A few months ago, I became a mother. For the first time, I held my own child in my arms—and for the first time, I truly experienced many things I had previously only read about in books. Mastitis was one of them.
Mastitis is very common clinically. It is usually caused by blocked milk ducts, leading to localized milk stagnation and subsequent inflammation. Common symptoms include breast swelling and pain, tenderness, fever, and fatigue. In more severe cases, it may involve bacterial infection. In modern medicine, the standard treatment is antibiotics, and if an abscess forms, surgical drainage may be required.
That morning when I woke up, I felt a dull pain in my left breast. At first, I thought it would resolve after nursing, but no matter how much I pumped, there was always one area that would not release milk, and it was painful to the touch. By evening, I developed a fever of 101°F, along with soreness in my lower back and hips and profound fatigue—it felt like I had just finished running a long marathon.
I knew very clearly that all of these symptoms together pointed to mastitis.
My husband was extremely worried. His sister had once been hospitalized for a week due to mastitis, and he was afraid I would end up in the same situation. He urged me to contact a doctor immediately to get antibiotics, believing that this was not something that could be allowed to worsen.
But internally, I was very resistant.
I knew that antibiotics can have significant side effects, including killing a large number of beneficial gut bacteria. Recovery can take a long time and may even lead to additional health issues. Moreover, taking antibiotics does not guarantee complete recovery. At the same time, I was deeply afraid—afraid that if things got out of control, surgery would ultimately be unavoidable.
The next morning, I still obtained the antibiotics and told myself that if I continued to have a high fever by that evening, I would take them. At the same time, I prayed to God for wisdom and guidance.
I then went to work as usual, reviewing research and gradually forming a treatment plan in my mind.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the focus is not on “killing” a specific bacterium or virus, but on changing the internal environment of the body so that pathogenic factors can no longer thrive. I decided to approach it from this perspective: improving circulation, opening the milk ducts, and allowing the body to expel the inflamed and stagnant milk on its own.
After work, I went home and did acupuncture for myself and prepared Ge Gen Tang, adding malt (Mai Ya) and Atractylodes (Bai Zhu). After drinking the decoction around 4 p.m., I began to sweat lightly. My body felt as if it were gently opening up, and I took the opportunity to pump. By 8 p.m., the breast pain had completely resolved, the fever had subsided, and my temperature had dropped to 97.7°F.
The next morning, my temperature remained normal. Lying down, I carefully examined my breast and discovered a strip-like lump about the width of my little finger deep near the rib area. It was movable and not painful. I pumped for quite some time, but it did not resolve.
From a meridian perspective, surface breast distension and pain are associated with the Taiyang channel, which Ge Gen Tang addresses well. However, deeper lumps near the ribs correspond to the Shaoyang channel and are better treated with Xiao Chai Hu Tang. Feeling a bit lazy to prepare another decoction, I took a prepared (patent) form of Xiao Chai Hu Tang. After just one dose, the deep strip-like lump completely disappeared.
And just like that, the mastitis episode was over.
No antibiotics. No surgery.
I am deeply grateful that God created medicinal herbs—and also created such an extraordinary body, one that is capable of healing itself.
几个月前，我成为了一名母亲。第一次抱着自己的孩子，也第一次体会到许多过去只在书上见过、却从未真正经历过的事情——乳腺炎，就是其中之一。
乳腺炎在临床上非常常见，通常由乳腺管堵塞引起，局部乳汁淤积，继而诱发炎症反应。常见表现包括乳房胀痛、压痛、发热、乏力，严重时可伴随细菌感染。现代医学的常规处理方式多以抗生素为主，若形成脓肿，则可能需要手术引流。
那天早上醒来，我的左边乳房开始隐隐作痛。一开始我以为喂完奶就会好，可是不论怎么泵奶，总有一个地方怎么也通不了，一碰就疼。到了晚上，我开始发烧，体温 101°F，腰胯酸痛，全身无力，像是跑完了一场漫长的马拉松。
我心里很清楚，这些症状加在一起，就是乳腺炎。
我先生非常担心。他的姐姐曾因为乳腺炎住院一周，他害怕我也会走到那一步，让我立刻联系医生开抗生素，认为这种情况不能再拖。
而我内心是非常抗拒的。
我知道抗生素的副作用很大，会大量杀伤肠道里的有益菌，恢复可能需要很长时间，甚至引发更多潜在的健康问题。而且，即便吃了抗生素，也未必就一定能痊愈。同时，我心里也很害怕——害怕如果控制不住，最终还是要走到手术那一步。
第二天早上，我还是把抗生素备好了，告诉自己：如果今晚还高烧不退，我就吃。但与此同时，我也在心里向神祷告，求智慧、求带领。
随后我照常去工作，一边查阅资料，一边在脑中逐渐形成治疗思路。
在中医的理念里，并不执着于“杀死”某一种细菌或病毒，而是通过调整身体的内在环境，让病邪失去生存的条件。我决定从这个方向入手：加强血液循环，疏通乳腺管道，让身体自己把发炎、淤积的乳汁排出去。
下班回家后，我给自己针灸，还我煮了葛根汤，加了麦芽和白术。下午四点喝完药后，身体开始微微出汗, 身体像被轻轻打开了一样，我趁机泵奶。到了晚上八点，乳房已经完全不痛了，烧也退了，体温降到了 97.7°F。
次日早上，体温依然正常。我躺下来仔细检查乳房，在靠近肋骨的深处，发现了一条小指粗的条状硬块，可以轻轻推动，但并不疼。用吸奶器吸了很久，仍然没有消掉。
从经络角度来看，乳房表面的胀痛属太阳经，葛X汤可以处理；而靠近肋骨、位置较深的硬块，则属于少阳经，应当用小柴X汤来解。我一时懒得再煮药，便服用了小柴X汤的中成药，只吃了一剂，那条深处的条状硬块便完全消失了。
这场乳腺炎，就这样结束了。
没有抗生素，没有手术。
感谢神创造了草药，也创造了如此奇妙、会自我修复的身体。