Clay - the straight goods, please

[AllegromousesMom]

Hi everyone,
Please tell me all about this clay.  I have been looking for a post just about this clay that many of you speak of and couldn't find it.  I thought that typing "clay" into the search window would yield some results, but it didn't.  
I know there is information on this treatment scattered throughout the forum in various posts, but I couldn't find the one post that tells me what I would like to know.
What kind of clay is it?
Where do I get it?
How do I use it?
How often?
What can I expect?
Is there anything else I need to know?  
Has anyone had adverse effects from the clay?  

Thanks for any responses to this!  

[Amy669]

Yes - Calcium bentonite.  I get it from www.specialclay.com.  I believe it did cure me (after the drugs kind of worked but then stopped working).  The description by lisasf is basically how I put it on, except I smear, dump, whatever, a handful of the clay onto the gauze, then press that mass against the breast.  It forms a kind of pancake against the breast about 1/2 inch thick.
When I first started using it I had a hard mass and one cyst still oozing a bit.  I used to change the clay about 3 or 4 times a day.  I always wore it.  Eventually the oozing stopped.  After months the mass began to disappear.
At some point I wore it only part of the day and at night.  Now I wear it only at night.  My doctors were amazed.  I am off the drugs, no pain, no new cysts.  On my other computer I have a file where I gathered all my posting about the clay.  I will try and remember to send it to you.
But one way to reach many of the clay posts is this: type into Google the following:
clay site:http://www.medhelp.org/posts/granulomatous-mastitis/

You will get many of the postings. Good luck!  I wish everybody in this group would give this a try.  I was desperate.  The reason I stuck with the clay (kind of a nutty thing to do) was that I noticed that as long as the clay was against my breast, the pain was very much reduced.  And for me that was everything.

[lisasf]

It is called Bentonite Clay.  I am using the Aztec kind, which I bought at Whole Foods Market.

I honestly have no idea if it helps or not.  I feel better when I first put it on because it is cold.  I have had no adverse effects from it.  I am doing so many things it is hard to isolate that cause of my improvement.  And as far as I have found, there is no real hard scientific research behind this.  On the other hand, it seems pretty harmless to me, so I gave it a shot.  

I use it at night.  I put on the clay, place a gauze pad over it, and then put on a sports bra before I go to bed.  I think it is helping, but who knows. Definitely not hurting. :)