So much of modern medicine is about treating symptoms, then taking more medications to treat new symptoms created from treating the initial symptom. It becomes an entrapment, a vicious cycle of endless drug taking to deal with a perpetuating series of symptoms.

 

In January a rash developed on my arms, chest and stomach. The timing was concurrent with a succession of dry Santa Ana winds (coming from the desert in Southern California where I live). I learned from a friend of mine that those dry winds can cause what is known as the “Winter Rash,” which can manifest in considerable discomfort from itching. My friend has struggled with this problem often.

 

I went to see a doctor who claimed to have experience in treating rashes. After a cursory examination, she determined it was nothing serious and prescribed a treatment. A week passed and no progress was made. Since I had a work assignment in the Amazon I was hopeful that the humid environment would alleviate the rash, but it grew worse. In Colombia I visited a dermatologist, whom upon close examination gave me an emphatic diagnosis: "You have Scabies!" It sounded like I’d just won a new Lexus on a TV game show. He prescribed three medications, one topical, two ingestible. One ingestible made me drowsy and disoriented. A week transpired with no recovery whatsoever.

 

Essentially, scabies are parasitic mites that burrow just under the skin. I started to research online about scabies, and the more I read the more alarming it became – sufferers reporting chronic, intense itching for months, even years, and forced to launder bedding, clothing, and towels daily. It was approaching one month for me in dealing with this scourge - intense itching, daily laundering, and a major disruption to my normal life.

 

After searching and querying several people who could point me to some much needed help, I made an appointment with a doctor of Chinese medicine recommended by another friend. Part of her treatment regimen was a topical herbal wash, but her primary focus was internal. “A strong immune system with a pH that is slightly alkaline will deter any parasites from using your body as a dinner table,” she asserted. After an acupuncture treatment, she sent me away with the topical wash and several herbs to be consumed as a tea. And I started to closely monitor my diet, eating mostly alkaline foods and avoiding the most acidic foods.

 

A week later the improvement was dramatic. The itching dialed down on a scale of 1-10 from 9 to 3, the redness becoming faint. As the condition proceeds to fade, I continue eating a predominantly alkaline diet. As I expand my reading about how diseases from parasites to cancer thrive on an acidic environment, I become more convinced that consumption of alkaline foods may be the best preventive medicine for anyone.

 

Here’s a link to an informative page, including an icon to download an acid/alkaline food chart: http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm

        

Here’s to good health!

 

CARTOON FROM THE CLINIC