Folliculitis with Hair Loss
Hello Ted, thank you for replying. Yes, I imagine the loads of mails you receive daily must be quite overwhelming. I'm sorry to be one of them. I really am. I understand you are a very busy person, so I wait patiently always. About the bumps. I did a biopsy on my scalp and was told it was folliculitis. I guess folliculitis of the scalp because its on my scalp. My case is chronic because every time I finish a dose of antibiotics they come back more aggressively. When I'm on the antibiotics the bumps disappear. But the red and tender scalp remains. I asked the doctor if it had a cure and I was disappointed to hear that is doesn't. Well, that's what she said. She said the only way to maintain it is through antibiotics. She said maintain, NOT cure. That's what worries me. But I'm looking for a natural way to maintain this without taking harsh drugs. I'm sure there must be a cure to this. How could there not be. You asked me for the nature of the bumps. Well, I'm guessing it progressed from my acne. This all started when I took clindamycin for my acne on my face. The clindamycin cleared my face in a weeks time, but I noticed that the acne when to my scalp. I called the Dr. and he said that since the medication was removing the acne from my face, the acne had to cleanse itself out through somewhere else. He said it would go away, but it just got worse. At first it was just the bumps. No itching, burning, sensitive, red or tender scalp. But since it has progressed new things have come up. Including my hair loss. So I might have both fungal and bacterial problems. I'm not sure. I was just told I had a chronic case of folliculitis that might have formed from my acne. I guess it just progressed to my scalp through infection. Basically I was told its acne on the scalp but its called folliculitis since its on the scalp. But if it helps, I would do any treatments you give me to treat it as both a fungal and bacterial condition. I don't mind doing double the treatment. I really just want to get better, this condition is really affecting me quite negatively. Yes, I take 50mg of zinc gluconate 4 days a week and 50 mg chelated manganese. I let them dissolve in water and drink it. The chelated manganese I take at night before bed, as you said it should be in an empty stomach. I'm also taking 200mg of magnesium citrate 4 days a week, 1/2 citric acid and 1/4 of baking soda ONCE daily, and I'm waiting to receive an order of sodium ascorbate through mail to start that. I'm also applying tea tree and lavender oil to my scalp daily. I'm washing my hair with borax, h202, and ACV and applying milk of magnesia to the bumps. The milk of magnesia does stop the itching, but the bumps don't seem to dry up. I'm vegetarian so I don't know if this affects my condition. I don't eat any meat, fish, or eggs. I do however drink probiotic yogurts that are of cow milk, tofu, vegetarian yeast, and drink soy milk. My diet is quite clean. Just consists of beans, rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. I have taken blood tests and everything is fine. I don't have any thyroid problems or anemia. About the baking soda, citric acid, and ACV. For how long do you suggest I take the citric acid and baking soda?? I'm afraid a long term would cause an ulcer or something?? Is that true??? But I take it only once daily. Should I drink more of it??? I also take only 1/2 of ACV daily. Should I take more??? You suggest I combine it with baking soda. So how much do you suggest I take of baking soda, citric acid, and ACV??? Should I take ACV and baking soda twice daily AND ALSO take citric acid and baking soda twice daily??? Or just take one or the other twice daily. Sorry, if I confused you. YOu can imagine how confused I am with all these remedies. Basically Ted, I just want to find a way to kill this from the inside to prevent it from recurring. Killing it from the inside, I think, is the key to this. I will go and buy the new products you suggested and will see how that goes. Another question, how long do remedies take to see some improvement. Like I told you in the previous mail, I have only been taking them for about a month. Maybe just 3 weeks. Perhaps its too short a time to tell or do you think I should've seen improvements already. What is the usual time span for improvements??? Thank you again Ted. Take care, Jen Ted replies: The bumps, if I only know if it is a bacteria or a fungus would helped me greatly. Assuming the bumps do got away with a local application, the other remedy that can help is: 1/4 teaspoon of borax in one liter of drinking water. And furthermore, if that doesn't work, 4 drops of clove oil is added to the drinking water. Borax dissolves some, not entirely so don't worry. It has limited solubility. An autoimmune reaction will be reduced if the fungus and heavy metals are reduced from the body. In which case chlorella supplement is something worth a try. Finally another Remedy, colorless iodine applied to the scalp might be of some help, in case the other remedies aren't working. My feeling is that the body is not receiving sufficient zinc or that the bioavailability of zinc is not getting into your system. Perhaps buying another brand or getting a larger dose. The standard is 50 mg zinc gluconate. If need be I might consider taking this once a day for only 5 days just to be sure, but the zinc gluconate is chewed on, not swallowed. Sometimes if the urinary sugar is higher than average, the bumps will be a problem. Sugars tend to do that. Getting your urinary pH to 7 is of prime importance, did you take enough baking soda and apple cider vinegar to achieve that? Hopefully this should help.
Dear Jen: Thank you for detailed information, so I can be sure! I'm vegetarian so I don't know if this affects my condition. I don't eat any meat, fish, or eggs. A vegetarian diet may be lacking in certain amino acids and B12. Therefore an amino acid supplements and B12 supplements helps. Granulated lecithin one tablespoon helps.'It would appear that acne is caused (in my books!) by a couple of things: acidosis, sugar, low antioxidants, heavy metals (iron cookware!), zinc, and certain vitamin Bs. The blood sugar may be reduced or normalized with more chromium supplements.
Based on your confusion it would seem the need to monitor urinary pH close to 7, though taking more baking soda, such as 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda plus 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid taken twice a day, or more if the pH is not close to 7. I would much prefer to use a cheap pocket pH meter, as they are more accurate than a litmus pH paper as they give false readings.
It would seem based on your feedback that the body was not properly alkalized or that the urinary pH is still off.
In case a bacteria problem, I would much prefer to take more herbs, such as cinnamon, cloves, thyme to the food. Or to take some supplements of olive leaf extract once a day. A drop of clove oil well dissolved in a full glass of water, well stirred is also a good antibiotics.
If in case heavy metals is causing the problem (heavy metals are a frequent problems with vegetarians because the fertilizers are high in heavy metals),then a chlorella supplement, 5 days out of a week and coriander may help.
Finally mouthwash of iodine 2-3 drops in a half glass of water may help raise the body's immunity and lack of iodine, and may further help reduce the condition.
The best remedy, in case milk of magnesia is not working is to use epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) highly concentrated, such as 1-2 tablespoon as a shampoo left overnight and I would double or triple the magnesium citrate supplements (which means taken twice a day, or three times a day, but not all at once).
The reason why magnesium is so important is the major organism of a confirmed Folliculitis is the staphylococcus. Their major weakness is alkalization and magnesium. Hence magnesium and alkalization should actually be major focus, since you seem to be sure of the problem.
San Francisco, Ca.
10/09/2011
Hi, I had chronic backne and rashes on my chest plus what looked like rosacea on my face and itchy scalp. I tried everything, I found the meds never worked, the soaps creams, ointments calamine never worked. The 2 things that have really changed my life and skin have been Diatomaceous earth and apple cider vinegar. I am certain now that the problem is mold. Not staph or anything like that. The mold is like yeast/fungus condition, the spores ar everywhere.
I live in San Francisco and I have noticed over the years that whenever I leave the city my skin clears up, when I go to hot humid musty places like South Asia it gets bad again. I'm pretty sure there's a large concentration of mold spores in our water supply here in Cali. Along with irritating levels of chlorine. It sounds crazy, but I have no other explanation, and I have battled this for decades now. I had a gross rash of pustules growing on my shoulders that would not respond to alcohol or any kind of cleanser. The minute I covered it in vinegar and dusted my skin with DE, it dried and went away. You need to kill the fungus with vinegar and powder your skin so the moisture doesn't allow it to grow. Good luck. I also have started drinking vinegar and taking tumeric because I am sure that I have mold and probably yeast in my system. This culture we live in creates a yeast overflow. Too many carbs and sugar and not enough clean food. Good luck all of you.
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