Large breasts cause problems | Girls start developing from sixth grade, breasts reach E cup, shoulder and back pain revealed. Two lifestyle habits and a traditional Chinese medicine trick to help s...

Breast enhancement, like weight loss, seems to be an unavoidable topic among women, but bigger isn't necessarily better. Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Wong Ching-ching shared in an article for *Sing Tao Daily* that besides women seeking breast enhancement, many also hope to find ways to reduce breast size. One girl with a sweet tooth started developing breasts in elementary school and, because of her large breasts, disliked exercising, leading to gradual weight gain. Furthermore, Dr. Wong also debunked myths about whether conditions like breast hyperplasia and fibroadenoma are "unique to large breasts."

Dr. Jingjing has seen many women who are trying to lose weight, and surprisingly, the part they most want to reduce is their breasts. They are not proud of their breasts; on the contrary, they feel inconvenienced, have low self-esteem, and experience shoulder and back pain due to their excessive breast size. Some of them even hope to seek treatment for surgical treatment to help reduce their oversized breasts.

Dr. Jingjing shared one of her cases. The patient was a young woman who had just started working. Her breasts had developed faster than her peers since sixth grade. She also enjoyed sugary drinks. In middle and high school, she noticed that her breasts were not only larger than average, but she also experienced significant swelling and tenderness before her period, to the point that even her bra was painful. Her large breasts made her dislike exercising, so she gradually gained weight, and the extra weight also caused her shoulder and back pain. She was also particularly afraid of entering narrow spaces like elevators because she felt she would be constantly squeezed by crowds, making her feel embarrassed with strangers, not to mention having to buy a properly fitting bra regularly. She sought medical attention primarily to address her breast tenderness and asked the doctor if there were any methods for breast reduction. If not, she would carefully consider breast reduction surgery. However, surgery always carries risks and requires a long recovery period. She was also worried about a rebound after surgery. Considering her need for a stable job, she did not want to consider surgery as her first option.

This woman has an E-cup bust (underbust-to-bust difference of 19cm), with her right breast larger than her left. Upon palpation, the doctor found multiple prominent breast nodules in both breasts, some larger than average (3-4cm in diameter) and others smaller (1-2cm in diameter). The nodules were tender to the touch and felt firm. The patient was overweight, had a sweet tooth, suffered from insomnia and vivid dreams, experienced diarrhea during bowel movements, and experienced severe breast pain before menstruation. Her tongue was pale red with a white, greasy coating, and her pulse was wiry and slippery. The doctor diagnosed her with a pattern of liver stagnation, spleen deficiency, and phlegm-dampness, and prescribed a modified Xiaoyao San and Hai Zao Yu Hu Tang formula. Chinese herbs such as Lu Lu Tong, Xia Ku Cao, and Tong Cao were also found to be effective in dispersing the breast nodules. In addition to the Chinese medicine prescription, the doctor performed acupuncture on the patient's breasts, focusing on the breast nodules, and left the needles in for 20-25 minutes. After each acupuncture session, the woman said that her breasts felt as if they had become two ounces lighter, and her breathing felt smoother.

Doctor: Thread lifting can both reduce and lift the breasts.

The patient genuinely wanted to reduce the size of her breasts. After eight acupuncture sessions, although the swelling and pain had improved significantly, her breasts remained large and heavy. Therefore, the doctor performed acupoint embedding therapy, which can also help with weight loss. Acupoint embedding utilizes the principle of acupuncture stimulation, embedding absorbable surgical sutures—PDO thread (Polydioxanone)—at the usual acupuncture sites to achieve continuous acupoint stimulation. As the body dissolves the thread, it not only stimulates the acupoints but also promotes local blood circulation, improving breast hyperplasia. When the thread is embedded in the appropriate muscle layer, it can also help lift the breasts, reducing sagging and a feeling of fullness.

Two weeks after the sutures were implanted, the patient returned for a follow-up appointment. Both breasts had shrunk by 10%, and the difference in circumference between the upper and lower bust had decreased by 2 cm. Although sutures alone cannot achieve the same dramatic surgical results, the patient felt that her breasts were no longer a burden, and her overall breast shape had improved. She also felt much less embarrassed when entering narrow elevators!

Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture can both enlarge and reduce breast size.

Acupuncture for breast enhancement has become a trend in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but acupuncture also has significant advantages in improving breast hyperplasia and breast pain. Many benign breast nodules and fibroadenomas that doctors would have previously recommended surgical removal can become smaller or even soften and disappear under pure TCM acupuncture. TCM believes that breast diseases are often related to the liver and stomach and are easily affected by emotions. For example, frequent emotional suppression and anxiety can lead to stagnation of liver qi, causing obstruction of qi and blood circulation in the breast, resulting in congestion of breast vessels and collaterals. TCM mainly uses medication based on the patient's different constitution to help soothe the liver, regulate qi, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain.

Are breast hyperplasia and fibroadenoma unique to women with large breasts?

Written by: Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner Huang Jingjing