The treatment of conjunctivitis using salves and ointments does not cure the disease. To be effective, the treatment must include an internal cleansing. The best way is to adopt an exclusive fresh fruit diet for about seven days consisting of apple, orange, pears, grapes, pineapple, and grapefruit. Bananas should be avoided and nothing else should be consumed.

Those who have serious trouble eating fruit should undertake a juice fast for three or four days - squeeze the juice of an orange in a glass of warm water and drink it every two hours - nothing else should be consumed. If orange juice cannot be tolerated, carrot juice is a good alternative. During the juice fasting, a daily warm water enema is recommended to help eliminate toxins.

After the initial juice fast, the following diet is recommended for seven days:

Breakfast: Any fresh fruits in season, except bananas.

Lunch: Large mixed raw vegetable salad with whole wheat bread or chapattis and butter.

Dinner: Two or three steamed vegetables, (no potatoes), with nuts and fresh fruit.

Abstain from starchy and sugary foods such as white bread, refined cereals, potatoes, puddings, pies, pastry, sugar, jams and confectionery, which cause the general catarrhal condition as well as conjunctivitis. Excessive quantities of meat and other protein and fatty foods, strong tea and coffee, too much salt, condiments, and sauces should also be avoided. Carrots and spinach juices have proved to be a very effective treatment: combine 200 ml. of spinach juice with 300 ml. of carrot juice.

Liberal quantities of natural foods rich in Vitamin A and riboflavin (B2) are also very valuable in the treatment of conjunctivitis. Vitamin A is found in whole milk, curds, butter, carrots, pumpkin, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes, and papaya. Foods rich in riboflavin (B2) are green leafy vegetables, milk, almonds, citrus fruits, bananas, and tomatoes.

A local treatment to the eyes themselves is also very beneficial - a cold foment renders almost immediate relief by chasing away an overactive local blood supply. The procedure is as follows:

Fold a small hand towel and saturate it with cold water. Squeeze out excess water and mould it gently over both eyes. Cover it with a piece of warm cloth to retain the temperature. Repeat the process as soon as the foment gets warmed - repeating the procedure for one hour and then cover the eyes with a dry towel. Lie back and relax. The damaged eye tissue will quickly return to normal. The treatment should be repeated every night for a week,even though the problem may clear up with the first treatment itself.

Treatment