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SKIN ITCHING, SPIDERS, DRYNESS, NUMBNESS & HAIR

ITCHING

NUMBNESS

SPIDER ANGIOMAS

SKIN

HAIR

Dry sand dune

SKIN
Bentonite Clay is my soap. I purchase bentonite clay or jordan clay from the health food store or where they have clay works. It is a gray clay. I mix it with lots of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. I add a tablespoon of raw tupelo honey and mix it all into a paste. The clay is an excellent deodorizer. I would have never believed it, but both my husband and myself have been using it now for three weeks with great results. After washing my face and all my other parts with the clay soap, I take additional olive oil to rub into my face. Then I rub a half a lemon over my face, arms, and other body parts. I allow the lemon juices to stay on, oh maybe 30 seconds, then I rinse under running water. My skin has become so soft. To aide this process I also drink cranberry juice (Northland brand that is pure juice) two ounces diluted with one ounce of mineral water. I have no itching and smooth soft skin. Bentonite clay when allowed to sit upon the body has been known to pull uric acid from the internal body by using the skin as an organ to get rid of body wastes. Perhaps in some manner this is how it works to soften and smooth. I am not sure about the theory, but I do know the results are soft skin.. E-mail


ITCHING
Itching is very common as creatinine starts to rise. My own personal theory for this is that the body is utilizing the entire skin as an organ to aid in eliminating toxic waste. This is known as uremic frost.:

baking soda When I shower I use extra virgin cold pressed olive oil on my body. Then I wash it off with baking soda.
alpha keri blue oil While showering I apply a few drops of alpha keri blue bath oil to my skin. Once I have towel dried then I apply additional olive oil to the itchy areas.
aloe vera I rub aloe vera gel over the dry parts. Aloe vera is also useful for softening thick nails that may have a nail fungus. This softening effect, aids in cutting and trimming thick nails.
olive oil After my bath or shower I apply olive oil to the skin. Sometimes I place some fresh rose petals in the olive oil for a wonderful fragrance. For the men, bay leaves give a spice scent.
pure cranberry juice Cranberry juice consumed daily ( two ounces of juice diluted with one ounce of mineral water) changes facial skin so it is smooth and supple.
vitamin E & D Some of us may need extra vitamin D in order to activate calcium absorption. I go for long walks in the sunshine for an hour or longer to obtain D Vitamin. In the winter some drink two ounces of skim milk or cultured yogurt. An all natural Vitamin E made without wheat or yeast is what I take to prevent leg cramps.
heating pads Avoid heating pads or getting overheated. I found that if I used a heat pad it intensified the rash and itching. If I become overheated due to an increase in the outside temperature this too intensifies itching.
nose My nasal passageways have become so dry sometimes I would have nosebleeds. To prevent the drying out of my mucous membranes, I place a bit of olive oil inside my nose with my baby finger.
itching Gabapentin Neurontin There is a completed clinical trial using Gabapentin Neurontin to relieve itching. It turns out it did not relieve itching in liver disease patients, but it was not harmful to livers. One individual with liver cysts experienced (2) motor vehicle accidents within the same year. She had residual neck and spine injuries causing pain. After taking one dose of Gabapentin she experienced a restful night's sleep, the first in a long time. This drug has been used for post herpetic neuralgia.
SOME QUESTIONS ON ITCHING

TO READ SEVERAL MORE SUGGESTIONS ABOUT ITCHY SKIN CLICK HERE

From Derek -
I talked to a friend at the gym tonight on hemodialysis about itching. He thought right away that it could be from not following the renal diet correctly. He suggested an excess of phosphorous would cause such itching. He has seen patients with raw scabs from having scratched intensely. He asks if your Mother is prescribed a Phosphorous binder such as Rengel? Does she avoid dairy products, dark soda, packaged meats (a bag of frozen chicken breasts, packaged/ canned lunch meats), and canned biscuits which are notorious for high phosphorous levels?

From Michael-
Phosphate is almost impossible to eliminate from a diet and live. However Rengel really works well, it did for me anyhow. Processed foods really are best avoided in favor of whole organic foods as one then eliminates, to a large degree, contamination from chemicals during growing or processing. Freezing meat for a minimum of four days is good as the frozen meat becomes void of many bacteria it may have had (it gets killed in the chill!) My mum , a mature girl who hid salted rashers of bacon she was told not to have, and would have long conversations trying to justify sneaking it into a sandwich.

From Diane-
Mackenzie Walser writes in his book Coping with Kidney Disease that itchy skin is when the body is too acid. I just prepared Aztec clay according to the package directions. When Bentonite clay is mixed one to one with equal parts of apple cider vinegar it foams up and sizzles and blends to make a really wonderful paste that is easy to spread with a cream like consistency. I add additional olive oil and a teaspoon of tupelo honey. Allow it to remain on for up to 15 minutes. I have read of some individuals who left it on too long. I tried preparing Aztec clay with only the apple cider vinegar and once rinsed, the surface of my skin was smooth but a little dry. I found the addition of an oil like olive oil makes the surface of the skin less dry. Some health food stores will give you a sample of Aztec clay to try for yourself at home. I have found that with the internal body, it is happy with alkaline. The external body, the skin, is happy with acids, like a sliced half lemon rubbed on the skin or as the Aztec Clay recommends apple cider vinegar. On the back of Aztec Clay Bentonite Clay: More recipes for clay masques. I have found that with the internal body, it is happy with alkaline. The external body, the skin is happy with acids, like a sliced half lemon rubbed on the skin or as the Aztec Clay recommends apple cider vinegar. Clays have been used for centuries. . .

For a BODY WRAP: Mix one pound Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay with one pint of apple cider vinegar and one tablespoon of tupelo honey and a cup of olive oil. Apply a thin coat of the mixture to the body allowing it to dry for a maximum of 15 minutes. Rinse well in the shower. One pound will do 2 people. After rinsing the clay off; rub a half cut lemon over the skin; rinse; then apply olive oil to directly to the skin. You can rinse again with baking soda; and finally rinse off the baking soda. Pat dry.

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NUMBNESS
Numbness of the hands and feet has long been associated with kidney disease as swelling increases and kidney functioning starts to decline.

nerves The nerves lay alongside the tiny vessels of the hands and feet. When these become swollen it presses against the nerves causing numbness. This is common in many small vessel diseases such as diabetes and kidney disease. Eating star fruit (a tropical fruit) has also been known to cause this. AVOID starfruit. Can cause kidney damage.
stretching Daily stretching exercises, like yoga, increase the blood supply to the hands and feet. I stretch the hamstring tendons, the biceps tendon and Achilles tendon of the lower legs. I angle my body at a 45-degree angle to the wall. I perform the stretch with both legs straight. Then I place my right foot in front of my left, both legs straight. Then I bend the right knee with the left leg straight. I had to adjust my position with the wall so I was actually pushing against the wall and could feel the tendon stretching within my leg. I repeat this with the opposite leg.
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SPIDER ANGIOMAS or MATTED TELANGECTASIAS
Very fine spider arteries around the ankles, across the chest and back have been associated with liver disease. These spider angiomas sometimes cause a sock discoloration around the ankles from the gathering of these very fine tiny vessels. This is seen only when the liver has a slowing down in metabolizing estrogen and estrogen- like products. I went to the vascular surgeon to see if I was a candidate for sclerosing of these fine spidery arterioles .I am happy to report that I have just gotten my spiders fixed!

I had an appointment with the vascular surgeon and we talked. He told me he was impressed at how stable the spider angiomas had become and that there had been very little growth in them over the past 5+ years. I explained that I was taking cabbage juice and broccoli sprouts daily - two of the cruciform vegetables, which are known to increase the metabolism of estrogen through the liver. They also increase the metabolism of false estrogen, such as xenoestrogens contained in pesticides, in DDT, in bleach in polyvinyl chloride, in bleached coffee filters and more.
I asked him to call the liver specialist for me and he did. The liver specialist I spoke with loves reading and learning about the liver and anything to do with the liver. Sadly the hepatologist explained to me, that presently the concentration for treatment is on either a liver transplant or a liver resection and not on finding a drug, food, or herb to increase the metabolism of estrogen through the liver. He also explained I was very unusual in that generally individuals who had spider angiomas or matted telangectasias were not in very good shape health wise. They usually had a severe loss of liver functioning due to a cancer or hepatitis. It was rare to find someone with a healthy liver and spider angiomas.


The vascular surgeon and I talked a bit more. He agreed to sclerose my spiders. We talked first about what to use. He wanted to use cod liver oil. I explained to him that I was allergic to cod liver oil due to my liver cysts. That the smallest amount of cod liver oil injected in me would cause my liver to ache as if I had drunk an entire bottle of distilled liquor or a bottle of fine French wine. He said then we would not use that. We went on to discuss other agents and finally agreed upon a detergent solution that had been diluted. Before starting the procedure I explained to him what I had observed with PKD and PLD. My veins collapse on themselves. Drawing blood is exquisitely painful for me, much more so than for the ordinary person. I bruise easily and the vein walls collapse in on themselves during a blood draw. I always bruise after having my blood drawn. He said that wherever there are veins and arteries there is always a large amount of nerves running along side the blood vessels. I have also observed the fine veins along the sides of my fingers to be very fragile. While kneading bread I sometimes get cramps on my fingers and when I look at the finger that is cramping, the tiny vessel is bruised and painful and cramping. It becomes darkened, so I know it is a vein. This pain lasts about an hour then subsides. I have noticed the same thing happens to my toes and I wondered if this also happens to the calves of my legs when I get cramps. He asked if I had phlebitis or deep vein thrombosis or trouble with clotting?


I told him no, but I had had Budd-Chiari syndrome following my liver resection. I purposely sought to try and get my body to increase the collateral circulation so the veins of my body would by-pass the obstruction caused by the liver cysts. While observing my ankles with their multitude of fine network of arteries with numerous trails of matted telangectasias or spider angiomas, he said, he could understand that my body was capable of laying down new vessels quickly and easily. I have not had any trouble with blood clots per se. Budd-Chiari was caused by external pressure from the liver cysts against my vessels especially the inferior vena cava and this external pressure caused the blood to slow way down as it traveled its course through my body. This slowing down of the course of the blood flow caused a back flow of blood and swelling. Prior to my liver resection surgery, I was in danger of clotting off my inferior vena cava due to the external pressure mass of the liver. It was not due to something internal from within my cells but external from the cysts. My current cholesterol (from the cholesterol study) was now 126.


He understood the picture and asked if I was ready to have this procedure done? I said yes. We went into the surgery room. He prepared the solution and at first used a very fine small needle. He had to pull back once within the tiny arteriole itself and he had to receive a blood return. The first two sticks were painful and with the pain came bruising. Then he switched needles to a super fine needle that one could barely see without the aide of some type of magnification. This hair like fine needle easily slipped into the arteriole and it was almost painless. He became very creative in his positioning of the needle to allow it to rest within the tiny vessels. The procedure took a long time but the result was a diminishing of the superficial artery vessels around my ankles known as true spider angiomas. Viola! He said if I lived locally he would have me back every 3-4 weeks to repeat the process until all were gone. Since I lived in Hawaii and came to the Mayo only once or twice a year, he would see me again tomorrow and try to sclerose a few more. He wrapped my ankle with an ace wrap and sent me off to rest and to return tomorrow for a second treatment.
Once I returned to my hotel, I soaked in a warm bath and massaged vitamin E oil into my ankle. I took an extra dose of broccolive this evening, 3 additional tablets to aide in healing plus 2 vitamin E tablets internally. It has now been several months and the spiders are greatly diminished.

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HAIR
Early graying of hair and hair loss occurs with many of us. Drinking 2 ounces of cabbage juice daily seems to restore the natural color to hair. I toss in seven raw almonds (that have been soaked to remove the phytic acid) in with the two inch wedge of cabbage that I am juicing. The almonds contain many potent anti-oxidants as well as essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins necessary to activate absorption of certain minerals like calcium. This change in hair color is dramatic for me. While traveling I am sometimes unable to obtain cabbage juice and my hair starts to gray. Once I return home and drink cabbage juice once again, the natural hair color is restored within a week.

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HAIR LOSS
Hair loss can be slowed down by the addition of potato skins. Each evening take 425 mg of magnesium (with my doctor's knowledge) with one ounce of grape juice diluted with an ounce of water just before bed. This also helps me to sleep well through the night by releasing the body's own natural tryptophan. Caution with magnesium. As the kidneys decline it is one of the minerals that cannot be eliminated.

An exercise I do at the gym for my back—while holding onto some padded bars made for this purpose (It may be called a Roman chair), I flip myself downward so my head is hanging below my body. This strengthens the back support muscles and additionally forces blood flow to the scalp region. Increasing blood flow to the scalp can also be accomplished through some gentle yoga exercises. It is thought that the increase in blood supply to the scalp may decrease hair loss. Maybe a scalp massage might be useful?

Some have tried castor oil to delay hair loss by using a vibrating brush massaging the scalp with castor oil. This has had limited success with a few on chemotherapy.

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