bubble_chart Concept

Breast redness and swelling is one of the common symptoms of breast diseases in women.

This condition is commonly seen in diseases such as "acute mastitis," "phlegmonous mastitis," and "breast abscess," which belong to yang pattern. In yin pattern, breast redness and swelling can sometimes also be observed, such as in carcinoma of the breast and breast tuberculosis, but it only appears when the yin pattern transforms into yang. This article will not discuss this further.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Blood Stasis︰A hard lump with pain initially appears in the breast, followed by redness and swelling, occasionally accompanied by aversion to cold and fever, a pale-dark tongue with thin white coating, and a wiry-rough or rapid pulse. The treatment should focus on invigorating blood and resolving stasis to reduce swelling. The recommended formula is Origin-Restoring Blood-Invigorating Decoction with modifications.
2. Milk Accumulation︰First, there is breast distension and hardness, followed by burning heat, redness, swelling, and pain, often accompanied by aversion to cold, fever, thirst, dysphoria, anorexia, a red tongue with yellow or greasy coating, and a wiry, rapid pulse. This condition is commonly seen during the postpartum lactation period. There are two causes: one is nipple deformity, with Yangming stagnation transforming into fire and toxin; the other is liver depression and qi stagnation, leading to agalactia, which over time transforms into toxin. The breasts belong to the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, while the nipples belong to the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. The secretion of breast milk relies on the stomach's harmonious descent and the liver's free flow of qi. If the stomach fails in harmonious descent, milk becomes stagnant and obstructed; if the liver fails in free flow, the milk ducts become blocked and fail to discharge. Prolonged accumulation of milk inevitably leads to redness, swelling, and pain. The key diagnostic points are: breast distension and hardness followed by swelling and pain, fiery redness, often accompanied by symptoms of liver and stomach stagnation-heat such as thirst, dysphoria, and anorexia. Treatment should focus on soothing the liver and harmonizing the stomach, clearing heat, and unblocking the collaterals. The recommended formula is Trichosanthis Fruit and Arctium Decoction.
3. Qi Depression︰The breast swelling is not severe, the color is not fiery red, the lump persists without dispersing, accompanied by mild fever, hypochondriac pain, poor appetite, a pale tongue texture with white or slightly yellow coating, and a wiry pulse. The treatment should focus on {|###|}soothing the liver and regulating qi{|###|} to reduce swelling. The recommended prescription is Bupleurum Liver-Clearing Decoction with modifications.
4. Fire Toxin︰The breasts are red, swollen, and painful, accompanied by shivering and high fever, thirst and excessive drinking, constipation and dark urine, a red tongue with thin, dry, yellow coating, and a slippery, rapid pulse. This is caused by exposure to seasonal pathogen fire toxin. When fire toxin accumulates internally and stagnates without dispersal, it inevitably leads to redness, swelling, and pain in the breasts. The key points of pattern differentiation are: the disease progresses rapidly, quickly affecting the entire breast, and is accompanied by systemic fire toxin symptoms such as shivering and high fever, thirst and excessive drinking, a red tongue with yellow coating, and a forceful, rapid pulse. The treatment should focus on clearing heat and removing toxin, cooling blood, and the recommended formula is Five-Ingredient Toxin-Eliminating Decoction with modifications.

Breast redness and swelling is an excess pattern, a yang pattern. When caused by seasonal pathogen fire toxin, the heat, pain, redness, and swelling are severe; when caused by blood stasis and milk dyspepsia, the swelling and pain are prominent, but the heat is milder; when caused by qi depression, the main symptom is distending pain, with minimal signs of heat. Therefore, the treatment should focus on clearing, resolving, and dispersing. The key lies in early treatment. If treated when deficient, once the breast ulcerates, it becomes even more challenging to manage.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Nyuke Jinglun．The text states: "Shengji Zonglu says, the stomach meridian of foot-yangming runs from the supraclavicular fossa down to the breast. Also, the Chong vessel originates from the Qijie point, runs alongside the stomach meridian of foot-yangming, ascends by the side of the umbilicus, and disperses in the chest. In women, the Chong and Ren vessels are fundamental. If there is a failure in regulation, leading to disharmony of the Chong and Ren vessels, and heat in the yangming meridian, or if wind pathogens invade, then the qi becomes congested and does not disperse, accumulating in the breast area, causing hardness or swelling, pain with nodules, inflamed skin, alternating chills and fever, which is called acute mastitis. If wind predominates, there will be hard swelling with a white color; if heat predominates, there will be inflamed swelling with a red color. If not treated, the blood will not circulate, and the qi will be congested, clashing with the body fluids within the breast, leading to suppuration. It is advisable to quickly promote lactation, unblock the congestion, and disperse the wind-heat, then the disease can be cured."