New Delhi: Lactating mothers who have developed infection leading to pain, swelling, and redness in the breast can now turn towards cabbage leaves for rescue.
Doctors at AIIMS are prescribing the lactating mothers to apply frozen cabbage leaves for relief from the painful infection, otherwise known as mastitis.
"We advise mothers who are breastfeeding and have developed infection in the breast leading to pain, redness and swelling to apply frozen cabbage leaves for relief," Dr Anurag Srivastava, Department of Surgery, AIIMS said.
Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissues which occurs most frequently during the period when a woman is breastfeeding. It can also occur in women who have not recently delivered as well as after menopause.
If not treated on time the infection can lead to pus in the breast calling for a surgical procedure.
"Frozen cabbage leaves has worked wonders for many. More than 100 women, including doctors, have benefitted from this simple treatment," Dr Srivastava said, adding even women from outside the country have tried this and benefited from it.
"Cabbage has both antibiotic and anti-irritant properties. It helps in decreeing tissue congestion by dilating local capillaries and improving the blood flow in the area," Dr Srivastava said, adding, studies have proven about the efficacy of frozen leaves in mastitis.
"The biggest advantage is that it gives relief from painful breastfeeding," a orthopaedician with the AIIMS who has tried the treatment said.
In this treatment, the patient is required to put a frozen cabbage leave on the affected area on the breast. The procedure has to be repeated two hours on and off as many times possible in a day's time.
Meanwhile, there are doctors who do not buy the idea of treating patients with cabbage leaves.
"We never tried cabbage leaves. We prescribe antibiotics and other medicines," Dr Mala Srivastava, a gynaecologist with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said.
The therapy is, however, already in practice in European countries.