Solutions for painful breast-feeding

Q. As a registered nurse, I am often skeptical of herbs and home remedies. When I had a baby, I wanted to breast-feed, but I had a lot of problems with breast engorgement initially. My breasts were so swollen and painful, I couldn't even think of nursing the baby (though that would have resolved the problem). The pain and engorgement got worse and worse.

My mother suggested putting towels soaked in hot water around the breasts, to relax them. This only helped a little. Then my mother called my grandmother, who is Native American, and she suggested using Mentholatum or Vicks VapoRub.

Almost immediately after applying the ointment, a torrent of breast milk was released, to my huge relief. I cleaned the ointment off the breast with soap and water before nursing the baby.

This treatment may be irritating or impossible for a woman whose skin is broken or cracked, but it worked wonders for me.

A. The standard recommendations for breast engorgement include breast-feeding as soon as possible, hot or cold compresses, a warm shower before nursing, and manual expression or use of a breast pump to remove some of the extra milk.

Some breast-feeding advisers suggest placing cabbage leaves in the bra for relief, although a double-blind study found no benefit from cabbage-leaf extract (Journal of Human Lactation, September 1998). We could find no research addressing the effects of menthol.

Q. I loved the recipe for persimmon tea to treat heartburn symptoms. Do you have a book that would have similar remedies for common health symptoms?

A. Our new book, "Favorite Foods From The People's Pharmacy: Mother Nature's Medicine," is a guide to using foods medicinally. It brings together the most up-to-date research with amazing success stories from readers. For a copy, send $14.95 (plus $4 P&H) to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy (Dept. FF), P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also is available online at www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. What can you tell me about the pain reliever salsalate?

A. Salsalate has been used for more than a century to relieve arthritis pain. The name indicates its chemical connection with salicylic acid, which is similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Like aspirin, salsalate is effective against inflammation and pain, but it does not irritate the digestive tract as aspirin does.

Preliminary research suggests that salsalate may help control blood-sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes (Diabetes Care, February 2008). Two other studies are now under way to determine how well this drug works for diabetes and whether it can reduce the complications of this disease.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them c/o King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., 15th floor, New York, NY 10019, or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org