Alternative Treatments

[Tab]

Performanceminis post got me thinking. I do a little bit of both. If it is something very serious I definitely follow doctor's orders, but it is always important to do your research, use your OWN intuition, and see if there is a natural alternative to try. Conventional says there is one way, their way, with chemicals, and I don't buy it for a second. Obviously use common sense because natural remedies can be more dangerous if improperly used. People and horses can both have serious reactions.

Not horse related, but I get terrible eczema on my eyelids in the Winter. It got so bad last year that they looked diseased. The itch was driving me nuts and I asked everyone I could think of that had eczema and they all said that they had steroid cream prescribed by their doctor.

It seems like steroids are the answer for everything and I wasn't having it. I had been using desitin on a rash for one of my kiddos and thought, hmm? So I tried it on my lids and brows (very carefully avoiding my eyes). Guess what healed my eczema? Desitin. Guess what is preventing it from coming back? Desitin. What was causing it? I do believe too much sugar and refined carbs are a trigger and then hard water and dry air heighten the problem.

The only downside is smelling a little fishy or like a clean baby butt.

Have you found various treatments that work better than prescriptions for various ailments?

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I have suffered with an eczema type rash for over ten years-- it was only a problem during the winter, but boy was it BAD !The only thing that has cured it almost 100% is Wheat Germ Oil. Take 2-3 capsules a day at each meal. In a few weeks you will notice a difference. I had tried tons of savs, lotions, ointments, I even used Crisco to try to keep legs moisturized. Now I only put on lotion (Cetaphil cream) once a week, I could do it more but I don't need to.

 

[CKC]

My sons and I both have eczema. The new Neosporin Eczema essentials lotion is incredible! I bought it at Target and found $3 coupons on the internet. I use it for an everyday lotion on my hands as well(really dry and bleed in the winter weather). Love this lotion and it doesn't have any antibiotics in it.

 

[Sonya]

My husband has colitis and has tried numerous alternative things but nothing he has tried has worked. Anyone have any suggestions?

I get hives on my scalp and back, but only in the winter months, I wonder if desitin would help...be alittle rough getting it through my hair though.

 

[ohmt]

Eczema is caused by a hypersensitive immune reaction. I am actually just learning about it in my clinical immunology class

Most children will outgrow it eventually, but if you have it as an adult, the best medicine is prevention. Tab-do you put anything on your eyes, like makeup, etc? Maybe a certain face lotion that you use during the winter? It's probably not the cold, it's the dry air that leaves your skin (a very large part of the immune system) compromised, which aids in triggering its onset. My younger siblings all had terrible eczema until about 12ish. I never had it, but atopy is genetic and 4 of the 5 younger siblings are half, so I think I got lucky. Anyway, my mother always washed their bedding every day and then had a food/reaction journal for each one that she kept. She figured out that tomatoes were what caused eczema for one of my sisters-I believe it was just regular dust and dander for the rest. Scrubbing down the house and then washing bedding once a day really, really helped.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

My husband has colitis and has tried numerous alternative things but nothing he has tried has worked. Anyone have any suggestions?

My cousin got colitis his senior year in college and struggled with it for a while. With him he seemed to have an allergy to fermented yeast "beer and alcohol" but what really helped him was VSL (included link) a probiotic along with coconut oil in food. Can be used in cooking, baking, sauteing and even like a butter.

http://www.vsl3.com/

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

She figured out that tomatoes were what caused eczema for one of my sisters

I notice that as well. A dermatologist told me it was the acid and that I had to limit my intake. Like not having tomatoes and a glass of orange juice in the same day. Also one day after strawberry picking (and lots of eating) I broke out in hives--too much acid. I can eat strawberries but can't go crazy.

 

[Sonya]

Thanks for the link fourluckyhorseshoes, he does take a probiotic along with vinegar, flax, fiber plus his scripts, which include nightly supositories...eekkk, but still better than the nightly prescrip enemas that they did have him on. He just got off heavy antibiodics and preds... will have him check out the link. He was in remission for a couple years and it came back recently with full force, he is miserable. We can't figure out what triggers it, doctor says stress from work.

 

[mini horse mania]

My mom had eczema so bad on her hands,they literally split wide open...she found that she was allergic to laundry detergent and purfume...she uses cortaid now,and uses it on my 2 yr old sons face...it does great!!she has tried prescription after prescription with no luck...she literally cried it hurt so bad...i even,ordered $400 worth,of stuff online for her,still no luck.the cortaid worked for her...

 

[Ashley]

What is it like? I havent been to a derm but was thinking I need a trip to figure out what goes on with me. I have whatever it is all year, but worse in the winter. Its mostly my head, the skin will peel (but thicker) just like if one was sun burnt. I use all natural products as much as I can, keep my hair short to get air in (I have very thick hair and this seems to help) and only put stuff in my hair when I actually go somewhere to keep as much product off of it.

 

[Tab]

Ashley, Is it itchy? Perhaps you are having an allergic reaction to shampoo or another hair product? My scalp cannot tolerate a number of popular shampoos on the market. Embarrassed to say that I get painful sores on my head and neck with the wrong shampoo. I have found I can use Aussie and sometimes Mane & Tail.

Heather, I wanted to avoid steroids (cortaid is one) and so desitin was a wonderful, natural alternative for me. It doesn't cost hundreds. My husband's hands crack, split and bleed, and he used udderly smooth udder cream. He swears by it, but it does not work for my eyelid eczema. Aloe, vaseline, udder cream, restorative cream all do not work for my eyelid eczema. Desitin was the only thing that works. I only need to use a thin layer and I'm good to go.

Amanda, I do agree that dry air is the biggest problem. I have also heard that it can be as an auto-immune response. I never had this as a child, so it more than likely is, as well as exacerbated by certain triggers. I avoid eye makeup unless I go out, and I do not go out very often. My irritation is much worse if I eat too much sugar (but everything is much worse if I eat too much sugar!)

Thank you for sharing your alternative treatments for other ailments, as well. I bet you a lot of people are going to benefit from your experiences! I hope you guys can post more on the subject!!!

 

[Helicopter]

I'm a strong believer in you are what you eat. If I have something wrong with me I first think ''what have I been eating?'' eg eating too much tahini caused EXPLOSIVE diarrhoea (sp?). My father had gout. I did some research and told him to stop eating sardines. Gout cured.

Also a big magnet fan. 10 years of lower back/hip pain (caused by a fall from an opinionated Arab mare) disappeared after 1 night on a magnetic mattress. Only problem with that is I can never go anywhere because I will not be without my magnets. That's OK though because I have way too many animals to go anywhere anyway.

 

[SampleMM]

I tried soap underneath the sheets in my bed for leg pain/cramps and that does seem to work. All you need is a small, travel size soap. Has anyone else tried this?

 

[jyuukai]

I'm a strong believer in you are what you eat. If I have something wrong with me I first think ''what have I been eating?'' eg eating too much tahini caused EXPLOSIVE diarrhoea (sp?). My father had gout. I did some research and told him to stop eating sardines. Gout cured.

Also a big magnet fan. 10 years of lower back/hip pain (caused by a fall from an opinionated Arab mare) disappeared after 1 night on a magnetic mattress. Only problem with that is I can never go anywhere because I will not be without my magnets. That's OK though because I have way too many animals to go anywhere anyway.

Oh my goodness I would cry if too much tahini caused that in me. I LOVE tahini! Maybe a bit too much

I so know your pain with the hip/back. I was rear ended twice a couple of octobers ago and it really did a number on me. My pelvis became stuck in place and boy did it take some doing to get it.. well. undone!

I found that if the pain was mild enough that I could move, belly dance really helped loosen it up! I was amazed at how many pops I felt in my joints there even doing gentle movements and it always felt really great. I think part of the reason it lasted so long for me (not nearly as long as yours though!) is that I had extra weight on me and so I took up running as well, and I can happily say it's all gone.

I wish I had thought of the magnets before though! I wonder if that would have saved me some trouble?

 

[cretahillsgal]

Coconut is one of the best home remedies that Ive seen used. Either in oil, cream, capsule, etc. I have personally seen it cure eczema, ulcers and insomnia.

 

[ohmt]

eating too much tahini caused EXPLOSIVE diarrhoea

That wouldn't really be caused by the tahini, that would be caused by bacteria in the tahini. Fun fact: There is no such thing as the stomach flu. About 90% of the time it is actually gastroenteritis that can be caused by various bacteria in the food you eat. So when people say the 24 hour stomach flu is going around-well, I'd try to find out if they are going to the same grocery store or something and then stay away from there.

 

[Tab]

I tried soap underneath the sheets in my bed for leg pain/cramps and that does seem to work. All you need is a small, travel size soap. Has anyone else tried this?

I have not heard of that. How does it work?