How to Naturally get rid of Mastitis without Antibiotics
It wasn’t too long after I had my daughter (just over a decade ago – yikes!) that I could have been mistaken for Dolly Parton – chest down, at least (kidding!). The early days of postpartum are a blur, and especially for new moms, there are so many questions, physical –and mental/– changes and issues that can arise without proper preparation and knowledge.
That said, don’t let it scare or deter you, just be prepared for it! Talk to other moms who have “been there”, do a bit of research (casual reading of trusted and concise material) & try not to freak out – thus going into panic mode or a state of overwhelm – which ultimately causes analysis paralysis.
One potential issue (It’s said to affect 20% of women, but honestly I feel like that number is probably way higher) that can arise during breastfeeding is when the mother experiences a clog, which may or may not develop into Mastitis. I want to note here that this is not medical advice, and that Mastitis can advance quickly and become life threatening if not resolved. If you have any concerns, doubts or questions you should contact your trusted medical professional. The following regimen is what I have used successfully over the years to remedy everything from a simple clog to close to full-blown mastitis. From my experiences, and the advice of my midwives, once a substationial fever develops, or especially if you see any red streaks moving upwards, it’s time to consider antibiotic treatment.
While I’m not a fan of antibiotics (their overuse throughout the years has caused everything ranging from auto-immune issues to antibiotic resistance & super bugs) , I understand that sometimes they truly are necessary, and have utilized them myself on rare occasion in the past. As long as you’re taking proper care of your gut health, this will be just a blip on the radar, and you will be just fine.
On that note, let’s discuss how I cleared up my clogs & reversed moderate Mastitis successfully over the years using alternative medicine, natural remedies & good old fashioned techniques that you may not have heard of before! There is a lot of information here – please don’t get overwhelmed. I wanted to be thorough, and share everything that has worked for me. Use your best judgement, and do what you can. Set your mind right too – you can and you will clear this clog up, and you’ll be feeling right as rain in no time!
SUNFLOWER LECITHIN
One of the best things I’ve found to get rid of clogs, and keep them away. Directions are included on the bottle, but I like to take 2 capsules at first, to kind of “kick start” the declogging process. Sunflower Lecithin is a natural fat emulsifier that can help reduce the stickiness of your milk & deter fats from clumping together. It may also loosen existing clogs & improve milk flow.
COLLOIDAL SILVER
Silver supports our immune system, which is #1, whether you’re supporting overall wellness, or dealing with/staying ahead of an infection. I take the recommended dose on the bottle, once every 3 hours when fighting off an active infection. I also apply it topically to the affected breast in the same intervals. This is also safe for ingestion, so I do not wipe it off prior to nursing baby, if it’s the only thing I have used. (If you use the gel, def wipe it off!) Silver is an ancient remedy that has been thought to treat bacteria, viruses & fungus! (Don’t worry, you won’t turn blue, that dude made his own – extremely potent – and applied it like it was going out of style)
GOLDENSEAL TINCTURE
Goldenseal has a ridiculous amount of uses. I’m fairly new to it, but it was recommended by a trusted friend, and has quickly become part of our “Crunchy Toolbox”. It’s praised for it’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. I make a paste with this and apply to the affected breast twice daily (see below) … Wipe off completely before nursing baby. I also take a few small drops of this internally, use your own discretion here – very limited (and incomplete) studies have been done (surprise, surprise) on breastfeeding moms & babies.
MANUKA HONEY
While Raw Local Honey is amazing, this stuff is in a totally different category! Manuka Honey isn’t just any regular old honey, it has unique compounds that give it excellent antimicrobial properties & more. It’s sourced from bees that intake pollen from the Leptospermum scoparium tree, which is native to New Zealand & Australia. Both countries have different standards for chemical markers and rating systems for what qualifies as Manuka Honey, but generally you want to find something with a UMF rating of 10 or higher. UMF stands for Unique Manuka Factor and is a quality mark identifying natural, unadulterated Manuka Honey produced in New Zealand. I take it internally (sometimes I’ll take a small spoon with my raw garlic (see below) and sometimes I just take it alone (I usually only do about 1/2 tsp at a time, you don’t need much. 2-3 times a day.
TURMERIC
Goodbye inflammation my old nemesis. Ideally, you’d wanna use raw turmeric root, but this works. I always keep a 2lb bag on hand, because we cook with it, and include it regularly in our wellness routine. I always make sure to use a small crack of black pepper (it contains a compound called piperine – which increases the bioavailability of the curcumin – the active ingredient in Turmeric by up to 2,000%!!! How’s that for a quick kitchen chemistry lesson?) I already add Turmeric to my daily Healthy Lemonade that I make, but I make sure to ingest extra during times like these, and I also use it topically (see Paste recipe below).
COMPRESS/TOPICAL
Paste
I make a paste with Turmeric Powder, a pinch of black pepper (to activate the good stuff in the turmeric), Colloidal Silver, Manuka Honey & Goldenseal Tincture. I just lay down a piece of saran wrap & mix it all right on there, then apply to affected breast & cover with a warm washcloth, towel or even a heating pad/water bottle to keep it warm as long as possible. 20 minutes ideally, wash off well before nursing your baby.
Compress
Another topical thing I did – (I was literally fighting this from all angles, and every way I knew how. I was determined not to need antibiotics this time (repairing your gut after a round of antibiotics can take months to years!!! I fought this hard!) – I did a spin on the “Castor Oil Pack” idea, using a warm washcloth, a Tbsp. of organic Castor Oil & a few drops of Tea Tree Oil. Ideally cover this with a water bottle or heating cloth to keep warm, 20 mins, wash off well after.
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C is our immune system’s BFF. This brand is pure, it’s organic, and it actually tastes quite good – albeit a little bitter by itself. It’s crushed up berries, nothing synthetic here, folks. I like to mix it in a little water and take it like that, but you can also add it to a beverage of your choice. You cannot OD on Vitamin C, so in our home we take it to bowel tolerance. You can find a chart online to calculate the dosage based on weight, and take that dosage, once every 2-3 hours until you hit bowel tolerance, then start cutting back from there. * I did not reach bowel tolerance w/ my last bout of Mastitis, it was pretty severe! This is not medical advice, do your own research, please.
(Side note, Vitamin C is powerful stuff, check out this article here, which discusses Dr. Suzanne Humphries protocol for Whooping Cough using Vitamin C!)
LEMON BALM TINCTURE
Another great immune support & also helps reduce stress – two things that are needed during threats of Mastitis. Did you know that stress can contribute to Mastitis andkeep it going for even longer? Our minds are powerful factors when it comes to our health!
ZINC
Yet another BFF of your immune system. Zinc should be a regular in all of our daily routines, but especially during times of sickness when our bodies really need that extra support. I take the recommended adult dose once every 3 hours during an active infection.
OIL OF OREGANO
Internally only for this one. It’s hot, I don’t recommend putting it on the breast directly. I just did 2 drops internally every 3 hours. Oil of Oregano fights all the things and is great to have on hand when you need some natural antibiotic alternatives.
RAW GARLIC
Garlic is powerful stuff. It’s high in antioxidents and also has antimicrobial, antviral andanti-inflammatory properties! Yea they have garlic pills, and I can only attest to this brand here, but they’re not nearly as effective as the real deal. Allicin in fresh, raw garlic is thought to be almost exclusively responsible for it’s Antimicrobial activity. Allicin is created when garlic releases a protein along with an enzyme called allinase (during crushing, chopping or chewing) & they combine. Studies have been shown that to get the most allicin possible, you want to crush or chop the garlic and then let it sit about 10 minutes. This is great to do before cooking, as allinase is heat-sensitive and can be easily destroyed. Ideally, though, for the purpose we are intending here, raw garlic is king. So, suck it up, and eat it raw. I like to mix mine with a tablespoon of raw local or Manuka honey (see above) and eat it, then chase it with a shot of OJ.
GINGER SHOT
Obviously you can consume ginger in a variety of ways, fresh is best. Ginger is great for inflammation. I just grated up some fresh ginger and added it to my Wolfberry Lemonade with a bit of extra Turmeric, and drank this “shot” 3 times a day.
ELDERBERRY SYRUP
more Vit C… Antioxidants. Good stuff! Anytime sickness strikes, we try to up our normal dose to a dose every 2-3 hours – or atleast 3 times a day – until well. I gotta recommend homemade for this, it’s cheaper, tastes better and, I feel, is light years more effective. Wellness mama has an amazing recipe we’ve been making for years.
HAAKA
This thing right hurrrr….. I did not discover this beauty until after my last baby was born! This thing is great. It catches extra milk while you’re nursing on the other side, it catches milk while you’re just chillin’ and reading a book, and it makes an excellent way to “soak” your affected breast. I like to do 1-2 Tbsp Epsom Salts (no scents or additives) and really warm/hot water (not enough to burn you, but as warm/hot as you can stand it. Getting the proper “latch” with this thing is essential, and if you do a quick Youtube search you can find the proper method, it needs to be deep in there to truly pull on the milk/clog effectively. Obviously, this is a “dump any drained milk” situation, cause the thing is also full of Epsom salt water.
MASSAGER
Any massager will work at this point, but these little guys are convenient, small & effectively shaped/designed to target clogs & cover maximum real estate. I massaged the clogged area whenever possible. Start near the armpit and work your way down. Massaging is most effective when done in combination with the Haaka, while baby is nursing or in a warm/hot shower. You can just massage with your hand, too, but this makes it easier & seems more effective.
CABBAGE LEAF
This old remedy is probably one of the most well known/beloved/strange ways to deal with engorgement – and yes, clogs. Keep your cabbage refrigerated, and it’s such a nice cool relief on an aching breast. It’s also said to help with inflammation. *I don’t advise overusing this one, as it has been known to be used to aid “drying up milk supply” (I’ve never done this so I can’t attest, but I do know they use several other tricks/supplements as well.)
THE “MILK SHAKE”
This is exactly like it sounds, and as strange/painful as it sounds, and remember y’all – this is not medical or even slightly professional advice! It’s just what worked for me – and lots of other ladies! I found a video on Youtube – while searching for new/effective ways of clearing up clogs/Mastitis quickly – shortly after my last baby was born and I found myself feeling like I had come down with the flu, and noticed I had a pretty severe clog. If you’ve never had Mastitis, you’re not missing out – it’s awful! Anyways, she explains it best, but I will tell you you’re basically grabbing the entire breast and shaking it violently. It hurts, I couldn’t do it to myself so I had my husband help. Ideally do this during/right after a warm/hot shower & nurse baby immediately after.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils can support every system of our bodies, so it stands to reason they’d make an appearance here. I used Tea Tree oil in the compress above, Thieves & Copaiba internally & Topically to support my immune system & the coolest thing about Copaiba is that it contains high levels of Beta-caryophyllene (which is also found in Rosemary, Cannabis & several other spices & herbs). Due to it’s unique ability to bind with CB2 receptors, the terpene Beta-caryophyllene has potent anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. It’s also been shown to relieve anxiety & pain. The best way to get started with essential oils is with a starter kit, it’s gives you the most bang for your buck, a huge playground of 12 of our most popular oils (all sustainably grown, sourced & produced, you can read more about our purity here.) aaaand all except for one of the oils mentioned in this my regimine. Another oil you’d get in the kit may be of interest to moms (or any humans, honestly) and that’s Peppermint. Mastitis headaches can be the worst and I like to put a drop of pure Peppermint oil on my thumb, and press it to the roof of my mouth for 30 seconds. It’s one of many things I do for natural headache remedies, you can check out more of them over in my Highlights section on Instagram. You can find the specific oils I discussed, and use in my Mastitis/clog regimine, here.
HYDRATION
So vital to have proper hydration. You obviously need water to live, but when you’re breastfeeding it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough. Your body needs this to produce milk and flush toxins. Water is amazing, but try to get some electrolytes in. Try my Healthy Lemonade recipe, it’s something I drink daily, and adds that extra dose of electrolytes that we all need.
So, I realize this was a lot. but I’m telling you… It is worth it. Mastitis is no joke, you can end up hospitalized or worse from an untreated clog. If you’re feeling unsure about anything, please reach out. If you have any effective “crunchy” remedies I didn’t list here, please share them with me, I’d love to add them to this list and I’ll give credit where credit is due!
Until next time, friends
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