CategoriesSymptoms-A

Acne

All types of acne - blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, papule, pustules, nodules and cysts - develop when pores in our skin become clogged. The culprit is sebum [see-bum], an oil in our skin. Our bodies make more sebum when our hormones surge. This is why teens get acne. This is why women often breakout before their periods. Allergies and intestinal problems can lead to excess sebum as well.

What happens inside the clogged pore determines the type of acne we see. A blackhead appears when sebum and dead skin cells clog the pore. While the pore is clogged, its surface remains open. This lets us look into the pore and see a black color.

A whitehead forms when the excess oil and dead skin cells clog the pore and block the opening of the pore. Acne develops where we have the most sebaceous glands. These glands make sebum and are found in the greatest number on our face, neck, chest, back, shoulders, and upper arms.

But excess oil does more than clog pores. Bacteria that normally live on our skin, P. acnes, thrive in this excess oil. Immersed in excess oil, the bacteria can rapidly increase in number. As the bacteria multiply in a clogged pore, the pore becomes inflamed. Inflammation is what causes a pimple to look red, hot, and swollen. When inflammation reaches deep into the skin, an acne cyst forms. This is the most severe type of acne. Cysts can be very painful. If pustule, nodule or cystic acne is not corrected it can lead to severe acne known as Acne Conglobata (vulgaris), Acne Fulminans, Gram Negative Folliculitis, Nodulocystic Acne.

NOTE: Acne is not really a skin problem, the skin is the side effect, the symptom of the deeper issue. Constipation! Show me a person with acne and I give you a person with too much accumulated waste in their system. If the bowels are not evacuating at least twice a day, consider some Bowel Stimulant. If you tend to eat too much junk food, use the IC-2 to clean out some waste. Yes, Proactive and various facial washes / treatments may help, but stop them and see what happens. Why? Because you didn't fix the cause. Since hormones fluctuate in the years leading up to menopause, many women in their 40s and 50s get acne. Is it just the hormones? No. Why do other women have no skin problems? When hormones surge, the liver is in charge of cleaning the excess away. The person with liver congestion is the one who gets the acne.

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CategoriesSymptoms-A

Acid Reflux

At the entrance to your stomach is a valve, which is a ring of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Normally, the LES closes as soon as food passes through it. If the LES doesn't close all the way or if it opens too often, acid produced by your stomach can move up into your esophagus. This can cause symptoms such as a burning chest pain called heartburn, it can cause regurgitation, bloating, burping or hiccups that don't let up. If acid reflux (heartburn) symptoms happen more than twice a week, they call it acid reflux disease, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

People use antacids believing they will help; well, they do tend to calm it temporarily, but it may be making the problem worst long term. This is true in part because the calcium is inorganic in form (an unhealthy form) but also the stomach is supposed to be acid by nature. You don't want to reduce the amount of acid; you just need to keep it from coming out of the stomach into the esophagus. The other issue here is that the symptoms of too much acid and too little acid in the stomach are the same. Believe it or not, most people with acid reflux don't have enough acid, just opposite of what most people think.

Traditionally speaking acid reflux can be caused by:

  1. Pregnancy can put pressure in the intestines contributing to hiatal hernia.
  2. Smoking
  3. Foods such as alcohol, carbonated beverages, chocolate, citrus fruit, coffee or tea, fatty or fried foods, foods containing tomato, spaghetti sauce, salsa or pizza, garlic and onions, mint, spicy foods, being overweight, eating a heavy meal and laying on your back, snacking close to bedtime, muscle relaxers or blood pressure meds.

No matter what seems to "trigger" your acid reflux, the real cause is the lower intestine. You probably have a hiatal hernia (please see that category), which is often caused by inflammation of the bowel, the lower intestine. I can almost guarantee the body is too acidic. The long term fix is to get the body more alkaline, eliminate acid forming foods. Google a list of acid vs. alkaline foods. Start eating as many raw fruits and veggies as you can and take at least 2 Digestive Aid with every meal. If you are not pooping at least twice a day, start the IC-1 to assure you are getting a good fiber intake.

Home remedyNo matter what the cause, if you have this, you surely want relief! Since most people have too little acid, the most common fix is apple cider vinegar. Bragg's is the best name brand, but if you can't find it, any apple cider vinegar will do. How much depends on the person. Between a teaspoon and tablespoon is generally about right. You can take it straight or put it in some water and drink it down. The relief is very quick! If you can't find the vinegar, put ½ teaspoon of Baking Soda in a few ounces of cold water and drink that down. If for some strange reason you really do make too much stomach acid, the apple cider vinegar will not help a bit, it may even irritate you some. You should try Aloe Vera juice at the same dose.

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IC-1

Your daily fiber intake keeps you regular.

CategoriesSymptoms-A

Acidosis

When talking about pH (potential hydrogen) the scale goes from 0-14, with 0 being acidic and 7 being neutral moving to 14 which is alkaline. In human health, we need to consider urine pH, saliva pH and blood pH. Blood pH has a normal range of 7.35-7.45. Anything outside that range is considered dangerous and life threatening. Compared to the overall scale, that is a pretty small window. Urine and saliva ranges are much more forgiving. Acidosis of the blood is the topic here, please refer to Acid Reflux and pH monitoring in the Blog section for more on acidity.

People most likely to get acidic blood include those with impaired breathing conditions, or with kidney or liver damage. Essentially the body makes more acid than it can get rid of, resulting in acidosis. In respiratory acidosis, the body is unable to get rid of carbon dioxide in appropriate amounts causing carbon dioxide build-up. Someone with persistent hyperventilation could briefly become acidotic, and various lung diseases or lung impairment may result in the condition. Sometimes being on a respirator in a hospital for long periods of time might result in respiratory or pulmonary versions of this condition, which is why those on respirators have blood gases checked regularly.

Other things that may cause acidic blood levels include starving the body and scuba diving. Certain poisons may result in an acidotic state too, opioids (sedative narcotics) and strong sleeping pills can cause acidosis. Some conditions, especially diabetes, are indicators in causing this condition, and when untreated, it may progress to what is called metabolic acidosis. The symptoms of metabolic forms of this condition can include deep, rapid breathing, chest pain, pain in the bones, muscle weakness and ultimately arrhythmias, coma, seizure or drastic reduction in blood pressure.

One common type of acidosis seen in those with diabetes type I is ketoacidosis. Lack of insulin can cause the body to break down abnormal amounts of fats resulting in the body building up ketones and extra acid. These can change blood pH level and raise blood glucose levels.

Home remedyThere is no home test for blood acidity. Dial 911 if a person is showing any signs of incoherence or blood pressure is very low. Sometimes people with severe acidosis require intravenous (IV) sodium bicarbonate to quickly bring blood back to normal acid levels, but you will need medical assistance for this. If the issue is related to lack of insulin, such as a diabetic, the use of insulin should correct the issue. If the acidosis is from prolonged liver or kidney damage, or from hyperventilation, take sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to reduce acid levels. Drink 1 teaspoon mixed in a few ounces of cold water. Repeat in 45 minutes and again after two hours. Continue ½ teaspoon of aluminum free baking soda three times a day for several weeks if needed.

You may also consider Elderberry (herb): Steep 3 to 5 grams of dried Elder flowers in 1 cup of boiling water for ten minutes. Drink 1 cup 3 times daily.

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CategoriesSymptoms-A

Abscess

Abscess (Carbuncles & Boils)

An abscess is a collection of pus (dead neutrophils) that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides. They are usually caused by bacteria, parasites or other foreign materials (e.g., splinters, bullet wounds, or injecting needles). An abscess is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body (making it a good thing, but tell that to the pain it causes!) The bacteria/parasites (or foreign materials) kill the local cells, resulting in the release of cytokines. The cytokines trigger an inflammatory response, which draws large numbers of white blood cells to the area and increases the regional blood flow.

The cardinal symptoms and signs of any kind of inflammatory process are redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function. Abscesses may occur in any kind of solid tissue but occur most frequently on skin surfaces, where they may be superficial pustules (boils) or deep skin abscesses. But they can also form in the lungs, brain, teeth, kidneys and tonsils.

Left unresolved, major complications can occur, including spreading of the abscess material to adjacent or remote tissues and extensive regional tissue death (gangrene). An abscess will begin to heal once it has drained in most cases. You cannot lance a boil until the head is soft. Pricking (lancing) the white or yellow head (but wait until there is a head) with a sterile needle is recommended. Squeezing is NOT recommended as it can push infected debris through tissue back into the blood and it can also promote scaring. Natural drainage is the best solution, let the body perform the miracle.

If the head of the abscess is hard, like you see in the photo, make a paste of IC-2 and Liquid Detox and wrap it over the area. You can add a dab of Healing Salve if you need to keep it as a paste. The IC-2 and Liquid Detox will draw the toxins to the surface and help the boil soften and come to a head so you can lance it for drainage. Once a boil is lanced and begins to drain, Liquid Detox can be applied to a band aid or bandage and applied over the abscess to initiate healing and keep the site from re-infecting. If the abscess appears as an open wound, pack it with Healing Salve to help it heal quickly and with the least scaring.

If your abscess is in a tooth, take some of the Healing Salve and mix it with equal parts of IC-2 and pack it between the cheek and the tooth with the abscess. This will help draw the infection out of the tooth. If there is pain in the tooth, take a piece of ice and rub it along the web between the thumb and pointer finger.

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