Natural Remedies For Mastitis

Heather Dessinger

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natural remedies for mastitis

Inside: The symptoms of mastitis and blocked ducts, plus home remedies that may help and tips for preventing mastitis.

Did you know that when you kiss your baby, your breastmilk changes as needed to combat pathogens? It’s true.

“When a mother kisses her baby, she ‘samples’ those pathogens that are on the baby’s face – the very ones that the baby is about to ingest. These samples are taken up by the mother’s secondary lympoid organs like the tonsils, and memory B cells specific for those pathogens are re-stimulated. These B cells then migrate to the mother’s breasts where they produce just those antibodies that the baby needs!” (Sompayrac)

Yep, your body is amazing, but that doesn’t mean everything comes easily. Mastitis, for example, is no walk in the park . . . unless you’re the type of person that also walks across coals for fun in fire walking ceremonies, that is.

So, what is mastitis?

Mastitis is painful inflammation in one or both breasts. The inflamed area may be engorged (swollen), red, lumpy, unusually warm, or very firm when touched. When there is discomfort but no infection, these symptoms are usually referred to as plugged ducts. When an infection is present, it’s called mastitis. (Romm)

What are the symptoms of mastitis?

Although this is not an exhaustive list, here are some of the most common ones:

  • Breast tenderness, sometimes warm to the touch
  • Swelling/engorgement, often with hard lumps in breast
  • Discomfort while breastfeeding
  • Skin redness
  • Fever, chills, feeling unwell overall
  • Flu-like symptoms

What Causes Mastitis?

There are three main causes:

Obstructions (aka plugged ducts) – Plugged ducts can occur for many reasons, such as:

  • Poor milk drainage due to an improper latch. Children with tongue ties often have a shallow latch that can cause insufficient drainage.
  • Interrupted feedings where baby doesn’t have time to fully drain the breast.
  • Restrictive clothing (such as an underwire bra) that causes pressure on breast tissue.
  • Long periods between feedings – Sometimes due to being away from baby, but also sometimes due to other circumstances like baby sleeping longer than usual.

Infection – Cracked or bleeding nipples can be a point of injury for bacteria to travel into the breast and cause infection.

Inflammation – Systemic inflammation due to an allergy or localized inflammation due to an injury may also play a role in the development of mastitis.

How To Prevent Mastitis And Plugged Ducts

Mastitis can be a painful condition, but these tips can help to keep you from developing it.

  • Breastfeed Often – Keeping a flexible schedule and feeding on demand helps regulate your milk; if baby wants to magically sleep through the night (YAY!) or you are away from baby and this isn’t the norm, pumping can help you not go too long between feedings
  • Wear a well-fitting, comfortable bra—Underwires can cause pressure and plug ducts, so use with caution!
  • Eat a nourishing diet
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Switch positions frequently when breastfeeding
  • Make sure baby has a good latch and evaluate for a tongue tie if you think there might be an issue.
  • At the first sign of an issue, try a hot shower or bath and massage the area.
  • For recurring plugged ducts and mastitis, lecithin has been recommended. Eggs are a natural source of lecithin. For more info, go here
How to Prevent and Treat Mastitis Naturally

Mastitis Treatment Home Remedies

What To Do

  • Rest, rest, rest! Mastitis is a signal that rest is needed, so snuggle with baby in bed as much as possible.
  • Nurse, nurse, nurse! While in bed with baby, nurse on demand—get lots of skin-to-skin contact by taking off your and baby’s clothes as this will encourage breastfeeding.
  • Apply warm compresses or a hot water bottle to the breast before breastfeeding—this will help liquefy the milk pocket and get it moving out of the breast.
  • Massage towards the nipple when baby is breastfeeding on the affected breast.
  • Massage during and between feedings to help loosen the milk pocket.
  • Drink lots of water – staying hydrated is important for keeping your milk supply up, and breastfeeding is the absolute best way to clear blockages.

What to Apply

No need to apply all of these, I’m just offering several options so that you can use what you have on hand if possible.

Warm Compress – Apply a washcloth dipped in hot water or herbal tea – chamomile, ginger, marshmallow root, slippery elm and burdock root are good options. Also in this category: A hot water bottle, tub soak or hot showers with massage.

Potato Poultice – “Apply a poultice of freshly grated raw white potato two to three times a day. This is a wonderful remedy because nearly everyone has a potato, and it is remarkably effective in reducing pain, blockage and inflammation. Remove the poultice when it becomes warm, usually after about 20 minutes, and repeat with fresh grated potato several times daily.” (Romm)

Cabbage Leaves— Apply cold cabbage leaves to affected breast and leave on for about twenty minutes, then remove. If it’s easier, you can line your bra cups with the leaves – just make sure the bra is loose and not restrictive. The leaves can be applied up to three times a day (if applied more than that for a longer period of time, cabbage is known to affect milk supply)

Fenugreek Seed Poultice – Grind a few spoonfuls of fenugreek seed into a powder using a coffee grinder. Add just enough boiling water to make a thick paste. Let it cool enough to be comfortable to touch, then place them on a clean cloth and apply to the affected breast.

Supplements That May Help

When To See A Doctor

According to Aviva Romm, M.D. – who is also an herbalist and midwife – “Herbal treatment for mastitis consists of herbs to treat local inflammation and infection, and those to relieve systemic symptoms associated with fever such as myalgia and chills . . . Improvements are usually seen within 12 to 24 hours, and complete recovery usually occurs in 48 hours. Should symptoms worsen, abcesses form, or treatment not lead to adequate results within 72 hours, medical treatment should be sought.” (Romm)

According to Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC, you should “Talk to your doctor about starting antibiotics immediately if:

  • Mastitis is in both breasts.
  • Baby is less than 2 weeks old, or you have recently been in the hospital.
  • You have broken skin on the nipple with obvious signs of infection.
  • Blood/pus is present in milk.
  • Red streaking is present.
  • Your temperature increases suddenly.
  • Symptoms are sudden and severe.” (Bonyata)

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This article was medically reviewed by Madiha Saeed, MD, a board certified family physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

What home remedies for mastitis have you tried? Which ones worked for you?

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About HEATHER

Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world. 

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125 thoughts on “Natural Remedies For Mastitis”

  1. Wow! Great post! Speaking as a dude, this is quite insightful and gives me new empathy for mommas. Also, the link to Allison’s blog is broken, FYI. It looks like you put “www” in the URL and it seems her blog is just: thesproutingseed.com (no “www”). FYI.

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  2. Great article!
    One thing I’d add to the list that was the BIGGEST help for me was advice from older moms that I knew :
    As soon as you start getting sore, lumpy and extra full, and your baby isn’t “emptying the barrel”, get in a warm shower and massage each breast til “empty”.

    Seriously! This has worked for my sister and I every single time!!

    I definitely remember a couple nights where she slept extra long, or where our routine was thrown off by a trip, and my breasts being rock hard. At times my hubby has had to take care of a crying baby in the middle of the night just so mommy could go shower to get all the milk afterward, but its so worth not getting mastitis!!! And the relief is immediate. You just have to do it ASAP. 🙂

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  3. I got nailed pretty badly with mastitis when my son was a toddler–I thought I had the flu until I noticed the red streak coming from an angry red, sore, inflamed area on my breast! I was able to kick it just with hot packing the area with hot, damp wash clothes–frequently. I don’t remember using anything else.

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  4. Thanks for the article! I had a horrible experience with my first baby. I must not have had the latch quite right because both of my nipples ended up with large open wounds on them. Then I started getting mastitis. I had to stop breastfeeding and pump for my baby because it was too painful. I kept pumping for her for 7 months. In that 7 months I had 5 cases of mastitis. It was miserable. I wanted to be able to breastfeed so badly. With my second, everything went fine. I still got really sore nipples though but applied lanolin all the time. I am pregnant with my 3rd now and I have a question: Do you know if there is something better than lanolin to apply to the nipples? I have heard some bad things about lanolin. Thank you!

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    • I had my third child 3 weeks ago and had very cracked sore nipples. I was using lanolin but it wasn’t working. My doctor wrote a prescription for nipple ointment; this was also recommended to me by my lactation consultant. It has mupirocin 2%, betaderm 0.1% and miconazole 2%. It was amazing. Even though it had some medications in it; I needed it for only a few days and haven’t needed anything since then. Much better than lanolin.

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    • Hi Tiffany, my doctor also prescribed the nipple ointment to which Nicole refers – it was amazing and helped immediately. I wished I had gotten it sooner. I did not have to use the cream for very long.

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    • When I ha my first, I ended up with horrible open wounds on each of my nipples, too. I applied lanolin and then started adding neosporin hoping it woukd help them heal. I tried nipple shields. It was SO INCREDIBLY painful to nurse. Sometimes there was blood. But I FINALLY got the correct help from a wonderful lactation consultan. She told me that putting the lanolin on my nipples was actually keeping them moist and preventing healing. She said what I needed to do was let them air out, even use a hair dryer on them on a cool setting after each nursing. So I went completely topless for about 4 days and used the hair dryer often, but not every time, and saw amazing results VERY quickly. She told me I could keep putting a little neosporin on them too, so I did. But within a week I was FINALLY able to enjoy nursing pain-free after 8 long weeks of torture! I just had my second son this past September and again my nipples got sore, but nothing like the first time, no open wounds or anything. But I made sure to let them air out!!!! All soreness was gone within just a week and a half this time. I was so thrilled. I never used any lanolin. Hope this is helpful to you and any other mothers who might be dealing with the same thing 🙂

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    • This was an old question from 2013 but I thought I would comment to help someone in the future: Mother Love nipple cream works wonders! Get it at sprouts or whole foods and it heals the nipples overnight!

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  5. I get plugged ducts frequently, and mastitis at least once per baby. What I do is drink a ton of water, load up on garlic in my diet, and nurse, nurse, nurse.

    Before full-blown infection, if you point the baby’s chin toward the site of a plugged duct (where it’s lumpy), and massage that part of the breast while baby nurses, it helps keep mastitis at bay. To get in position, use a pillow and football hold, or lay the baby on your bed and prop yourself over baby so that her chin points to the lump (I’ll be honest, sometimes it takes some contortionist skills to get the baby latched correctly, but it helps so much!) Then, if the infection does set it, the garlic, water, and hot washcloths on the infection while pumping and massaging get rid of mastitis. I’ve never had to use antibiotics, even though I’ve had a couple nasty infections.

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    • Btw, I love the idea of cabbage leaves and lavender! I’ll have to send my husband to get cabbage next time I have a really bad case.

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  6. Great info! My all-time favorite mastitis remedy is poke root tincture. It usually gets rid of mastitis within 24 hours

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  7. Oh I’ve been there. Many times 🙁
    Whenever I notice lumps now I do my whole regimen:
    Phytolacca
    “Happy Ducts” by wish garden
    Massage & heat before nurse
    Cold compresses/ cabbage leaf after/ in-between

    I have prevented a few by doing this religiously.

    Also- what caused it for me a lot of times was wearing my little one in a moby for a long time- i was so bummed because I thought I couldn’t wear him any more but a different carrier made all the difference (Ergo) less pressure on my breast?!
    Hang in there mamas!

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  8. I have had at least one bout of mastitis with each of my babies, and I was in bed with a high fever for ten days with #3 because of it. It got so bad that I had to resort to antibiotics (the first round didn’t even work!) With #4, I was PREPARED. Before the birth, I had a stash of things to try! What worked for me: cabbage leaves, a natural antibiotic called Phytobiotic Capsules by Wise Woman Herbals http://www.wisewomanherbals.com/index.cfm?page=Details&ProdID=585&category=6&secondary=22, Phytolacca homeopathy, and Phytolacca oil rubbed directly on the red lumpy spots. There were a couple of times that I had the beginning stages of mastitis, and I immediately used all these remedies and have not yet had any mastitis! For those who can’t seem to kick it with just rest and nursing, any of these might be good to try. 🙂

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    • Are the pills really big to swallow and do they cause any side effects while taking them I am really tiring to avoid taking antibotics thanks

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  9. I’ve always used(only organic) potato pultus. What a relief it was. And of corse ASP get the boob as milked out as much as you can. The real key is as soon as you feel any pain in the boob DO SOMETHING ASP!! Appling grated potatoes,and getting the sore milk out (ASP) was my go to, and IT WILL VANISH.(the other methods will work too, just the sooner you do something the better. The potato/cabbage will defiantly relieve clogs. So when it gets lumpy don’t hesitate to put the grated potatoe on it, let your boob soak up all those juices. Very messy. How to: grate 1-2 organic potatoes(enough to cover the boob nice and thick). Cut out a square of wax paper to cover well each boob. 1-4 wash clothes to cover wax paper. Get an older bra, because if any juice gets on it, it will leave a brown stain. Laying down, place grated potatoe with juice on boob in a thick layer, then place wax paper over to cover, wash cloth on top of wax paper to catch dripping juices, the put the bra on to hold it in place. Make sure the bra is not to small or it can make it hert. You may need extra rags to catch any dripping potato juice. Then I would put on an old T-shirt, lay down a good layer of towels on my bed, one for on top as well, laying down on top, cover me with the towel, bed covers, and get some much needed rest:)

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  10. I had mastitis a few times with my second baby. It was always linked to not enough rest for me. I also keep dairy animals–milking goats and cows, and in learning about lactation in the animal world, I’ve found that iodine is extremely important for breast health. For dairy animals at least, iodine in the form of Lugol’s is critical in treating mastitis.

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  11. Hello! New to this site and love it!! I was wondering if you could ask on facebook if anyone has ever succussfully treated fibroids or breast cysts naturally. Would also love to know if anyone regarly uses parasite cleanses for skin conditions. Thanks!!

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      • Lauren, i have a breast cyst since my baby was 5 months, now she’s 10 and i haven’t got rid of the cyst yet. my doc told me if it gets inflamated he will take it out with a seringe….i don’t wont to get there:)
        have u found any natural treatment?

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  12. I used a combination of heat, pumping and cabbage leaves. The cabbage leaves worked incredibly well. Several days into the mastitis I took the baby with me and went to bed. It helped a great deal to rest.

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  13. Raw, organic, grated potato worked for me too…I used this remedy everytime (maybe 10-12 times) with my third child, I wish I had known about this or any of the remedies mentioned in this post when I had my first two children – my doctor told me I “needed” antibiotics everytime. I got the potato remedy from The Childbearing Year, by Susun Weed. https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Woman-Herbal-Childbearing-Series/dp/0961462000/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369702590&sr=8-1&keywords=the+childbearing+year

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  14. Oh man, Mastitis is a nasty beast! I was struck with it twice. The first time I thought I was about to die of a quick moving infection. I went from fine to crying in bed in about an hour, called my midwife and sure enough she knew just what it was.

    What helped me:
    Wish Garden Herbal tincture- Happy Ducts. Works Fast! I keep it on hand at all times! If life gets hectic and nursing doesnt happen as on schedule as I would like I take a couple droppers as precaution.
    Raw Garlic- hourly!
    Apple Cider Vinegar- A shot ever couple hours. Just like the good ole days…. the shots seemed to taste better in a dimly lit bar….hmm……

    Best of luck fellow mamas!

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  15. Castor oil packs, heat, rest, frequent nursing, and warm showers were my midwife’s recommendations. I took a lot of vitamin C, garlic, and echinacea too. I felt like I had the flu for 3 days, but I got over it without antibiotics. yay 🙂

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    • Did you get side effects from the echineca and did you eat raw garlic or did you take a garlic supplement thanks

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  16. I’ve never had full blown mastitis but when I had clogged or plugged ducts or “on the verge” (as my dr put it) I used raw potatoes. I thinly sliced potatoes and placed them in a bowl of cold water (I added a bit of ice). After about 10 min of soaking you lay down and apply the slices to the affected breast. I always covered with a towel to help with the excess moisture. When the potatoes are dried out (approx 20-30 min) remove them and discard and repeat with a new set of soaked potatoes. You can do this as many times as you like. I have no idea how this works but it did!
    I have had a friend with who had mastitis twice and this was her only method of treatment. And it worked!

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  17. Hi, I had mastitis on and off for 6 months. I reverted to antibiotics numerous times as nothing seemed to work and I had to get on top of the infection to function. However each round of mastitis got less and less severe. In the end homeopathic aconite worked really well, none of the other typical mastitis homeopathic remedies worked for me. I suspect I was just producing too much milk and it took 6 months for my breasts to settle down. I know another lady who refused antibiotics and used high doses of vitamin C successfully.

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  18. Omg, I just read this blog post of yours earlier. I am on clove three of garlic and already feeling better. I thought I was immune after nursing my daughter well into toddler hood without any issues. Guess I need to slow down!!

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  19. You can’t have a discussion about mastitis without talking about Poke Root Tincture. That stuff is awesome! I have never seen it take more than 2 doses to knock mastitis out.

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  20. I had this last week – thankfully just 24 hrs but it was a painful 24 hrs with LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of nursing on the left 🙂

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  21. i think out of all the times i have ever been sick, mastitis was the worst! Twice after my son turned a year. Luckily i could feel it coming on so i was able to naturally rid it in less than 48 hrs. Lots of rest and nurse nurse nurse!

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  22. Interesting. Never knew of these. The phytolacca took out mine. Even had three red lines. Also took ACV and soy lethicin (which I usually don’t touch).

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  23. I’ve had mastitis so many times, but I catch it quickly and rarely use antibiotics. I drink OJ, eat raw garlic and pump, pump, pump. I take sunflower lecithin and it definitely helps prevent clogged ducts.

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  24. Acupuncture also works. My fever, chills, flu-like aches resolved immediately. The painful, hard nodule was 90% gone after one session. After the second session, it was resolved completely.

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  25. also use cabage leaves to cool and soften engorged breasts. cabage leaves are the perfect cup for your breasts and held in by your nursing bra.

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  26. I started to get mastitis a couple of weeks ago even though I was doing everything I knew how to get rid of the plugged duct. I started to drink cup after cup of fresh ginger, cinnamon, and clove tea and the mastitis symptoms disappeared in less than 24 hours. The plugged ducts were still there though. I have reoccurring plugged ducts even though I do everything you mentioned in prevention…I am very confused, but so far I’ve not gotten mastitis as painful as the plugged ducts still are…

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  27. Jennifer Sommerville – homeopathic phytolacca is based on poke root. Homeopathic remedies can work very well, but I find that, in practice, homeopathic phytolacca doesn’t work as quickly as poke root tincture, which is much stronger, and doesn’t always beat mastitis if not started at the very first symptoms. Here is a brief explanation of the difference between homeopathy and herbalism (such as tinctures, teas, etc.) from the Baltimore Homeopathic Study Group: “Homeopathy typically uses medicines in high dilution. Also, herbalism prescribes herbs based on their use in traditional medicine, while homeopathy prescribes them based on the law of similars. However, the uses of herbal and homeopathic medicines sometimes overlap and a medicine is used to treat the same condition, both herbally and homeopathically. The use of Black Cohosh during labor is one example of this overlap.” (So is the use of Poke Root tincture & phytolacca).

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  28. I went through my first mastitis ordeal two weeks ago… it was miserable. I found that soaking in an Epsom bath helped with fever and massaging in the warm water helped with the clog.

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  29. I will not leave home without my phytolacca homeopathic pills, thank you for referring me to them almost 2 years ago, they have saved me many many rounds of antibiotics! I believe my recurring mastitis is caused by a certain food I eat, haven’t been able to pin point it, but glad I have this remedy in my purse at all times!!! I will look into the poke root tincture as sometimes the homeopathic remedy does take 6-8 hrs. to begin working.

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    • Some people cannot tolerate rich (fatty) foods like nuts (in the first 3-4m of nursing, some longer), otherwise they get clogged ducts. My mom is an example of that. Lecithin helps bc it breaks up the fats into smaller particles (? my mom’s theory, she used lecithin). Just a thought 🙂

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  30. NO LECITHIN! !!! ACK! ACK! ACK! evening primise oil Is an amazing emulsfier AND had many other positive affects on hormones. Also making sure You massage from chest wall THROUGH the nipple ENTIRE breast tissue. ..NOT just the sore spot (s). And having husband do it is even better. ..bc we tend to buy go as deep with pressure bc it hurts. ..granted it will make you cry when he does it. … but it’s wonderfully effective. And hit it hard and fast at the FIRST sign … the burning. Bruising. Soreness feelings. Vit c to the pt of loose bowels.. raw garlic, chop it up like a pill to swallow it at least 4 to 5 cloves etc

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  31. After six weeks of blocked milk duct and extreme pain after my seven days of mastitis I gave up and called my doctor. He gave me a an antibiotic. I was in massive pain and that was the only thing to help. I tried many things, but I love what you posted and I will keep this in mind for next time!!

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  32. Mega doses of Vit C saved me back in the day. Suffered and suffered and then discovered Vit. C….start taking it every hour for several hours as soon as I felt it coming on and that knocked it right out for me….every time.

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  33. Not sure if it was a coincidence or not but the last time I had Mastitis I took an Epsom salt bath at the first sign of it. Drank lots of water and went to bed. I had to pee a lot during the night and I felt achy all night but when I woke up in the morning it was gone and I was completely normal!!!

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  34. I had major issues with blocked ducts & mastitis until I learned to “nurse around the clock” – meaning not just frequency, but literally having the baby latch on in lots of different locations – all 360 degrees. where there is a blocked duct (or one starting), that’s where the chin of the baby goes – literally pops it right out. Yes, we found ways to nurse upside down! works every time….

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  35. Back when I had babies you would massage butter on your breasts and take a hot shower. It always worked. Now I think you could use coconut oil but haven’t tried it.

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  36. That super echinacea tincture is the nastiest thing I’ve taken. But the best for mastitis. I successfully dealt with a mastitis infection this summer with it. I also take oil of oregano capsules with it.

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  37. Just treated an inflamed, lumpy and very painful breast today. Used warm compress and hand expressing between feedings and many feedings to empty breast. I also placed cabbage on the breast all day and ate 4 garlic cloves and stated hydrated. I am almost 100% now. I believe stress, lack of sleep and too tight bras did it for me. Grateful for these natural remedies!

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  38. My dog got mastitis 3 weeks after having her puppies. Can any of these remedies be given to my dog if it ever happens again to any dog? For future reference.

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  39. Parsley poultice worked for me like a flash. I had fever, pain, swollen lump and within a short time after applying Parsley it was gone. Even the fever left almost immediately. I simply wrapped a bunch of Parsley in a cloth diaper, tied with a rubber band and steeped in boiling water for just a minute then applied to soreness as soon as it was cool enough to tolerate. Add a prayer and I guarantee this is the cheapest, easiest and most natural way to cure mastitis.

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    • Thanks Jenny! I’m struggling with blocked ducts right now and I’m really uncomfortable. Been tossing back garlic cloves, thinking its been killing the potential infection cause I have no more body aches. I’m going to try this parsley wrap, sounds like it could be the key! Thanks again

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  40. Don’t make the same mistake I did and swallow 3 cloves of garlic whole thinking “This will knock it right out!” It made me soo sick on top of the pain and fever! Now I always make sure to chop it up and space it out with food. I took Wishgarden’s Happy Ducts tincture at my midwife’s recommendation and it worked like a charm. I’m keeping a bottle in the fridge just in case it happens again!

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  41. I suffered this pain repeatedly with both children until I discovered…wet heat. If you are prone to blockage, drink as much water as you can tolerate. Purchase a moist or dry heating pad (I had “Soft heat” but any moist/dry would work). Get the insert wet or use a washcloth. Put on a cashmere or wool sweater and heat that pad up as high as you can tolerate, literally until your breast is sweaty and then nurse, nurse, nurse – done! Every time it worked like magic. I wish I had known this five years earlier. I have never heard anyone else use this method, and I am guessing someone else may benefit. Discovered by accident. Hang in there ladies!

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  42. Have you done any research into treating or preventing a “non breast feeding”, “non lactating”, and chronic or ideopathic granulomatous mastitis? Please help… 🙁
    Background info: I did breast feed all three of my children, but when I encountered the beginning of this condition, I had not nursed, or lactated, for 3 years or longer. It happened in one breast and I ended up in the hospital due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotic medication that I was prescribed. While I was in the hospital, they did a biopsy on the area and it came back Non cancerous. I healed and recovered from that bout… Then about a year and a half later, the same thing happened in the opposite breast. This time I was admitted to the hospital at the beginning since the doctors knew that I would need a special antibiotic only given intravenously. Again, while in the hospital, two separate biopsies were performed (one was at least attempted), and the results came back Non cancerous this time too, but the area that was enlarged and hardened did not seem to be resolving as well with the IV medications this time, so the surgeon decided to perform an I & D procedure (incision & drainage)… With this procedure the incision is left open afterwards, to heal from the inside out, while the patient (or preferably a spouse or family member) has to pack and unpack gauze from the open cavity daily… Then later as it starts to heal and close up on its own from the inside, then it is stitched closed. This time before the area had even finished healing, it seemed like the mastitis tried returning again in that same breast… So, I have had to continue on Steroids/prednisone to keep it away… But, staying on the steroids for 8+ months has other complications of its own…
    Have you done any research for this type of mastitis, and if yes, do you have any natural, organic, holistic or homeopathic suggestions? I look forward to your reply… 🙂

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