What is Fibrocystic
Breast Disease?

Fibrocystic Breast Disease or mastitis is the inflammation of the mammalian breast caused by the blocking of the milk ducts while the mother is lactating.

This is especially annoying when you have anxiously waited for the moment when you can breast feed your baby, now it's here and you've got this problem with your breast.

Don't be like my daughter and get frustrated and give up.

Even though fibrocystic breast disease can cause painful areas on the breasts or nipples and may lead to a fever or flu-like symptoms.

Medicine Alternatives

As my daughter learned, sudden weaning can cause or exacerbate mastitis symptoms.

Mastitis can be discerned from simple blockages by the intensity of pain, heat emanating from the area, redness and fever in the mother.

In some cases the fever can become severe, requiring antibiotics; ten percent of cases develop into abscesses that need to be drained surgically.

Alternative Natural Medicine

A cold compress may be used to ease the pain when not wanting to lose the milk, though it is most appropriate to reduce the levels of milk contained.

For this reason it is also advised that the baby should frequently feed from the inflamed breast.

However, the content of the milk may be slightly altered, sometimes being more salty, and the taste may make the baby reject the breast at the first instance.

The presence of cracks or sores on the nipples increases the likelihood of infection.

Women's Health Problems

Chronic cystic mastitis, also called fibrocystic disease, a condition rather than a disease, is characterized by noncancerous lumps in the breast.

It can also occur in women who are not breast feeding.

An estimated 80 percent of all women suffer from this condition, characterized by painful lumps in their breasts.

Though benign, these small, fibrous lumps can develop into fluid- filled cysts, which often hurt more right before your period.

Alternative Therapy

Then follow these suggestion to ease your discomfort:

• Eliminate coffee. Caffeine, also found in soda, tea and chocolate, is a huge culprit here. Women have an 80 percent success rate in eliminating fibrocystic breast disease when they cut out caffeine.
• Balance your hormones. Benign breast lumps have been linked to hormonal imbalances. To level things out, eat lots of soy, which contains phytoestrogens, beneficial precursors to human hormones. Avoid animal foods, which contain xenoestrogens, chemicals that can interfere with normal estrogen levels.
• Take supplements. Vitamin E can help reduce the size--and discomfort --of breast fibroids. Vitamin C, Beta Carotene and Bioflavonoids are also recommended. Flaxseed, borage and evening primrose oils, all sources of the essential fatty acid gamma linoleic acid (GLA), also help ease symptoms.