Medical & TV: Scabies, Monsters Inside Me & solutions -- Part 1

My left forearm

After writing a few more entries on rashes I think the English Playground will become a medical journal, or a blog specialises in rashes (then am I a dermatologist?). Because first, I wrote Medical & Vocabulary : Heat Rash and Bug Bites in August 2010, that was the first time I had my first (Hives) rash, then I wrote Medical & Vocabulary: "Hives" & Allergy in May 2011, and now, the third entry!

This time round, I didn't get hives which is patchy, spreads quickly and rather itchy, I got a different rash, dotty but spreads much more slowly and much less itchy.

Closer

I wondered, am I really THAT weak? Or am I THAT immuno-compromised? Assuming that I am healthy,   and it is nothing that comes from inside my body, then it must be environmental. This allergy could be due to toxins, but I'm betting my money on parasites. How do I know? Well, first, we have to know how I might have got the rash.

Remember that entry Living: Taoboa-ing? Well, after I got the bag, I used it on the same day, and the straps that dangled from both sides of the bag scratched against my forearms, and I noticed the itch already. I used my Dettol spray to spray my bag inside and outside, but I missed the straps, so it could have been some parasites such as the mites on those straps.

And even closer

Then I was on a ferry to Peng Chau, so I could have also picked up the mites from the ferry. And my aunt keeps a dog, and no matter how clean the doggy is, dog mites are possible.

But of course, can't confirm until I get a good comparison of my rashes with someone else who have got the mite bite rash as well, so I went online to Wikipedia and looked up on Scabies, guess what I found there? The photo below!!!

Scabies on the forearm
Image from Wikipedia

Well, the photo shows a much more serious version, but if you take the side, the redness, the tiny blister on each dot, I say it is very close. Plus, I am recently watching a TV program on Animals Planet called Monsters Inside Me which discusses cases of parasites inside the human body, and there was this case I saw:

Convinced yet? Well, need to test out my theories first. So, I put my rashes to the tests. I suggested 4 natural tests and 1 over-the-counter medication, if they don't work, I will then see a doctor and surrender myself to his antibiotics.

Image from yourdiscountchemist

1. Toothpaste (Oral B only, not sure about Colgate and others)
Contains Limonene from lemons which is deadly to some scabies mites [1], and Triclosan which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent.[2][3]

Image from 21food.com

2. Manuka Honey -- UMF 20+ Natural antiseptic property
UMF 20+ or above has anti-bacterial properties, might work on mites as well. [4]

Image from alibaba.com

3. Sulphur Soap
Elemental sulfur (chemical element symbol : S, atomic number 16) is one of the oldest fungicides and pesticides in the world. [5] A traditional Chinese wisdom, Japanese hot spring theory and the fact that it is related to the poisonous gas (Sulfur Dioxide SO₂) from the volcanoes, makes it one of the best possible candidates to kill the mites.

http://www.greencouncil.org/db_images/products/970.jpg

4. Biokill Mite Spray -- Natural ingredients (says on the bottle)
Human safe but dangerous to cats and fish, which I deduced that it might contain permethrin.

Image from pharmacyathand.co.uk

5. Permethrin

Permethrin is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life in general and is also highly toxic to cats. In medicine, permethrin is a first-line treatment for scabies; a 5% (w/w) cream is marketed by Johnson & Johnson under the name Lyclear.[6]


Guess which one will work? Answers will be unveiled soon!


Vocabulary:
dermatologist --(n)[C] a doctor who studies and treats skin diseases
immuno-compromised --(adj)  is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.
scabies -- (n) known colloquially as the seven-year itch,^[2] is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching. The infection in animals (caused by different but related mite species) is called sarcoptic mange.
surrender --(vb) [I] to stop fighting and admit defeat
fungicide -- (n)  [C or U] a chemical substance used to kill fungus or prevent it from growing
pesticide -- (n) [C or U] a chemical substance used to kill harmful insects, small animals, wild plants and other unwanted organisms
unveil -- (vb) [T] If you unveil something new, you show it or make it known for the first time


Resources:

Dermatology @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatology

Immunodeficiency @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immuno-compromised

Living: Taoboa-ing @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/08/living-taobao-ing.html

Medical & Vocabulary: "Hives" & Allergy @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/05/medical-vocabulary-hives-allergy.html

Medical & Vocabulary : Heat Rash and Bug Bites @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/08/medical-vocabulary-heat-rash-and-bug.html

Scabies @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies

Monsters Inside Me: Scabies Mites and the Itch : Video : Animal Planet @ Discovery.com
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/monsters-inside-me-scabies-mites-and-the-itch.html

Monsters Inside Me @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6eki-926TA

[1] D-Limonene for Scabies @ Livestrong.com
http://www.livestrong.com/article/488428-d-limonene-for-scabies/

[2] Triclosan @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

[3]Miliaria  @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miliaria

[4] Health and Fitness: Manuka Honey (1st Suggested Cure for Mouth Ulcers) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/health-and-fitness-manuka-honey-1st.html

[5] Sulfur @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur

[6] Permethrin @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dermatologist?q=dermatologist+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immuno-compromised
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/surrender_1?q=surrender+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fungicide?q=fungicide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pesticide?q=pesticide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unveil?q=unveiled+#unveil__3