ALTERNATIVE THERAPRIES SERIES :35 BOILS

Kay Kay Healthcare Ltd.

BOILS


SYMPTOMS

• The first stage of a boil is an inflamed, painful, sometimes throbbing nodule under the skin, most often appearing on the face, neck, buttocks, armpits, or rarely a woman’s nipple.

• After several days, the boil develops into a raised, reddish sore with a white or yellow center; it may be extremely painful because pus buildup under the skin.

• A clump of boils is called a carbuncle; a boil on the eyelid is a sty.

WHAT IS BOILS

A boil, or furuncle, may look like a nasty pimple but in fact is the result of a staph infection that has invaded a blocked hair follicle or, occasionally, an oil gland.( See Acne.) in the beginning the boils is red and tender; after a week to 10 days pus collects under the skin, causing the center of the boil to take on whitish color. Pus is actually a mass of white blood corpuscles which the body’s immune system has sent to fight the infection mixed with bacteria and dead skin cells. The boil can become quite swollen and painful before the skin breaks, the pus drains, and sore clears. A carbuncle is a collection of boils. Before the advent of antibiotics earlier in this century, a carbuncle was considered a potentially life threatening condition.

CAUSES

The staph bacteria that cause boils typically enter the body through cuts, scratches, and other breaks in the skin. Various factors can cause people to be predisposed to boils, including immune problems; diabetes; exposure to certain industrial chemicals; overuse of corticosteroids; treatment of skin lesions with petroleum based products; and general poor health, hygiene, or nutrition.

TREATMENT

Most boils can treated at home simply by washing the infected area with antibacterial soap and applying hot compress, which help bring the boil to a head. Over the counter topical antibiotics are also effective in limiting the spread of bacterial infection. Do not squeeze or lance the boil yourself; most boils burst of their own accord after about two weeks. When they do, wash the area gently until no more pus appears, then cover with an adhesive bandage to avoid reinfection and to prevent drained pus from reaching other skin areas and spreading the infection. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly, and disinfect towels.

CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

If the pain is sever, or if a boil refuses to break, a doctor can lance and drain under sterile

Conditions. To treat a severe outbreak, a doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic such as erythromycin or dicloxacillin.

ALTERNATIVE CHOICES

Boils have plagued humans for centuries, and humans have countered with all sorts of remedies. Use caution when trying alternative remedies on your skin, because the wrong treatment may actually aggravate an infection.

AYURVEDIC MEDICINE

Boiled onions wrapped in a cloth to protect your skin are said to help bring a boil to head.

CHINESE HERBS

Chinese herbal medicine focuses on reducing heat in the body, which is thought to cause boils. Try drinking tea made from dandelion, chrysanthemum flower, or violet.


HERBAL THERAPIES

Herbal remedies for boils abound. To fight inflammation, you can choose among with marsh mallow, (Althea officinals), a poultice of slippery elm (Ulmusfulva), and a tincture of blue flag (lris versicolor) or myrrh (Commiphora molmol). To fight infection, apply tea tree oil to the boil four to six times a day. Essential oils of bergamot, lavender, chamomile, and sage are also recommended for their antibacterial properties. Goldenseal contain alkaloid known as bebeerine, for which bacteria fighting properties are claimed; mix with distilled witch hazel to use as a wash.

HOMEOPATHY

If a boil comes up suddenly and is very red and hot, belladonna (12x) three to four times daily may slow or halt the infection. For very painful boils try he par sulphurs, and for those that heal slowly use silica, in the same potency and frequency.

NUTRITION AND DIET

poor diet and certain nutritional deficiencies can supress the body’s immune system. Besides recommending a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, a nutritionists may suggest eating more garlic for its antiseptic properties, and foods high in zinc to enhance the immune system. You can accomplish this through your diet, or you can take up to three garlic capsule and a 45-mg zinc supplement daily.

AT HOME REMEDIES

• Warm compresses or warm Epsom salt bath will help draw the pus out of a boil.

• Men who get boils on face should wash with antibacterial soap before shaving, and apply antibacterial cream when they finish.

• Resist the urge to lance or break a boil yourself; the result could be sever secondary infection. Most boils break of their own accord; in some cases the boil heals without breaking and disperses under the skin.

PREVENTION

Break in the skin make a person susceptible to the infection that cause boils. Shaving nicks can cause them; so can contact sports, manual labour, insect bites, and a host of other everyday activities. Some tips:

• Wash regularly and take care of minor skin injuries promptly.

• Never share towels, bed lines, clothes or athletic equipment’s with someone who has a boil or other infection. That person clothes, bed lines, and towels should be wash daily in very hot water with detergent or bleach.

• Never squeeze a boil. The pus can spread the infection and cause complications, such as secondary infection or a carbuncle.