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medicine chest
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your walking
medicine chest
mothers’ milk is the perfect panacea for a whole host of ailments—
from pinkeye to acne. Just a squirt will do the trick!
B y L i z L a i n g
Most people know about the pediatrician, author, and breastfeeding tivitis cleared up. A friend of mine
health benefits of breastfeeding, but authority—encourages the use of breast- used her breastmilk on all her family
few know about breastmilk’s medici- milk in this way. “I recommend breast- members whenever they got pinkeye,
nal benefits. Breastmilk is sterile, milk as the best nose drop for babies and thus for years she was able to avoid
antibacterial, and has many healing and children with colds,” he says. “The having to buy prescription eyedrops.
properties. It can be used to treat a milk kills viruses on contact (sounds like You never know when breastmilk
variety of ailments and can be applied a TV commercial!), and the best part is will come in handy. I got liquid soap
topically for eye and ear infections, that it makes babies sneeze. The sneeze in my eye once while in the locker
minor skin injuries, sore or cracked sends viruses, bacteria, dust, and more room at my gym. My eye was burn-
nipples, diaper rash, sore throats, flying out of the nose at 100 mph.” ing and extremely red, and rinsing it
and stuffy noses. Is breastmilk Several clinical studies have shown with water didn’t help at all. I checked
an everyday cure-all? Read on and that since each mother’s milk is made my purse for eyedrops but found
judge for yourself. specifically for her own baby, it is effec- none. Then I remembered the built-in
When your child gets a cold and tive in ridding the infant’s eyes and medicine chest I carried around on
has a stuffy nose, drizzle breastmilk nose of viruses and germs. I have used my own chest. I went into a bathroom
into each nostril. It will thin the mucus, it on my own children, and even on stall, cupped my hand, squirted out
and the milk’s natural antibodies will myself. Recently, my son had pinkeye; some milk, and bathed my eye in it.
help fight infection. Jay Gordon, MD, when I applied my breastmilk to his Ahhhhhh! Instant relief—the redness
John SellarS
FAAP, IBCLC—a nationally recognized eyes several times a day, the conjunc- and painful stinging were gone.
60 mothering | november • december 2005
liz laing
The author’s daughter Kyla applies expressed breastmilk to a scrape on her hand using a cotton ball.
m o r e ways to us e br e a s t m i l k
• Acne Treatment and Facial Cleanser Wash face with a breast and nursed her as we were deciding what hospital
mild soap, rinse, and gently pat a breastmilk-saturated ball to take her to. I’m so glad that I was able to comfort her
of cotton (not a synthetic material) over the entire face. during this traumatic time, and I believe the act of nurs-
This process is great for removing eye makeup as well. ing did help to begin to heal her wound.”
• Burns and Sunburn Apply breastmilk gingerly to • Diaper Rash Gently pat baby’s bottom with breastmilk,
burns and they will dry up and look much better the being especially generous when applying it to reddened
next day. A burn treated with breastmilk and mashed- or rash areas. Leave baby’s diaper off for a few minutes
up blueberries will dry up within an hour, wrote one and let the bottom air-dry.
mom on a Midwifery Today online forum.1 Elena
• Ear Infections Place a few drops of breastmilk in the
Michaels, PhD, CCH, LMFT, a traditional naturopath in
ear; follow with warm (not hot) olive oil and garlic, or
Santa Clarita, California, told me that she often applied
bottled garlic mullein oil (sold at natural food stores).
her breastmilk to her kids’ sunburns. “The soothing
milk would stop the pain immediately,” she said. “I • Red or Puffy Eyes Place two cotton balls saturated with
believe the lauric acid found in breastmilk is antiviral, breastmilk over closed eyes for a few minutes—works
antibacterial, healing to tissue, and contains analgesic better than tea bags or cucumber slices!
properties.” Besides human breastmilk, virgin coconut • Insect Bites With a clean finger, dab breastmilk on the
oil is nature’s most abundant source of lauric acid. bite; this will help stop the itching.
• Chapped Lips Dab a bit of milk onto dry lips, leaving
• Skin Rash/Wounds Apply breastmilk on itchy spots—
them wet. Apply often, and lips should take only a day or even chickenpox—for soothing relief. One woman
two to heal. claims that she used her breastmilk to clear up an elderly
• Cold Sores and Fever Blisters Place milk directly on a relative’s leg ulcers. It’s also possible that breastmilk
cold sore with a clean finger or cotton ball. This should helps heal skin wounds in nursing women themselves.
speed the healing process and also help relieve some of
• Sore or Cracked Nipples Gently rub milk onto nipples
the pain.
or area of soreness and let air-dry. Another option is to
• Cuts, Scrapes, Scratches Clean wound first using bathe the sore nipple by dipping it into a clean, shallow
breastmilk if you don’t have soap and water. Drip milk dish of breastmilk.
onto the wound, then let it air-dry. You can also use
• Sore Throats Baby can benefit by directly nursing.
a cotton ball or a 4-by-4-inch gauze pad soaked in
breastmilk. If the cut is on a baby’s lips or mouth area, • Warts Leave a breastmilk-saturated cotton ball on the
allow him or her to nurse. An upset child will be calmed wart for a few minutes twice a day. Continue for several
by the gentle, loving act of breastfeeding, and the milk days until the wart dries up.
will help heal the wound. “I’ll never forget when my NOTE
15-month-old daughter was bitten by her grandma’s . www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=383
dog right on her face,” says Nancy Levesque, a former
La Leche League leader. “I immediately put her to my —Liz Laing
62 mothering | november • december 2005
I was glad to have this option available, eases and health conditions of adults and her team to help fund further
and felt proud that my body produces and children and as a superior food research into their discovery.
something that can be used to help heal for babies. These folk cures have been While this type of scientific news is
other parts of my body. What a great tested throughout time. Currently, there exciting, let’s not forget the real miracle
way to recycle. has been more interest in the scientific of breastmilk and its primary use. The
Besides colds and eye irritations, community to test the components of healing powers of this liquid gold are
there are several other conditions that human milk’s effect on different health incredible enough, but breastmilk’s
might benefit from the use of breast- problems that plague us today. Hopefully, most amazing quality is that it gives life.
milk. In most cases you simply express in the near future, we will validate the No other food or substance on earth
your milk into a clean saucer, cup, or incredible power that our body has to comes close to doing what breast-
bowl, then use a cotton ball or eyedrop- promote growth, heal itself, and preserve milk does. Human breastmilk is the
per to apply or squirt ideal food for human
milk directly onto the several clinical studies have shown that since babies. Pediatrician Jay
area, as needed, for the Gordon reminds us
desired results. each mother’s milk is made specifically for her how crucial breast-
In many places— own baby, it is effective in ridding the infant’s feeding is when he
including Mexico, says, “Babies denied
Russia, Africa, South eyes and nose of viruses and germs. breastmilk during the
America, and India— first year of life get
the use of breastmilk in its integrity via human milk.” sick and die at a much
alternative ways is quite common. One Breastmilk may even kill cancer greater rate than babies who nurse.”
mother on a Midwifery Today online cells. In 1995 physician and immunolo- I am still amazed when I watch
forum said, “In Nigeria, if a child has a gist Catharina Svanborg and a team of my son nurse. I know that his healthy,
condition of the eyes, such as mucus, research biologists at Sweden’s Lund growing body is thriving because he
we simply squirt a bit of breastmilk and University discovered in breastmilk a is suckling the perfect food, which my
it clears right up.”1 protein compound, alpha-lactalbumin body makes for his body. But in addi-
Besides healing common minor (they gave it the acronym HAMLET), tion to satisfying this primary need, my
afflictions, breastmilk has recently that selectively induces apoptosis in breastmilk can help heal his body in
been in the news for helping to treat tumor cells. In other words, HAMLET
4 other ways as well.
more serious illnesses. Adult cancer makes cancer cells commit suicide. In
NOTES
patients have been drinking breastmilk fact, it has killed every type of cancer
. www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.
in an attempt to boost their immune the researchers have tested it against. asp?TOPIC_ID=383
systems and cope better with the side HAMLET has also been used to success- 2. michael day, “adults turn to breast milk to
effects of chemotherapy.2 While this fully treat virally infected warts, which ease effects of chemotherapy,” Daily Telegraph
is not a common practice, a milk bank (6 January 2005); www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
were reduced by 75 percent in volun- main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/16/nteat16.xml
in California has supplied a group of teers who received daily treatments with 3. “the man who swears by breastmilk,” BBC
pioneering patients with breastmilk for an ointment containing the protein. The News Online, uk edition (23 January 2005):
the past few years. One lucky recipient http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4187697.stm
same viruses that cause warts are also
4. catharina svanborg, md, Phd, “treatment of
of this donor milk, Howard Cohen of linked to cervical cancer, genital warts, skin Papillomas with topical alpha-lactalbumin-
Palo Alto, California, strongly believes and some types of skin cancer. Well, we oleic acid,” New England Journal of Medicine
that ingesting breastmilk daily has all knew that breastmilk is powerful. 350 (2004): 2663–2672.
helped his prostate cancer go into You may wonder why this discovery
remission.3 of a possible cure for cancer has not Liz Laing, ACE, is a freelance writer
Donor milk is used to treat a variety received greater attention. Funding is and mother of four beautiful, breastfed
of health problems. I spoke with Pauline part of the problem, but slowly, in the children. She has been a stay-at-home
Sakamoto, RN, MS, executive director past decade, more attention has been mom for the past 12 years and most
of the Mothers’ Milk Bank in San Jose, paid to this small laboratory in a quiet recently is overcoming the challenges of
California, about some of the other ways corner of the world. Even the American single motherhood. A certified childbirth
breastmilk benefits people. “Historically, Cancer Society has given its stamp of educator and doula, Liz lives in Los
human milk has been used for dis- approval by giving a grant to Svanborg Angeles, California.
november • december 2005 | mothering 63
