Why am I Struggling With Pink Eye
Do you keep struggling with Pink Eye? Does your pink eye keep coming back even after a course of medical treatments? Are you looking for natural remedies for pink eye?
Have you found your doctor has given you another course of antibiotics for your bacterial conjunctivitis, and within a few weeks you may be back again for another course – and the cycle keeps repeating?
Then these 3 big mistakes that people make that keep them struggling with pink eye might be your solution.
Mistake 1. Bad Hygiene
The most common reason why pink eye re-occurs is simply through bad hygiene practices – luckily the answer is very simple!
Avoid touching your eyes with your fingers.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially if you are around someone who has any kind of infection.
Wash your hands well before inserting or removing your contact lenses.
Dry your hands thoroughly after washing as germs cling to your skin more easily if they are wet.
Avoid touching your eyes with used tissues. Dab or gently wipe your eye once with a tissue, then dispose of it.
Only use washcloths or facecloths once then machine wash with hot water, with a few drops of tea tree oil in the final rinse.
It is also a good idea to wash your bath towels, bed sheets and pillows frequently in hot water with a few drops of tea tree oil in the final rinse.
Do not use anyone else’s flannels, washcloths, eye drops, tissues or eye makeup brushes and applicators.
Replace your eye makeup every 3-4 months (Definitely replace your makeup if you have become re-infected, and do not use any makeup until well after your eye symptoms have cleared up).
Natural surface sanitiser:
1 cup of purified water or rubbing alcohol into a clean spray bottle (glass is best).
Combine into the bottle up to 30 drops (total) of essential oils such as tea tree, eucalyptus, thyme, rosemary, lemon, sage (or your favorite).
Spray down hard surfaces or doorknobs and wipe up residue with a clean dry cloth.
Be careful not to use on wood, soft and expensive furnishing.
Be especially careful not to use around animals, fish or hyper-allergenic persons.
Mistake 2. Poor Immune Health
Your inner health is an indication of your eye health.
Your immune system is what protects you from the bacteria, viruses or allergies which cause your pink eye.
Pink eye will commonly reappear if you are exposed again to any of these causes, and your immune system is low and is unable to fight off the attack.
Try these immune boosting tips to increase your grit!
Ensure you get adequate restful sleep.
Take up meditation, QiGong or Yoga to lower your stress. Lower stress equals less of the immune lowering hormone cortisol.
Avoid smoking tobacco, shisha (hooka) or vaping, and try to avoid second hand smoke.
Lower your sugar intake, which includes eliminating sugary carbonated beverages and energy drinks.
Lower your alcohol intake.
Lose weight if you are above your ideal BMI.
Eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, seeds and nuts.
Eat more garlic, onions, and ginger (grated ginger in salads or sliced as a tea, is great!).
Take Apple Cider Vinegar in some water in the morning (1 teaspoon in a glass of water).
Include medicinal mushrooms in your diet (or supplements) – Shiitake, maitake, turkey tail, cordyceps or tremella.
Take the herbal supplements – Siberian Ginseng, Withania, Astragalus, or Echinacea.
Increase your daily exercise – 30 to 60 mins per day.
Drink plenty of water.
Use Olive oil in salads and steamed veggies instead of butter.
Increase sunlight or supplement with Vitamin D (important for immunity).
Eat more fish or supplement with fish oils.
Increase probiotic foods or supplement with pre and probiotics.
Laugh and have fun
Immune boosting morning drink – full of natural remedies for pink eye immunity
Chop up a small knob of ginger and a small knob of turmeric, and place into a mug.
Pour in boiling water to fill up to 1/2 of the mug.
Sprinkle a small pinch of cayenne and black pepper into mug (pepper activates the turmeric).
Add one teaspoon of honey (you can add more to taste).
Add one teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar.
Squeeze a lemon to make 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice and add to mug.
Leave steep for 3 to 5 minutes, strain into another mug and enjoy!
You can leave to cool or refrigerate, if you prefer as a cool drink.
Mistake 3. An Unhealthy Gut
A leaky gut is when the lining of your small intestine is damaged enough to allow not only the good small digested nutrient particles but also allows the release through of larger undigested food particles and toxins into the bloodstream. These larger particles create inflammation in the gut and lower the immune system.
Common damaging factors to cause a leaky gut are –
Antibiotics – the gut’s balance of good and bad bacteria is important for optimal health. Antibiotics can kill off the good bugs in your gut.
Stress – its often not what you are eating, but what is eating you.
Food intolerances and inflammatory foods – shellfish, wheat flour, dairy, caffeine, salicylates, egg whites, yeast, preservatives and colors are common allergens.
Low stomach acid – through diet or genetics.
Low digestive enzymes – through diet or genetics.
Infections – candida, h.pylori or parasites.
Genetics – the presence of some gene changes (polymorphisms) in susceptible individuals, can express itself as a damaging factor on the gut (eg MTHFR gene variation).
Your good gut bacteria can be improved dramatically by
The diet you choose.
Avoidance of gut damaging sugar, food allergies and medications.
Addition of probiotics and supplements.
Gut Healthy Diet
60% organic or farmers market raw vegetables which have plenty of good bacteria in them, and on them. (who thought a bit of dirt was good for you?)
Eat a range of antioxidant rich vegetables, leafy greens and fruits (good for the overall health of the eyes).
Probiotic rich fermented foods promote good gut bacteria.
Eat plenty of –
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchee
• Kefir
• Barley miso
• Pickles
• Kombucha
Prebiotic’s are the good soil that probiotics can thrive in. Increase eating prebiotic rich foods (raw is best) of –
• Dandelion greens
• Asparagus
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Apples
• Barley
• Oats
• Onions
• Chicory root
• Seaweed
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Cocoa
Avoidance of gut damaging factors
Eliminate sugar as it feeds the bad bacteria and candida.
Treat any underlying h.pylori, parasites or candida. Then supplement with a multi strain probiotic to recolonise the gut’s good bacteria.
Avoid non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, stomach acid reducing drugs and steroids which can cause damage to the gut.
Avoid foods that can cause common food allergies including –
• shellfish
• wheat flour
• dairy
• caffeine
• salicylates
• egg whites
• yeast
• preservatives
• artificial colors
Probiotics and other supplements.
Take a multi strain probiotic supplement to balance and promote good bacteria in your gut.
Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water before breakfast for digestive health.
Test for genetic predispositions (e.g. the MTHFR gene) – which will reveal specific and relevant dietary changes that are needed and which supplements are specific to your DNA profile.
If you have low stomach acid and digestive enzymes, supplement with betaine hydrochloric acid (HCL) and digestive enzymes (including bromelain).
Enhance your immune system and antioxidant support with the supplements of –
• Vitamin A, C, E and B-complex
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Hesperidin, quercitin and rutin
• Support your gut with the supplements of –
• Slippery Elm
• Glutamine
• Marshmallow root
• Deglycyrrhinated licorice root
• Aloe vera
• Cinnamon
• Pectin
• Caprylic acid
• Quercetin
Close attention to these 3 big mistakes and focussing on these natural remedies for pink eye, will help you in keeping clear of the dreaded pink eye.
IMPORTANT: Always remember to visit your eye doctor regularly, and do NOT delay in seeing them if you have ANY eye concerns or problems with your eyes – early detection and medical treatment of serious eye conditions is important for the health of your eyes.