About ears, nose and throat

There has been an ongoing debate for a long time about whether it is possible to drip breast milk into a child’s nose with a runny nose. Several decades ago, there was not such an abundance of products on the shelves of pharmacies for rinsing or eliminating nasal congestion, so women used their milk for medicinal purposes. Of course, breast milk is good for the baby, this product is better than formula, but is it wise to use it to relieve nasal congestion or remove mucus?

Breast milk in the nose

What does breast milk consist of?

Mother's milk is the ideal source of nutrition for a newborn. This product contains all the important and necessary elements for the growth and development of the baby. The table provides detailed information about what breast milk consists of and what elements form its composition.

Breast milk - photo

Table

Name	Description
Squirrels	The protein in human milk consists of two parts: casein (20-30%) and whey (80-70%). Whey protein is supplied by a woman's blood, while casein protein is formed in the mammary gland. Due to their high absorption and special structure, proteins do not overload the gastrointestinal tract and are quickly digested. Thanks to this, a newborn can be fed on demand, without fear of harming or overloading the gastrointestinal tract. It is also worth noting that the natural product does not contain a very strong allergen - beta-lactoglobulin.
Carbohydrates	Milk sugar (lactose) is the main source of carbohydrates in human milk. Lactose is broken down into two components: glucose and galactose. Glucose gives a newborn baby the right amount of energy, galactose contributes to the normal development of the central nervous system, and is involved in the formation of important intestinal bacteria.
Fats	Fats are very small sized balls contained in the most useful and digestible product for a child. Their number constantly fluctuates and depends on various reasons: the mother’s diet, the type of milk. Colostrum has a fairly low fat content - less than 2%. In foremilk, the concentration of fat cells is increased to 4%. Hind milk contains much more fat globules - up to 20%. Fats also include fatty acids, the concentration of which in milk is constant: unsaturated -56%, saturated - 40-42%. These substances are very important for the health and development of the newborn, since acids regulate the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and activate natural immunity. Also, the natural product is rich in prostaglandins, which normalize the functioning of many internal organs. Fats are a source of energy for a newborn baby.
Antibodies and immune defense factors	The substances contained in human milk work in two directions: they strengthen the child’s natural immunity and increase its protective functions. Antibodies produced by the female body help strengthen the immune system. These antibodies protect the child's immature immunity from infection by viruses and bacteria. The protective functions of the immune system are enhanced by the introduction into the child’s body of various bacteria transmitted through breast milk.
Macro and microelements	In human milk, all important elements are contained in a specially split formula, which allows the child’s body to absorb them without problems. It is on breastfeeding that a child rarely experiences a lack of any substances, which contributes to normal growth and development.
Vitamins	The types and amounts of vitamins in human milk depend on the following indicators: the woman’s diet, the type of milk, and the duration of lactation. Breastfed children receive the right amount of vitamins and they rarely develop diseases caused by vitamin deficiency.

Composition and fat content of breast milk

Composition of human milk, cow milk, mixture

Protein composition

Important information! Unlike formula or cow's milk, human milk is the most useful and easily digestible product for the harmonious growth and development of a newborn.

Components of breast milk

Breast milk for a runny nose in infants: treatment and is it possible to drip

Almost all colds in babies start with a cold, and not all parents rush to take medicine. The most commonly used folk remedies, especially breast milk in the nose for colds. Thanks to useful substances such as immunoglobulin, it helps to activate local immunity.

Let's see if we can bury the milk when we get a cold?

What do you need to know about manifestation?

These are infants and toddlers who have the greatest ability to survive upper respiratory tract infections. A runny nose in infants usually begins suddenly and progresses quickly. The difficulty is that children cannot yet breathe through their mouths.

If breathing is difficult, the child may lose appetite, and the general condition may worsen. You may also notice a number of signs indicating a lack of oxygen (skin sluggishness, trouble sleeping).

Composition of milk

Before we talk about whether you should use breast milk as a remedy for a runny baby's nose.

Milk contains many beneficial substances that help children develop normally in infancy. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and acids of organic origin. All these components together serve to strengthen the child’s immune system.

The main components in the composition are:

protein. Casein protein and whey support the active development of skeletal bones and muscles.
lactose. Thanks to this, carbohydrates enter the body, normalizing the functioning of the central nervous system.
Several fatty acids. They improve the function of the gastrointestinal tract.

Vitamins. They strengthen general and local immunity.
Micro- and macroelements. They are responsible for the proper growth and development of skeletal bones and muscles.
antibodies. They protect the body and prevent the penetration of harmful microbes and viruses that can cause acute respiratory diseases.

Many elderly people give breast milk with a runny nose, which has healing properties produced by maternal antibodies that help the baby's body fight viruses and bacteria.

Yes, the immune system will be stronger, but only if the child eats milk.

If you put milk in your nose, the beneficial properties of the product do not provide any protection: the effectiveness of antibodies is activated only in the blood plasma.

Breast milk can only be obtained after drug treatment for a runny nose. It can be used to get rid of crusts that have dried out in the nasal cavity, but there are many other remedies.

When we talk about direct treatment with breast milk, it is instilled into each nostril at a rate of 2 drops. Can be used as a pure product or saline solution when diluted in a 1:1 ratio. Before breast milk can drip into the nose, the nasal cavity must be thoroughly washed.

Breast milk for a cold is probably not a good cure. At best, it will moisturize the nose and make breathing somewhat easier during congestion. The spill softens the crusts covering the mucous membrane, and the mucus itself liquefies.

Dangerous aspects of such a remedy

The main harm that treatment of mammary rhinitis can cause is an increase in the infectious form. The lactose contained in the product becomes a favorable environment for pathogenic microorganisms that provoke pathogenic rhinitis - the appearance of purulent discharge in the nozzles and constant filling.

When milk gets into the nasal passages, the infection begins to spread further throughout the body - in the throat and sinuses. There may be complications of a very serious nature, such as pharyngitis, otitis media, sinusitis. All these diseases are very dangerous and often end in hospitalization of the child.

Before instilling breast milk into the nose, it is recommended to consult a doctor and follow his recommendations, as well as use medications that do not harm the baby’s body.

Breast milk and treatment of runny nose

Human milk is not sterile

Despite the fact that no vasoconstrictor or antiseptic components have been identified in breast milk, some mothers continue to use the natural product as a remedy for the common cold. Women accompany these actions with not very compelling arguments: “This is how we were treated, milk is healthier than medicine, grandmothers cannot be wrong, etc.”

Breast milk and treatment of runny nose

Using breast milk as medicinal drops is not only useless, but sometimes even harmful!

White crusts form in the nose, which clog the mucous membrane and aggravate nasal breathing.
Even a seemingly healthy woman’s milk may contain an infection that is quite dangerous for the child.
Milk is an ideal environment for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria.
In newborns, a runny nose can turn into bronchitis or pneumonia within a few hours.

Breast milk is not the best cure for a runny nose!

Important information! If your newborn baby has a runny nose, you should consult a doctor. It is also effective to rinse your nose with special means and humidify the air in the room.

Infections that can be transmitted through breast milk

Despite the fact that breast milk is very useful and contributes to the formation of immunity, sometimes it can contain viruses and infections that are quite dangerous to the life and health of the child. It is worth knowing that even a healthy-looking woman’s milk can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. A woman may be a carrier of the virus; in some cases, bacteria enter the body through microcracks in the nipples in the absence of daily hygiene procedures.

Breast milk can carry infection or bacteria

Infections	Description
Staphylococcus aureus	The breeding ground for these bacteria is the nasal mucosa. If a woman's milk is contaminated with these bacteria, the consequences for the baby's health can be extremely negative. When infected with Staphylococcus aureus, purulent rashes on the skin are diagnosed, which can also affect internal organs. This bacterium can also cause otitis media, pneumonia, and disruption of the cardiovascular system. Treatment for this infection is quite lengthy, since staphylococcus is resistant to antibiotics.
Candida mushrooms	If human milk is contaminated with candidiasis, then the baby develops thrush on the mucous membranes - a white fungal coating that causes a lot of discomfort to the newborn. Dropping breast milk into the nose can cause candidiasis of the nose and nasopharynx. The nasal mucosa becomes covered with a white coating and swells, nasal breathing becomes difficult. Treatment of nasopharyngeal candidiasis is much more difficult than treatment of thrush on the oral mucosa. In particularly difficult cases, candidiasis can affect the paranasal sinuses.
Klebsiella rhinoscleroma	This pathogenic bacterium actively multiplies in dairy products at room temperature. Klebsiella is present in certain quantities in the human body. If it is found in human milk, then nasal drops can infect the nasal mucosa with a strain of this bacterium. Symptoms of infection are very similar to a common cold: inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and bronchi, difficulty breathing, increased secretion of mucus. It is very difficult to get rid of this bacterium, since Klebsiella penetrates deep into the tissue. Very often, infection leads to a chronic form of the disease.

Human milk is a healthy and nutritious product, but it should not be considered a medicine. Grandmother's method of treating a runny nose can cause serious illness.

Human milk is good for nutrition, but useless and dangerous for treating a runny nose

Benefit or harm

But if it were just that breast milk does not help with a runny nose in a baby, everything would be much simpler.
The fact is that lactose, which is contained in milk, is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria .

That is, dripping milk into a child’s nose can harm him.

If the nature of the runny nose is viral, then after the milk drops a bacterial infection may also join them. If the initial cause of the runny nose was bacteria, then having received additional nutrition, they can grow even more.

This can spread the infection deeper into the nose, throat, or even the ears.

Children easily develop otitis media .

If an adult decides to use this method of treatment, then among the consequences one can note various sinusitis, including sinusitis.

Important! You should not put breast milk in the nose of an infant or an adult; the consequences can be very unpleasant.