Putting cold to heat is a very allopathic remedy, to be precise. The homeopathic way would surely be to add warmth to warmth! I once heard that Chinese cooks will hold a burn close to the stove. And since that I've done it as well, and guess what: it takes al lot less time (and who is going to hold a burn under vcold running water for 10-15 minutes while cooking and hyngry kids run around!) and works wonders!. Never tried it with deeper burns, but the ones from a hot pan or boiling oil are painfree much faster with warmth.
I rarely use cold on lactating breast, engorged or otherwise compromised, but warmth. It enhances milkflow and comforts mom, what in itself enhances milkflow. If mom wants other than warmth I use *cool* compresses rather than *cold* ones.
O, and I, too, am from a country that links ilness to cold, like pneumonia to going out with wet hair of urinairy tract infections from bike-riding with bare legs and short skirts.
Warmly (see, it's even in my sig),
Gonneke, IBCLC in PP, LC lecturer
--- On Wed, 12/23/09, Morgan Gallagher <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Morgan Gallagher <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [LACTNET] discomfort from engorgement
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 3:38 PM
Heat feels better than cold, of course. Heat is a pain relief measure on its own, as the heat message gets to the brain faster than the pain message. The cold message does too, actually, but it's no where near as emotionally comforting, as applying heat. So heat will make the person feel less discomfort, and therefore they will feel it 'works'. As to whether it is helping or hindering...
There was a discussion about this here a year or so ago, and I think it was Coach Smith (couldn't find the posts) who said that heat and inflammation are not good partners, that inflammation is better reduced by cold. For mastitis, putting heat on heat, is surely compounding the problems? (That's a general comment, not directed at Gonneke's comments below).
The hot shower massage, for moving down plugged ducts/mastitis, still worries me, as it's heat on inflammation, and I'm sure it's the warmth/comfort issue that's so.. comforting.
Interesting on the ice. I recently said to put cold on a case of mastitis, and someone else said "PUT ICE ON A HOT BREAST!" in genuine shock. I was pretty shocked too.. as I'd said 'cold'. Language...language...language...
To move it sideways somewhat, my midwife told me to pout hot water into a disposable nappy, and curve it around my breast, for relief. It's a nifty use of a disposable nappy. But I'd be suggesting cold water and putting it in the fridge first now! :-)
Everyone knew when I was growing up, that washing before going outside in winter, would kill you, as the cold would enter your open pores. Likewise, you couldn't wash your hair and go out, as you'd "catch your death of cold". Curiously, you weren't allowed to wash your hair or have a bath during menstruation either, as you'd similarly wither and die - but that was all the year round, and not someone linked to cold.
The small things that central heating and hair dryers and suchlike are robbing us of... such as the knowledge that cold air will kill you stone dead, if you've opened your pores before leaving the house! :-)
Morgan Gallagher
(Who was out in the -4C last night, and is still alive to tell the tale...)
gonneke van veldhuizen wrote:
> Actually, my dear friends, I think that getting rid of the engorgement itselfs will pretty much do the trick of easing the discomfort. So massaging, warmth, prefeably moist warmth, and rigorous, maybe even agressive breast emprying will do it. Not taking of the edges, no brief letting go of the milk ejection reflex, but emptying as far as possible and then take a fresh start.
>
> Warmly,
>
> Gonneke, IBCLC in PP, LC lecturer in southern Netherlands
>
> --- On Wed, 12/23/09, Rachel Myr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> From: Rachel Myr <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: [LACTNET] discomfort from engorgement
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 1:18 AM
>
> Believe it or not, women in Norway are advised to use heat for this, in the form of scarves around their upper bodies or wool underwear, and they are often sent to take hot showers and 'massage' their breasts though the exact technique is not well described. It works approximately as well as doing nothing, i.e. the engorgement eases up after a couple of days.
> There is a very strong belief here that cold causes mastitis. Even sitting in a cold draft can bring it on. Sitting on cold ground is also believed to cause bladder infections. A lot of us might be more inclined to blame a pathogen in a place it doesn't belong for both conditions, but here a woman wouldn't dare take the risk of mastitis from icing down her nipples. Cultures are different.
>
>
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
|
