TCM Can Address A Mother’s Lactating Problems
TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine works extremely well in treating lactation problems without the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. It is a medicinal system that’s derived from East Asia and is thousands of years old. It includes moxibustion, cupping, lifestyle and nutritional advices, massage, Chinese herbs, and, of course, acupuncture. One or more of these healing modalities may be part of your treatment protocol depending on your specific diagnosis. If you are facing lactation issues, it is important that you seek out a TCM practitioner who’s experienced in treating women during pregnancy and post-partum.
Lactation problems, according to TCM, can have two distinct categories: milk not flowing or low milk supply. A third category is mastitis which will be discussed later. Problems with let-down or milk not flowing are diagnosed as chi (energy) stagnation that prevents milk from flowing down the ducts and out of the nipple. A low milk supply diagnosis means the mother is deficient in chi and blood. It is not uncommon for a mother to be suffering from a combination of stagnation ((unable to express or let-down the milk) and deficiency (lack of blood and energy) at the same time.
It is believed in TCM that the menstrual blood of a woman is transformed into breast milk once the baby is born. This blood is the same blood that was flowing to the placenta before birth. Chi is essential for the conversion of her blood into milk, and when you have an ample supply of blood in your body, you will then have an adequate amount of milk to feed your baby. During delivery, the mother is predisposed to blood loss or anemia that can lead to low blood supply of the mother and thus low milk supply. Exhaustion caused by sleep deprivation and labor can hinder the production of milk since there is not enough energy to produce the milk.
When blood and chi supply is lacking resulting in low milk supply, the plan of treatment may involve the use of herbs, nutritional advice, and acupuncture. Nutrition is a key factor in the treatment of low milk supply. For the production of blood in the mother, any good food will help including chicken with the skin included in the soup stock, collagen-rich soups made from ham-hocks, eggs, fish, or organic red meats. It is especially important for a nursing mother to consume free-range and organic poultry and meat, if possible. For a mother following a vegan or vegetarian diet, a protein-rich diet is important. Cookies that help stimulate milk production are an ideal everyday addition to the diet of a woman with blood and chi deficiency due to the fact that the cookies contain special ingredients that help boost blood and chi production that in turn increases milk supply. Practitioners who are experienced in treating breastfeeding patients will provide you with additional nutritional advice.
Blockage or stagnation of chi around and in the breasts hinders the milk from moving and prevents let-down. Stagnation can result in breast engorgement, pressure, pain, distention, and fullness. Mastitis is usually the result of stagnation. According to TCM, the primary cause of this obstruction is emotional: depression, frustration, resentment, anger, and too much stress. These emotions lead to energy stagnation in the liver meridian. The liver meridian, in TCM, is responsible for the woman’s nipple function and also blocks or facilitates the movement of energy and by extension milk in the nearby ducts and meridians (energy channels) in the breast. Problems associated with stagnation such as poor milk flow or let down is most effectively addressed with massage therapy, acupuncture, and by the mother avoiding anything that would cause her emotional stress.
Mastitis is caused by various factors: stagnation of milk, blood, chi, as well as infection. TCM in combination with Western medicine for the treatment of mastitis works much better than just standalone Western treatment. To clear up the infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics, and a combination of medicinal compresses for the breast, herbs, massage, and acupuncture that can resolve the blocked milk, blood, and chi in the breast, that in turn reduces inflammation and engorgement. Herbal remedies can be used safely along with antibiotics which are deemed safe for the breastfeeding infant. Besides those above mentioned treatments, expressing milk as often as possible either via nursing, manually, or with a pump is very important for the successful treatment of mastitis.
Tammi A. Jones is a licensed acupuncturist in Palm Harbor, FL., practicing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Western medical pathology. She is also the founder of Synoma Wellness Centre.