Earlier tonight, Frank and I decided to go out for sushi. Man, do I LOVE me some sushi. A lot of times, I’ll make-shift some sashimi bowls at home to save money, but when we go out, it’s a real treat.
We purposefully ignore all the “unhealthy” things involved with eating out. Bad oils, cooking with aluminum…In this case, farm-raised fish (fed corn, soy, antibiotics, food coloring, etc.), soy sauce (probably GMO, although sometimes we bring our own at Frank’s insistence fermented soy sauce when we remember), pickled ginger sweetened with aspartame (which I don’t eat actually since it gives me sharp pains in my side).
I sound like I’m just falling apart, don’t I? It’s really not that bad, visibly, but I have delayed reactions later.
Generally, I hear people in the real food community say they eat “80/20”—that is, 80% real food, 20% prepared/processed food. For Frank and I, it’s really more like 95/5. No joke. The reason?
I’m a canary.
That’s what Frank calls me, at least. You know? The canary in the mine?
Anyway, so tonight, we went out to eat a nice sushi dinner. I avoided the aspartame-sweetened ginger, we requested our cooked roll NOT be baked in aluminum foil, and we only used the teensiest bit of soy sauce!
But when we got home, my right eye started poofing up.
I honestly don’t know if it was something in the food, something the food touched, a perfume someone was wearing, the nail salon we passed on the way to the restaurant that made me retch for 60 seconds. Maybe it was something I touched and then rubbed on my eye accidentally.
I DON’T KNOW. All I know is that this kind of thing happens way more often than I’d like. The last time I wore eyeliner, one eye was swollen closed for a WEEK.
Luckily, I have an entire arsenal of natural remedies just waiting in my kitchen!
Frank was quick to say, “Baby! Let’s put something on that! What do you have that can fix it???”
What did I have?
Probiotics: Milk kefir (buy here)
The Most Powerful Anti-inflammatory Ever: Turmeric (buy here)
Starch to make a paste: Arrowroot powder (buy here)
Berkey Fluoride-Free Filtered Water (buy here)
How to get rid of a stye
Very quickly, I mixed together 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder, and 1/2 tsp of milk kefir. Stir with a very tiny utensil, like a toothpick or a chopstick. Then, I added one drop of water at a time until the mixture became a thick paste. I applied the paste to the effected area with a clean finger, and let it dry.
After it dried, it felt very tingly, but the swelling went down almost immediately. Within 5 minutes, the swelling had reduced by half, and within 20 minutes, it was completely gone.
I think it was really important that I applied the paste as soon as possible.
If you don’t have any kefir, I think the paste would work just as well with just water. If you have milk, that’s even better because there is some sort of reaction turmeric has with milk that’s good. I don’t know enough to explain it… But either way, it’s the turmeric that helps with the swelling! I just like the idea of using kefir where-ever possible, since it’s such a superfood!
Anyway, hope this helps you next time you get a stye! Worked wonders for me!!
P.S. Eye styes can be caused by infections or by allergic reactions. The beauty of using turmeric is that it *should* work for both! It reduces inflammation AND cleanses the blood from toxins! Yay!
I used to get stys all the time because my eyes were way too dry. I was in the process of developing an autoimmune eye disease that was pretty severe in the end. Not trying to scare, you, but if it is happening a lot you might want to go get it checked out by an ophthalmologists, they can see if the stys are caused by dryness from autoimmunity. Blessings!
are you familiar with using a ground/sliced scooby? (stronger than the kefir.
or plantian? plantain is edible and so versitile medicinally – 6 chiropractors in my family from back when they were not accepted AT ALL by medical doc’s, my Grandfather brought it to this area. he lost a leg in a farming accident, it was a chiropractor who taught him to walk again. then his brother-in-law changed careers and began the practice in my city!
Wow that’s awesome it worked so fast. I’d be nervous that it would get in my eye and sting. I got rid of a stye with colloidal silver, it took about a day and it was gone.
If you’re getting swelling of the eyes as an allergic reaction – you probably have angioedema rather than just a simple stye. Mine are quite severe…so will definitely try you tip, thanks!
I ate peanut butter for the first time in years last week and got a stye in my eye the next day, it lasted only for one day and then it was gone, I never treated it, but I knew instantly that it was a reaction to the peanut butter, next time I’m using almond butter :)
I also get instantaneous styes after contact with certain foods…and environmental contacts. You are the only other person that I have heard bring this up. Thank you for the turmeric tip.
A stye is a pus-filled infection in the eyelid. It seems like you experienced something different, an allergic reaction. Either way, I am glad it worked for you!!
My 3 year old son used to get styes SO often. And they were bad ones. Lasted for weeks on end. We cut out pasteurized dairy and replaced with raw and they cleared up! We have also done lots of dietary “cleaning up” :).
If he does end up getting another down the road sometimes (he is similar to you in being very sensitive…even a short vacation with minimal “giving in” produces a sickly or crabby child) could I try this do you think? He is old enough to let it sit for 10 mins or so. I wonder if it would help!! His were the pus-filled kind.
It should for infections, too, since turmeric cleanses the blood! I hope so!
My two-year-old daughter also gets reoccurring styes on her left upper eyelid. I’m afraid (almost certain) she would rub the paste into her eye, but glad to hear that eliminating pasteurized dairy may do the trick. I will try that starting today! :)
THANK YOU!! I tend to have this happen to me at the most inconvenient times (as if it’s ever truly convenient. hah)Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :)
So I had always thought styes were infections in a pore in the eye lid, or eye duct… but it sounds like you had an allergic response to some contaminant or toxin. Are they the same thing?
I think that this is a fabulous idea and I am glad you posted.
It should for infections, as well as allergic reactions, since turmeric cleanses the blood, as well as reduces inflammation! :) I hope so!
Omg that’s a miracle not a remedy!!!it healed my eye in like 2 times but it was so swallen u wouldn’t even believe it !!thank u so much for this!!
So glad it helped!
Oh, this is fantastic news! I get styes way more often than anyone I have ever met and I’m always looking for a natural and effective way to treat them. You’re amazing!