By Liz Laing
Acne Treatment and Facial Cleanser Wash face with a mild soap, rinse, and gently pat a breastmilk-saturated ball of cotton (not a synthetic material) over the entire face. This process is great for removing eye makeup as well.
Burns and Sunburn Apply breastmilk gingerly to burns and they will dry up and look much better the next day. A burn treated with breastmilk and mashed-up blueberries will dry up within an hour, wrote one mom on a Midwifery Today online forum.1 Elena Michaels, PhD, CCH, LMFT, a traditional naturopath in Santa Clarita, California, told me that she often applied her breastmilk to her kids' sunburns. The soothing milk would stop the pain immediately," she said. "I believe the lauric acid found in breastmilk is antiviral, antibacterial, healing to tissue, and contains analgesic properties. Besides human breastmilk, virgin coconut oil is nature's most abundant source of lauric acid.
Chapped Lips Dab a bit of milk onto dry lips, leaving them wet. Apply often, and lips should take only a day or two to heal.
Cold Sores and Fever Blisters Place milk directly on a cold sore with a clean finger or cotton ball. This should speed the healing process and also help relieve some of the pain.
Cuts, Scrapes, Scratches Clean wound first using breastmilk if you don't have soap and water. Drip milk onto the wound, then let it air-dry. You can also use 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, allow him or her to nurse. An upset child will be calmed by the gentle, loving act of breastfeeding, and the milk will help heal the wound. I'll never forget when my 15-month-old daughter was bitten by her grandma's dog right on her face." says Nancy Levesque, a former La Leche League leader. "I immediately put her to my breast and nursed her as we were deciding what hospital to take her to. I'm so glad that I was able to comfort her during this traumatic time, and I believe the act of nursing did help to begin to heal her wound.
Ear Infections Place a few drops of breastmilk in the ear; follow with warm (not hot) olive oil and garlic, or bottled garlic mullein oil (sold at natural food stores).
Red or Puffy Eyes Place two cotton balls saturated with breastmilk over closed eyes for a few minutes - works better than tea bags or cucumber slices!
Insect Bites With a clean finger, dab breastmilk on the bite; this will help stop the itching.
Skin Rash/Wounds Apply breastmilk on itchy spots - even chickenpox - for soothing relief. One woman claims that she used her breastmilk to clear up an elderly relative's leg ulcers. It's also possible that breastmilk helps heal skin wounds in nursing women themselves.
Sore or Cracked Nipples Gently rub milk onto nipples or area of soreness and let air-dry. Another option is to bathe the sore nipple by dipping it into a clean, shallow dish of breastmilk.
Sore Throats Baby can benefit by directly nursing.
Warts Leave a breastmilk-saturated cotton ball on the wart for a few minutes twice a day. Continue for several days until the wart dries up.
See Also: THE MEDICINAL USES OF BREASTMILK
Acne Treatment and Facial Cleanser Wash face with a mild soap, rinse, and gently pat a breastmilk-saturated ball of cotton (not a synthetic material) over the entire face. This process is great for removing eye makeup as well.
Burns and Sunburn Apply breastmilk gingerly to burns and they will dry up and look much better the next day. A burn treated with breastmilk and mashed-up blueberries will dry up within an hour, wrote one mom on a Midwifery Today online forum.1 Elena Michaels, PhD, CCH, LMFT, a traditional naturopath in Santa Clarita, California, told me that she often applied her breastmilk to her kids' sunburns. The soothing milk would stop the pain immediately," she said. "I believe the lauric acid found in breastmilk is antiviral, antibacterial, healing to tissue, and contains analgesic properties. Besides human breastmilk, virgin coconut oil is nature's most abundant source of lauric acid.
Chapped Lips Dab a bit of milk onto dry lips, leaving them wet. Apply often, and lips should take only a day or two to heal.
Cold Sores and Fever Blisters Place milk directly on a cold sore with a clean finger or cotton ball. This should speed the healing process and also help relieve some of the pain.
Cuts, Scrapes, Scratches Clean wound first using breastmilk if you don't have soap and water. Drip milk onto the wound, then let it air-dry. You can also use 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, allow him or her to nurse. An upset child will be calmed by the gentle, loving act of breastfeeding, and the milk will help heal the wound. I'll never forget when my 15-month-old daughter was bitten by her grandma's dog right on her face." says Nancy Levesque, a former La Leche League leader. "I immediately put her to my breast and nursed her as we were deciding what hospital to take her to. I'm so glad that I was able to comfort her during this traumatic time, and I believe the act of nursing did help to begin to heal her wound.
Ear Infections Place a few drops of breastmilk in the ear; follow with warm (not hot) olive oil and garlic, or bottled garlic mullein oil (sold at natural food stores).
Red or Puffy Eyes Place two cotton balls saturated with breastmilk over closed eyes for a few minutes - works better than tea bags or cucumber slices!
Insect Bites With a clean finger, dab breastmilk on the bite; this will help stop the itching.
Skin Rash/Wounds Apply breastmilk on itchy spots - even chickenpox - for soothing relief. One woman claims that she used her breastmilk to clear up an elderly relative's leg ulcers. It's also possible that breastmilk helps heal skin wounds in nursing women themselves.
Sore or Cracked Nipples Gently rub milk onto nipples or area of soreness and let air-dry. Another option is to bathe the sore nipple by dipping it into a clean, shallow dish of breastmilk.
Sore Throats Baby can benefit by directly nursing.
Warts Leave a breastmilk-saturated cotton ball on the wart for a few minutes twice a day. Continue for several days until the wart dries up.
See Also: THE MEDICINAL USES OF BREASTMILK
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I use it for EVERYTHING!! Its amazing how soothing and healing it is! GO BREASTMILK!!
ReplyDeleteI miss having my own supply!
ReplyDeleteme too!
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS mention at our mother-to-mother breastfeeding support group that breast milk can take off eye make-up.. you should see the look on the moms' faces! It's priceless!! lol
ReplyDeleteIt's funny Sarah, I was thinking... what I am going to do when my baby stops breastfeeding? should I try to pump to keep producing *some* milk for medicinal purposes??? I don't know what I am going to do, but it's scary to think about my son weaning! :-/
ReplyDeleteThat is what I am thinking of doing too, Enith. Although I plan to have more babies myself, I think I will keep pumping as well just to have it for all the things it is good for, and to donate what I can as well. For some reason it is scary to think of STOPPING lactating, isn't it? Wonder why. Maybe because we are such lactivists, we want to be participating. Plus, who WOULDN'T want to be a producer of such a liquid gold mine?! :)
ReplyDeleteyou are lucky, still have a long way to go Danelle lol not me!!! :/
ReplyDeleteEnith - we are only 2 years apart in age - we could both pump for another 20 years! ;) hehe...
ReplyDeleteoh yeah but Im referring to having more kids boohoo :-P *raspberries*
ReplyDeleteMy husband likes it too! Wonder if he'd be okay with me pumping once a day do it will always be there!? *lol*
ReplyDeleteWhenever someone in our home starts to sniffle, I immediately "spike" whatever I can with my milk. Everyone seems to feel better so much faster!
ReplyDeleteWhat about stuffy noses??
ReplyDelete