Title: The Legend of "Mastitis"
Author: Chen Yan, a practicing Chinese Medicine physician (Practice License Number: 241330108000021). This article is written by Dr. Chen Yan, based on classical Chinese medical theories and clinical experience, and is intended for general knowledge and educational purposes only. The qualifications can be verified on the official website of the National Health Commission of China.The "Zhongzang Jing" from the Eastern Han Dynasty records a story: A woman would experience breast pain as if her breasts were blocked with stones every time her menstrual period approached, making it excruciatingly painful even to brush her sleeves. The physician examined her pulse and said, "This is not mastitis, but a disorder of liver Qi and an imbalance of the Chong Mai." The woman was puzzled and asked, "If it is Qi reversal, why does it always occur before the menstrual period?" The physician made a metaphor: "The menstrual period is like a tide, and before the tide rises, the wind arrives first—the liver is the organ of the wood element, and when the menstrual period is about to start, the liver Qi moves first. If the Qi is stagnant, the breast channels are blocked, and blockage leads to pain." This legend reveals the hidden and precise connection between breast pain and the menstrual cycle.
In clinical practice, many women have such an experience: about a week before the menstrual period, their breasts begin to swell and ache. This is because the liver Qi is stagnant, affecting the breast channels and causing pain. Chinese medicine believes that the liver and breast are closely related, and the liver Qi can affect the breast channels, leading to breast pain.