Eczema

[PeteC]

OK, a short update on this. I took the meds through to the end as prescribed and everything went away, except for some purple areas on my ankles which may actually be scaring from me scratching too much in the beginning. I subsequently went out and refilled everything listed in the earlier post locally for 1/4 of the hospital price just to have it on hand if needed.

I've had a few very small eruptions and the cream has taken care of it. Once after yet another day of working outside, it got a bit worse and I used the cream and an antihistamine pill that night and awoke in OK condition. I've totally stopped the 3 x day steroid pills as it hasn't returned yet to the degree where I feel that's needed.

I'm swimming daily now for the past week for an hour, and still using an alcohol rub if I get a little itch/tingle but not bad enough for me to run for the cream. It's working so far. The USA debt drama has me tense but regardless, I know it's lurking under the skin as I can feel it, but it's not actually breaking out.

I have yet to do serious research about natural remedies and lifestyle changes. I'll get there. I'm trying to understand patterns of activities, diet and emotions to see if I can pinpoint anything significant. Pete

[Nereus]

I'm trying to understand patterns of activities, diet and emotions to see if I can pinpoint anything significant. Pete

Do not discount emotions and the stress that you have mentioned in another post, Pete.
I get this crap on my hands and fingers, and my Doctor in Oz assured my that the first thing that he looks at as a cause is stress. Taking the meds should help psychologically, if you believe that they are doing you some good, which in turn will help reduce stress in itself.

The crap in the US just may be having a bigger affect than you realise.

[PeteC]

Yes, could be Nereus. It really seems they don't realize, or care, what they're putting the common man through, especially those on a fixed income relying on their retirement benefits. My little itch is hugely insignificant compared to that. If it ever comes out that this was all a political game with the end result already known in the inner circle, I would expect the first ever American coup, not a recall election. Anyway, back to Eczema on this thread. Pete

[Paderborn]

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in reporting back to you after my visit to the Chinese medicine dept at St Louis Hospital.
I arrived , was welcomed by the international dept receptionist and whisked through to the Chinese TM dept right away. After a little form filling I saw the Chinese medicine doctor,and gave him a brief history of my condition so far, via a translator. He confirmed Pompholic Excema.
He checked my pulse in left arm then examined right wrist/arm for quite a while.
Then looked at my tongue.
He then said they could help me but it would take around 8 treatments, he recommended acupuncture and chinese herbs. He asked if I could go 3 times per week, but when he found that I had travelled from Hua Hin, he said I could attend as I wished, so I agreed to go twice a week for 4 weeks.
My first two sessions (Tues & Fri ) have been acupunture only. Three needles per limb in both hand/arms and legs(12 total) and a nice lie down in an aircon room for about 40 minutes or so. The needles it seems were concentrated at points along the meridians for spleen & large intestine.
They also gave me a leaflet on understanding acupuncture. All in all a very good experience.

It is too early for results as such, but the soles of my feet do not seem as itchy in the middle of the night as they have done over last couple of weeks, but I have had 3 new vesicles appear on my right hand since treatment started last Tuesday. That is no suprise really as they lie itching under the skin for a few days before erupting, so they could have been forming before treatment started.

I was mildly suprised at the cost, as I know someone who paid 2,000 baht per session for acupuncture in Hua Hin.
First session consultant fee 650 baht, med supplies (needles) 70 baht, acupuncture 100 baht, total 820 baht.
Second session consultants fee reduced to 450 baht,so 620 baht in total.
I will come back with a further update as treatment unravels.

The downside to it is my backside is numb from sitting on those damn mini buses to BKK & back. I waited over an hour for one to fill up in BKK on Tues for the return to Hua Hin, with the drive time 3hrs..plus gas stops, drop off etc...these used to be a good service.... there are too many operating now, each waiting for their mini mus to fill up!

Totally seperate issue but on a theme. I am getting lots of very small insect bites...well I think they are bites. Nothing like a mossie. What ever it is, leaves a small hard red lump sometimes in a cluster of 6-8 bites and sometimes single bite. They seem to hang around longer than an average bite a week or longer in most cases. I must have on my right shoulder & blade about 30, plus behind my ears, jaw line & hairline at the back of my neck. I use the spray "Off" in liberal amounts, but can't seem to stop them ...Any ideas what it could be folks?
With the excema and these little buggers I am truly getting bagged off.
Thanks for you help everyone
Cheers
paderborn

[PeteC]

What you describe as insect bites Paderborn sounds like the way my Eczema spreads. Besides the legs and arms, those body areas you mention is where I get it also, except the jaw line. Barring that it's not another form of Eczema, maybe change out your bed pillow and see what happens.

Some bad news and good news for me, depending upon how you look at it. I woke up an hour or so ago with full itching eruptions on my ankles and lower legs. I did an evening on the forum here last night, accompanied by 9 small bottles of Tiger beer, the first beer that has passed my lips since my aforementioned heavy work/beer day when all this began. I may be on to something but I really hope not! If I have to totally give up my beloved beer (and maybe all alcohol) in my old age in order to prevent Eczema, life will have lost all meaning. I'll do two more controlled experiments over the next month and see what happens. If a reaction each time, I probably then know the cause, or a big part of the cause. When I visit Hua Hin, I'll treat everyone to a bloody root beer or orange Fanta Pete

[Takiap]

Welcome to my miserable world of late. Out of the blue, at age 61 I apparently have come down with this. No previous outbreaks at all in my entire life until now. Thought it was nothing for the first few weeks and treated it myself with various creams etc. Finally went to a Doc today and she confirmed it, and prescribed creams and pills.....as well as a long list of warnings...like stay out of the sun, don't take showers too hot, try not to sweat a lot, stay away from chemicals (pool chlorine, harsh soaps etc)....basically I now need to live in a sealed bubble I guess.

When I asked her a lot of questions she basically confirmed what I've found on the internet since returning home..."cause unknown, treatment hit and miss, flare ups can be frequent or years apart etc...."

Mine started on my ankles and basically stayed there for weeks, getting no better or worse. Last week it then took off and traveled up to my knees, then to my arms, and now between my fingers and toes as well. The itch is enough to drive you mad and of course the more you scratch, the worse it gets, and easy to develop infections then as well.

So, my basic point of the thread is to find out from other suffers if you have found some secret natural remedy and/or things that indeed you should stay away from, as well as any other advice or background information that could be helpful. Thanks. Pete

Pete, please, go and get a tube of Lamisil ointment!!!!

Use nothing else because you won't have to. The same thing happens to me from time to time, so I keep a tube in the house 24/7. Also, don't scratch, no matter how itchy it is. Once you put the Lamisil on, the itch will go away. Forget what the label says as far as it's intended purpose is concerned, and just try it........it's virtually like magic. In fact, I've got rid of all sorts of bumps and etc with this cream, hence why I recommend it so much. Seriously, give it a try !

[PeteC]

Thanks Takiap, I'll try some. I've used it before long ago for athletes foot but perhaps will work on this also. It's good if I can get away from use of the steroid cream I have. Pete

[MrPlum]

I'm sorry. I don't want to be a wet blanket, nor cause offence but do you know why Lamisil works 'like magic'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terbinafine

If I said to you I wanted you to drink a special potion I'd made with Ammonia, chlorine and propylene, would you drink it? Of course not. You would wring my neck and accuse me of being a "Dangerous Quack!" And yet, this is exactly what you are putting into your body if you use 'Lamisil'.

If I read it correctly, Lamisil is a 'highly toxic' chlorinated derivative of propylene, combined with Ammonia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allyl_chloride#Safety

Instead of giving it some fancy Latin name and calling it 'medicine'. They should be more honest and call it 'Drain Cleaner'. Of course it kills fungus. It is also a good rat poison. Amongst its many side effects, it destroys your liver and creates auto-immune diseases.

It might be okay if the risks described were rare but I read...

'Many side effects and adverse drug reactions have been reported with terbinafine'

So why haven't they taken it off the market?

There are some compounds in medicine, where if you use miniscule amounts, it can cure and if you use a lot, it can kill. Perhaps this is one. Except the known risks suggest you are playing Russian Roulette. Those in generally good health may survive. Those with weakened immune systems are toast. Personally, I wouldn't touch it unless I was wearing protective clothing and gloves (as recommended in the Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet).

I know what it's like to itch like crazy and to be desperate for relief. But here's my amateur logic, which anyone is free to challenge.

If your eczema is coming from within i.e. systemic, then topical compounds will only work superficially. To kill fungus (if that is what it is) inside the body, you need to poison the whole organism, since it's systemic. Your skin isn't some impenetrable barrier protecting you. It absorbs whatever poison you smear on it. Seems to me that Lamisil is being used like some Chemo. They hope the poisons kill the cancer (or fungus) before they kill you.

In nature, Fungus is a sign of decay and death. Nature thinks you are rotting and sends in the biological 'clean up crew'. The theory, from a Naturopathic point of view, is that your body is acidic. Nature thinks you are dead.

We are supposed to be slightly alkaline. The western diet is very acid-forming. Normally our bones leech calcium to counter acidity and maintain homeostasis (balance) and produce more cholesterol to coat veins and arteries to protect them from acid states. I don't know if this is correct but it sounds more plausible than some of the theories I've read. So, from a systemic standpoint, you need to correct the chemical imbalance of the 'soil', to make it more alkaline, so bacteria, fungus, Virus and parasites, cannot thrive.

You need to cut out the acid-forming foods (tea, coffee, alcohol) and introduce more leafy greens, cucumber and other alkalyzing foods. And drink more water.

Fungus (if that is what you have) thrives off sugar. So cut out ALL sugars and white flours. If you do this for 14 days the fungus will die off. I've seen it happen. You can survive on your own glucose stores. If you are hypoglycemic you may need to have some emergency sugar at hand.

Of course, it's less convenient than Modern medicine. But what good is that if it harms you? To me, even if it's more effort, a non-toxic approach is a much more attractive option than smearing drain cleaner on my skin.

If you disagree, I shall pray for you.

[PeteC]

One thing is true with many of us, maybe all of us except those who do significant research like Mr. P, is that we tend to trust brand names of medications we have come to hear and see advertised for many years and have been approved for use. Probably not the best way to go through life. I actually research the names of medicines the Vet gives to my Golden Retrievers to see what they are and what they do. I should probably do the same for the OTC medicines we use on a regular basis without even thinking about it. Pete

[Khundon1975]

MrP what does this mean? "Use ACV with 'The Mother".

By the way, welcome back.

[Takiap]

Ahhhh Mr Plum, welcome back. Yes, I have researched lamisil myself and I agree with what you have written. However, the chemical you refer to (active ingredient) comes in to forms..........one is taken orally, the other is applied to the skin. When applied to the skin, the amount of "drain cleaner" absorbed by the skin is so small, that it's considered to be insignificant, or at least that's what they would like us to believe.



Now, before you respond, let me just add that although I keep some of this ointment in the house, I have only ever used it two or three times. And, considering no other form of medication has passed my lips, or been applied to my skin in the last +/- 15 years, I don't think I need to be overly concerned. Hey, I don't even take headache tablets, cough medicine, and etc. In fact, I'm in a tricky situation right now, so perhaps you can offer some advice......


I recently woke up one morning, coughed, and immediately went deaf in one ear. Well, not totally deaf, but close enough. Doing some research, I discovered a condition called "sudden deafness", and apparently it's quite common. Anyway, me being me, I just decided to wait and see happens since I know if I go to a doctor, they'll be booking me in for surgery even if it's not needed......lol. After about a week or so, my hearing returned, but then it went again. This time I did go to see a doctors (ENT specialist) and was prescribed enough drugs to open my own pharmacy. One of the drugs in question is a steroid drug, and from the research I've done, it really is scary. So much so that I would rather stay deaf in my one ear than take such a drug. Even the doctor told me that if I start throwing up blood, I must come back. She also said I might see blood in my stools..... Other side effects include severe confusion, blurred vision, disorientation, convulsions and seizures. From the research I've done, this steroid drug is used to sudden deafness resulting from nerve damage in the inner ear. My concern however, is how the hell does the doctor know I have nerve damage? My opinion is that when I coughed that one morning, fluid/mucus has ended up in the tubes within the inner ear, hence the reason why I hear slight bubble noises every now and again. This can happen, since I have also researched this possibility, but when I mentioned it to the doctor, she wasn't interested. It's as if she wants to elimination game.........treat for damaged nerve, if that doesn't work, treat for the next possible cause, and so on, and so on.



Any recommendations regarding my deaf ear...............

[PeteC]

As an update, I'm back to square one concerning my investigations, but in a good way. Test night #2 with the beer was on Saturday. Switched from Tiger to San Miguel pale lager, small bottles, 9 of them again. Next morning, not one bump or itch. If I did have a reaction, next up would be red wine to see if alcohol in general, or the ingredients in the beer.

With the latest result I guess it could be something peculiar in Tiger, but more than likely my entire hypothesis is bogus and what happened after drinking beer the first two times was a coincidence. I will continue testing and at least enjoy pickling myself at the same time. Pete

[redzonerocker]

Any recommendations regarding my deaf ear...............

I presume the doc actually looked in your ear?
Sounds more like you've dislodged some earwax when you coughed & it's blocking your canal.
The slight bubbling noise could be just water trapped behind the dislodged wax.

I get the same problem periodically, usually every 2/3 years with my left ear.
Warm olive oil for a week & a washout does the trick.

[caller]

Go to see a specialist. End of.

I did think the same as RZR, and that could be the answer, but I wouldn't wait.

I suffer from hearing loss and the 1st thing that happened to me was to eliminate the possibility of a tumour by a CT scan.

[redzonerocker]

Go to see a specialist. End of.

I did think the same as RZR, and that could be the answer, but I wouldn't wait.

I suffer from hearing loss and the 1st thing that happened to me was to eliminate the possibility of a tumour by a CT scan.

I did mean a washout at the medical centre, not a DIY job

I certainly wouldn't be taking any pills for it




Anyway

With the latest result I guess it could be something peculiar in Tiger, but more than likely my entire hypothesis is bogus and what happened after drinking beer the first two times was a coincidence. I will continue testing and at least enjoy pickling myself at the same time. Pete

Could be you were less stressful when drinking san mig than you were when drinking tiger