Treatment:
Since I began trying to learn more about HS and my condition by looking-up (online) symptoms and diseases that might be related, I have put forth several theories as to what causes HS. I still have no answer. However, I feel that I have identified a few diseases or conditions that I may suffer from. Whether or not they are related to HS remains to be seen.
I feel that I may have an autoimmune disorder known as Celiac Disease. If this is true, it means that I can never eat or use any type of product that contains Gluten, which comes primarily from wheat, rye, barley and oats. Since I do not have health insurance, I am not able to have medical tests performed to determine if I have this disease. The only means I have at my disposal for trying to learn whether or not I have a gluten intolerance is to try a Gluten-Free diet and trial. If I feel better while on this diet, it can not be determined positively that I have Celiac Disease. But if I feel better while avoiding Gluten, it seems natural that I should continue to avoid Gluten.
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I have been trying to eat a Gluten-Free diet for about 2 weeks now and overall, I do feel better. It is far too early to conclude anything, and besides, I am taking a lot of vitamins I hadn't been taking in the past, so it is impossible to determine which is making me feel better. I intend to continue the Gluten-Free diet for two more weeks, at which time I will eat a product containing Gluten to see how my body reacts. That will be an additional indicator of whether or not I have a Gluten intolerance. This is not generally recommended, as the negative effects of eating Gluten after being Gluten-Free for a while can apparently be rather traumatic for those with Celiac Disease, and the negative effects can last for weeks. But if it gets me closer to knowing for sure whether or not I suffer from this disease, it is worth it to me. If I do have Celiac Disease, that most likely has resulted in Leaky Gut Syndrome. While I feel quite certain that is not the medical term for it, it's a term used frequently on the websites I have been to. Leaky Gut Syndrome would explain many symptoms I have suffered from in my life. Again, without a doctor's diagnosis, I have to guess at my health problems. All I can do for this condition is to try to restore my internal flora. If I have Celiac Disease, removing Gluten from my diet will help to allow my intestines to heal.
I feel quite certain that I was suffering from a severe Candida overgrowth. When I first suspected that HS and many other conditions I suffered from were caused by Candida, I tried an anti-dandruff shampoo called Nizoral, which contains the anti-fungal ingredient ketoconazole. After the first two uses I had a dramatic improvement in my health, and saw serious improvements in over 30 symptoms I had suffered from for years. Since then, I have gradually changed my diet to a Candida Diet avoiding sugar, carbohydrates and alcohol. I have not eliminated them completely, but I consume a lot less of them. Also, I take supplements that some have claimed are naturally anti-fungal. Due to my improvement since I began treatment, I believe they work. |
I feel that damage to my intestines caused by Celiac Disease may have been somewhat responsible for the Candida overgrowth. Unless it's the other way around. I have suffered from these problems for so long that I really can't recall what started when. I have had some of my symptoms as long as I can remember. If I do not have Celiac Disease, I still believe that I suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome, which can also be caused by Candida or other causes.
As a result of these diseases and conditions, as well as having a poor diet and drinking large amounts of coffee, liquor and beer for many years, I feel I suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Not only do I feel I've depleted stores of vital nutrients from my system, but I feel that damage to my intestines may be severe enough to where I am unable to absorb certain vitamins and minerals properly. Until my intestines heal (if they heal, assuming they are damaged) I am taking vitamins and minerals regularly. I may be able to decrease my dosages after a while, but for now I am taking more than the daily recommended amounts of certain things. I do not recommend this because some vitamins can be toxic in larger quantities. I am not taking huge quantities, but often a single pill will contain 1,667% of the recommended daily allowance of a particular vitamin or mineral. Maybe it's foolish to assume anything, but I assume that it's safe to take that amount if it is included in that quantity in a daily vitamin made by a nationally recognized company.
I strongly recommend that anyone considering any treatment options involving herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals do so under a doctor's supervision. Before using any herbal supplements, vitamins or minerals, please learn all that you can about them by reading unbiased information regarding their use, not sales pitches and testimonials provided by the makers or sellers of supplements. Please familiarize yourself with the potential hazards and maximum recommended amounts, as well as the side effects that many can cause.
The following treatment is not a recommendation. It is the treatment I have chosen for myself. So far, it has not cured HS and it is too early to tell if it is having a definite effect on my HS. I offer this purely for informational purposes. Please do not consider this a cure or even a proven treatment for HS or other conditions or diseases.
My personal treatment that I have chosen based on what I have read on websites regarding my own self-diagnosed conditions is as follows:
Diet:
1. Since I feel I may have Celiac Disease, I have chosen to eliminate all products containing Gluten. This includes anything made using any products of wheat, barley, rye and oats. This is a difficult diet to maintain, as many things that you wouldn't expect contain ingredients derived from these grains. This is the only effective treatment known for Celiac Disease.
2. In order to treat Candida, I have dramatically reduced the amount of sugar, carbohydrates and alcohol I consume. These are food sources for the fungus. By limiting their food, they can not thrive. This is the basis of the Candida Diet.
3. I have nearly eliminated caffeine from my diet. Caffeine can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients and may contribute to body acidity.
4. I have severely limited my consumption of milk and milk products. I use rice milk in recipes that call for milk. Casein, which is present in milk, is also said to irritate Celiac Disease in some patients. Also, lactose intolerance is said to cause bowel problems.
5. While I do NOT feel there is any connection between HS or any of my other conditions and MSG, I have decided to try to eliminate it from my diet anyway. I do not have any specific research to support this decision, I just doubt that MSG has any nutritional value, and although the FDA feels it is safe, I do not.
Supplements:
I am taking the following supplements daily:
Vitamins and minerals:
(1) multivitamin (anti-oxidant formula)
(1) calcium plus (contains calcium, vitamins C, D, E, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and boron)
(1) iron
(1) vitamin C
(1) zinc
(1) selenium
(1) vitamin B-12
(1) folic acid
Herbal supplements:
(2) Olive Leaf Extract
(2) Garlic or Oil of Oregano (alternate daily)
(2) Blue Green Algae or Echinacea/Goldenseal (alternate daily)
Other:
(1) Probiotic (contains live cultures of L. acidophilus, B. bifidum, and L. Bulgaricus)
Skin Cleansing:
I use Dial antibacterial body wash daily.
I use Nizoral A-D shampoo ketoconazole 1% as a body wash every 3 days.
I use Betadyne Solution on HS affected areas on the days I do not use Nizoral.
I feel that the use of these supplements and products has improved my health very much. My HS has improved but is certainly not cured. I have experimented with the quantities of vitamins, minerals and supplements I take daily, and have not yet reached a decision as to the optimal amounts I should take. At this time, I feel that my needs regarding these supplements may vary daily, but I hope I will reach a point where they level off. In another month or two I will try to decrease my dosages so that I am not taking excessive amounts of anything. I have already had to decrease my vitamin C intake because it gave me diarrhea.
Here is a complete list, description and dosages of supplements I am taking. Again, this is not a recommendation. I list brand names purely for the sake of accuracy. I do not endorse the use of any of these products. I do not sell any supplements on this site. Similar products made by other manufacturers may be more, less, or equally as effective as those listed here.
Click here to see my personal treatment plan.
~Jason Cameron
The information contained throughout this website is intended for educational purposes only. It is not meant to either directly or indirectly give medical advice or prescribe treatment. The information has not been scientifically validated or approved by any government or regulatory agency. Please consult with your physician or other licensed health care professional for medical diagnosis, prescription, and treatment.
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