Shingles?

 

“I awoke with bumps on the top of my head, but didn’t think much about it.  There was light pain.  The next day the pain caused me to shave my head, so I could see what was going on.  Initially, I thought that I had been bitten by a spider multiple times. The pain was heavy.  On day four the pain became oppressive and was constant and unceasing.  By day six there were blood blisters and continuous misery.”  (From a shingles sufferer)

Most would think the end of the symptoms of infection means you will no longer have to deal with that illness.  In childhood many got chicken pox (Varicella zoster virus), producing a skin rash that lasts about 6 days.  This usually creates a permanent immunity to Chicken Pox.  However, this virus lays dormant in nerve tissue and can be reactivated in older adults as Herpes zoster (shingles).  This usually happens when the immune system is compromised, particularly after an emotional upset.  So the same organism causes two different sets of symptoms with different names.  The pain of shingles known as postherpatic neuralgia can be almost unbearable. 

A shingles vaccination, known as Zostavax, became available in 2006 but had limited availability.  It is the same virus as the Chicken Pox vaccine only stronger.  Over the last 5 years, I have observed an increase in the number of shingles patients.  Some speculation suggests a correlation with the chicken pox vaccine, or shingles vaccine causing reactivation of the virus.  I know of one individual that got shingles after getting Zostavax.  Other factors could include an overall lowering of community immune function. 

Prescription treatments include antivirals, gabapentin, and other pain medications.  The homeopathic approach includes Apis mellifica for initial burning and tingling sensations.  Rhus toxicodendron is used for the blister stage.  Mezereum can be used for the crusting stage.  Cortsym Gel or Calendula cream can be applied topically.  Neuropain HP can be used for nerve pain. 

Another product is the Herpes Zoster Series Therapy that contains 10 single vials of the virus in homeopathic form.  Each vial is a different potency and can be taken as a preventative or treatment. 

Stay Well!

Poison Ivy- The Plant, The Song, The Villain

My least favorite plant as a child, poison ivy has been the focus of more than just the miserable skin rash that some have endured.  It was also a 1959 song recorded by the Coasters (I remember 45’s).  Poison Ivy in the song was a temptress and code for a carrier of a sexually transmitted disease.  Perhaps the song was the inspiration for the fictional character in DC Comics, Poison Ivy, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, an enemy and interest of Batman. 

Rhus radicans (Poison Ivy) and Rhus toxicodendron (Poison Oak) are well known for their production of urushiol, a plant resin that causes mild to major skin irritation.  The remedies of the 60’s were primarily white shoe polish, oatmeal baths, and a good mopping of calamine lotion.  Failed plant identification in emergency situations with children in the woods could result in a rash in places the sun does not normally touch.

The homeopathic, Rhus tox 30C has been used both as a preventive or treatment for poison ivy.  It is also used for the relief of joint inflammation and stiffness.  Another use is the treatment of shingles in the blister stage.

If exposed to poison ivy you can use Tecnu as a wash to remove the oil.  My all time favorite remedy is Cortsym Gel by Natural Creations.

Stay Well!

Unnatural Summers of the Past

In the 1950’s and 60’s the summer was a wonderful time for a child to play.  Boys played the “Roly Poly” baseball game in the street.  Most homes did not have air conditioning.  Some had a television.  We lived in a small house with a now small fenced in backyard that as a child seemed huge.  In the evenings we had the fun of riding our bicycles in the street behind the “fog” truck.

The wisdom of the day was to use DDT to kill mosquitoes and other summer insects.  Perhaps DDT was not a poison then.  So the children got a weekly unhealthy dose of a fat-soluble insecticide that fell upon their skin, and filled their lungs.  Depending on the dose, such insecticides can be eliminated thru the healthy liver but are also stored in fat tissue.  Many could still have the residue of such product still in their fat tissue.  This storage of a toxin in the body could be viewed as a protection mechanism. 

Some individuals have difficulty reducing fat in the body.  We could speculate that even though there could be many reasons for this, it is possible that the body will not allow fat reduction because the body may not be able to handle the toxic load that may ensue.  One common principle of natural medicine is to detoxify.  How often does an individual reach a stuck point in their reduction program?  Some type of targeted detoxification program may help them to the next step.

As a child I loved to play in the woods and the creeks.  We would catch crawdads and salamanders, build dams and stick forts.  The problem was that I was extremely allergic to poison ivy.  It seemed all I had to do was look at it.  I became an expert on identifying this plant.  There are still memories of lying on a towel on the floor for my continuous application of calamine lotion.  It was a good thing that my father had a drug store.  I can say with confidence that I have had poison ivy on every part of my body.  This allergy continued until about 15 years ago when Dr. Hinze suggested a detoxification program with to eliminate toxins from fat tissue.  To my amazement, my allergy to poison ivy almost disappeared.  What was happening?  I suspected my body was overloaded with some toxin such as DDT.  It just could not handle another insult such as the oil in the poison ivy!

Spring and summer offers a wonderful opportunity to try new remedies.  A great remedy for poison ivy is Rhus toxicodendron 6C, a homeopathic made from poison ivy.  “Likes cures likes”.  Cort-sym Gel by Natural Creations is a wonderful homeopathic to put on poison ivy.  The name implies a similarity to hydrocortisone of which there is none in the product.  If you are exposed, some will wash with Fels-Napha soap that may help remove the plant oil from the skin.  If you get too much sun, try homeopathic Burn Repair Spray by Natural Creations.  A great insect bite remedy is Insect Bite Spray by Natural Creations.

Stay Well!

Natural Confusion

So, just what is natural medicine?  We hear these words along with herbs, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, and homeopathy.  The word natural implies a medicine found in nature.  This would include medicines made from plant, mineral, animal, and could possibly include microorganisms such as a bacteria.  It would also imply that the basic chemistry of the medicine is not altered to something chemically different such as a patented pharmaceutical drug.  Pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that are created by man are known as xenobiotics.  These are substances that are foreign to nature and the human body.  

An herbalist primarily uses herbs in the form of teas, capsules, and tinctures.  Homeopaths primarily use homeopathics that are made from plant, mineral, and animal in diluted form.  A Naturopath may use approaches that include diet, exercise, herbs, minerals, vitamins, essential oils, and homeopathics.  Other recommendations may include water therapies, sauna, massage, and colonics. 

Some drug therapies were touted as being natural.  Premarinâ for hormone replacement was made from PREgnant MARes urINe.  I guess horse urine hormones are natural but not for us humans.  Wild yam as an herb is suppose to be effective for birth control but who ever said this was lucky or did not try it.  Poison ivy is natural but I don’t want any, however, homeopathic poison ivy Rhus toxicodendron is an excellent treatment for poison ivy.

Traditional herbal medicine is the use of plants made into teas or poultices for application to the skin.  Herbal teas also provide a nutrient effect supplying vitamins and minerals.  Plants with deep roots may provide more minerals than a shallow rooted plant.  Spices are herbs used in cooking for a more nutritious and tasteful meal.

Vitamins provided by our foods are natural.  Vitamin products may be considered natural if they contain only substances found in nature; however, they are obviously not the same as fresh produce from the garden.  This does not mean these products are not helpful, as many of us need supplements.  Getting your protein from powdered supplements is not the same as wild meat or fish, but may be helpful for those requiring increased protein.  It is a good idea to add a good source of fats such as flax oil to those protein shakes.

Common minerals such as our highly process table salt is detrimental.  Natural salt includes sea salt or Himalayan salt, which is a true salt, found in nature.  Himalayan salt is reported to provide 84 elemental minerals and is a better choice.

Natural medicine can use other wellness tools such as water therapy, sauna, massage, chiropractic manipulations, and exercise.  It may surprise you that I am not an advocate for intense workouts that leave the body sore.  This type of exercise creates toxins the body must process.  Consider moderate exercise that includes good basic outdoor physical labor.  That said, if exercise or particular supplements works for you then keep it up!  We are individuals.

So in a world that advertises “natural” consider the source.


Stay well!