Pinkeye, Conjunctivitis and Homeopathy

“One of the greatest threats to public health is the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria … this is due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics.”

— James M. Steckelberg, M.D., Chair, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic

Conjunctivitis. Pinkeye. Eye infection. Whatever you call it, it means the same thing:  inflammation of the conjunctiva, due to either a bacterial or viral infection or due to allergens or irritants.

So, get to the doctor and get a prescription for an antibiotic, right?

Baloney!  Do it yourself!

Conjunctivitis frequently troubles children, but adults can also be afflicted, and it is very contagious. Yet conjunctivitis is rarely serious. If infection spreads beyond the conjunctiva, there is concern for a deeper pathology. Yet this is an uncommon occurrence.

If viral in nature, no antibiotic will touch it, and it will secrete clear and watery tears, while discharges that are thick, yellow or greenish are usually bacterial. Even without treatment most of these infections resolve within 10 days or so.

A worthwhile way to treat this illness is with the herb eyebright or Euphrasia. If purchased in alcohol as a tincture, it needs to be diluted 1:25. That is one drop of tincture to 25 drops of warm water. This mixture is then dropped by an eyedropper directly into the eye.  If this is not possible, a clean cloth dipped in the solution can be gently placed and squeezed into it.

Homeopathy, however, is the most profound and effective way of treating pinkeye. It will not only abort the present condition but support the system so that the likelihood of it returning will be lessened. If it in fact it does return, it will be of lesser severity. This is the kind of health we’re looking for … robust, resilient and independent of the props of conventional drugs.

When choosing a homeopathic remedy for conjunctivitis, give a dose three to four times in a 12-hour day for as long as three days. As in most homeopathic settings, as soon as there is completion of the illness (it no longer exists) stop administering the remedy.

The first homeopathic remedy to consider is Belladonna 30C. The need for this remedy is determined by the intense redness of the conjunctiva (membrane of the front of the eye and the inner eyelids) including a bloodshot appearance to the whites.

There may be pain that is throbbing in nature, or the eye may be experienced as hot. External environments affect the comfort of the eye, such as too much light, and even loud noises.

Conjunctivitis might also be accompanied by a fever, or it may not. Use Belladonna 30C, when the eye infection comes on quickly, is associated with a high fever (above 105),  and use it as soon as possible.

But remember that the outstanding characteristic for the use of Belldonna is its intensity.

That is concentrated heat, intense pain or vibrant redness. If the case is a mild version, don’t consider this remedy.

Euphrasia officinalis 30C is another homeopathic medicine of great value in pinkeye. It is made from the herb eyebright discussed above but is potentized in the homeopathic method, hence it is more powerful (yet gentle) than the herb in its crude form.

The use of this remedy is most valuable when there is a large quantity of clear flowing watery tears that burn the eye and the surrounding skin. This may in time develop to a greenish or white discharge and be accompanied by the sensation of having a foreign object such as sand embedded in the eye.

Pulsatilla 30C is the homeopathic remedy for pink eye that presents with a great deal of itching. There is often a thick yellowish or greenish discharge that doesn’t excoriate the skin. The person needing this remedy is often a female, but not always. She may be extra clingy, feel worse in a warm room and more comfortable in cool breezes. Cool water applied to the eyes is often soothing and she will crave this. Eruptions may appear around the eyes and on the lids such as pimples, whiteheads and scales. Often this person has little or no thirst.

There are other remedies to consider but I love to make this blog easy for you to use and pass on to others, so I’ll cut straight to the quick.

When an eye infection comes your family’s way, do what I have done and use Hepar sulph 30X,  every 3 hours until improvement, while also dropping Euphrasia tincture (diluted of course 1:25) directly into the eye.

It has worked every time for my family, including for our dog, Buster and cat, Carmelina.

I’ve taught this method to my students and have heard only first-rate reports.

You’ve just learned what pediatricians wish they knew … how to cure without antibiotics.

Now stay home and cure your family and then pass on this blog to your friends.

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I love sharing other’s competent research on my favorite topic … gut health.

In Dr. Mercola’s blog today, he recounts the importance of good gut health.  He tells us that we need to treat our gut like royalty. You might want to check out his take, which is, that diet is everything.

I agree, and I also promote Dr. Weston A Price’s values and teachings, but my message is slightly different. It’s that diet is not enough. Particularly when damage has been already done via antibiotics, steroids and other drugs, some are left with a frustrating, never-ending cycle of trying to figure out what needs to be eaten (and not eaten).

I am joined by the likes of Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, founder of the GAPS diet, when I say that once a gut has been made chronically ill, diet needs to be adjusted, but then homeopathy ought to be employed to finish the job.

Should this subject be of interest to you, go to Good Gut Bad Gut – A Homeopathic Strategy to Uproot Seemingly Unrelated Illnesses in Body and Mind and learn how to reverse gut-related illness.