The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (7 page)

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Noncyclic pain
is mostly seen in women between the ages of 40 to 50 years of age. It may occur in only one breast. It is often described as a sharp, burning pain that occurs in one area of a breast. If the cause of noncyclic pain can be recognized, treating the cause may help the pain go away.

Breast pain can become worse when changes in your hormone levels or in medicines occur.  Stress can also affect breast pain. You are more likely to have breast pain before menopause than after menopause.

Treatments

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Acetaminophen
,
such as Tylenol or Panadol:
Be sure to follow all labels and instructions. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any medicine. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20.

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Taking magnesium:
Magnesium supplements taken in the second half of the menstrual cycle (usually the 2 weeks before the next period) relieve cyclic breast pain as well as other premenstrual symptoms.

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Sports bra:
You may be able to prevent breast pain, tenderness, or discomfort by wearing a sports bra during exercise. It is important that the sports bra fit properly. It should keep the breasts almost motionless and allow them to move together with the chest, not separately. It is important to replace your sports bra as the material stretches and become less supportive. A young woman with developing breasts may need to buy a new bra every 6 months.

Diet

Reducing dietary fat to 15% or less of your dietary intake is likely to reduce breast pain over time. A small study has shown that making this long-term dietary change significantly reduces breast pain.

Diagnosis

A woman with a persistent breast pain (pain not associated with menstrual cycles) or pain associated with a breast lump should see a medical professional for an evaluation. Medical evaluation for breast pain is reliant upon the cause but may include a mammogram.  A mammogram an X-ray used to detect abnormalities in the breast that may be too small to see or feel.  A needle biopsy may have to be performed.  This is a procedure done by inserting a small needle into the lump to recover a cell sample to be reviewed by a pathologist for an accurate diagnosis.

Medical Examinations and other procedures

Clinical Breast Exam -
A manual breast exam preformed in clinic by your doctor or nurse practitioner.

Diagnostic Mammogram
- A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. A diagnostic mammogram is used to evaluate a woman with a breast problem or symptom or an abnormal finding on a screening mammogram. It usually includes additional views of one or both breasts.

Ultrasound
- is also used to diagnose suspected breast cancer and other breast abnormalities. This test uses high-frequency sound waves to form an image of breast tissues that is displayed on a video screen and photographed for analysis. Because of the different ways various tissue components interact with sound waves, ultrasound can often reveal whether a lump is solid or a fluid-filled, which is not a cancerous cyst.

Fine Needle Biopsy
- If breast cancer is suspected, a biopsy is usually done. A fine-needle biopsy involves the extraction of fluid or cells from a lump that can be felt or seen with ultrasound or on a mammogram. A local anesthetic numbs the area before the needle is inserted. If you have a cyst, fluid will come out and the lump will disappear. If the needle extracts cells, the sample is inspected by a pathologist to determine if it is benign or malignant.

Core Biopsy
-
A core biopsy is virtually the same test as the fine needle biopsy, but a larger needle is used to removes a small cylinder of breast tissue.

Stereotactic Needle Biopsy
- This type of biopsy is done when the lump is so small that the doctor cannot insert the biopsy needle accurately. An imaging technique and a computer are used to guide the needle. In this procedure, you lie face down on a special table with an opening that lets the breast hang down. A mammogram shows the location of the lump and a computer guides the needle.

Surgical Biopsy
- In this type of biopsy, all or part of a breast lump is removed surgically for microscopic examination to determine whether cancer is present.

Home Treatment

Breast Self-Exam

It is normal to have some lumpiness or thickening in your breasts. By examining your breasts once each month, you will learn what is normal for you and notice when any changes do occur. Some women find that doing a daily or weekly self-exam works better for them. They become familiar with their breasts at all phases of their menstrual cycle. The more you examine your breasts, the better you will know what is normal for you. Your "job" is not just to find lumps, but to notice if there are any changes.

1. In the shower
   - With your fingers flat, gently move the pads of your fingertips over every part of each breast. Use your right hand to examine the left breast and your left hand to examine the right breast. Check for any thickening, hard lump or knot.
   

1. In front of a mirror
   - Holding your arms at your sides, look at your breasts. Raise your arms overhead and look for any changes in the shape of breast, or any swelling, dimpling, or changes in the nipples.
   

1. Lying down
   - To examine your right breast, put a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right hand behind your head. Then, using the fingers of your left hand held flat, press your right breast gently in small circular motions around an imaginary clock face. Begin at the outermost top of your right breast for 12 o'clock, then move to 10 o'clock, and so on, until you get back to 12o'clock. Each breast will have a normal ridge of firm tissue.
   

Then move in 1 inch toward the nipple. Keep circling to examine every part of your breast, including the nipple. Repeat the procedure on the left breast with a pillow under the left shoulder and your left hand behind your head. Finally, squeeze the nipple of each breast gently between the thumb and index finger. Any clear or bloody discharge should be reported to your physician immediately.

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Breast cysts are benign
 fluid-filled sacs that grow inside the breast tissue, normally affecting women over the age of 35 who have not reached the menopause.

They are also detected in women who are using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after they have gone through menopause.  

Cysts in both your breasts, is quite common, and they can become larger, tender and become painful just before your menstrual period.

Cysts can occur without noticing anything symptoms and they are sometimes found by chance when examinations by your GYN are done for some other reason.

Usually, all breast cysts identified as “simple cysts” It is estimated that perhaps 1 in 1,000 cysts may harbor a tumor (not necessarily malignant). These can usually be identified by using an ultrasound. Women with cysts are not at greater risk for the development of cancer although this risk may be high if there is a family history for breast cancer.

Diagnosis

Breast cysts can be detected by being examined by your doctor using the current tests listed below:

• Breast examination
  
• Mammogram
  
• Ultrasound scan
  
• Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC):
  The FNAC involves drawing off fluid from the cyst with a fine needle. If the lump is difficult to find within the breast you may have an ultrasound scan.
  

Treatment

If the cyst is large or does not go away on its own, your specialist will probably draw off the fluid with a fine needle and syringe.

Once the fluid has been removed, the cyst usually disappears. The drawn off fluid will only be sent to the laboratory for testing if it is bloodstained, as there is a small risk that this may be a sign of breast cancer.

Cysts can come back.  This usually happens in about 30% of breast cyst cases. The treatment will be the same each time the breast cyst occurs. If a breast cyst continues to refill with fluid, a doctor may suggest a surgical biopsy
 to remove it.

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Many women have problems during breast-feeding, especially in the first few weeks after your pregnancy. Many women face some problems. Breast-feeding can be a complex process and in many cases.  Breast feeding problems are when there are problems with the infant's sucking technique, the mother's milk supply, or other issues.

Diagnosis

Breast-feeding problems are first determined by an infant's inability to gain weight. Most babies lose some weight in the first week of life. However, they should regain the weight quickly and be back at their birth weight at two weeks of age. An average weight gain of 6–8 oz per week should be maintained through the second or third month. After that, growth charts can demonstrate whether the child is gaining adequate weight.  Once a problem has been established, a healthcare practitioner will ask questions about the baby's feeding schedule and may observe the mother's breast-feeding technique so he or she can determine if an improper latching technique or inadequate suckling is causing the difficulty. Lactation counselors can be helpful in diagnosing these problems. Further physical examination and tests may be necessary to determine if structural breast problems or placental fragments are causing the difficulties.

Symptoms

• White spots in baby's mouth that don't look like milk or can't be wiped off
  
• Itchiness
  
• Bleeding nipples
  
• Fissures in the areola or nipples
  
• Breasts don't leak at all
  
• Breasts never seem full
  
• Milk squirts out when baby starts to feed
  
• Baby gets upset at feedings
  
• Bras and shirts are often wet from milk from your breasts
  
• Red bumps on breast
  
• Flu-like symptoms
  
• Overfull nipples
  
• Sore nipples
  
• Baby only wants to nurse on one breast
  
• Baby has a hard time nursing after using the bottle
  
• Baby refuses to nurse
  
• Feeling pain when your milk comes in
  

Treatment

Gently massage your breasts and express or pump some milk to soften your nipple and areola before breast-feeding. This will help your baby latch deeper onto your breast, past your nipple and onto your areola. Wearing a supportive, well-fitting bra also may help, and applying cold compresses to your breasts occasionally after breast-feeding may reduce swelling and pain.

Treatment

Try using a hair dryer on a low, cool setting to help your nipples dry more quickly. It may also help to apply pure lanolin cream on your nipples.

Treatment

Massage the affected area before breast-feeding and during feeding. This simple measure can help release the milk plug. You should always feed your baby on the affected side first. Your baby is usually more eager at the start of a feeding. The stronger sucking force helps empty the breast and unblock the duct.

Treatment

Practice relaxation techniques; breast-feed in comfortable, quiet, and familiar spots; eat properly; and drink plenty of fluids. Your doctor may prescribe
oxytocin
if your letdown does not improve within a few days of starting breast-feeding.

Treatment

Your letdown reflex may be stimulated unintentionally. Be prepared by using absorbent pads that you change frequently. You can use washable or disposable pads, but do not use pads that have a plastic backing.

Treatment

More frequent breast-feeding usually helps increase your milk supply within 48 hours. You can also try pumping both breasts for 10 to 15 minutes each after you have just fed your baby. You should notice an increase in your milk supply after 2 to 4 days of the extra pumping. Other factors sometimes affect milk production; however, it is rare to have a true milk deficiency. Contact doctor if you think your milk supply is too low.

Psychological Issues