Dr. Paul Fleiss was the first person I heard recommend using breast milk in
place of OTC nose drops. This was at an LLLI Physicians' Seminar in the
early '90s so I know the anecdotal reports must go back quite a ways. I
still recall his quip: "With breastmilk, if too much gets up the nose then
it goes down the throat and baby gets a snack." Shortly thereafter I came
across the use of breastmilk as nasal moisturizer in the "Tips" column in
"Contemporary Pediatrics." I tell parents about this use for breastmilk
whenever they tell me that they are going to purchase drops. Some patients
try out the idea during the consult -- always has positive result. Its a
great teaching moment for pointing out the (many) differences between human
milk and...that other stuff.

At the same session Dr. Fleiss also recommended the use of human milk as an
eyewash for conjunctivitis. I've since read several references to this, and
it has been used in many parts of the world for ages. Since it is not as
potent as antibiotic drops, the eyes need to be dosed with milk more
frequently during the day. At each feeding is about right. I know that there
was a previous discussion in this forum where some folks worried about
candida and other pathogens invading the eyes with this treatment. I'd be
interested to see if research would validate this concern.

Margery Wilson, IBCLC