How do you care for wounds or sores which are deep, raw and exuding fluids? What if there are ulcers and deep cavities, or if the wounds or sores are caused by cancer tumors breaking through the skin surface? Wound treatment is a complex matter as there are many kinds of wounds, different stages of wound healing, and many factors involved which may affect healing.

Anyone who’s ever suffered serious wounds, ulcers or sores knows how painful wound cleansing and dressing can be. I like to use aloe vera to dress wounds because – besides having a reputation for wound healing – it is soothing, keeps the wound moist, and minimises scarring. Strips or pieces of fresh aloe vera can even be placed into wound cavities before covering with a suitable protective material, such as sterile gauze.

Recently, after some research and experimentation, I developed a home-made aloe vera paste which seems to work rather nicely. Fresh aloe vera tends to exude too much liquid for my liking, while commercial aloe vera gel contains all kinds of chemicals. My home-made wound healing recipe combines two natural ingredients with known healing properties: aloe vera juice and seaweed. Yes, seaweed!

Seaweed has traditionally been used in some cultures for wound healing as well as many other health benefits. In fact, it has even been called the “mariner’s cure”. Today, hospitals use it in calcium alginate wound dressings, which help to absorb exudate, control bleeding and speed up healing. When it comes into contact with fluids, calcium alginate wound dressings swell to form a gel which helps to trap the liquid. The gel also helps to bind bacteria which is subsequently removed when the dressing is changed.

So I got a brainwave some days ago to add natural seaweed to fresh aloe vera juice to make a paste which could be spread onto gauze and placed directly over cavernous wounds. The paste helps to fill the cavities as well as provide a moist, protective, cushioning layer. Although the wound is kept moist, it also stays drier because of the fluid-absorption, or hydrophilic, properties of seaweed. Bacteria, dead tissue and debris is also trapped and retained and eventually disposed of when the dressing is changed, which minimises any foul odor as well as facilitates healing.

The seaweed I use is agar-agar, which can be purchased from supermarkets and health-food stores in either powder form, or as dehydrated seaweed strips. Powdered agar-agar may contain bleach and additives like fragrance and artificial coloring, so read the label very carefully before purchasing it.

Natural agar-agar strips must be dissolved in boiling water over the stove before becoming usable for making jelly (the most common and popular use) or even for adding to the aloe vera juice to make a gel or paste. Agar-agar powder is much easier to use, as all you need to do is add sufficient boiling water to dissolve it. Stir while adding in the boiling water, and keep stirring as it cools. It should form a thick, glue-like consistency. When you achieve this consistency, add in the aloe vera juice spoonful by spoonful, stirring all the while to prevent clumps from forming.

When the mixture starts to thicken, stop stirring, let the aloe vera and seaweed concoction cool, then pour it into a container for storing in the fridge. It will thicken much more as it chills, and may even set into a jelly! Should that happen, add more boiling water to soften and thin out. The consistency I like is similar to a soft paste. The paste will keep for several days in the fridge. It’s so cooling and soothing when you take it straight from the fridge to apply to wounds.

Spread the paste on gauze before placing it over the wound, ulcer or sore. For easier removal of the dressing later, I usually sprinkle some olive oil on the gauze first before spreading on the aloe vera and seaweed paste. Flaxseed oil is another good option as it is supposed to have healing properties. Do note that people who have estrogen-driven cancer may want to avoid using flaxseed as it is high in estrogen.

For serious wounds, always consult a doctor. Certain wounds may have underlying problems which may make them difficult to treat and heal. I mentioned my aloe vera and seaweed wound paste to my oncologist relative while I was developing it. He thought it was an ingenuous idea. It may help those dealing with large wounds or deep, weeping sores and ulcers, such as cancer patients with raw, surface tumors, people with bedsores, and diabetics with ulcerated sores.

Speedy healing!

Posted: June 11th, 2009 under Alternative Remedies, Cancer, Healing Foods, Wound Healing.
Comments: 1

Have you ever had to clean and dress a wound over a prolonged period? If you have, you’ll know how painful this experience can be, especially if the wound is serious and sensitive. Bed sores, ulcerated wounds, cancer lesions, deep wounds, wounds covering an extensive area, herpes or cold sores, ulcerated tumors on the surface of the skin, and ulcers in general – imagine applying a harsh, stinging or burning solution on any of these! And what if you need to clean and dress the wound several times a day? Get ready to scream!

Antiseptics containing alcohol BURN. Hydrogen peroxide, a traditional mainstay, bubbles and foams and is believed to eat away both bad bacteria and dead tissue. However, studies have shown that hydrogen peroxide is not effective in inhibiting bacterial growth. Being corrosive, it also eats away good tissue in the wound, and can inflame healthy skin cells! Bluntly speaking, it can cause tissue necrosis. This delays healing as well as increases the chances of infection, because wounds, sores and cuts which are still raw are wide open (no pun intended) to attack by germs.

These are just some reasons why most wound specialists avoid using hydrogen peroxide and other harsh wound cleansers. Don’t ever use it to irrigate wounds! High potency hydrogen peroxide is particularly dangerous. In fact, in July 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about high strength hydrogen peroxides, saying they could lead to serious health risks and even death.

Normal saline solution is safer to use for wound cleansing. Personally, I like to use another safe and gentle product called Eliminator from Neways. The main ingredients are purified water with stabilised chlorine dioxide, an anti-bacterial agent and disinfectant. It also fights odors, an unpleasant characteristic of festering, fungating wounds. Peppermint adds freshness to the solution. Eliminator is so soothing, cooling and kind to sensitive skin that it’s my first choice for wound cleaning. It never hurts me, no matter how tender the wound may be. Ok, I admit it – I’m a coward. I’m afraid of pain.

The greenie is me also likes the fact that this solution is environmentally-friendly and not tested on animals. It has a hundred other uses too, which makes it a really handy staple to have around. I always have a bottle at home, as well as carry a small spray bottle in my purse. Wonder how I ever managed before without it.

Currently, my favorite combination for wound cleansing is, first, Eliminator to kill the bacteria and disinfect, as well as control odours, followed by tea as an antiseptic and astringent. I gently dab both on with a well-saturated cotton ball. NEVER swab, as that can create friction and damage sensitive tissues.

No more pain at wound cleaning time – YEAH! To try Eliminator yourself, go to Neways’ Product Page and just key in ‘Eliminator’ in the search box. No more ‘OUCH!’

Posted: June 5th, 2009 under Alternative Remedies, Cancer, Wound Healing.
Comments: 1

Recently, a relative who’s an oncologist at a leading cancer centre told me about an interesting, natural wound healing remedy – tea bags. In his line of work, he sees many ulcerating wounds or sores, which exude smelly fluids as well as blood, causing much pain, discomfort and distress to patients.

Knowing my preference for treating ailments naturally, he shared that the humble tea bag has antiseptic properties. The tannins in tea have an astringent effect, producing a dry, tightening sensation, so they are useful for helping to stop bleeding. The tannins activate the thrombocytes for rapid blood clotting. The stronger the tea, the more the tannins. Tannins also have both anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. Tea also stops infection from spreading by creating a protective layer over the exposed tissues, while helping the wound to heal.

The tea to use for wound healing should be from the tea bush Camellia Sinensis, also known as black tea – NOT herbal tea. If you prefer to use loose tea leaves rather than tea bags, you can fill blank tea bags with the tea leaves when you need to treat a wound.

After cleaning the wound area, place cool, moistened tea bags directly over bleeding wounds, sores or ulcers, cuts and even burns. To be effective, you’ll need to keep the tea bag in place for at least an hour (use tape, gauze or plaster to secure). If the wound is very wet, change the dressing regularly. Another way is to make a strong tea solution (make a cup of tea in the usual way, only more concentrated). After the tea has cooled completely, pour some tea on clean gauze and place it over the sores or wounds. Leave it on for at least 20 minutes but remove within an hour, or the gauze may stick to the affected area. This tea solution is even better straight from the fridge, because of the cooling effect. The tea solution may also be used for wound cleaning.

As the wound heals and infection is controlled, any offensive odour will gradually go away. The exuding of fluids will also diminish. How long this will take depends on the severity of the wound and infection, and whether there is any disease – such as cancer – complicating recovery. Still, the tea will help to soothe and heal the wound, so add it to your arsenal of natural healing remedies.

Tea has many other uses. Some years ago, my dog had an eye infection which caused her eyes to become watery, red and itchy, and produce gummy, yellowish discharge. When I told my husband about it, I remember his nonchalant response: “Make a pot of tea”. I was annoyed, to say the least.

Said I: “What do you mean, make a pot of tea? We need to do something about poor Coco’s eye infection right now!”

Said he: “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. When I was growing up, my family used tea to wash out eye infections in our dogs. When the tea cools down, we’ll pour the tea over Coco’s eyes.”

It was a messy affair, but we tilted Coco’s head to one side, and poured the cooled tea over her eyes. We did this a few more times over the next couple of days. Worked like a charm! Her eyes were nice and clear in no time.

Fortunately, I always have tea handy at home. Make sure you do too.

Posted: May 28th, 2009 under Alternative Remedies, Cancer, Healing Foods, Wound Healing.
Comments: none