Do you have fibrocystic breast tissue?
This condition, also known as Fibrocystic Breast Disease, includes breast lumps or areas of thickened tissue which are sometimes tender and can vary with one's menstrual cycle.
As a teenager, my gynecologist told me that I had inherited cystic breast tissue from my mother. She also said that I should be extra careful when doing breast self-exams because finding pre-cancerous lumps is trickier amidst cystic lumps.
I didn't realize at the time — and neither did my doctor! — that this common condition can be healed.
The Causes Of Cystic Breast Tissue
According to the Mayo Clinic, cystic breast tissue can be described as “fluid-filled round or oval sacs (cysts), a prominence of scar-like fibrous tissue, overgrowth of cells lining the milk ducts or milk-producing tissues (lobules) of the breasts, [and] enlarged breast lobules” (source).
Hormonal fluctuations (excess estrogen and/or insufficient progesterone) during puberty, perimenopause, or times of stress can cause cystic tissue to form. This fibrous tissue can also form during the first half of a woman's cycle — the follicular phase — when estrogen levels are higher.
A woman's cycle, in preparing for pregnancy every month, also prepares her mammary glands for lactation. If she does not conceive, her body breaks these new breast cells down.
If a woman's hormones are unbalanced and the cells are allowed to build up, inflammation remains (source). As you can see, cystic breast tissue isn't really a disease.
3 Home Remedies For Cystic Breast Tissue {heal lumpy breasts!}
Let's look at some natural remedies to heal lumpy breasts!
#1 — Iodine
Natural practitioners often prescribe iodine as a nutritional supplement. Breast tenderness can actually indicate an iodine deficiency. In fact, iodine helps the body usher out excess estrogen while making cells less responsive to it (source).
If you have a thyroid condition, please talk to your practitioner before taking iodine. Individuals with thyroid conditions must balance iodine intake with adequate selenium. Furthermore, iodine stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone (source), which can be dangerous if the gland is already weakened.
#2 — Red Raspberry Leaf
Red raspberry leaf tea or tincture (learn how to make your own here!) is a powerful herbal approach to healing cystic breast tissue. It effectively and gently balances hormones by detoxing excess estrogen. If taken daily, it generally maintains this hormonal balance over time.
There are certain exceptions, such as periods of more extreme change like perimenopause, when cystic breast tissue can return. I experienced this myself when, after a year of relief from breast cysts, they suddenly reappeared, unusually tender and uncomfortable, in the midst of a bout of insomnia. Insomnia is also a symptom of perimenopause and general hormone imbalance.
I was already taking the right dose of iodine for my body and a red raspberry leaf tincture daily. This leads me to remedy #3…
#3 — Quietude Homeopathic
I stumbled upon this third remedy by accident! One night after my breast cysts had returned, I took Quietude as a natural sleep aid, knowing that my mom uses it successfully, too. When I woke up the next morning after a great night's sleep, my cystic breast tissue had vanished. Totally smooth, pain-free breast tissue — overnight!
Not surprisingly, Quietude homeopathic works by balancing one's hormones.
Occasionally, my cystic breast tissue returns. I still take Quietude intermittently as a sleep aid and to resolve lumpy, painful breast tissue. It always resolves breast cysts, even when it doesn't prevent midnight insomnia/prevent midnight cortisol spikes. I follow the dosage instructions on the box.
Why does Quietude work? Take a look at the second ingredient, derived from nutmeg. Nux moschata quells pain and anxiety, and treats a variety of menstrual symptoms! Its ability to relieve stress and remove toxins may also help it balance hormones and heal cysts (source).
While I can't know for sure, I suspect it is the nux moschata in Quietude that makes it an effective remedy for cystic breast tissue. I have not used this homeopathic on its own. I'd love to hear your results with the use of Quietude or nux moschata.
Have you struggled, or do you struggle, with cystic breast tissue? What remedies have worked well for you? Please share in the comments below!
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I am so excited to read this today! This is a God-incidence of getting this information now. I was just diagnosed with cysts in my breasts. Thank you for this information.
Evening primrose oil helped a lot. Every period I would experience worsening of my symptoms and that’s when I would take capsules of this wonderful product. It is a life savior
Evening primrose oil was recommended to me many years ago by a nurse practitioner, and I find it works really well to Lana!
Hi, In the past I have used Poke Root (Phytolacca decandra) to alleviate fibrocystic breasts. Works wonderfully well.One of the best remedies for this problem. Fibrocystic breasts disorder seems to be a imbalance in estrogen/progesterone and I would have used progesterone on the last half of a cycle if I had the information about progesterone twenty years ago. Now after menopause I use progesterone for the symptoms of menopause.I just wished I had known about progesterone sooner so that I may have prevented fibroid growth in the uterus during peri-menopause.
Hi, I am wondering if Sandy used Poke root oil? Is it topically applied? Where does she get it?
Hi Amy,
I used Medi Herb Poke root through Standard Process, It is a tincture and really worked well.
Thank you, Sandy. 🙂
I wish I had known about this year’s ago! My first cancer scare, was in my late 20’s, when my doctor misread my fibrocystic breasts and thought I had cancerous lumps. That was back, in the early stages of mammograms when they used balloons to compress the breast. After the mammogram my doctor figured out I had fibrocystic breasts and I was told to monitor the lumps in the outer area of my left breast.
Years later, I had another scare, with a possible cancer diagnosis, at the Mayo Clinic, because they couldn’t tell, on my mammogram, if it was cysts or cancer. So, I had to have a special ultrasound. Once again, I was told I didn’t have cancer.
A couple years later, I had a total hysterectomy, so . . . Instant menopause. However, even without hormones, I had an episode, with pain, in the area, of the cysts, that I monitored, with self breast exams. Years earlier, I had decided to not have mammograms, anymore, due to the practice of increasing pressures, to compress breast tissue, so tumors could be seen better. I read that these increasing pressures could actually cause cancer, and they did not increase possibility of early cancer detection. Well, considering that fibrocystic breast tissue made mammograms very painful anyway, increasing the pressures made that pain even worse.
When I started having pain in my left breast, I knew that a mammogram was not the way I wanted to be evaluated. I had heard about Thermography, as an alternative to mammograms. I heard that thermography was able to detect cellular and vascular changes up to ten years before a mammogram could detect cancer. So I found a Chiropractor in my area that did Thermographic scans. It wasn’t covered by my insurance and it wasn’t cheap ($450 for a whole body scan). I was scheduled for a follow up breast scan ($165) 4 months later, to see if there were any changes.
The Chiropractor sent the scan to a licensed Radiologist, to be read, and his findings were sent back to the Chiropractor. As it turned out, I had multiple “hot spots” (including my breasts), which indicated sluggish lymph. As a retired RN (converted to Alternative/holistic) I knew that sluggish lymph wasn’t good, and it could be helped by lymph massage. So, I did some online research and learned how to do lymph massage from my neck, to my underarms, to my breasts to my groin. When I went back for my follow up scan, the Chiropractor was surprised to see that my “hot spots” had cooled down considerably, especially my neck, underarms and breasts. I told her I had been doing lymph massage, and she said, “Well, keep up the good work! Don’t stop what you are doing!”
I continue to do lymph massage when I am in the shower – using a small amount of my unscented, non-toxic shower gel, to lubricate my skin. Making small moderate pressure circles, I start behind my ears, work to under my jawline, down my throat, on either side of my trachea, into the collar bone depression, down to the breasts, doing large circles around each breast (with both hands), then gently pushing/flattening each breast toward my chest (to squeeze lymph fluid out of the milk glands), then circles under my arms and under my breasts, then down to the groin.
Since I started doing lymph massage, I have not had any painful cyst episodes. I can feel the glands, when I do self breast exams, but they are not hard or enlarged. I believe doing the lymph massage has greatly decreased my rush of having breast cancer.
Do you think the homeopathic mentioned above would help vaginal fibroids? I believe I have one/some near my vaginal opening which makes intercourse (& even speculum insertion) very painful. Would love to know if I could shrink it naturally.
Logan Caleb
I am a 66-years-old man. My Parkinson’s disease appeared at the age of 37. My symptoms, at the beginning, were fine tremors and rigidity with joint stiffness. I was taking entacapone with levodopa, carbidopa, and pramipexole. My Parkinson’s disease is mostly under control but not cured,After using Parkinson’s disease herbal formula my daughter purchased online from Good Health Herbs Home
My husband will be 81 years old next month and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 13 months ago. his main symptom were and rigidity or stiffness of his right-hand side.he also had some difficulty writing. The original diagnosis was confirmed three months later by a second neurologist. He was on one tablet of pramipexole (Sifrol), 0.25 mg three times a day. Four months ago his neurologist added Biperiden, 2 mg. he takes half a tablet of Biperiden three times a day. Since the original diagnosis, his stiffness has slowly increased. He lost touch with reality. Suspecting it was the medication I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) and started him on PD natural herbal formula we ordered from GREEN HOUSE HERBAL CLINIC, I spoke to few people who used the treatment here in Canada and they all gave a positive response, his symptoms totally declined over a 6 weeks use of the Green House Parkinson’s disease natural herbal formula. He is now almost 81 and doing very well, the disease is totally reversed! (Visit their website ) I am thankful to nature, herbs are truly gift from God. Share with friends!!
I have a breast that bothers me. They performed an ultrasound and a mammogram and they found something, but the doctor told me it was nothing to be worry about, but still this thing bathers me, specially when I am sleeping. I was doing some iodine on my breast (I do have a thyroid issue, so I’m also taking Selenium, Mag, Victim D and C). I going to try the other 2 recommendations, also because my menstrual cicles are super heavies. Thank you for this post.