The first step to combat breast soreness is self-education about its symptoms and causes. According to renowned breast-care specialist Dr. Dixie Mills, breast cancer is rarely the cause of breast pain, which is many women's fears. She recommends women rule out this fear by seeing their doctor, getting a breast exam and having an ultrasound. Once you have eliminated that worry, there are three main strategies for treating the pain.
Change Your Habits
Breast tenderness, also called mastalgia, is commonly caused by hormonal fluctuation. Mastalgia can manifest as a variety of symptoms, including discomfort, soreness or pain in one or both breasts when touched. Menopause, pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy and menstruation are all causes of hormonal fluctuation. A sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to hormonal flux. Simple habit changes can be very effective at reducing breast pain. Gynecologist Robert Shirley recommends moderate exercise, like walking to reduce breast pain. Registered nurse Kerry McGinn, author of "The Informed Woman's Guide to Breast Health," suggests wearing a good support bra to reduce tissue strain and placing lamb's wool inside it. According to McGinn, the feeling of the wool against the beast sends a comfort message to the brain that "crowds out" the pain message caused by mastalgia. McGinn says that chilling the breasts with ice packs can reduce throbbing pain and that even visualizing your breasts resting on warm sand can reduce stress enough to relieve pain.
Change Your Diet
According to Dr. Mills, caffeine ingestion is a major contributor to breast pain. Caffeine contains a chemical called methylxanthine, which makes blood cells swell or dilate. This swelling can cause breasts to distend. Chocolate is also a source of methylxanthine.
Dr. David P. Rose, chief of the Division of Nutrition and Endocrinology at the American Health Foundation, reports that lowering fat consumption reduces estrogen levels, as well as breast pain. According to Dr. Rose, women in the Foundation's study found that reducing their fat intake to 20 percent of their overall calories significantly reduced breast pain.
Dr. Shirley also recommends reducing salt intake. Salt encourages fluid retention that can boost breast pain. He recommends staying away from processed foods, and those with more than 300 milligrams of salt per serving.
Try Natural Remedies
Dr. Susan Lark, director of the PMS and Menopause Self-Help Center in Los Altos, California, recommends using the herbal diuretics Sarsaparilla, buchu and uva-ursi, which can also aid in reduction of fluid retention, that are available in most health food stores. Dr. Lark advises that foods like parsley, celery and cucumbers also have diuretic properties.
Dr. Mills recommends applying topical iodine to sore breasts. According to Dr. Mills, iodine should be applied "in a quarter-sized area once a night on the breast until the brown spot persists overnight." Iodine application should reduce swelling, although the exact mechanism for this reduction is unknown.
Tags: breast pain, According Mills, Change Your, fluid retention, fluid retention that, hormonal fluctuation, major contributor
