Some women have breast discomfort and tenderness, which increases and decreases alternatively. This is an unpleasant breast condition. Breast tenderness is a condition in which the breast tissues become soft, swollen and painful. The breasts become sensitive when they are touched. There is breast ache and discomfort when any movement is done. There is breast heaviness and soreness.
Cyclic hormonal fluctuations can cause breast tenderness. Breast tenderness is a common problem for pregnant women. It also affects women who feed infants. It occurs during menopause and menstruation. The main cause of breast tenderness is hormones such as progesterone. The breasts become swollen and tender after childbirth due to collection of milk in the breasts. Some home remedies can help in reducing breast tenderness. You can try the following home remedies for breast tenderness.
Home Remedies For Breast Tenderness
Soap Massage
When you are having bath, apply soap on the breasts and do a gentle massage starting from the center part of the chest and massaging towards the armpits.This remedy helps in improving blood circulation. It also helps in lymph drainage through which the infection fighting components travel in the body.
Cold Pack
Fill ice cubes in a bag and wrap towel around it. Keep this on the breast for ten minutes. Apply the ice pack on the other breast also. This cold pack helps in decreasing breast swelling, pain and tenderness.
Warm Compress
Warm compress can help in reducing breast tenderness, pain and swelling. You can soak towel in warm water and apply on the breasts for ten minutes. Warm compress helps in improving blood circulation.
Use Support Bras
Avoid underwire bras. Use support bras instead of that. You should wear bra at night while sleeping. This helps in decreasing the breast jostling at night.If you are wearing a new bra, it should cup the breasts without causing pinching. When you select the new bras that are comfortable, you should not use old bras that are stretched. You should throw away old bras that fail to support the breasts.
Eat Soy Foods
Women who have breast tenderness should increase the intake of soybeans. Soy foods contain phytoestrogens, which are hormone like compounds. These compounds have an effect on hormone fluctuations during menstruation a well as menopause.Soy foods also contain isoflavones compounds, which help in decreasing breast tenderness. You should eat meat substitutes that contain soy. You can eat tofu, soy burgers and soy nuts. You can drink soymilk or make smoothies from this milk.
Reduce Fat
Women who have breast pain and tenderness should reduce the amount of fat in the diet. The diet should contain less than thirty percent fat. Avoid foods that contain hydrogenated oils such as margarine and snacks. Another source of hydrogenated oils is the packaged baked foods.The body needs to convert fatty acids to gamma linolenic acids, which helps in preventing pain and tenderness in the breast. Intake of hydrogenate oil impairs this process, which can cause breast tenderness. Therefore, avoid hydrogenated oils. Avoid poultry and meats cooked in hydrogenated oils.
Avoid Methylxanthine
If you want to prevent breast tenderness, you should avoid foods that contain methylxanthine. This compound is present in foods such as chocolate, tea, coffee, cheese, pickles and mushrooms. Therefore, you should avoid these foods.You should also avoid peanut butter, cola, wine, mushrooms and banana. Do not take cheese, beer and banana. You can prevent painful breast lumps by avoiding these foods.
Chaste Berry
Chaste berry is a very good remedy for breast tenderness and cramps. Eat chaste berry daily. You can take tablets that contain liquid and solid extracts of the dry chaste berry.Chaste beery can have an effect on the hormone levels. Therefore, pregnant women should not take chaste berry. The berry is not suitable for women who use birth control pills.
Also Read
Home Remedies For Breast Lumps
Home Remedies For Increasing Breast Size
Home Remedies For Breast Feeding Pain
Herbal Remedies For Breast Reduction
Herbal Remedies For Breast Enlargement
Vitamin E and B6
You can prevent breast tenderness by taking foods that contain Vitamin E such as sunflower seeds, Swiss chard, almonds, red bell peppers, barley, basil, oregano, kale, broccoli, wheat germ, peanuts, spinach, mustard greens, dried apricots and pine nuts.You should also take foods that contain Vitamin B6 such as spinach, avocado, green peas, peanuts, lean meat, fish, baked potato, cashew nuts, yams, turnip greens, hazelnuts, whole wheat bread, broccoli, chickpeas, bran, asparagus, soybeans and kidney beans. Apart from taking food, you can take these vitamins in the form of supplements.
Cabbage Leaf Compress
If you want to cure breast tenderness, you should apply raw green cabbage leaves on the breasts. Cover the leaves with a cloth. This compress helps in reducing breast pain and swelling.Cabbage contains many useful compounds that help in dilating and opening blood vessels and capillaries in the breasts, thus improving the blood circulation. This helps in decreasing tissue congestion. Due to this, the body reabsorbs fluid from the breast that is responsible for swelling and tenderness.
Reduce Sodium
You can prevent breast tenderness by decreasing the sodium in the diet. Sodium causes water retention due to which the breasts become swollen. Reduce the salt intake 2 weeks before the starting of periods.
Evening Primrose Oil
Apply evening primrose oil on the breasts and massage gently with the oil. This oil contains essential fats, which help in decreasing pain and tenderness in the breasts.
Eat Fibrous Foods
Foods rich in fiber are very good for breast tenderness. You should eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You should eat legumes like lentils. You can eat black beans. If you eat fibrous foods, you will excrete estrogen. This helps in decreasing breast tenderness.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseed is a very good remedy for breast pain and tenderness. You can mix one-teaspoon flaxseed to one glass water and drink this. You can consume flaxseeds by mixing it with ice creams and yogurt. You can also add flaxseeds to fruit juice and drink it. You should take one-teaspoon flaxseeds daily.
Take Minerals
Increasing the mineral intake in the diet can help in curing breast tenderness. Take foods that contain selenium such as Brazil nuts, oats, barley, fish, shellfish, brown rice, mushrooms, eggs, wheat germ and onions.Take foods that contain calcium such as milk, yogurt, cheese, tofu, Brazil nuts, broccoli, almonds, red beans, sesame seeds, kale and pinto beans. Take foods that contain magnesium such as bran, dark chocolate, Brazil nuts, dry roasted soybeans, almonds, dried herbs, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cashew nuts, pine nuts, sesame butter, squash, pumpkin and molasses.
