The next three posts all seem to go together so I’m going to publish them, hopefully in the order they were written (“MS is getting on my nerves” first), on the same day.
However, even after eighteen months’ blogging, I’m not sure of the best way to go about it. I do want three separate posts, each with its own title and its own window…
Oh, I don’t know, I suppose if I succeed, this little bit will be pointless. Regardless of whether the posts themselves are still topical - which they won’t be, if I don’t get a move on!…
How about, then (just in case), I say something here to make this post, alone, worthwhile? Well, I can try…
Turmeric. Most notably, its curcumin component.
Wow! I have been using turmeric powder, twice a day – morning and bedtime – for the last few months and my gosh, I’m seeing, and feeling, improvements in my MS. My legs are less painful and stronger. I have more energy and keep going longer and more often. My brain (they say it’s a good preventative of Alzheimer’s and I can believe it!) has been on overdrive and I can’t stop writing/studying/writing again. I feel more optimistic about the future and am even making plans for it.
All this, as well as saving my life as a bronchodilator. And I know it has.
There you go! Turmeric/curcumin. I’m sure I’ll be talking/raving about it again, soon.
But first, those three posts…
Monday, 10 August 2009
MS is getting on my nerves
Yep, it’s getting too much now all this CNS (Central Nervous System) under attack and dying nonsense. It’s an insult. A long, drawn out wasting away of every little function, every big function, till you don’t know which one will collapse on you first. And it’s all just a waiting-game, with pain and chronic fatigue its constant companions.
And no one talks about brain damage, which is what the lesions of sclerosis on your cerebrum cause and which ensures nobody likes you, ‘cos you have mood-swings and a vicious temper. And you’re left alone, too much, when you need help.
MS is an insult.
I guess it’s the bladder and the bowels that get you worst of all. They’re what really cause the aggro. And keep you hidden away and embarrassed, even in front of yourself. In front of anyone else (carers included)? Well, that’s where the body degradation lies, right there in the bathroom (or wherever!), in your toilet activities – or lack of them. That’s the humiliation and where you might lose your dignity.
If you don’t watch out. And allow it.
Which is easy to do, ’cos you get angry and you’re exhausted and in constant pain.
The final insult, I suppose, will be when you die of something else and not MS itself (that’d make it ‘terminal’ with people forced to sympathise – they don’t want to) but another thing that you got or that happened, as a consequence of MS. A “complication”, as they call it. [Unless, of course, it’s one of those “life” things that can happen to anyone.]
It’s not all bad though. There is still “the MS consolation” – I think I coined that one! With cognitive dysfunction (I forgot to mention it due to my cognitive dysfunction!), you hardly notice yourself slipping away.
I just hope I’m slipping towards somewhere better! …
And no one talks about brain damage, which is what the lesions of sclerosis on your cerebrum cause and which ensures nobody likes you, ‘cos you have mood-swings and a vicious temper. And you’re left alone, too much, when you need help.
MS is an insult.
I guess it’s the bladder and the bowels that get you worst of all. They’re what really cause the aggro. And keep you hidden away and embarrassed, even in front of yourself. In front of anyone else (carers included)? Well, that’s where the body degradation lies, right there in the bathroom (or wherever!), in your toilet activities – or lack of them. That’s the humiliation and where you might lose your dignity.
If you don’t watch out. And allow it.
Which is easy to do, ’cos you get angry and you’re exhausted and in constant pain.
The final insult, I suppose, will be when you die of something else and not MS itself (that’d make it ‘terminal’ with people forced to sympathise – they don’t want to) but another thing that you got or that happened, as a consequence of MS. A “complication”, as they call it. [Unless, of course, it’s one of those “life” things that can happen to anyone.]
It’s not all bad though. There is still “the MS consolation” – I think I coined that one! With cognitive dysfunction (I forgot to mention it due to my cognitive dysfunction!), you hardly notice yourself slipping away.
I just hope I’m slipping towards somewhere better! …
PPMS "terminal"?
Debbie Purdy, a fellow PPMSer, took her case to the House of Lords and won. In future it will be possible for someone to escort a person wishing to end their life to Switzerland (“Dignitas”), for example, without risking prosecution. I wrote the piece below after hearing complaints, from MSers, about PPMS (Ms Purdy’s type, though in the media, not always made clear) being described as “terminal”.
So, let’s take a look at this…
Q. What is “primary progressive multiple sclerosis” (PPMS)?
A. First of all, it’s MS by definition: multiple plaques of sclerosis in the brain and spine.
Q. What are ‘plaques’? What is ‘sclerosis’?
A. Plaques are lesions which “dig in” to tissue causing it to harden/break down. This result is called ‘sclerosis’.
Many in the medical establishment believe that MS is an auto-immune disease with the immune system itself attacking the body: in MS, specifically, the myelin sheath (coating) normally protecting nerve fibres.
I, personally (along with many naturopaths), believe the sclerosis to be caused by the yeast Candida Albicans (see: “Candida Albicans and MS – a life story”).
The results are the same but not the “treatments” (see: “Supplements, Herbs & Essential-oils” for my own).
Q. What do we mean by ‘progressive’?
A. All bodily tissue is made up of fibres and neurons (nerve cells) belonging to the “central nervous system” (CNS). Once attached to the CNS the lesions worsen and multiply, spreading thoughout the body, causing increased degeneration. In PPMS this degeneration “progresses” continually with no remissions.
Q. Which parts of the body depend on the CNS being healthy?
A. Every single part. We are our nervous systems: our immune systems; every organ - large (brain, heart, lungs) and small (eyes, ears, bladder, bowels); our limbs and muscles; every sense and function (i.e. thinking, seeing, hearing, tasting, swallowing, urinating, defecating).
Every part and everything about us, is dependent on our CNS.
Q. So, is PPMS (as opposed to the other types of MS) terminal?
A. How long can someone last with a progressively degenerating CNS and a compromised immune system?
Conclusion: PPMS is terminal, if only because of the complications arising as a result of it.
Note: the most common causes of PPMS-related death are: suicide; choking; pneumonia (or other respiratory disease).
Disclaimer: as always, I write only from experience and research. I hold no formal qualifications in medicine.
So, let’s take a look at this…
Q. What is “primary progressive multiple sclerosis” (PPMS)?
A. First of all, it’s MS by definition: multiple plaques of sclerosis in the brain and spine.
Q. What are ‘plaques’? What is ‘sclerosis’?
A. Plaques are lesions which “dig in” to tissue causing it to harden/break down. This result is called ‘sclerosis’.
Many in the medical establishment believe that MS is an auto-immune disease with the immune system itself attacking the body: in MS, specifically, the myelin sheath (coating) normally protecting nerve fibres.
I, personally (along with many naturopaths), believe the sclerosis to be caused by the yeast Candida Albicans (see: “Candida Albicans and MS – a life story”).
The results are the same but not the “treatments” (see: “Supplements, Herbs & Essential-oils” for my own).
Q. What do we mean by ‘progressive’?
A. All bodily tissue is made up of fibres and neurons (nerve cells) belonging to the “central nervous system” (CNS). Once attached to the CNS the lesions worsen and multiply, spreading thoughout the body, causing increased degeneration. In PPMS this degeneration “progresses” continually with no remissions.
Q. Which parts of the body depend on the CNS being healthy?
A. Every single part. We are our nervous systems: our immune systems; every organ - large (brain, heart, lungs) and small (eyes, ears, bladder, bowels); our limbs and muscles; every sense and function (i.e. thinking, seeing, hearing, tasting, swallowing, urinating, defecating).
Every part and everything about us, is dependent on our CNS.
Q. So, is PPMS (as opposed to the other types of MS) terminal?
A. How long can someone last with a progressively degenerating CNS and a compromised immune system?
Conclusion: PPMS is terminal, if only because of the complications arising as a result of it.
Note: the most common causes of PPMS-related death are: suicide; choking; pneumonia (or other respiratory disease).
Disclaimer: as always, I write only from experience and research. I hold no formal qualifications in medicine.
[Satire!] A note to Debbie Purdy...
…following Law Lords’ court ruling (30th July ’09)
Gee thanks, Debbie, now it will be easier to have someone come with us to Switzerland (“Dignitas” my***!) to end our lives. They’ll even be able to help us, if and when we MSers are too paralysed, and won’t get charged for committing a crime – as long as we did volunteer for it.
Nice one! Because, it surely follows that it won’t be long before we won’t have to travel (too hard and tiring); relatives will be able to euthanize at their own discretion (always believing we would have wished it, of course). Doctors and nurses – even lovely carers - will be applauded for their “acts of mercy”…
And, when the State realizes how “useful” this is to society, by extension, it will force the extinction of all elderly and infirm citizens: no one else will need to make those burdensome decisions again. We’ll all be free to relax.
Won’t be long now. Thank you, Debbie (word to the wise, though: don’t try and take all the credit, it would have happened anyway).
Your fellow PP [primary progressive] MSer,
Virginia
Gee thanks, Debbie, now it will be easier to have someone come with us to Switzerland (“Dignitas” my***!) to end our lives. They’ll even be able to help us, if and when we MSers are too paralysed, and won’t get charged for committing a crime – as long as we did volunteer for it.
Nice one! Because, it surely follows that it won’t be long before we won’t have to travel (too hard and tiring); relatives will be able to euthanize at their own discretion (always believing we would have wished it, of course). Doctors and nurses – even lovely carers - will be applauded for their “acts of mercy”…
And, when the State realizes how “useful” this is to society, by extension, it will force the extinction of all elderly and infirm citizens: no one else will need to make those burdensome decisions again. We’ll all be free to relax.
Won’t be long now. Thank you, Debbie (word to the wise, though: don’t try and take all the credit, it would have happened anyway).
Your fellow PP [primary progressive] MSer,
Virginia
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Taking your next breath
For some, the next breath is not something that can be taken for granted (though, come to think of it nor should it be for anyone – we’ll all breathe our last one day). From one day to the next, the physical challenge of keeping the lungs filled with oxygen takes over from everything else: after this breath, the one I’m breathing now, will there be another?
For some, it may mean hospitalisation, or even moving into a hospice.
Yet there are things we can do before we reach that stage - herbal remedies, refinements in diet, extra mechanical aids in the home – to help now. I know, because I’m having to use them…
I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but apart from the usual symptoms of this disease (spastic, painful, legs; chronic fatigue; weak limbs; bladder and bowel incontinence; poor eyes; cognitive dysfunction), the biggest problem lately – the most worrying – has been with the lungs.
I seem to have asthmatic symptoms (with panic but that’s another story!); I do have post-nasal drip, and - as a smoker for half of my life - could expect to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . Many years ago I was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) but – and this can be verified by Guy’s Hospital, London – cleared it without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The methods I use now are those I used then and would use for any of the following:
- asthma;
- bronchitis;
- emphysema;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy;
- TB;
- COPD (made up of the first three above);
- lung cancer;
- sinusitis.
So, what are my methods? What is my Respiratory Rescue (RR)? Well, as I consider most things (health-wise) to be related to or caused by Candida Albicans, it too, depends on my anti-Candida regime of diet and herbs. It just means adding more herbs, specifically suited to the respiratory system:
NB Dosages for all herbs (unless stated otherwise): one quarter of a teaspoon two or three times daily.
thyme – I could have called this piece ‘Thyme heals!’ for the importance of this wonderful herb – it works as an antiseptic (very strong), anti-spasmodic (esp. asthma spasms) expectorant [clears mucus] de-congestant – I now take one teaspoon in a tea, daily and would never (God willing!) be without it;
eucalyptus – mainly used as expectorant/decongestant inhalant if breathing difficult, but especially valuable as chest and throat rub in times of infection/cough;
elecampane – for me, I think, the original life-saver with TB: a powerful antiseptic/expectorant (does contain inulin [fructose] though, so would only use now in emergency);
golden seal – an absolute life-saver: broad-spectrum anti-biotic (without side affects of phamaceuticals); can be used externally in the form of a paste (water added to powder), as a tea with the root, or by adding powder to water and drinking; I also use, with myrrh, for brushing teeth and gargling (good for post-nasal drip); a few grains internally, daily, for TB and other infections;
echinacea – my #1 herb and leader in my anti Candida regime - worth noting again here for its invaluable assistance in any respiratory problems: great immune system strengthener and supporter; strong antiseptic; decongestant and expectorant;
eyebright – another star in my herbal cast of characters (probably couldn’t see without it and would undoubtedly have much worse optic neuritis [eye pain with MS]); mentioned here for its ability, with echinacea, to clear sinuses – the perfect remedy for hayfever, rhinitis and nasal catarrh;
golden rod – one more I now take daily: antiseptic and anti-catarrhal;
tea tree oil – tea tree is an all-rounder – used for everything, and I use it all round the house as air-freshener/fumigator, decongestant and antiseptic for everyone! Also: three times a day as antiseptic mouthwash (with gargle!), and to kill any germs anywhere on anything or anyone – it will even wipe out fleas, mites (arachnids) and ticks on a dog! Essential shampoo for whole family. Works like eucalyptus but more gently, so I use more often, as chest-rub.
turmeric root (as powder) – a recent discovery, for me: very effective (and safe) bronchodilator.
Other herbs I have used, successfully, to clear lungs of congestion (but don’t take regularly – I think we all have to find the ones most suitable to our own bodies) include: mullein [slightly narcotic – no good for me!]; white horehound; pleurisy root (holding onto that in case of pneumonia!); plantain; watercress, and coltsfoot.
And that’s about it. Those, plus the anti-Candida diet (be especially careful with dairy products [go without!] and perhaps wheat and other grains (all mucus-forming foods).
Oh, and I do have a dehumidifier and air-purifier – great aid on breathless nights – and also keep a couple of oxygen bottles (the small mobile ones) handy. Touch wood, I haven’t had to use them lately (hah, tempting fate again, Virginia?!).
Anyway, I hope some of this helps some of you and that taking your next breath will be trouble-free. God bless.
Disclaimer
The information I give here has been gathered from my own research and experiences of the last 20 years.
The recommendations I make are for remedies which, through trial and error, my family and I have found to be most helpful.
I have not used pharmaceutical products since 1990 and do not see anyone from the medical establishment (doctors, etc.), other than MS Nurse annually.
***
All herbs available from medical herbalists including (international mail order available): G. Baldwin & Co.
For some, it may mean hospitalisation, or even moving into a hospice.
Yet there are things we can do before we reach that stage - herbal remedies, refinements in diet, extra mechanical aids in the home – to help now. I know, because I’m having to use them…
I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but apart from the usual symptoms of this disease (spastic, painful, legs; chronic fatigue; weak limbs; bladder and bowel incontinence; poor eyes; cognitive dysfunction), the biggest problem lately – the most worrying – has been with the lungs.
I seem to have asthmatic symptoms (with panic but that’s another story!); I do have post-nasal drip, and - as a smoker for half of my life - could expect to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . Many years ago I was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) but – and this can be verified by Guy’s Hospital, London – cleared it without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The methods I use now are those I used then and would use for any of the following:
- asthma;
- bronchitis;
- emphysema;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy;
- TB;
- COPD (made up of the first three above);
- lung cancer;
- sinusitis.
So, what are my methods? What is my Respiratory Rescue (RR)? Well, as I consider most things (health-wise) to be related to or caused by Candida Albicans, it too, depends on my anti-Candida regime of diet and herbs. It just means adding more herbs, specifically suited to the respiratory system:
NB Dosages for all herbs (unless stated otherwise): one quarter of a teaspoon two or three times daily.
thyme – I could have called this piece ‘Thyme heals!’ for the importance of this wonderful herb – it works as an antiseptic (very strong), anti-spasmodic (esp. asthma spasms) expectorant [clears mucus] de-congestant – I now take one teaspoon in a tea, daily and would never (God willing!) be without it;
eucalyptus – mainly used as expectorant/decongestant inhalant if breathing difficult, but especially valuable as chest and throat rub in times of infection/cough;
elecampane – for me, I think, the original life-saver with TB: a powerful antiseptic/expectorant (does contain inulin [fructose] though, so would only use now in emergency);
golden seal – an absolute life-saver: broad-spectrum anti-biotic (without side affects of phamaceuticals); can be used externally in the form of a paste (water added to powder), as a tea with the root, or by adding powder to water and drinking; I also use, with myrrh, for brushing teeth and gargling (good for post-nasal drip); a few grains internally, daily, for TB and other infections;
echinacea – my #1 herb and leader in my anti Candida regime - worth noting again here for its invaluable assistance in any respiratory problems: great immune system strengthener and supporter; strong antiseptic; decongestant and expectorant;
eyebright – another star in my herbal cast of characters (probably couldn’t see without it and would undoubtedly have much worse optic neuritis [eye pain with MS]); mentioned here for its ability, with echinacea, to clear sinuses – the perfect remedy for hayfever, rhinitis and nasal catarrh;
golden rod – one more I now take daily: antiseptic and anti-catarrhal;
tea tree oil – tea tree is an all-rounder – used for everything, and I use it all round the house as air-freshener/fumigator, decongestant and antiseptic for everyone! Also: three times a day as antiseptic mouthwash (with gargle!), and to kill any germs anywhere on anything or anyone – it will even wipe out fleas, mites (arachnids) and ticks on a dog! Essential shampoo for whole family. Works like eucalyptus but more gently, so I use more often, as chest-rub.
turmeric root (as powder) – a recent discovery, for me: very effective (and safe) bronchodilator.
Other herbs I have used, successfully, to clear lungs of congestion (but don’t take regularly – I think we all have to find the ones most suitable to our own bodies) include: mullein [slightly narcotic – no good for me!]; white horehound; pleurisy root (holding onto that in case of pneumonia!); plantain; watercress, and coltsfoot.
And that’s about it. Those, plus the anti-Candida diet (be especially careful with dairy products [go without!] and perhaps wheat and other grains (all mucus-forming foods).
Oh, and I do have a dehumidifier and air-purifier – great aid on breathless nights – and also keep a couple of oxygen bottles (the small mobile ones) handy. Touch wood, I haven’t had to use them lately (hah, tempting fate again, Virginia?!).
Anyway, I hope some of this helps some of you and that taking your next breath will be trouble-free. God bless.
Disclaimer
The information I give here has been gathered from my own research and experiences of the last 20 years.
The recommendations I make are for remedies which, through trial and error, my family and I have found to be most helpful.
I have not used pharmaceutical products since 1990 and do not see anyone from the medical establishment (doctors, etc.), other than MS Nurse annually.
***
All herbs available from medical herbalists including (international mail order available): G. Baldwin & Co.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Catch-up...
Illustration by Tom PhillipsTime to catch up with my MS (oh yeah, like that could ever happen!): the development of symptoms and ways they’re affecting my life. It’s been a while since I came to this blog just to “chat” – maybe some sort of denial? –and, let’s face it, this thing’s not going to stop in its tracks, do an about-turn, disappear – it’s here to stay and will, no doubt win the race. I should write about it and, hopefully, say something to help others - at least share an empathy with fellow-MSers.
If MS was a racing-car, it would surely be a Ferrari: to my mind (and most others!), the most beautiful of cars and one of the finest pieces of engineering known to man. The fact that I’m anti-cars, because of their use of oil, and pollutant affect on the environment, is by-the-by here (!). I’m not naïve and can appreciate the skill involved in crafting such an exceptional machine (I hate noise – but that wonderful growl of the Ferrari engine…!). It wins… It wins in aesthetics, mechanics, and performance on the race-track, where it leaves rivals floundering.
Yes, if MS were a racing-car it would be a Ferrari.
And, what would we be, us poor little MSers with our spastic legs, chronic fatigue and wasted muscles? Where would we be, with our out-dated theories on cause having something to do with the immune system attacking the rest of our bodies (rubbish!), and the pharmaceutical drugs that do nothing but harm (side-effects) even if they are, duplicitously, offered as help?
Oh, we’d be that tiny dot, still on the starting-line as the Ferrari sped towards the Finish. We’d be the poor suckers left behind - alone, in our cranky, old wheelchair!
And that’s it with the car analogy. I hate car analogies (and too many use them!), except to say…
It is, of course, our disease racing towards the chequered flag, which, in itself, marks the end of our existence. We must enter the race - at least try to keep up - if we are not to lose control completely. And that’s why I’m back here, at this blog. I can see (and feel, and sense) that the MS has me now. I know its progression (primary progrssive multiple sclerosis – PPMS) has been cruel.
But the herbs – praise God! – do help. At least to keep symptoms under control (for instance, in keeping depression at bay; lessening fatigue and pain), and often as cures (e.g.: respiratory problems [see next post]; spasm; anxiety; exhaustion; insomnia).
So this blog must go on, as long as I’m in the race! And, if I think about MS as a Ferrari (which I won’t – it’s an insult to the car!), maybe I can afford it a grudging respect.
As it is, about the only thing they have in common, as far as I can see, is that they’re both man-made!
Yes, I do believe that MS is the result somehow (pharmaceuticals; refined foods; chemicals and additives in food; chemical pollutants [i.e. petrol; perfumes]?) of modern-day society. The post-industrialisation age.
But that’s another story for another time (though I did touch on it in the post ‘Environmental Illness’ in the Comment Column blog).
See you soon.
Note: ‘respiratory’ post to follow…
If MS was a racing-car, it would surely be a Ferrari: to my mind (and most others!), the most beautiful of cars and one of the finest pieces of engineering known to man. The fact that I’m anti-cars, because of their use of oil, and pollutant affect on the environment, is by-the-by here (!). I’m not naïve and can appreciate the skill involved in crafting such an exceptional machine (I hate noise – but that wonderful growl of the Ferrari engine…!). It wins… It wins in aesthetics, mechanics, and performance on the race-track, where it leaves rivals floundering.
Yes, if MS were a racing-car it would be a Ferrari.
And, what would we be, us poor little MSers with our spastic legs, chronic fatigue and wasted muscles? Where would we be, with our out-dated theories on cause having something to do with the immune system attacking the rest of our bodies (rubbish!), and the pharmaceutical drugs that do nothing but harm (side-effects) even if they are, duplicitously, offered as help?
Oh, we’d be that tiny dot, still on the starting-line as the Ferrari sped towards the Finish. We’d be the poor suckers left behind - alone, in our cranky, old wheelchair!
And that’s it with the car analogy. I hate car analogies (and too many use them!), except to say…
It is, of course, our disease racing towards the chequered flag, which, in itself, marks the end of our existence. We must enter the race - at least try to keep up - if we are not to lose control completely. And that’s why I’m back here, at this blog. I can see (and feel, and sense) that the MS has me now. I know its progression (primary progrssive multiple sclerosis – PPMS) has been cruel.
But the herbs – praise God! – do help. At least to keep symptoms under control (for instance, in keeping depression at bay; lessening fatigue and pain), and often as cures (e.g.: respiratory problems [see next post]; spasm; anxiety; exhaustion; insomnia).
So this blog must go on, as long as I’m in the race! And, if I think about MS as a Ferrari (which I won’t – it’s an insult to the car!), maybe I can afford it a grudging respect.
As it is, about the only thing they have in common, as far as I can see, is that they’re both man-made!
Yes, I do believe that MS is the result somehow (pharmaceuticals; refined foods; chemicals and additives in food; chemical pollutants [i.e. petrol; perfumes]?) of modern-day society. The post-industrialisation age.
But that’s another story for another time (though I did touch on it in the post ‘Environmental Illness’ in the Comment Column blog).
See you soon.
Note: ‘respiratory’ post to follow…
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Herbal cures for pressure sores
Isn’t it incredible, and evil, how much pain one little scabby sore can cause?
Take that pea-size patch at the bottom of your spine. Just under the coccyx Ouuch! If you’re immobile – and who with progressive MS isn’t? - there it will be. Fixed. for life. A permanent fixture. Part of your new anatomy and more alive than the rest. Ironic. Not funny.
You sit back in your chair – at its best and most “pressure-relieving” cushioned – and bang: you’re right on it. You wriggle, you’re not comfortable, the scabby edge lifts. If it bleeds you’re in real trouble. The pain, pinching and raw is excruciating, you scream (if someone’s with you and you’re trying to be polite/tough (when aren’t you the latter?) silently/imperceptibly – you might just pull a “pained” face). You try to lift yourself forward and oww, there’s the new ones forming on your buttocks.
You can’t sit. You can’t stand (your legs won’t hold you up and that’s a whole differnt ball-game of pain) and you can’t lie down. The sores are always with you (that reminds me of something!).
They’re on your bottom, your elbows, your heels. There’s no escape.
Perhaps I am being a bit flippant here. Sorry, it’s my way. I mean, if it weren’t so tragic it would be funny wouldn’t it, to someone (I usually think the Devil)? Anyway I laugh in the face of adversity, and, of course, look for ways to deal with things.
I decided to share with you what I use because it seems to work and I know so many people (not just MSers of course), are suffering too much and having to have anti-biotics and dressings. Which calls for lots of nursing and is a nuisance for everyone (including financially, the NHS (or equivalent in your country)).
Also, a friend on an MS Forum went down with them (bed-ridden for the forseeable future), and that breaks my heart.
I’m not the only one who uses marigold/calendula ointment (I know that because Tom, of course, works at a Herbalist’s*) and it has a great reputation for healing pressure-sores. But, as we were saying, there’s many – iincluding all conventional practitioners – who don’t.
In this family we have been astonished, and thrilled, by the superlative powers of the marigold flower to heal, for many years. Every little scratch and tear, cut and blister, spot and indescribable blemish. Eczema, psoriasis, you name it, it’ll be fading within minutes of application and in the case of a cut, closing before your very eyes. The miraculous marigold flower.
Just smear some over the beginnings of a pressure-sore. Re-apply maybe every few hours (with me it’s usually daily) and voila, ecco, gone before you know it.
It is best to get it early though because if you do leave them too long (or maybe someone with dementia for instance isn’t able to let anyone know in time; or an MSer might not feel it getting bad) they may become badly infected and possibly even threaten the bloodstream and so, life (septicaemia). If they get infected you do need an anti-biotic.
And the best one to use is also herbal (God’s counter to all this [“... and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.” – Gen 9:3]): golden seal (either powder-into-paste or a fluid-extract – again smeared over wound), you will kill the bacteria without doing damage to the rest of your body. Golden seal will eat a pus-ridden thing away.
Both marigold (aka calendula) and golden seal are antiseptic and anti-fungal.
So, my prescription:
- marigold/calendula ointment
- golden seal (as powder formed with water into paste, or fluid-extract)
Available at any good herbalist’s (see below for mail order).
NB
Ensure you are using pressure-relieving cushions on all seats and, if possible, the same with your mattress. (A profiling bed is worth it’s weight in gold. If necessary, beg, borrow or... (no, just those two!), one I did and am so grateful for it.)
Also: keep up the anti-Candida/yeast diet; supplements, herbs and essential oils (see October posts). A lot to do with these things is fungal.
May the sores not be with you!
*G Baldwin & Co., Medical Herbalist
Tel: 0207 703 5550
www.baldwins.co.uk
Take that pea-size patch at the bottom of your spine. Just under the coccyx Ouuch! If you’re immobile – and who with progressive MS isn’t? - there it will be. Fixed. for life. A permanent fixture. Part of your new anatomy and more alive than the rest. Ironic. Not funny.
You sit back in your chair – at its best and most “pressure-relieving” cushioned – and bang: you’re right on it. You wriggle, you’re not comfortable, the scabby edge lifts. If it bleeds you’re in real trouble. The pain, pinching and raw is excruciating, you scream (if someone’s with you and you’re trying to be polite/tough (when aren’t you the latter?) silently/imperceptibly – you might just pull a “pained” face). You try to lift yourself forward and oww, there’s the new ones forming on your buttocks.
You can’t sit. You can’t stand (your legs won’t hold you up and that’s a whole differnt ball-game of pain) and you can’t lie down. The sores are always with you (that reminds me of something!).
They’re on your bottom, your elbows, your heels. There’s no escape.
Perhaps I am being a bit flippant here. Sorry, it’s my way. I mean, if it weren’t so tragic it would be funny wouldn’t it, to someone (I usually think the Devil)? Anyway I laugh in the face of adversity, and, of course, look for ways to deal with things.
I decided to share with you what I use because it seems to work and I know so many people (not just MSers of course), are suffering too much and having to have anti-biotics and dressings. Which calls for lots of nursing and is a nuisance for everyone (including financially, the NHS (or equivalent in your country)).
Also, a friend on an MS Forum went down with them (bed-ridden for the forseeable future), and that breaks my heart.
I’m not the only one who uses marigold/calendula ointment (I know that because Tom, of course, works at a Herbalist’s*) and it has a great reputation for healing pressure-sores. But, as we were saying, there’s many – iincluding all conventional practitioners – who don’t.
In this family we have been astonished, and thrilled, by the superlative powers of the marigold flower to heal, for many years. Every little scratch and tear, cut and blister, spot and indescribable blemish. Eczema, psoriasis, you name it, it’ll be fading within minutes of application and in the case of a cut, closing before your very eyes. The miraculous marigold flower.
Just smear some over the beginnings of a pressure-sore. Re-apply maybe every few hours (with me it’s usually daily) and voila, ecco, gone before you know it.
It is best to get it early though because if you do leave them too long (or maybe someone with dementia for instance isn’t able to let anyone know in time; or an MSer might not feel it getting bad) they may become badly infected and possibly even threaten the bloodstream and so, life (septicaemia). If they get infected you do need an anti-biotic.
And the best one to use is also herbal (God’s counter to all this [“... and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.” – Gen 9:3]): golden seal (either powder-into-paste or a fluid-extract – again smeared over wound), you will kill the bacteria without doing damage to the rest of your body. Golden seal will eat a pus-ridden thing away.
Both marigold (aka calendula) and golden seal are antiseptic and anti-fungal.
So, my prescription:
- marigold/calendula ointment
- golden seal (as powder formed with water into paste, or fluid-extract)
Available at any good herbalist’s (see below for mail order).
NB
Ensure you are using pressure-relieving cushions on all seats and, if possible, the same with your mattress. (A profiling bed is worth it’s weight in gold. If necessary, beg, borrow or... (no, just those two!), one I did and am so grateful for it.)
Also: keep up the anti-Candida/yeast diet; supplements, herbs and essential oils (see October posts). A lot to do with these things is fungal.
May the sores not be with you!
*G Baldwin & Co., Medical Herbalist
Tel: 0207 703 5550
www.baldwins.co.uk
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