Acupuncture for Breast Engorgement During Lactation: a Pilot Study.

Breast engorgement which may manifest swell, throb, and cause mild to extreme pain is the common difficulty for breast feeding woman. It occurs in the mammary glands due to expansion and pressure exerted by the synthesis and storage of breast milk and it usually happens when the breasts switch from colostrums to mature milk. However, engorgement can also happen if lactating women miss several nursing and not enough milk is expressed from the breasts. It can be exacerbated by insufficient breastfeeding and/or blocked milk ducts. Engorgement may lead to mastitis and untreated engorgement puts pressure on the milk ducts, often causing a plugged duct.

According the meridian theory, the investigators propose the acupuncture treatment for patients of breast engorgement.

The investigators will include 60 patients and measure the acupuncture effect. The inclusion criteria are women with breast engorgement and 20 years old or older. Exclusion standards are patients with: 1. diabetes mellitus 2. Psychological disease or mental illness 3. Fever > 38 degrees Celsius 4. Mastitis 5.analgetics or anti - inflammatory agents used 6. ultrasound therapy applied