Topical Yeast Infection

It was a long, hot, sweaty summer, as usual. It wasn't last summer, and it isn't the one coming. It was actually 2007. I found that any time I went outside to work, I sweated. When I sweated, a burning, itching rash would present itself at the same location my bra strap wanted to sit. I can only tell you how uncomfortable this is, but you can't imagine unless it has happened to you. It would be akin to sticking your hand in a nest of fire ants, and leaving it there. Most of that summer I sat inside, not knowing what to do for this torture. Jay suggest Gold Bond powder. That would soothe, but not eliminate the problem. Summer went, and cooler temperatures came. But, I would still notice some itching and rash on occasion.

Well, 2008 summer came with a vengeance, as they all do here, and it started again. Somewhere inside me, an answer rose up. I'd actually love to take credit for the genius thought, but am sure it was the Holy Spirit in response to my prayers of pain. YEAST. We'd been fighting yeast, and winning, with Ross - mostly respiratory. But, I had never imagined that yeast might be my enemy too. A quick test would be to dilute some Grapefruit Seed Extract and wipe it on the affected area. If it was yeast, it should reduce, if not eliminate, it. IT DID!! I did this a couple more times over the next week, and then just completely forgot about my personal nightmare.

Summer 2009 is quickly approaching. It brought it to mind when I noticed I was sweating from the excessive humidity. I decided that this was an overdue post to my health blog. I have reason to believe I'm not the only person in the world who suffers from topical yeast infections. We may think they are bacterial, or allergic reactions, but they may just be yeast.

Yeast is very easily treated with Grapefruit Seed Extract. You can find it at http://www.iherb.com - Nutribiotic is the brand. If you have never ordered there before, use coupon code KES097 to get $5 off your first time order. I prefer the liquid, since direct application in diluted form is quick, easy and makes it less necessary to take more pills. But, you can take it in pill form and it is effective. We use a 10 drops to 6 oz of water dilution rate. You can mix up more or less depending on your need. For a douche, I actually triple the GSE in the dilution.

We've also recently discovered that our youngest daughter's frequent breakouts are actually yeast acne. She noticed that sugar increased breakouts, so stopped doing so much sugar. I put 2 and 2 together and came up with yeast. She started taking 2 GSE pills at night before bed, then a probiotic pill in the morning before breakfast, and her acne has improved tremendously. She even ran out of her Clinique cleanser, and the acne is still improving.

Ross's frequent throat infections were also yeast, treated with diluted GSE gargle.

So, yeast is more than an internal enemy. It is also a topical enemy. Next time that strange rash gets you down, think yeast, and try some GSE wipe. It may not help, but it won't hurt to try. If it does help, you know you are battling Yeast.

The Feet Have It – Part I – Chilblains

I think this is the oddest of my foot entries. This was also not my problem, but my teenage daughter's. At first, we thought it was a rash, or topical affliction. But, it really didn’t ever blister. Her toes just kept looking redder, bothering her more – pain and itching – and then started to swell and turn purplish. It actually looked pretty disgusting.

I knew it wasn’t fungal, since we tried Grapefruit Seed Extract dilution on it to no avail. She actually soaked in the dilution and said it made them itch more. So, somehow the heat was affecting it.

I got online and started looking. It was an interesting search that ended at Chilblains. It was because her feet got cold I guess. But not just her feet needed to be warm, her whole body. Though her ever-helpful parents had constantly reminded to put socks and long sleeve shirts on in the winter house, she would rather complain about the cold than do that. When she got her diagnosis from mom, along with several web pages to peruse, she took great interest in putting on more clothes to keep warm.

The treatment I decided looked most effective was actually to keep the whole body warm. Being adventurous though, I added a warm Epsom salt foot bath to the list of do’s. I had her sit a couple hours with her feet in the Epsom salt bath, and keep herself very warmly clothed. I did my part by stocking the wood stove hotter so the temperature in the house was around 75 or higher. She spent most of the day in her room, at the end of the house, doing school work though. It was harder to keep her room warm with the wood stove, so I suggested she move to the room the wood stove was in.

Her brother and I dressed more lightly, and it took a few days, but eventually the Chilblains disappeared almost as suddenly as it showed. The color in her toes went back to normal, but the stretched skin still looked odd and grotesque. Most of the improvement was, oddly enough, after soaking her feet. I didn’t use very hot water, mostly just lukewarm. I think that helped. From the reading I did on several different sites, it sounded like a circulation issue and extreme temperatures aggravated.

Therefore, the feet have it on this one. My “odd foot affliction” award goes to the Chilblains. Surprisingly, it wasn’t my feet that had it either.

I believe this is probably the final installment in the Feet Have It series. I hope you found our oddities amusing and a bit informative.

Good luck with your feet and your health!