CERP: yes
Mastitis can be an unwelcome and debilitating visitor to breastfeeding mothers. The mammary gland has its own microbiome that can be affected by reduced polymorphonuclear neutrophil recruitment during the first 3 months postpartum as well as the receipt of antibiotics during the last trimester of pregnancy. This can leave the breast vulnerable to pathologic bacterial overgrowth. Mammary dysbiosis is a process whereby the population of potential pathogens increases at the expense of the normal mammary microbiota. Multi-resistance to antibiotics plus tricky evasion techniques engaged in by bacterial agents can result in microbes that are elusive to antibiotic therapy. Therefore new strategies are needed for the treatment of this threat to continued breastfeeding. This presentation will explore new possibilities in treatments for mastitis the inflammation and mastitis the infection. Agents such as probiotics, vibratory techniques to disrupt blocked milk ducts, and even turmeric (turmeric contains the chemical curcumin which is a strong anti-inflammatory) will be discussed.
