The Anti‐Inflammatory Properties of the Topical Application of Human Milk in Dermal and Optical Diseases

Abstract

Background and Objective. The topical human milk (THM) is one of the traditional remedies for various cases of injuries, ulcers, and infections for decades. No study was found reporting the adverse effects of human milk. The current study reviews the anti-inflammatory properties of human milk when topically applied to dermal and optical diseases. Methods. The various datasets including Ovid, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Magiran, Irandoc, SID, and IranMedex were searched from 1990 to 2018. From the 119 reviewed articles, 20 articles were selected to be included in the current article. Results. There is a consensus among the literature and ancient texts regarding the effectiveness of THM in curing the various types of skin damages, such as cord separation, atopic dermatitis, diaper dermatitis, conjunctivitis, scratches, insect bite, perineal ulcer, and nipple ulcer. However, the importance of its application has not been given much attention. Conclusion. According to the information obtained from the articles reviewed, the THM appears to be an effective, safe, and available treatment compared to conventional chemical treatments. This study suggests THM as an alternative remedy to minimize the frequent use of chemical-based treatments. More research may be beneficial to reach certainty in terms of curative properties of THM in similar or different injuries in different populations.

Wet Nurse or Milk Bank? Evolution in the Model of Human Lactation: New Challenges for the Islamic Population

“…The same authors have documented the use of human milk, also in Polish women, for the care of cracked nipples, and even for the treatment of dermatitis in the nappy area and neonatal acne. For these problems, 58% of women reported having used this method at least once [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ].…”

“…Other studies have found a consensus between ancient texts and current literature on the efficacy of topical application of human milk (THM) in paediatric inflammatory problems. Its purposes include curing the umbilical cord [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ], atopic dermatitis, napkin dermatitis [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ], conjunctivitis [ 60 ], dry eye syndrome, scratches, insect bites, perineal ulcers and nipple sores [ 56 ]. In fact, there was agreement among the authors of the different studies reviewed.…”

“…Especially for those environments where the socio-economic and socio-health situation makes access to unanimously approved therapies difficult, they can be decisive for child recovery and survival [ 61 ]. For example, the use of human milk for the treatment of different ophthalmic, otic and different paediatric pathologies has proven to be effective in the same way as conventional Western therapies [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. It is also interesting to note that there is no reference in the medicinal recipe books to the religious controversy that might arise from the donation of milk as a single ingredient or as part of a set of ingredients for a cure.…”

Anti-Inflammatory and Restorative Effects of Olives in Topical Application

“…The studies were included if they were interventional or pilot studies. We followed the methods of Leila Amiri-Farahani et al [ 23 ].…”