Using Mother’s Milk to Treat Eye Conditions
December 14, 2006 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under advantages of breastfeeding, breast milk, health of the baby, health of the mother, medication, scientific studies
This post is for those of you who thought I was crazy to treat my daughter’s pink eye with breast milk (Breast Milk Cures Conjunctivitis) and then treat my own pink eye that way too (Heal Thy Self).
A newly published article from the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics describes how one pediatric practice switched from the use of antibiotic eye drops to mother’s milk (MM) drops for treatment of blocked tear ducts (known to physicians as “congenital nasolacrimal duct obstructions” and “infant epiphora” (watering of the eyes due to blocked ducts)). The PubMed abstract explains:
This change was initiated by some mothers who have applied traditional therapy: MM eye drops. This evolution has been accompanied by a number of articles from the mid 1990s into the 2000s on safety of MM eye drops in case of neonatal conjunctivitis, and on the anti-inflammatory characteristics and antibacterial activity of topical MM.
So, the natural pink eye remedy of breast milk is backed by science, and I’m not crazy (for that reason, anyway)!
Just published research in SCIENCE NEWS (December 9, 2006 Pages 376-378), “Milk Therapy”, Breast-milk compounds could be a tonic for adult ills” by Julie J. Rehmeyer: Catharina Svanborg thought that she already knew how remarkable breast milk is. The immunologist had logged hundreds of lab hours documenting ways in which human milk helps babies fight infectins. But when the group decided to use cancerous lung cells to avoid the variability shown by normal cells in laboratory tests, Svanborg and her team at Lund University in Sweden were in for a surprise. They applied breast milk to the cancerous lung cells, and all the cells died. Breast milk killed cancer cells.
This is a great article everyone should read! This is very exciting news.
Thanks! I just wrote a post about this:
http://www.breastfeeding123.com/promising-anti-cancer-powers-of-breast-milk/
I did this for myself and a few children. My Dr. literally laughed at me. So I am bringing him info! Thanks for sharing and informing people!
I need some help?. I have a baby boy 5 months old and I think he has eye infection , I used drops but dosn’t work , how manny drops i have to put him , please help me .
Hi Nancy. I’m sorry I cannot offer medical advice. If the infection is not responding to breast milk or medication you should take your son to a doctor right away. Some types of eye infections do not respond to breast milk and need conventional treatment as soon as possible. Good luck!
I did it to my 5 week old, and it DID WORK!!