Breast Milk and Its Many Uses

Breast milk is not only the best way to feed your newborn or infant, this nourishing substance has the ability to heal and protect the body as well. I am not just talking about your infant's body; I am talking about yours as well as your older children. In this article I am going to discuss some of the basic ways you can use breast milk to cure common ailments.

What exactly is breast milk? According to the Webster's New World Medical Dictionary, breast milk is milk from the breast. Human milk contains a balance of nutrients that closely matches infant requirements for brain development, growth and a healthy immune system. Human milk also contains immunologic agents and other compounds that act against viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Since an infant's immune system is not fully developed until age 2, human milk provides a distinct advantage over formula.

Children who are breastfed enjoy lower rates of several chronic childhood diseases, including respiratory infections and ear infections as well as diarrhea. Breast-fed infants gain less weight and tend to be leaner at 1 year of age than formula-fed infants, resulting in fewer overweight and obese children.

Breastfeeding releases a hormone in a woman's body that causes her uterus to return to its normal size and shape more quickly and reduces blood loss after delivery. In addition, breastfeeding for longer periods of time (up to 2 years) and among younger mothers may possibly reduce the risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Pink Eye: Breast milk has the ability to treat and cure eye infections such as Pink Eye. All you need to do is to squirt the milk into the infected eyes. You should do this frequently as possible until the eye is completely healed. If you were treating your infant's eyes for Pink Eye, the best result would be to wait until the baby is asleep. Some babies can be treated while awake, however, it may be difficult. You should squirt the milk around the crease of the closed eye and then gently lift the eyelids and allow all of the breast milk to seep into the closed eye.