BOILS

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Characteristics of Boils

Boils are infections around hair follicle and surrounding tissue, involving the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.  Boils are called furuncles by the medical profession and when several furuncles join together they are called a carbuncle.  Sometimes there may be underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, kidney disease or blood disorders, but most often simply poor nutrition which has depressed immune function is the cause.  Boils are contagious.  When a boil comes to a head and pus contaminates nearby skin, new boils can be formed.  Poultices, health supplements and good nutrition can make a difference.

Nutrition Facts & Diet advice for Boils

The following nutrition facts - a combination of the nutrition regime shown below and health supplements may be helpful:

	Go on a cleansing diet or fast (see Detoxifying the body and Four Week Cleanse.)
	Eliminate all sugar and refined foods and soft drinks from your diet.
	Eat plenty of fresh (preferably organic) vegetables and fruit and drink lots of clean spring or filtered water.

Poultices

Goldenseal poultices can clear a boil in a few days, probably due to its berberine content which is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.  Make a thick paste out of goldenseal root powder and water – spread the paste onto a clean piece of gauze, muslin, linen or white cotton sheeting sufficiently large to cover the affected area completely. Cleanse the affected area with Essential Oil of Lavender or Tea Tree or some other antiseptic, and place the poultice over the area.  Wrap a towel or some clingfilm around the poultice and secure with a pin.  Keep in place for 1-24 hours, as needed.  As the poultice draws out infection and neutralizes the toxins, you may feel a throbbing pain.  When the pain subsides, remove the poultice.  Apply fresh poultices as needed, washing the skin thoroughly after each poultice is removed.

Onion poultices are also good for boils, but place the finely chopped onion between two pieces of cloth, rather than directly on the boil, as this would be too strong.

You can also take Goldenseal internally to cleanse the lymph glands, but not for longer than one week at a time, or at all during pregnancy or breast feeding, or if diabetic or suffering from glaucoma.

If a boil persists, or is very large or recurrent, make a visit to your doctor; it may need to be drained.

Health Supplements

The following health supplements may be helpful:

(click on health supplement to go there.)

	3-9 capsules of  AquaSource flash air dried Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae (start with 2 capsules daily, and build up to 6 or more over 2 months).  This is very cleansing and immune building.  Drink clean water to help the algae detoxify.
	Colloidal silver – applied topically as natural antibiotic and disinfectant.
	1000g Vitamin C twice a day
	1 x Advanced Antioxidant Formula (Solgar)
	1 x Garlic Plus (BioCare)

 Also see 

Four Week Cleanse