required to cut the head across and, having cooled, apply with the inside to the areas of the chest affected by mastitis. For some time it is necessary to fix the compress with a bandage.
Compress made from psyllium seeds
For cookinghealing agent, it is necessary to carefully crush the psyllium seeds and combine them with water at room temperature. The resulting slurry is recommended to be applied to the sore breast with mastitis. The remedy works much more effectively if it is prepared on the basis of potato or rice starch, which must first be diluted with water to obtain the consistency of thick sour cream.
Herbal Mastitis Ointment
To prepare the ointment, it is necessary to combine Japanese Sophora, globular eucalyptus, medicinal sweet clover (in equal proportions). The resulting collection in the amount of three tablespoons (tablespoons) should be mixed with boiling water (200 ml is enough) and boiled for 5 minutes. Then the product needs to be cooled and filtered. To the resulting broth, add butter in an amount of 100 grams. The prepared mastitis ointment is applied with tissue napkins to the chest (both on the affected areas and on he althy ones).
Breast massage to get rid of seals
With the help of a special massage for mastitis, already formed knots in the chest can be softened. Also, these actions will contribute to the evacuation of milk from clogged glands. Massage with mastitis is necessary, making movements in the direction from the peripheral zone to the nipple.
Before starting the massage, it is recommended to relax the formed knots a little. They must be smoothed with spiral movements made clockwise. Such a preliminary effect on areas of stagnation in the breast tissues is requiredhold for 40 seconds.
Then follows the main massage. If during its implementation the pain intensifies and becomes unbearable, then the procedure is recommended to be carried out in water of medium temperature, under the shower.
Mastitis Prevention
Such an unpleasant disease as breast mastitis can be avoided if you follow some simple rules, namely:
- After feeding the baby, milk must be expressed carefully.
- Before giving the baby the second breast, you need to completely empty the first one. This is a prerequisite to prevent the development of mastitis.
- If the baby has enough milk from one breast, the next feeding should come from the other.
- The process should be controlled. The baby should not just suck on the breast, but get milk from it.
