Breastfeeding Remedies

Apple Cider Vinegar and Breastfeeding

I breastfeed my son, and he was 8 months old when I started taking the apple cider vinegar for joint pain. At his age, nothing I ate or drank bothered his stomach, but when I was taking the apple cider vinegar he had frequent stomach aches, was very fussy, and would go days without bowel movements when he normally would have one twice a day. I would definately not suggest drinking apple cider vinegar if you're a breastfeeding mother.

Thank you so much for your comment about ductal yeast. I also have the same recurring blocked ducts/infections with the shooting pains. I know I have a yeast/thrush problem that I'm just barely keeping under control since I had antibiotics (apparently absolutely necessary as I for once tested positive for Group B Strep) as did my baby (he aspirated a bit of meconium) at the birth.

This is baby #10 and I've been struggling this time around with breastfeeding. It is usually my favorite baby-bonding activity but with the pain and blocked ducts and infections can't say I'm enjoying it as much this time. Still love that little guy to pieces, though! I'm going to try your suggestion of calendula tincture (pretty sure my SIL makes that one) as he does not tolerate any other milk I've given him. He broke out in the most vicious burn-like rash (only around private parts, not bottom) when I gave him a few ounces of a 'closest to breastmilk' formula a few times which took 2 weeks to clear. Also goats milk a few ounces given once a day for 3 days made him constipated, so I want to feed him as long as I can. None of my other babies had this issue.

Want to thank EarthClinic for being there for me so many times and also thank you to all you generous contributors with your wisdom. I always look for Mama To Many's contributions:) Now if he'll just sleep through the night... yawn.

Regards, Joanne

Dear Earth Clinic,

Please do not censor your site. We do not all have to agree.

A few years ago, my daughter having had her baby and having chosen to breast feed her, began getting "knots" in her breasts. Apparently the baby was not drinking enough milk to have a smooth flow and the milk was causing congestion in the ducts. The result was very hard and painful swollen breasts.

I believe this is a situation that many nursing mothers face. We tried using fresh cabbage leaves and it worked miracles! Just take the individual leaves, dip in boiling water for a couple of minutes to soften; let cool till warm and wrap the breasts in 2 or 3 layers of leaves. Cover with a warm damp towel and leave for an hour or so, then repeat until the breasts have become supple once again.

Try it, it works! Cabbage works for alot of other types of congestion and swelling and even for wounds. It's a great home remedy.

I took ACV (organic) all through my last pregnancy and while nursing with no problems at all. Helped a lot with the problems of constipation during pregnancy. I also took unsulpherated blackstrap molasses and never needed iron sups (I needed them for my first kids). And oh yes....I had my last when I was 47, am still nursing at 48 1/2 and she is perfectly healthy and I feel great. In fact, I can eat anything (healthy of course) and it doesn't bother her. A very happy baby!

I breast fed my three but breast milk is affected by diet and stress levels. Cows milk is also affected by diet and stress levels. Most animals are plumped up these days to produce quicker and more quantity so that is why we have hormone problems and other issues. Crops are also on the same production line . The divine reset is here to help us get back to the basics. You tube is my tv and Justin Rhodes family show their farm and lots of kids happily helping to live, eat, and be merry doing the work to raise healthy food, kids, and animals. It's fun to see someone that has stress but makes the best of it for the next generation. I think the trick is to see the glass half full and not get obsessed with the what ifs or dwell on what wasn't . Allie Bee, I'm sorry you felt shamed . There is no reason for any woman who brings life into the world to feel shame for doing her best, no matter what anyone else thinks about how they do it. I couldn't count all the mistakes I made but when I see my kids raising their kids I know they are doing their best and I look at all the things they are doing right . Focus on the good and the good will get more prominent. We are all human and like sheep being led astray have to filter anything and everything we are being fed. The books at the library contradict each other on most topics. You pick the ones you believe by your filter and deem them to be your truth. Science can change, it is limited by current data. Who owns the medical schools? Follow the money . Shake off anything holding up the good and dwell on what the perfected universe would be and it will come about. What a wonderful wonderful world it can be when I have eyes to envision it and speak it forth and believe in it. We are all powerful and create our atmospheres. I am working on some reprogramming to readjust my future. I have decided to have bigger dreams. Blessings. charity

Dear Lucena,

Eating oatmeal daily is very good for milk supply. You may be able to find "Mother's Milk Tea" which many find helpful. It has Blessed Thistle in it, which is good for milk supply.

Nursing a newborn every two hours, both breasts if baby is willing, is critical for the supply. Newborns should not sleep through the night for a while.

Alfalfa supplements are good, too. You can get tablets and take 4 of them three times a day.

If your daughter could see a La Leche League Leader (not sure if they are in your area, but they are international) they offer free breastfeeding support. Without their help, I would never have been able to nurse my first child. He was a poor nurser, but I ended up being able to nurse him for 2 years. Alternately, you may be able to find a Certified Lactation Consultant. While this would cost money, it is cheaper than formula in the long run.

When you say, "topup, " do you mean supplement with formula? I am surprised a midwife would suggest this. Supplementing with formula is the beginning of the end for many nursing relationships. While it may be necessary if baby is not getting enough, the formula (especially given in a bottle) is easier to take in and fills a baby up. Then baby isn't hungry as quickly and mother nurses less, so the breast makes less. A mother can use a breast pump to stimulate her milk supply and supplement breastfeeding with her own milk.

If baby is not getting enough, he will not have enough wet and poopy diapers. If that is the case, he must get formula also. (5-6 wet and 2-4 or more poopy diapers daily.)

In these situations, mom has to really want to breastfeed her baby because it is a lot of work and new moms are tired. If she doesn't want to, just let it go. Your daugther is blessed to have you helping her. Many breastfeeding moms do not have a mother's support.

Your daughter needs a lot of good nutrition at this time and her iron may be low if she bled much after birth. Blackstrap Molasses, 1 Tablespoon twice a day, would be a good idea if anemia is an issue.

I hope things work out for your daughter and grand-baby!

~Mama to Many~

yes! I did not believe such a simple thing could work and suffered terribly with my two firstborn children. I finally tried it when my 3rd child was born (some many wise years later). It is like a miracle. I used it cold as above, wore one leave as a bra liner, it also helped soften my cracked (bleeding) nipples. Better than anything else.

Breast milk makes your skin appear younger, remove acne scars and wrinkles. I nurse my daughter and collected a couple drops of breast milk in my hand and put on my face. I leave the breast milk on my face. You can see the results in minutes. The first time I did it, my older daughter asked what I did because she said that I looked so young. Now when I leave the house I put a thin layer of fresh breast milk on my face but I make sure it is only a little bit, all over my face, otherwise the breast milk runs and gets dry and white,then I have to wash and reapply. I have read that breast milk is good for ear infections in babies and I tried it out on my daughter a couple times, I just squirted some breast milk in her ears a couple times a day within a couple of days cleared up. I did want to wean my daughter off but want to try to freeze the breast milk in little ice cubes trays, then use the iced breast milk on my face.

re: anise seed tincture for treatment of nonproductive coughs. A nonproductive cough is another name for a dry cough which does nothing to move phlem from the throat and lumgs. This is often a precursor to a more serious ailment like pneumonia. It is of the utmost importance that you remove the excessive phlem from your system. I have found that the best expectorant that I can find is made by placing five tablespoons anise seeds into 1 cup of rum. I take no more than 2 teaspoons of this as needed to induce a cough which allows for the mucus to be removed from the body.

A note to nursing mothers who have problems with milk production; a good side affect of anise is that it increases milk production in lactating mothers. I know this for a fact as my last child was born when I was 40 and I had problems producing milk sufficient to meet my child's needs. Be cognisant of the fact that you do not want to over do it with alcohol if you are nursing as this would be counter productive to the health and well being of the child who depends on you for nourishment. I used an anise tea when I was nursing it works well for increasing milk production.

I breast fed all my children. However, one of my babies was babysat for just 3 hours while I looked for a new home. My sister-in-law unfamiliar with breast feeding or the allergic dangers of cows milk on a 6 month old, fed my son a bottle of cow milk. My infant son went into pneumonia. He (we) suffered for 3 weeks and were at the brink of putting him in Children's Hospital. He cried all night, all day and I had to pump my breast because he could not breathe and suck at the same time. The doctor said his lungs were damaged.

The doctor told me that he would probably have weakened lungs and allergies when he got older. Exactly as predicted, my son has terrible allergies, sinus infections and occasionally pneumonia throughout his life (he is 28 now). My three other breast fed children did not have milk products introduced until 2 years old. They experience NO allergies or problems with milk products.

Infants were meant to grow on breast milk NOT prepared cows milk! I have seen this same scenario played out in families for years young and elderly friends will tell of similar incidents where they as infants were given cows milk formula or straight cows milk and led lives miserable because of early ingestion of cows milk.

Just one bottle in spite of breast feeding causes my son years of miserable respiratory illness! Breasts are meant to nourish infants, even animals know that! If breast milk without introducing milk products too early can prevent a life time of illness, why aren't young moms told by doctor's and nurses the complications that their children will bear?

My mom (born in 1912) saw in her generation (1920-30's) artificial milk in baby bottles introduced in the commercialized hospital. Babies were brought up on formula and often watered down formula were weak and sick all the time. She braved being labeled having "a third world" mentality (used to bully the new mom into a formula customer). Breast feeding nourishes the whole infant and prepares the digestive system as well as being the BEST first food that is the best preventative against allergies, sinus infections and digestive ailments for life!

A little time out of a mother's life can benefit the child and the mother from the beneficial hormones.

She also braved having a child at 39 in 1952, me! I learned from this old gal who used common horse sense and, yes, she also used good old fashioned organic apple juice to cure many ills.

AllieBee, for sensitive children it IS a problem. The catch is that many times one doesn't find out until years later. And by that time, some people are so used to dairy, they almost cannot stop ingesting it even tho they have traced their ills to it.

Good day everyone. My daughter has her baby a week ago. She tried to breastfeed but baby kept on crying. Midwife suggested to topup every feed. When we took them home, I gave her fennel tea as I have read it here. After a couple of days, no improvement. Anyone has natural suggestion to stimulate mom's milk? thanks a lot

Lucena: You can search raw food for breast feeding videos.

I came across Edgar Cayce and he recommends cold pressed castor oil applied to breasts externally. Also fenugreek tea. Om

Lucena: First of all, when you "top up" with other milks, the mother's milk production will diminish. You may think the baby isn't getting enough, but he probably is. Still, to "produce" more milk there are two tricks:

1. Drink plenty.

2. Feed often. Mother's milk works by "supply and demand". So if she will express a bit in between feedings (you can save and freeze it for a bottle when needed, or just throw it away) which will stimulate MORE milk production.

For more info on anything to do with nursing, I highly recommend getting hooked on to a La Leche League chapter in your area and reading their book on breastfeeding.

To produce more breast milk you can give your daughter fenugreek tea or fenugreek seeds. You can get it that from Indian store or online. Take 1 spoon of funugreek and make a tea you have to boil for 15min or you can give her seeds directly. Try to search on internet you are going to find more information on it.

An old remedy to increase milk production is a beer a day. The hops in the beer are supposed to increase hormone production in the breast feeding mom. The darker beers are supposed to be better.

Thank you very much for all your suggestions. Yes, the midwife recommended infant formula since the baby cries a lot after breastfeed, given in tiny cup.

I let mother and baby sleep together in bed at night which is soothing for both, an act against UK rules.

Started with fenugreek seeds, frequent feeds. Daughter was on Blackstrap Molasses for the whole term of pregnancy so she did not bleed much and her blood test came back good. Let's see after a couple of days. Again thanks a lot.

Dear Lucena,

Very good idea to be giving the formula in a cup instead of a bottle. That really helps a lot. Also, having mom and baby sleep together is very good for establishing breastfeeding. I didn't know if was against UK rules. That is dreadful. I had all of my babies next to me at night. It made nursing so much easier and babies did so well, too.

I hope it works out! Let us know!

~Mama to Many~

Lucena, in this part of the world, when babies cry a lot AFTER nursing, they tell the mothers to drink chamomile tea.

Recently I developed a UTI which became a bladder infection. I was prescribed an antibiotic, which I hate to use. I would like to replace the good bacteria that was lost, so I am considering a probiotic. Is there any reason I should be cautious using one while Breast Feeding?

I also believe I may have a fungal infection on my feet, toes and shins. I have read about ACV and coconut oil. Again, is there anything I should know about starting a regimen while breastfeeding? Would a foot soak be better then taking it internally?

Thank you so much. Your site is wonderful!

Hi Rachel,

I have used ACV, Coconut Oil and probiotics while breastfeeding. Personally, I think they are all safe to use internally. I have never seen any ill effect from them for myself or baby while breastfeeding.

As far as the fungal infection on your legs/feet, it might help the most to treat internally and externally, especially if it is causing discomfort.

~Mama to Many~

Hi! I usuallly use earth clinic to find natural remedies but this problem is not too common and wasn't listed here, so I did do reseach and tried many things and seem to be healed. I hope this will be helpful to other breastfeeding mothers who want to treat ductal yeast naturally.

I have a nursing one year old and was suddenly plagued with terrible, terrible pain in the breast. It was a deep, sharp shooting pain. After some studying I realized it was a yeast infection of the milk ducts. I had no visible sings of yeast infection, but that can happen. After I would nurse on the bad side, within 20 minutes I would have pain that about took my breath away. He wasn't nursing a ton and I quickly cut back on nursings on the affected side. I did not want to take Diflucon, I don't respond well to pharmaceuticals, and they are expensive, side effects, etc. Plus, for ductal yeast you have to take it for a month!

So, I started to do everything I could think of or read of that might help. Here is what seemed to knock it out.

- GSE (grapefruit seed extract) 250mg 3x day
- Garlic oil capsules (3, 3 times a day. I am sure a fresh garlic clove three times a day would have been better, but I can't stomach that.)
- Oregano oil capsules - 2, 3x day
- Vitamin C (ideally, tons - to bowel tolerance. ) I did trail off on this at some point as it tends to bother my stomach some.
- Avoid sugar. Limit carbs. (I would have some homemade whole wheat products.)
- Garlic oil - topically (mince a couple of whole bulbs (yes all the cloves in each of two bulbs) and cover it in a combination of coconut oil and olive oil. Let this set for 10 days. Strain out garlic and keep oil in fridge. Apply 3x a day. (Obviously you don't want to wait 10 days for it. Go ahead and get a little out each day- it won't be as strong but better than nothing.)

It took a month or two of treatment. Somewhere in there I found out I was pregnant and cut back the GSE to once a day and quit the oregano oil. My milk dries up when pregnant, so I can't be positive that the lack of food source for the yeast didn't have something to do with this all going away.

Other notes of interest, I think reoccuring mastitis can be cause by yeast. I have mastitis many times with this baby. He is my 9th baby. Only with my first baby 19 years ago did I have this much trouble. (I had at least 75 incidences of plugged ducts in the first year! ) Finally, at a year, nursing was so painful I could barely stand it. The nipple was cracked and bleeding and so painful. (But my baby had food intolernaces and really needed human milk. I couldn't wean him. ) I tried many things. The thing that finally knocked it out was calendula tincture. I would put a dropperful of tincture in a dixie cup of water and hold it over each nipple for a minute or longer after each nursing. It really did work. I could have done that with the ductal yeast and didn't try it. Calendula tinture could also be taken, 1 dropperful 3 x a day internally.

I used Gentian Violet for thrush on my nipples while breastfeeding when my baby was about 11 months. It stained her teeth purple and when the thrush was cured (about 4 weeks) her teeth was not only stained but was completely brittle and broke off! She is 18 months now and her top 4 teeth has disintegrated to stumps 1 mm from the gums. She had a healthy diet so could the Gentian Violet have caused the damage to her milkteeth?

I have never used this treatment , BUT "dental issues" I seek answers for all the time. The teeth can remineralize themselves given the right nutrients and minerals.

I read in a childrens site in Earth Clinic .... --- Ted commented about a childs teeth that were deteriorating, HOW to treat them , to help restore them. Wish I were better at attaching things from the site to help you find it faster but saw it yesterday after MY Heart went out to your post..... Keep your hope alive!

My teeth also are responding well to brushing with organic, virgin coconut oil , removes the sensitivity, and fights bacteria, some books say add baking soda in the mix when brushing teeth with it. I also added a multi mineral complex to my diet recently.

I am currently breast-feeding a 6 month old and am taking a lot of supplements, so I wanted to see if anyone thought I was over doing it or if something I am doing could be harmful to my 6 month old. I have pretty much researched everything, but since I don't have a family practitioner to ask, I thought I'd get earthclinic users feedback.

I put 1 tbls molasses in my morning coffee and 1 tbls in rooibos tea at night. I drink 1 to 2 tbls of ACV in hot water 1-2x day and add coconut oil to toast and whatever else I cook during the day. I take a probiotic (10 billion strains), D3 (3000-4000 iu), B-complex, fish oil (1000 mg), magnesium (400 mg). I was taking a mulit-vitamin but stopped because I didn't want to overdo the iron. As a side note, my infant is perfectly healthy, calm and happy, so I can't say anything is directly affecting him. Thanks for any feedback. Lauren

New to nursing burning problems in breasts

Eat pineapple, 2-3 day cure. don't take the drugs.

Suggestions:
Do not wait for the mastitis to go away by itself. Contact your health care provider immediately for treatment with antibiotics that are safe for you and your baby. It is very important that you continue nursing often during this time. Your milk is not infected and will not harm your baby. Also, complete the entire treatment of antibiotics (seven to 10 days) so the infection does not come back. Consider contacting a lactation consultant to teach you how to prevent mastitis from happening again.

No no no, just pineapple canned works too not just fresh

I had a clogged milk duct for two days, with a fever and all...since this is my fourth child, I am accustomed to soaking it in warm water for about 15 minutes, massaging it, then immediately feeding my child, and that has always worked for me. This time it didn't. I read about the pineapple remedy on this site, happened to have a pineapple on my counter, so I ate a fourth of it, thinking "It couldn't hurt."

Much to my surprise, the clog gradually got smaller and less painful throughout the day. By morning, it was completely gone. Thank you so much Earth Clinic! I was afraid I'd have to go on antibiotics and stop breastfeeding (although they may now have some that are "ok" to take while breastfeeding?).

I've been reading some of the recent posts [I only recently found Earth Clinic], came upon this one from a recent mom, and thought it might provide a good opportunity to address a few 'milk-related' issues I've noticed here,[as a recent reader] and elsewhere, where 'milk'/'dairy' have apparently had quite a wicked reputation for awhile now -

We have milking animals, -due in large part to one of those childhood 'fascinations'-that just never quit, I'm speaking of the one that comes when a toddler first asks, 'what's curds and whey?', and the answer received just doesn't 'pass muster', so that it's years -maybe years and years- before they ever even get to, 'what's a 'tuffet'?' I don't precisely recall how it went in our house, long ago, but I think it went something like this. 'curds and whey' means 'cheese'. [I LOVED cheese]. 'How do you make cheese??' to which, the busy young mother of the toddler replied: 'Oh, no one MAKES cheese.' which put it, for me, in the early years of Religion scholarship, in the same category as 'manna from Heaven', and/or 'grace' [another mystery]...as what Mary might be 'full of...' but let's leave this, or we'll never get to the clogged milk duct' or the 'milk is bad' posts, and it's vital that we do. 'vital' being the operative word here, because in fact, milk is VERY LINKED TO 'LIFE', 'TO 'HEALTH', -and it is a rather recent a 'modern' phenom that it now seems to be doing quite the opposite.

When you understand how cheesemaking works, you'll quickly see why and how this is happening in the world of our epoch, which is a very sick, very impaired bio-eco-system, biosphere, and why environmental problems are now so widespread, that life-giving milk ...is now being blamed! In fact, the problems are occurring because the human body is at the perfect temperature for cheesemaking, and acids both environmental acids, and dietary acids- quickly leach calcium from the bones, essentially creating a 'cheese-like' bloodstream. Many of the most prevalent toxins (sulphur dioxide -'sour gas'-, and many of the chemicals used in the oil industry --'ring compounds' -- like the benzenes - compound the problem, by almost acting like a 'salt','on top of AllThis' and then, on top of that, we've got the individual problems associated with 'fat', -in anything to do with 'milk' and 'cheese', we're talking about 'butter fat' which is the cell-loving, wonderfully permeable stuff that makes babies grow and by the way, -die, which is how we learned about AllThis here, under the 'Cloud' of targeted Pollution that quickly took out the finest youngstock.. But that's another Long Story, and you just want to know about 'clogged milk ducts' which, of course, can move on to abcess/mastitis ['things don't flow'conditions..] ll related to 'cheesemaking', as just described. [I apologize if this is sounding complex, or worse, incomprehensible, because it's actually very very simple].

Our bones need the calcium we get from 'dairy'; babies NEED 'butterfat', as do all animal young, in order to grow. What we have to know how to do is to regulate the 'cheesemaking' that is done in our bodies, constantly, as a response to environmental and dietary acid levels, so that the bloodstream can continue to flow, and 'breathe'. This isn't as difficult for adults as it is for youngsters. Adults can and should cut down on butter fat, which soaks into the cell walls [which is why it's so great on lobster, and potatoes] use olive oil, instead [which doesn't do this, and thus cuts the risk of sudden 'inflammation']. And if you use mostly already-soured milk, you'll be at much lower risk for the sudden changes wrought by environmental acids [and they can be very sudden, with widespread, dramatic, and ill effects] on bone-level calcium. You need to keep the body's 'cheesemaking' pores, inside and out, clean. Vinegar and lemon juice are very very useful for this, and outside, I know of nothing better than 3% foodgrade hydrogen peroxide. In fact, this is the first year I've used this in warm water [probably fifteen parts water to 1 part 3%hp, but this is approximate; I'm not going to say I measure it at 5 o'clock every morning], in a wash of the udders, before and after milking [other years, we've used iodine, but they stopped making the product we've long used, so we just happened to switch to 'what we had'] and this is the first year along with dietary changes that now include vinegar and whey in their diets- this is the first year I haven't seen even one of those little 'milk duct clog bumps' SO, I would advise:

-see if you can get a reading on the butterfat content of your own milk, and try to adjust this, if it's too high, a real favor for both you and your infant.

-add things [aplenty!] like vinegar and whey and yogurt [in place of milk] and add brewer's yeast to your diet; baking soda and molasses are also useful. In fact, anytime a milker has a problem here, I drench her with whey, molasses, vinegar and baking soda, and 'fizz it outta there'..

-gradually [it's hard to do this 'cold turkey'] replace all the the fats you use presently with olive oil. For the past ten years, we've used only olive oil, with butter, now, only rarely, and really, the benefits are noteworthy.

I'm rather busy here, but I will try to post our very easy recipe for 'curds and whey' over the next couple of days. The addition of whey to the diet -well, you'll consider it a 'Moment', when you first begin to use whey in your cooking and baking, and it's as easy as it is 'heart-y', beneficial.

I'm sorry if this isn't too easy to grasp. Looking it over, I'm thinking that if I said this to a child who asked: what's 'curds and whey'? or, 'how do you MAKE cheese'? ...they'd probably run the other way and say to their own youngster, eventually ' no body MAKES cheese'..

Well, in fact, *every body MAKES cheese*... and believe me, it's in your very BEST INTEREST to know as much as you can about how it is done.

Good Luck.

Significant typo re [farming] udder wash on my earlier ['cheesemaking'] reply, although the way I gave it only would have made the wash, 'ineffective'; it would have worse the other way around. (someone in the past has addressed the 'diluting issues' with Hydrogen peroxide. -

Anyway, with 3% hp, I use one part hp to 5 parts water; with 35% hp, I use one part hp to [more conservatively here, because you don't mistakes with this product] approximately 15 parts.

The point I had wanted to make is that hp is, in our recent experience, superior to an iodine wash in this procedure -and for daily use, I think the same thing can be said for us -

Cabbage for engorgement is AWESOME! When I had my frist child I got very very engorged, to the point where my breasts were red like they had been sunburned and I could not put my arms at my sides anymore. So I put a head of green cabbage in the fridge and let it get cold. When it was cold I peeled off the largest outside leaves and put them on my breasts and then put a bra on to try to keep them against the skin. There was instant relief from the pain beacause the leaves were cold but after a few hours the swelling had reduced and I was not in excruciating pain. I only had to use this method one more time becasue my child was nursing better so the engorgment was gone but it was awsome when I needed it!

Nursing and Cleansing: Hi...I have a question. I would really like to do some cleansing, but I'm still nursing my 5-month-old baby. Can I use EVCO safely while nursing? Do I need to wait until I stop nursing to start anything new? Thanks for the help!

EVCO is completely safe to use while nursing and while pregnant. There are no known allergies to EVCO and there are hundred of health benefits! Google 'health benefits of coconut oil' you'll be amazied at what you find!

Coconut oil is actually good for mom and baby when she is nursing. Since it is anti- viral, -bacterial, -fungal, she may detox quickly if taken too much at one time. Start slowly, then increase slowly. It is a good immune booster for both, and the fat is good for mom's milk. Coconut oil is especially a good alternative if a mom has to exclude dairy from her diet, as she can easily replace butter in baked goods, cooking, etc.

Hi, I am lactation women and i want to know about apple cider vinegar/honey and garlic mix,,,i am using applecider vinegar/honey and garlic mix three times a day and two tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and lime mix in 16oz water and sip all day long for weight loose,,,,so need to know that can i do this during lactation becouse i ahve 8 months old baby ,,,can i use only ACV and lime without baking soda for weight lose during lactation? if the toxins are released to drink all these things then will it harmfull for my baby,,,,If the toxins are entre to baby so what can be heppen ,,is that so danger and what the symptoms if and how do i know that the toxins enter to my babay,, thanks but waiting your feedback,

Here is an article from Mothering magazine about the healing properties of breast milk. I see that there are no posts about breast milk, that surprises me as it has been used to cure many ailments throughout human history.

Your Walking Medicine Chest
By Liz Laing
Issue 133, November/December 2005

Mother's milk is the perfect panacea for a whole host of ailments - from pinkeye to acne. Just a squirt will do the trick!

Most people know about the health benefits of breastfeeding, but few know about breastmilk's medicinal benefits. Breastmilk is sterile, antibacterial, and has many healing properties. It can be used to treat a variety of ailments and can be applied topically for eye and ear infections, minor skin injuries, sore or cracked nipples, diaper rash, sore throats, and stuffy noses. Is breastmilk an everyday cure-all? Read on and judge for yourself.

When your child gets a cold and has a stuffy nose, drizzle breastmilk into each nostril. It will thin the mucus, and the milk's natural antibodies will help fight infection. Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP, IBCLC's nationally recognized pediatrician, author, and breastfeeding authority, encourages the use of breastmilk in this way. "I recommend breastmilk as the best nose drop for babies and children with colds," he says. "The milk kills viruses on contact (sounds like a TV commercial!), and the best part is that it makes babies sneeze. The sneeze sends viruses, bacteria, dust, and more flying out of the nose at 100 mph."

Several clinical studies have shown that since each mother's milk is made specifically for her own baby, it is effective in ridding the infant's eyes and nose of viruses and germs. I have used it on my own children, and even on myself. Recently, my son had pinkeye; when I applied my breastmilk to his eyes several times a day, the conjunctivitis cleared up. A friend of mine used her breastmilk on all her family members whenever they got pinkeye, and thus for years she was able to avoid having to buy prescription eyedrops.

You never know when breastmilk will come in handy. I got liquid soap in my eye once while in the locker room at my gym. My eye was burning and extremely red, and rinsing it with water didn't help at all. I checked my purse for eyedrops but found none. Then I remembered the built-in medicine chest I carried around on my own chest. I went into a bathroom stall, cupped my hand, squirted out some milk, and bathed my eye in it. Ahhhhhh! Instant relief - the redness and painful stinging were gone. I was glad to have this option available, and felt proud that my body produces something that can be used to help heal other parts of my body. What a great way to recycle.

Besides colds and eye irritations, there are several other conditions that might benefit from the use of breastmilk. In most cases you simply express your milk into a clean saucer, cup, or bowl, then use a cotton ball or eyedropper to apply or squirt milk directly onto the area, as needed, for the desired results.

In many places - including Mexico, Russia, Africa, South America, and India - the use of breastmilk in alternative ways is quite common. One mother on a Midwifery Today online forum said, "In Nigeria, if a child has a condition of the eyes, such as mucus, we simply squirt a bit of breastmilk and it clears right up."1

Besides healing common minor afflictions, breastmilk has recently been in the news for helping to treat more serious illnesses. Adult cancer patients have been drinking breastmilk in an attempt to boost their immune systems and cope better with the side effects of chemotherapy.2 While this is not a common practice, a milk bank in California has supplied a group of pioneering patients with breastmilk for the past few years. One lucky recipient of this donor milk, Howard Cohen of Palo Alto, California, strongly believes that ingesting breastmilk daily has helped his prostate cancer go into remission.3

Donor milk is used to treat a variety of health problems. I spoke with Pauline Sakamoto, RN, MS, executive director of the Mothers' Milk Bank in San Jose, California, about some of the other ways breastmilk benefits people. "Historically, human milk has been used for diseases and health conditions of adults and children and as a superior food for babies. These folk cures have been tested throughout time. Currently, there has been more interest in the scientific community to test the components of human milk's effect on different health problems that plague us today. Hopefully, in the near future, we will validate the incredible power that our body has to promote growth, heal itself, and preserve its integrity via human milk.

Breastmilk may even kill cancer cells. In 1995 physician and immunologist Catharina Svanborg and a team of research biologists at Sweden's Lund University discovered in breastmilk a protein compound, alpha-lactalbumin (they gave it the acronym HAMLET), that selectively induces apoptosis in tumor cells.4 In other words, HAMLET makes cancer cells commit suicide. In fact, it has killed every type of cancer the researchers have tested it against. HAMLET has also been used to successfully treat virally infected warts, which were reduced by 75 percent in volunteers who received daily treatments with an ointment containing the protein. The same viruses that cause warts are also linked to cervical cancer, genital warts, and some types of skin cancer. Well, we all knew that breastmilk is powerful.

You may wonder why this discovery of a possible cure for cancer has not received greater attention. Funding is part of the problem, but slowly, in the past decade, more attention has been paid to this small laboratory in a quiet corner of the world. Even the American Cancer Society has given its stamp of approval by giving a grant to Svanborg and her team to help fund further research into their discovery.

While this type of scientific news is exciting, let's not forget the real miracle of breastmilk and its primary use. The healing powers of this liquid gold are incredible enough, but breastmilk's most amazing quality is that it gives life. No other food or substance on earth comes close to doing what breastmilk does. Human breastmilk is the ideal food for human babies. Pediatrician Jay Gordon reminds us how crucial breastfeeding is when he says, "Babies denied breastmilk during the first year of life get sick and die at a much greater rate than babies who nurse."

I am still amazed when I watch my son nurse. I know that his healthy, growing body is thriving because he is suckling the perfect food, which my body makes for his body. But in addition to satisfying this primary need, my breastmilk can help heal his body in other ways as well.

NOTES

http: //www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=383

Michael Day, "Adults Turn to Breast Milk to Ease Effects of Chemotherapy," Daily Telegraph (16 January 2005); www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/16/nteat16. xml

"The Man Who Swears by Breastmilk," BBC News Online, UK edition (23 January 2005): http://news.bbc.co. uk/1/hi/health/4187697.stm

Catharina Svanborg, MD, PhD, "Treatment of Skin Papillomas with Topical Alpha-Lactalbumin-Oleic Acid," New England Journal of Medicine 350 (2004): 2663-2672.

Liz Laing, ACE, is a freelance writer and mother of four beautiful, breastfed children. She has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 12 years and most recently is overcoming the challenges of single motherhood. A certified childbirth educator and doula, Liz lives in Los Angeles, California.

I was looking on your site to see if there were any dangers of using ACV while breastfeeding and I see that there are three others with the same question, but couldn't find any answers. I am not having any trouble breastfeeding my 7 month old. My mother in law just started using the daily ACV dose and looks and feels great and has more energy and has not gotten sick this year (she is a grade school teacher). I want to do the same, but want to make sure there will be no problems for my baby or my milk production.