Hello Everyone!
I am trying a new “experiment” recently to see if it will have any effect on my Cholinergic Urticaria. So far, it looks like the anti-candida treatment did virtually nothing for the hives. They are about the same. But hey, it was worth a shot.
So I thought I would forge ahead & try some other possible things to see if they help at all. I am still keeping the same basic premise that there is a very good chance the sweat pores/glands are blocked.
If they were blocked by Candida, theoretically the anti-candida treatment should have done the trick. So since it apparently isn’t blocked by Candida, it could still be blocked by other things (such as bacteria, etc.).
This past Monday I was watching an episode of House M.D., and a patient had these red bumps all over her chest (it was a form of folliculitis). She got this from being in a hot tub/jacuzzi that didn’t have enough chlorine to control the bacteria present. House did his usual arrogant joking routine, and then for the cure he told her to put on warm vinegar presses & it would resolve the issue in couple of weeks.
So it somewhat intrigued me because I know from my research into blocked hair follicles & sweat glands that in the case of folliculitis, a bacteria usually is the cause, and it clogs the pores & causes a red irritated bump. Again, as I pointed out in a previous post on sweat gland obstruction, depending on the level of bacterial infection (and whether it is a hair follicle or sweat gland), the skin can present with different symptoms and even a heat rash (miliaria) can be different in the exact appearance/symptoms.
So I thought, “What the heck.” I scrounged around in my cabinets for a while, and stumbled upon a large bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar we hardly use (I think white vinegar works as well). I diluted it a bit in a mug (about 75% vinegar to 25% water), and I heated it up. I then rubbed it onto my skin with a washcloth. It was slightly stinging, but nothing major. If you try this, I recommend you dilute it way more with more water to prevent a possible burn from the weak acid in the vinegar.
So I have been doing this for 2 days, and I will continue this treatment for about 2 weeks. The idea is that the acidity of the vinegar could potentially kill a majority of “bad” bacteria on the skin, which could be clogging pores. Vinegar itself is fairly weak acid, but usually enough to help clear bacteria on the skin, etc.
I also have a patch of small “scaly/dry skin” which is a little itchy. I suppose it is eczema/dermatitis, and it will be interesting to see if the vinegar solution will help that as well. Some websites seem to suggest that vinegar can be a good home remedy for various things (acne, eczema, rashes, etc).
After I apply it, I usually keep it on my skin until it dries for a couple of hours. I then take a shower, so that I don’t smell like a big pickle (that is what my wife said before I took a shower hehe).
So anyways, if it doesn’t work I can at least check off another attempt of the quest to cure my hives. I try to remember Thomas Edison when trying to invent the light bulb. It supposedly took him 1,000 attempts of trial & error before he found a good filament that would actually burn long enough to be efficient. When asked about it, he simply said, “”I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.”
So that is the state of mind I try to keep. I am not failing in my quest to cure cholinergic urticaria. I am succeeding in finding ways that WON’T cure it. The odds are in my favor that I will either stumble onto something that helps/cures it, or it will finally go away on its own during the process (in which case I have at least kept my mind occupied and felt like I was doing something positive to help cure it). So I can’t go wrong either way.
Just wanted to update everyone on this little experiment. I will post updates to let everyone know if it helps at all whatsoever. I suspect it would take a week or two to work IF it works at all. The vinegar will have to seep into the pores, kill the bacteria, and the old skin will have to grow out. I will keep my fingers crossed, and I will try to keep my nose closed with a clothespin =).
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Posted under hives theories, potential treatments
This post was written by Ben on April 16, 2009
