Acupuncture Treatment for Breast Lumps

Breast lumps could occur in women at any age, but are more common in middle age. Most breast lumps are benign, if they are not attached to surrounding tissues and skin and they are movable when being manipulated with the fingers. When breast lumps are present, patients often notice distending pain or a painful pressure within the breast. Typically, the skin over the breast is not red or swollen. Hard lumps can be felt within the breast or on the upper, lateral portion of the breast. These lumps are round in shape with an uneven surface, the lumps have distinct edges. Subcutaneous blood vessels are rarely visible through the skin and lymph nodes under the armpits are seldom enlarged. These lumps may occur on one breast or both breasts.

According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), lumps are generally caused by blood and QI (energy) stagnation. Acupuncture, a main branch of TCM, is very effective in treating these lumps. There are many different causes for breast lumps. However, three of the most common are related to injury, diet and stress.

INJURY

Occasionally, breast lumps are a result of trauma, injury, and accidental compression. Patients have sharp pain at or around the lumps most of the time. For this condition, several key acupuncture points are selected to stimulate the blood flow and soften the lumps. Normally, these are NEI GUAN, TAN ZHONG, DA LING, GE SHU and ASHI (painful) POINTS.

DIET

Consuming too much hot and spicy food can result in stomach fire (heat) which results in abnormal blood and Qi flow, also blocking the channels and generating breast lumps. Acupuncturists often treat this problem with needling the points on the stomach and spleen channels plus ZHONG WAN and QI HAI on the Ren channel to sedate the heat in the stomach, tonify the spleen and improve the blood and QI circulation.

STRESS

Most cases of benigh breast lumps are caused by emotional stress. In this condition, breast pain is usually apparent or more severe just before the menstrual period and relieved or lessened afterward. Some patients have the accompanying symptoms as insomnia, dry mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, bloating in stomach, distending pain in lower abdomen, chest or ribs, poor appetite and loose bowels. Some patients may experience constipation.

According to TCM theory, the nipple belongs to the liver channel, and the breast belongs to the stomach channel. Blockage of these channels can cause blood and Qi stagnation resulting in breast pain and lumps. Anxiety and anger can cause liver Qi stagnation, which attacks the stomach and impairs stomach functioning. This, in turn, blocks the blood and Qi on the stomach channel. Consequently, the liver and stomach channels are the main channels to be regulated in TCM treatment. The treatment principle includes calming liver, relieving anxiety, tonifying spleen, sedating stomach fire (heat) and activating blood flow, thus dissolving the lumps. Using this treatment, points on the liver, stomach, spleen and Ren channels along with confluential and ASHI points are needled to clear the blockages and return Yin and Yang into balance.

TREATMENT RESULTS