Black salve/ Candida

[Guest guest]

Any sources of black salve or cansema still out there that the FDA has not

closed down? Please email me privately with this info as I believe this list is

being monitored by FDA. kgullan@... or 619-224-0755 Many thanks.

Best wishes and much love, Ken

Ken Gullan

Institute for Research Integration (IRI)

San Diego, CA 92106-2424

IRI is a 501C(3) non-profit corporation established to help children with

developmental difficulties.

To contact me off-list use kengullan@... or call 619-222-1104

Re: sinus/horseradish/h202 steam

In a message dated 10/03/2003 4:15:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

kateagain@... writes:

<< well the excruciating head and nasal pain has me desperate to find

some relief. >>

I purchased the grossan tip and it was the best 18 dollar investment I made

You can irregate with plain saline solution or add other ingredients. Info

below.

Christel

http://www.ent-consult.com/

The single most effective self-help measure you can take to prevent or

treat sinusitis is to wash your sinuses daily with salt water. Sinus

washing, commonly called sinus irrigation and medically called sinus

lavage (and sometimes called nasal washing or nasal douching), is an

age-old practice. Historically, it's been used more in the East than

in Western societies, though this is changing as irrigation is

increasingly being recognized by doctors and in medical literature for

its health benefits. Some general practitioners and ENTS, however,

still have little knowledge of sinus irrigation or regard it as

unproven folk medicine, and they don't mention it to their patients.

What irrigating with saline (salt) solution does it help your sinuses

do what they're supposed to do themselves -- flush away cold viruses,

bacteria, allergens, and fungi. If you have chronic sinusitis, your

sinuses have lost some or all of their ability to filter out these

invaders. Irrigation is compensation for this.

Irrigation Techniques

There are a range of irrigation methods to choose from, some more

effective than others. Least effective is splashing water up your nose

at the sink or in the shower and sniffing it in. Plain tap water

stings -- the same feeling as getting water up your nose when

swimming.

More effective is a bulb irrigator, also called an ear syringe, used

with salt water. Its chief benefits are that it's inexpensive, easily

available, and easily transportable. Ear syringes are available in

most pharmacies.

Next up the effectiveness ladder is the neti pot, which looks a bit

like a small watering can. It's easier to use than an ear syringe --

you're less likely to splash or leak water over yourself -- and it's

easier to regulate the flow of saline, but it's harder to find. One

source is Sinus Survival Products, at 888-434-0033 or

<A HREF= " http://www.sinussurvival.com, " >http://www.sinussurvival.com,</A>

where it's called the SinuCleanse

System.

The most effective technique is pulsatile (pulsating) irrigation. When

liquid pulsates, it does a better job of cleaning -- it digs out the

dirt. In the sinuses, pulsation is also thought to stimulate the

action of the cilia, part of the sinus' natural defenses, and to

remove IgE, a gamma globulin that plays a key role in allergic

reactions.

There are a number of pulsatile nasal irrigation devices available --

for a listing, see

<A

HREF= " http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/davidson/NASHAND/nasal.htm#NASAL_IRRIGATIO\

N " >

http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/davidson/NASHAND/nasal.htm#NASAL_IRRIGATION</A>.

The most popular pulsatile irrigation device is the Grossan Irrigator,

which like similar devices is an attachment that's used with a

Teledyne Water Pik to slow the pulsation to a level appropriate for

the sinuses.

You can obtain the Grossan Irrigator through the Web site of its

creator, Dr. Murray Grossan, at <A HREF= " http://www.ent-consult.com, " >

http://www.ent-consult.com,</A> or by

phoning Hydro Med at 800-560-9007. You can save money if you buy a

Personal Water Pik (at your local pharmacy, for instance) rather than

a Professional Water Pik, without losing any sinus functionality.

The most common way to irrigate is to bend over the sink and tilt your

head to the side to help the irrigation solution drain out. You place

the irrigation tip in the upper nostril and let the irrigation

solution drain out of the lower nostril. However, if you find this

clogs up your ears, hold your head straight, without tilting it. If

you want to help the irrigation solution reach further into the

frontal sinuses, bend over further, tilting your head downward.

Many people warm the saline before irrigating, though some people

prefer cooler temperatures. Warming it helps it break up mucus,

encourages blood flow to the area, and usually just feels better.

Anywhere near body temperature is ideal. One technique for warming

saline is to simply place the water or solution in a glass and put it

in a microwave oven for a minute.

It's recommended that you irrigate your sinuses two times a day when

you're experiencing sinus or allergy symptoms or if you have a cold,

or three times a day if you're producing a lot of mucus. If you have

chronic sinusitis with only mild symptoms, you should irrigate once a

day. If you're trying to prevent a cold or allergy flare-up during

cold or allergy season, you can irrigate once a day. If you have no

symptoms, you don't need to irrigate.

Many people use saline nose spray, though its benefits are from

moisturizing rather than irrigating. Some people are sensitive to the

preservatives used in commercial saline sprays -- their sinuses become

irritated. These preservatives can also slow down the functioning of

the cilia, compromising the sinus' own disease-fighting capabilities.

Mixing a batch of home-made saline, once a week, is safer.

Saline Solution

There are a two main ways of obtaining saline solution for irrigation.

First, you can mix it yourself. The optimal salinity is obtained by

adding one level teaspoon of salt to a U.S. pint of water (a U.S. pint

is 16 ounces or slightly less than a half liter). Alternately, you can

add one-quarter teaspoon of salt to 4 ounces (0.12 liter) of water.

This creates an isotonic solution -- same salinity as human blood.

Some people prefer a saltier (hypertonic) solution, up to two

teaspoons of salt to a pint of water, which can pull moisture out of

the sinuses and help shrink swollen mucous membranes. In some people,

however, hypertonic saline solution can dry out the sinuses and

compromise their disease-fighting ability.

It's best to use canning, pickling, or kosher salt rather than table

salt or sea salt, as they contain fewer impurities, and to use

filtered or distilled water for the same reason. You can obtain

canning, pickling, or kosher salt in some supermarkets and health food

stores. Some people do fine, though, with tap water and table salt.

Some people find that saline solution itself burns from its slight

acidity. You can neutralize this by adding a pinch of baking soda

(sodium bicarbonate) to the saline.

The second way you an obtain saline is by buying it prepackaged, which

is more convenient though slightly more expensive. Sinus Survival

Products, at 888-434-0033 or <A HREF= " http://www.sinussurvival.com, " >

http://www.sinussurvival.com,</A> sells 80

packs of saline mixed with baking soda for $5.95. Canning salt is

used, at a ratio of four parts salt to one part baking soda, according

to a spokesperson at the company. Each packet contains a half teaspoon

of salt, so add it to eight ounces of water.

Some people use saline solution packaged for use with contact lenses,

though this is more expensive, and contact lens solutions made with

preservatives can potentially damage the sinus' cilia.

Irrigation Additives

Some people are experimenting with, and some ENTs are recommending,

additives you can include with the saline solution when irrigating.

You need to be careful, though, because small amounts of these

additives are absorbed into the bloodstream through the sinus' mucous

membranes and there's a possibility of swallowing the solution when

irrigating.

Two irrigation additives that are commonly used are Alkalol and

Betadine. Alkalol is an old-time, traditional remedy that can be found

or ordered from pharmacies or from Web sites such as More.com, at

<A HREF= " http://www.more.com, " >http://www.more.com,</A> for about $3 a

bottle. It's a solution of

eucalyptus oil, pine needle extract, other plant oils and extracts,

and a tiny amount of alcohol, ingredients that together are thought to

act as a mucus solvent. Some people find it soothing, others

stimulating, others irritating. It's better to start with a small

amount rather than the 50/50 ratio of Alkalol to saline indicated in

the Alkalol directions.

Betadine (and its generic equivalents) is an iodine-based antiseptic

used primarily on superficial skin wounds, though some doctors

recommend it to help kill off the pathogens that cause sinus

infections. It's best to use only a small amount -- from a few drops

to a teaspoon -- to avoid potential harm to the thyroid or the

kidneys. One technique is to first irrigate with Betadine and

immediately afterward to irrigate again without it to wash it away.

Some people are allergic to iodine and should avoid Betadine

altogether.

Some ENTs are experimenting with antibiotics such as Bactroban and

Gentamycin as irrigation additives. Ask your ENT about this.

Some people are experimenting with other irrigation additives,

including tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), available at health

food stores and used for many years in Australia, where it originates.

It's described as a germicide, fungicide, and antiseptic, and it's

usually used for superficial skin wounds, vaginal candidiasis, foot

fungus, and acne. It's very strong, so you need to dilute it -- one

study found a 2 percent solution effective. Some people are allergic

to the byproducts created when it breaks down (photooxidizes). Some

doctors advise against using it or any oil-based product in the

sinuses, since any product in the sinuses can wind up in the lungs,

and oil, Vaseline, etc., in the lungs can cause pneumonia.