Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2022 i What Doctors Don't Tell You Australia/NZ

COMMENT In the late 1990s, Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist and psychologist at the University of Wisconsin's Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, flew eight of the Dalai Lama's most seasoned meditators to his lab in Wisconsin, There, Davidson attached hundreds of EEG sensors to each monk's scalp to record electrical activity in many different areas of the brain as they meditated. After 15 seconds, according to the EEG readings, the monks’ brains did not slow down, as is usually expected in meditation; they began speeding up. In fact, they were activated on a scale neither Davidson nor any other scientist had ever seen. The monitors showed sustained bursts of high gamma-band activity—rapid cycles of 25-70 Hz. The gamma band, the highest rate of brain-wave frequencies, is employed by the brain when it…

Antibiotics are the most prescribed drugs for infants—and they're also the most likely to cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when the child grows. Infants given antibiotics to treat a respiratory virus suffered major disruption to the gut microbiome of bacteria. When that happens, gut fungal microbiota can flourish, and this can lead to inflammatory diseases and obesity later in life, say researchers from the University of Helsinki. The most common fungal overgrowth is Candida, linked to a range of gut disorders. The researchers tracked the health of a group of babies treated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), some of whom were prescribed antibiotics. J Fungi (Basel), 2022; 8(4): 328…

WDDTY UPFRONT Taking nutritional supplements when you're pregnant will increase the chances of an easy birth without complications. A major study, involving nearly 100,000 women over six years, has discovered that multivitamin supplements—along with iron and folic acid—halve the risk of a low birth weight. Less than 10 percent of the study participants who supplemented gave birth to an underweight baby, defined as 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) or less, although the worldwide average is closer to 20 percent. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership gave supplements to 96,341 pregnant women in Botswana between 2014 and 2020, including iron, folic acid and multivitamins. They say that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that pregnant women need to take only iron and folate…

Depression could be eased by shifting toa healthier diet. Young men who started eating a Mediterranean diet—with its emphasis on vegetables, oilyfish and olive oil—saw their depression lift during a three-month trial. Seeing a nutritionist could become an important part of treating depression, say researchers at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. They assessed the impact of a change of diet on a group of men, aged between 18 and 25, who had been diagnosed with clinical depression. Most had been eating a diet of fast and sugary foods. The researchers think the healthier diet improved the men's gut microbiome, which sends messages to the brain. It's also where serotonin, the “feel good” chemical, is created. “To have beneficial microbes, we need to feed them fiber, which is found…

1600s Doctors offer opium to ease pain 1806 Morphine is isolated from opium 1820s Morphine is made in German factories and used to treat pain, anxiety, tuberculosis (TB) and “female disease” 1860s Morphine is used as a painkiller to treat soldiers in the American Civil War 1898 Bayer produces heroin, a derivative of morphine, to reduce the risk of addiction, and markets it as a cough remedy 1899 Bayer develops aspirin from acetylated salicylic acid, a compound derived from plants 1900s Morphine and heroin become the most commonly used painkillers, the first of the opioids 1917 Aspirin becomes the first OTC painkiller, replacing opiates to treat mild to moderate pain 1920s Chronic pain sufferers are still characterized as deluded, malingerers or drug abusers 1960s Pain management becomes a recognized field…

Although there is no standard definition of mindfulness used by researchers, the most commonly understood description was coined by American biologist and professor emeritus of medicine Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 when he created a program called mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): “Awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-iudgmentally “. Mindfulness owes its origins to many spiritual and contemplative traditions but evolved as a secular alternative for reducing stress and enhancing wellbeing. It has been described as a state of consciousness or skill beyond the “scaffolding” of meditation, which functions only as a technical practice to cultivate that awareness.1 In practice, the moment-tomoment awareness of mindfulness is a willingness to simply allow all subjective experiences—such as thoughts, emotions and physical sensations—without fixating or clinging to them.…

WDDTY FAMILY HEALTH In the annals of consumer products, Febreze, the famous product made by Proctor & Gamble that created the air freshening market currently valued at $20 billion per year, is something of a legend. As the story goes, a lowly P&G chemist who was a heavy smoker was messing around in his laboratory, experimenting with a starch-based chemical called betacyclodextrin, or HPBCD. Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides—a grouping of large sugar molecules that form a ring-shaped molecule that is hydrophilic S (absorbs or dissolves in water) on the surface with a hydrophilic central cavity that is insoluble in water. The unique donut-shaped molecule's outer surface partially dissolves the molecules of whatever odor it comes in contact with, then encapsulates them in the center, essentially trapping the odor molecules so…

The FDA has not licensed the DTP for use in pregnancy, and it is the Tdap vaccine booster vaccine used in pregnancy for the protection of newborns, although no trials on the safety of giving Tdap boosters during pregnancy were conducted prior to its licensure. An unexpected finding is that prenatal (maternal) vaccination with Tdap interferes with the immune response to the infant's primary DTaP series, according to the World Health Collective, which cites research showing lower antibody titers to pertussis antigens at 6,7 and 12 months of age. “This study demonstrated that Tdap during pregnancy results in higher levels of antibodies early in infancy but lower levels after the primary vaccine series,” the Canadian researchers concluded.1 A subsequent 2021 study of the effect of maternal Tdap vaccination on the…

A 2012 study in rats found that exposure to artificial infrared light resulted in “significant decreases in heart rates and systolic and mean blood pressure.”1 In humans, the use of an infrared sauna for only 20 minutes three times a week over three months has been shown to decrease blood pressure.2 Sunlight, the original source of infrared, has also been shown to decrease blood pressure.3 One study examined whether vitamin D from sunlight exposure could explain the decreases in blood pressure, and concluded it couldn't.4 Vitamin D is not what causes the drop in blood pressure; the drop is caused by radiant energy boosting the self-propel mechanism of the blood. By applying infrared light, we improve blood flow through fourth phase water production, so the body can relax the constriction…

Many people assume that if a close family member has had cancer, they are doomed to follow in their footsteps. This simply isn't the case for every individual. According to the National Cancer Institute, “Inherited genetic mutations play a major role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers.”1 That means nine out of 10 cancer cases aren't genetic. Gene expression can be modified by several lifestyle factors we can control. Changing your diet and exercise habits, reducing stress levels, bolstering health through nutritional supplements, getting enough sleep and detoxifying from environmental pollutants can go a long way toward preventing cancer in the first place. That said, let us take a closer look at the three main causes of cancer—and what you can do to avoid them. The main…

• From lying on your back, transition to a sitting position. First, roll to the side that is more comfortable for you. You might want to keep a stronger arm on top so that you can use it to press into the floor and roll up to sit. Your head will be the last thing to come up. • Come up to sit on a folded blanket or cushion so that when you cross your legs, your knees are positioned lower than the top of your pelvis. • If you aren't comfortable sitting cross-legged, then you might sit in a chair or extend your legs out in front of you. • Check that your lower back isn't rounding behind you but instead feels like it is traveling forward, keeping the…

Typically, steroids are prescribed to treat the itch and calm eczema, but these should only be used in the short term because of their side-effects. Systemic steroids prescribed for eczema and used long-term have led to documented adverse reactions, including detached retina leading to blindness, spinal osteoporosis and bone fractures. (All of these were recorded in one 28-year-old who was still covered in eczema despite the treatment.)1 Topical steroids are not without problems, either. Topical steroid withdrawal, a condition denied by many doctors a few years ago, has gained traction in the medical literature and is now recognized among people who have been misprescribed topical steroids for long periods (sometimes many years), resulting in a boomerang effect of increased swelling, blistering and itchy rashes once withdrawn. It can be very…

Dr Damien Downing, a specialist in allergy, environment and nutrition, is current president of the British Society for Ecological Medicine, on the editorial board of Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Chief Medical Advisor of cancer charity Yes to Life (www.yestolife.org.uk), and author of numerous books including The Vitamin Cure for Allergies. Dr Michel Odent, a French-trained surgeon and obstetrician, is a pioneer of the natural birth movement, emphasizing home and water birth. Founder of the Primal Health Research Centre in the UK, he has written some 50 scientific papers and 11 books. Dr Sarah Myhill has worked in the UK National Health Service and private practice since 1981. Honorary Secretary of the British Sodety for Ecological Medicine for 17 years, she is a frequent lecturer and author of Sustainable Medicine and…

Eating a vegan diet can help rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers reduce pain and swelling. The diet can halve the number of joints swollen by the condition and reduce the level of pain, say researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Sufferers started to see improvements after just four weeks on the diet, and doctors were also seeing a reduction in levels of C-reactive protein, which indicates the amount of inflammation in the body. The researchers tested the diet on a group of 44 RA patients who ate either vegan food without any restrictions on calories for 16 weeks or a standard diet for 16 weeks, after which the groups swapped diets. During the vegan phase, the number of swollen joints fell from an average of 7 to just 3.3,…

Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain disease characterized by impaired memory, thinking, behavior and emotional regulation, accounts for 60-80 percent of cases of dementia, and two-thirds of those affected are women. Among the clinicians surveyed by Alzheimer's Disease International, inadequate knowledge about how to make a diagnosis hampers early detection. Much hope for the future treatment of Alzheimer's rests on the validation of more affordable diagnostic methods, such as blood tests and genetic risk profiling. In June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration controversially fast-tracked authorization of the intravenous drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment or the mild dementia stage of Alzheimer's, against the advice of its own advisory panel. The FDA announced that the drug, designed to remove beta-amyloid plaques, was the first approved “therapy to…

Essential oils. The following essential oils can help raise progesterone levels: bergamot, cinnamon bark, clove bud, eucalyptus, frankincense and peppermint. Use them with a diffuser or dilute with a carrier oil and apply topically. Stress-reduction techniques. Massage and acupuncture, used regularly, can help to reduce stress and potentially bring the ovulation signals back in line. Craniosacral therapy. This hands-on technique uses gentle pressure to realign energetic tensions deep within the body, the theory being that overt stressors misalign the brain and spine, causing dysfunction. I'm a fan of this therapy for progesterone deficiency to help realign the pituitary gland. Exercise. Practices that help strengthen your core, the muscles of your abdominal area, hips and lower back, such as Pilates, can be helpful. I also recommend walking, which can bring both…

In 2014, Ann Cole of Montana had a reaction to something and didn't know what. “Basically, my hair started falling out in a matter of about two to three weeks,” she said. “I have really thick hair, and I was two-thirds bald. I kept my eyebrows, fortunately. But it was incredibly distressing.” She went to several doctors, but they had no idea what was happening. Their best guess was that it had something to do with her immune system. Theythen suggested a course of steroids, which would depress her immune system. They also told her it was unlikely her hair would grow back. Ann had been working with Anna Cox on and off since 2006, so she called her. “She asked me to think back to the time it started…

If you just want to clear the air with no additional scent, try these DIY recipes Air freshener sprays Vinegar spray Empty spray bottle ¼ cup white vinegar ¾ cup water (distilled, filtered or tap) Shake to disperse vinegar into the water and spray. Baking soda spray Empty spray bottle 1 cup water (distilled, filtered or tap) 1 Tbsp baking soda Add baking soda to the container. Add water. Shake and spray. Scented If you want to add a floral, herbal or forest scent, reach for the essential oils. Add 2 to 8 drops of essential oil or oil blend of your choice (depending upon desired scent strength) to the baking soda and mix well. Add the scented baking soda blend to the spray bottle, then add water and shake to mix. TIP: To…

Regulating pressure is only one of the heart's jobs. If you look at the shape of the heart, the side that contains all the muscle is shaped like one end of a football. A football is best thrown in a tight spiral; it is more efficient and travels farther. If we look at the way the heart contracts, it does so in a spiral-like fashion. This is because the heart consists of a band of muscle, called the “ventricular band,” that is wrapped around itself in a sort of spiral knot. When a contraction signal is sent to the heart, it starts at one end of the band and travels through the heart in a linear fashion. Because of the wrapping around of the muscle on itself, when this contraction…

WDDTY FAMILY HEALTH The lymphatic system includes lymph nodes that work to filter and destroy nasties from our lymph and contain white blood cells called lymphocytes that fight infection. These nodes are what we often refer to as “glands” that become swollen (active) when we are fighting an infection as they trap bacteria and viruses that they can't destroy immediately. Although there are nodes throughout the body, they are mainly in the neck, armpits, groin and abdomen. Lymph nodes are connected by lymphatic vessels, and some of these vessels are very close to the surface of the skin. Sometimes lymph nodes have to be removed as part of cancer treatment, and when this occurs, there is a lifelong risk of lymphedema. The buildup of lymphatic fluid in the tissues of…

WDDTY ALTERNATIVES Covid-19 brought with it a tsunami of fear. For some people, it brought fear of the virus. Fear of illness and death. For others, it brought fear of government responses to the virus. Fear of lockdowns and the loss of freedom. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of isolation and unremitting diktats and restrictions. Whatever its cause, in fear's wake is stress, and longstanding stress, as a huge body of research attests, is about as good for us as a night-shift job in a uranium mine. It saps joy from living, making us more prone to mood disorders and aggression, weakens immune function, can lead to chronic disease, and shaves years off of our life expectancy in the process.1 The devastating impact of stress on mental and cardiovascular health…

In 2016, researchers at the University of Sheffield Medical School in the UK found that 83 percent of 90 children being treated for eczema had low serum levels of vitamin D. Treating 47 of these children for two months with supplemental vitamin D (cholecalciferol 6,000 IU daily for ages 1–12 years; 10,000 IU daily for ages 12–18 years) led to a 42 percent reduction in average SCORAD (atopic dermatitis severity score) and a fourfold increase in antimicrobial cathelicidin on the skin, suggesting a causal relationship.1 Researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Hong Kong reported in a 2019 article that just 1,600 IU per day for up to three months led to clinical improvements in children with eczema with low vitamin D levels.2 REFERENCES 1 J Allergy…

WDDTY ALTERNATIVES Back in the late 1970s, biochemist Bill E. Cham, PhD, ran across a piece of Australian backcountry folklore. It seemed farmers had learned a way of successfully treating eye, nose and skin cancers in their cattle from the native Aborigines. They made a poultice from the fruits of a weed called Devil's Apple (Solanum linnaeanum), applied it, and that was that. No more cancers. Intrigued by the story, Cham spent the next 10 years investigating the properties of the fruit, which is part of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) that includes eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes. He eventually isolated the active agent—solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRGs)—which was most easily obtained and extracted from eggplant. In the process, Cham discovered a new class of antineoplastics (a substance that prevents or inhibits the…

A 78-year-old woman had a 2 cm wide and approximately 4 mm deep tumor on the tip of her nose. She had been treated for basal cell carcinoma by surgical removal three times, followed by laser and photodynamic therapies, but the tumor kept recurring. As a last resort, she was advised to have her nose removed and replaced with a prosthetic. Instead, she was treated with Curaderm BEC5. The cream was applied 2–4 times daily and kept under an “occlusive” dressing called micropore paper tape. She experienced a minor stinging sensation for up to 15 minutes after applying the cream to the lesion. At first, the area being treated expanded, indicating that cancer cells that had initially been unobservable were responding to treatment. Within 14 weeks the basal cell carcinoma…

Children who are vegetarian aren't at any health disadvantage compared to meat-eaters—they'll grow to be just as tall and be properly nourished. The one area of concern is that vegetarian children are more likely to be underweight, so carefully planning meals is essential, say researchers from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. The researchers evaluated the diets and health of 8,907 children between six months and eight years old and found that the vegetarians had similar body mass index (BMI), height and levels of iron, vitamin D and cholesterol to those eating meat. But they were also nearlytwice as likely to be underweight—although no vegetarian child was overweight or obese. This suggests the diet is not nutritionally rich enough to support normal growth, and parents need to take greater care in…

Seven hours of sleep seems to be the sweet spot by the time you've reached the age of 40. Sleep for much less—or much more—and your cognitive ability and mental health could be affected, new research suggests. Getting seven hours of sleep every night keeps you mentally sharp, such as maintaining a good memory and problem-solving skills, say researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University. They analyzed data from the UK Biobank, which involved nearly 500,000 people, nearly all white, aged 38 to 73. The participants were asked about their sleeping patterns and general mental wellbeing. As well as analyzing the participants' answers, the researchers collected brain images and genetic data of around 40,000 of the participants. They found that poor sleep—whether too much or too little—changed structures…

You reach for the painkillers when you experience a sudden sharp pain—and it could be one of the worst things you can do, according to new research. Painkillers such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and steroids may give immediate relief, but they could lead to long-term chronic pain. The drugs interfere with the body's inflammatory response, which repairs damaged tissue, say researchers in Canada, the US and Europe. “Inflammation occurs for a reason, and it looks like it's dangerous to interfere with it,” said researcher Jeffery Mogil of McGill University. Analyzing a group of people who were suffering from lower back pain, the researchers discovered the standard painkillers were blocking the spread of a special type of white blood cell, known as neutrophils, that start inflammation and the healing process.…

WDDTY UPFRONT Air pollution is so out of control in future “megacities” in Africa and Asia that it is already responsible for around 180,000 excess deaths. Exposure to the pollutants has increased up to fourfold as the cities start to expand. Levels of nitrogen dioxide have increased by up to 14 percent in one year, while amounts of fine particles have risen up to 18 percent annually, say an international team of researchers. Emerging industries and residential growth—which brings with it pollutants from car exhaust, waste burning and the use of charcoal and fuelwood—are responsible for rising pollution levels in South Asian cities such as Dhaka and in the Indian cities of Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. In all, air pollution was responsible for around 180,000 excess deaths in 2018…

Aches and pains seem to be the lot of humanity. Doctors can testify that they treat more patients for pain than for any other ailment, and the remedy is invariably the same: a prescription for a painkiller, such as a powerful and reliable NSAID (nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug), a steroid or an opioid. Around a third of all American adults suffer constant chronic pain, and many of them never bother the doctor; instead, they self-medicate with an OTC (over-the-counter) painkiller from their pharmacy, choosing either an acetaminophen, marketed as Panadol and Tylenol, or an NSAID, a family of drugs that includes ibuprofen and aspirin and is designed to stop inflammation in the body. Aspirin started the rush for analgesics in 1917 when it became the first OTC painkiller. Since then, painkillers…

In the legend of the Buddha in ancient India, the young prince Siddhartha lived a sheltered life before being shocked out of his complacency when he witnessed the realities of old age, sickness and death during a series of rare excursions from his gilded palace. These heralds of physical degeneration famously led him on a quest to find the universal source of suffering and to his own enlightenment as a Buddha (“awakened one”). Today, science is exploring how the mind-training practices of meditation popularized by Buddhism and its secular offshoot, mindfulness, can help ameliorate some of the fast-growing costs of aging—notably dementia and the risk of Alzheimer's. But meditation is only part of a suite of complementary practices that are emphasizing quality of life in the face of cognitive decline.…

Maggie (not her real name) was 40 when she came to see me, having suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for eight years. She was in pain all the time unless she took her prescribed medications. Although they worked, she found the side-effects intolerable, especially the headache, tummy ache, dizziness and mouth ulcers. So she oscillated between the pain and the side-effects, and she was very miserable. Many joints were sore at any one time, but the most disabling were the thumbs, the fingers and one hip. Maggie worked as a landscape designer but was now unable to do much actual gardening. (She had been an organic gardener from the start, so had not had contact with herbicides; we could cross them off the list of suspects). Maggie's rheumatology consultant had measured…

VACCINE WATCH WDDTY FAMILY HEALTH The second part of our in-depth look at the DPT vaccine examines the diphtheria and tetanus portions of the triple jab. In this series we're assuming that you've read the mainstream medical view of these vaccines, so, as usual, here's the other side of the story. In making your decision about whether to vaccinate, we urge you to consider each vaccine individually. Each one has very different records of safety, effectiveness and indeed necessity. When making your informed decision, remember to consider three things: • How necessary is this vaccine? • How effective is this vaccine? • How safe is this vaccine? Diphtheria Diphtheria is an acute respiratory infection caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria. In its milder form, it may produce nothing more than a…

DTaP/Tdap vaccines contain antigens against each of the three disease pathogens, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. The pertussis is killed in hydrogen peroxide, and the Td (Tenivac, TDVAX) vaccines contain diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, inactivated with formaldehyde. The DTap/Tdap vaccines also contain the neurotoxic metal aluminum in the form aluminum phosphate or aluminum hydroxide, as well as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, 2-phenoxyethanol, sodium chloride, polysorbate 80 and trace milk protein casein—a potential problem for those with dairy allergies. GSK's Infanrix shot containing DTP claims to contain 0.82 mg of aluminum on the label, but the actual weight of hydrated aluminum salt (e.g. aluminum oxyhydroxide, aluminum hydroxyphosphate and aluminum hydro-xyphosphatesulphate) in any vaccine preparation is actually approximately ten-fold higher, according to aluminum researcher Christopher Exley. “Thus, the weight of aluminum salt in this vaccine…

Dr Pollack has found that infrared light, especially the 3,000 nanometer (nm) wavelength, is the most effective light for energizing and structuring water. If a breakdown of structured water decreases blood flow, puts stress on the heart and leads to heart failure, then therapy that exposes the body to infrared light, builds up structured water and improves blood flow is well worth further investigation. In fact, a study of 188 heart failure patients who underwent two weeks of infrared sauna therapy showed that all markers of cardiac function significantly improved in the treatment group, with no improvement in the control group.1 Further research has shown that infrared sauna use in people with heart failure is effective for reducing arrhythmias and improving endothelial function, exercise tolerance and hemodynamic performance. A 2013…

Start with your breathing. Full diaphragmatic breathing helps to massage the thoracic duct and aids lymph flow. This is easier to feel when lying on your back. • Take your hands onto your belly and notice its natural movement. • As you inhale, your belly rises/expands, and as you exhale, it falls/deflates. • Inhale and see your belly rise and then, as you exhale, notice how it draws in and slightly up. Tuning into the internal movement of your breath encourages the movement of lymph towards your heart.…

The latest drug to hit the eczema market, with FDA approval in 2017, is dipulimab (trade name Dupixent) from Sanofi and Regeneron. It is a monoclonal antibody therapy delivered by injection, and the clinical trial results are modest: 36 percent of adults saw “clear or almost clear skin” after 52 weeks when taking Dupixent, compared to just 13 percent of those on topical corticosteroids only.1 Some dermatologists are now wondering what to do with the 64 percent of patients in the dupilumab “failure” group, including those who experienced adverse events from the drug including “paradoxical” head and neck eczema, psoriasis, eye disorders, arthritis, hair loss, infection, pancreatitis and a “serum sickness reaction.”2 REFERENCES 1 dupixident.com, “Results in Adults,” January 2022 2 J Am Acad Dermatol, 2022; 86(3): 628–36…

German dermatologists have been using black tea compresses to treat facial eczema and dermatitis for decades. They don't know how it works but think it may have to do with the astringent and anti-inflammatory properties of tannins in the tea. A study by researchers from the University of Lübeck, Germany, published in 2019 in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment looked at the effect of black tea compresses followed by application of peanut oilbased cold cream moisturizer (purified to be nonallergenic, according to the study) daily over six days on 22 patients with facial eczema. The study reported a “dramatic and highly significant reduction”—12-31 percent improvement of disease activity scores—within the first three days of treatment, and the patients continued to improve through day 6. “This therapy is cheap, universally available…

A year ago it became apparent to London physician Dr Damien Downing that he had a basal cell carcinoma on his nose. He went to go see a dermatologist who concurred with his diagnosis. “I'd suggested Curaderm to a few patients over the years,” says Downing. “One gentleman, a Celtic skin type who was bald and very fair with freckles, had about 10 basal cell carcinomas on his head. He used Curaderm and that took care of them. So I asked the dermatologist if I could use it too." After doing some research, the dermatologist agreed that Curaderm would be a good way approach to treatment. “I put it on every day for about 10 weeks and did exactly what it says in the literature,” says Downing. “Occasionally the skin…

Here's how both Dr Erin Singh and Christopher Clark recommend using Curaderm (marketed as Zycure in the UK). Apply a very thin layer of cream to the lesion only. Do not put it around the spot you're wanting to treat. Do not rub it in. Cover the spot with an occluding paper tape you can get at a pharmacy. Do not tamp down the tape in the middle. Do not squish the cream around. Reapply twice a day or every 12 hours. Use mild soap and water to clean the area and dry before reapplying the cream. “Remember, this is an escharotic agent, which means that it is going to exfoliate and scale off parts of the diseased skin,” says Dr Singh. “So wash your hands afterwards. And keep the…