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Breast Health in Chinese Medicine

Jill Blakeway, DACM, L.Ac.

Biomedicine : Breast Anatomy

Reproductive Cancers

“The Perfect Storm”

Deficiency Blood

Qi Yin & Yang

Stagnation Blood

Phlegm Damp Toxicity/

Heat External Internal

Chinese Medicine: Breast Anatomy

The Six Stagnations of Zhu Dan-xi

Stagnations“10,000 illnesses all start with Yu”

Qi

Blood

Damp

Phlegm

Food

Fire

Common Breast Disorders

•  Premenstrual breast distention & pain•  Fibrocystic breasts•  Fibroadenomas•  Mastitis•  Breast cancer

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Symptoms of low progesterone & relative estrogen dominance

•  Breast swelling and tenderness •  Mood swings •  “Fuzzy thinking”•  Irritability •  Trouble sleeping •  Water retention •  PMS •  Weight gain•  Thickening of endometrial lining, clotted

menses

Estrogen Dominance: The most common patterns of disharmony

Deficiency of yang or qiLeads to stagnation of qi

Which leads to stagnation of blood or fluids. Or

Stagnation of qi and/ or bloodLeads to weak yang or qi

Leading to fluid accumulation.

Deficiency of KI yang or

SP qi

Leads to stagnation

of LIV qi

stagnation of blood or

fluids

Stagnation of LIV Qi and

or Blood

Leads to weak KI

yang or SP qi

fluid accumulation

or

Acupuncture

Ren17, SI1, GB21, LI4, LV3, LV8 & ST36, Ren6

PC6 & SP4 (chong), ST30

SI11(B), PC6(R), SP4 (L), HT7(L), GB34(R), KI7(B)

SI1 and breast ashi point (w/ ion pumping chords)

GB41, SJ5 (dai)

Ren17, ST18 and ST34

Qing Shu Yi Qi Tang (Clear summerheat & Boost the Qi Decoction)

Huang Qi (Radix Astragali Membranacei) Ren Shen (Radix Panacis Ginseng) Cang Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis) Bai Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae) Gan Cao (Mix-fried Radix Glycyrrhizae) Mai Men Dong (Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici) Ge Gen (Radix Puerariae)Wu Wei Zi (Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis) Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis)Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae) Qing Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride) Sheng Ma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae) Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis)Shen Qu (Massa Medica Fermentata)

Self-Help Advice to Combat Estrogen Dominance

•  Take care of your liver.•  Follow a hormone balancing diet by eating

plenty of vegetables, adequate protein and some healthy fats.

•  Make sure you eat enough fiber so that your bowels are able to eliminate excess estrogen.

•  Eat cruciferous vegetables•  Avoid endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure•  Talk to your doctor about progesterone

supplementation. •  Lose any excess weight and get regular exercise

Premenstrual Breast Pain

•  Elevated estrogen•  Estrogen/progesterone imbalance •  Elevated prolactin•  Hormone allergy•  Hypoglycemia•  Vitamin B6 deficiency•  Lowered neurotransmitters•  Stress•  Family history of PMS

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Xiao Yao Wan (Free Wanderer Powder)

Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix) Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) Bai Shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rh) Fu Ling (Poria) Bo He (Mentha H)Sheng Jiang (Zingiberis RH)Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix)

Dao Shui Fu Ling Tang (Poria Decoction to Drain Water)

Fu ling (Poria Rubra)Ze Xie (Rz. Alismatis)Bai Zhu (Rz. Atractylodis)Mu Gua (Fr. Chaenomelis)Bing Lang (Sm. Arecae)Mai Men Dong

(Rx. Ophiopogonis)

Zi Su Ye (Fol. Perillae)Deng Xin Cao (Medulla Junci)Chen Pi (Per. Citri Reticulatae)Mu Xiang (Rx. Aucklandiae)Sha Ren (Fr. Amomi)Sang Bai Pi (Cx. Mori)Da Fu Pi (Per. Arecae)

Fibrocystic Breasts

When examined under a microscope, fibrocystic breast tissue includes distinct components such as:•  Fluid-filled round or oval sacs (cysts)•  A prominence of scar-like fibrous tissue

(fibrosis)•  Overgrowth of cells (hyperplasia) lining the

milk ducts or milk-producing tissues (lobules) of the breast

•  Enlarged breast lobules (adenosis)

Wen Dan Tang (Warm the Gallbladder Decoction)

Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae Ternatae)Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae)Fu Ling (Sclerotium Poriae Cocos)Zhu Ru (Caulis Bambusae in Taeniis) Zhi Shi (Fructus Citri seu Ponciri Immaturus) Sheng Jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis) Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis) Da Zao (Fructus Zizyphi Jujubae)

Herbal combination to add to a formula to treat breast pain and

benign lumps.

Qing Pi (P. Citri Viride)Gua Lou (Fr. Trichosanthus) Jie Geng (Rx. Platycodonis)Pu Gong Ying (H. Taraxaci)

Self-help suggestions to disperse benign breast lumps

• Fig Poultice• Self-Massage• Time without a bra• Limit alcohol, coffee and chocolate• Limit dairy products• High fiber diet• Eat cruciferous vegetables or take a DIM

supplement• Supplement with vitamin D if necessary• Exercise

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Topical wash for benign breast lumps

Bai Zhi (Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae) 10gAi Ye (Fol. Artemisiae Argyi) 10gChi Shao (Rx. Paeoniae Rubra) 10gChuan Jiao (Fr. Zanthoxyli) 10gCong Bai (Bul. Allii) 3 pieces

"By eating too much thick, heavy foods or by bearing grudges, the portals (of the breast) will become blocked. As a cumulative effect of worry (which damages the spleen and liver by knotting or binding of the qi), a dormant node may develop, hard like a turtle shell (but) with no pain or itching. It takes more than 10 years to become a sunken sore, called suckling breast rock because it forms a depression like a rock cave.”

Zhu Dan-xi

Etiology of Breast Cancer: Zhu Dan-xi

Phytoestrogens

Whole grains rye, oats, barley,

millet, rice, wheat, corn

Seeds buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa

Beans yellow split peas, black

turtle beans, baby limas, anasazi beans,

kidney beans, soybeans

Fruits olives, cherries,

grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums,

strawberries

Breast Health in Chinese Medicine

Jill Blakeway, DACM, L.Ac.