Itch stopper

Hallopals,

I've completed two weeks of a test of an itch-stopping rinse. Here's an
update (in short: it worked) and some thoughts (in short: more microorganism
talk).

The rinse is simple to make, and it is a variation on the vinegar rinse that
some other people have found some help from. It is just vinegar, water, and
boric acid. The boric acid is available as a powder on the public shelves of
pharmacies and even some supermarkets. Boric acid solutions have been used as
eye washes, and sometimes boric acid suppositories are used for vaginal yeast
infections. There is some evidence that the two together are more powerful
"germ killers" than either alone.

To make, put 2 oz. of water in a cup, and added 1/2 teaspoon boric acid. The
boric acid dissolves after being zapped in the microwave so that the water
boils. Add 2 oz. of vinegar; apple cider vinegar has a better smell than
white vinegar. This makes 4 oz. of a 2% acetic acid plus 2% boric acid
solution. Increase or decrease quantities proportionately as needed. Exact
ratios probably aren't critical.

I saturated my eyebrows once a day with the solution, and let it dry. I
cheated on the dietary regime several times in several different ways,
including with sugar. I had no urges on the brows during this time. It was
surprising to me, however, that I started picking at a scab on my knee and
went after an irritating spot on my chin. I don't often skin pick, but I know
it when I see it.

Some speculation follows. One guess as to what was happening is that whatever
"bad" foods trigger in the whole body-mind system, they were doing it again
(and it came out as skin-picking), but they weren't triggering anything local
because the rinse was at work there, and the local aspect of things was
knocked out (the brows were spared). It could be that the local skin flora of
bacteria and yeasts were affected, including any that cause local allergic
reaction or any that create substances that cause local allergic reaction.
Since the rinse is acidic, it could be it was working in two ways: by directly
killing the organisms, while at the same time by destroying some the enzymes
they are known to use to create irritating things necessary for their health.

Mike Grant has noted that alternating an antibiotic soap with an antifungal
detergent is more effective than either alone. Maybe the same thing is true
here. This rinse actually seemed to work better than the miconazole nitrate
antifungal cream, which to date has been the most effective topical agent I
have found. At this point, there are only three things other than dietary
controls that seem to have a good effect on me: the rinse, the antifungal
cream, and magnesium gluconate pills.

Based on what I have read, I will now see what happens when no rinse is
applied for a while. According to some other people's experiments in a
different context, I should be able to go about a week or so without it before
seeing some signs of recurrence.

Standard disclaimer applies: this is not medical advice; check with a doctor
first; your mileage may vary; vinegar does not smell like roses.

As ever, feedback would be appreciated.

John

Hallopals,

I have previously reported on using an itch-stopping rinse comprised of 2%
boric, 2% acetic acid. This was inspired by the use of a similar rinse in
combatting Malassezia infections in veterinary medicine. The rinse is simple
to make and cheap. I stopped using the rinse about 10 days ago to see what
would happen, particularly since I was away for about a week at a conference,
where it is hard to control diet.

So far, as forecast by the reports of use for infections, I have had no
recurrence of pulling, and only the slightest recurrence (for one day only) of
urges. That's far better than I would have guessed, given the sloppiness of
my eating habits the past week. I will continue to monitor things, but I will
not use the rinse again until it becomes necessary. Without a doubt, this is
the most effective topical agent I have ever used, and I have tried dozens of
over-the-counter preparations. Your mileage may vary, of course. A summary
of what works for me: diet (long term systemic relief), this rinse (long term
topical relief), magnesium gluconate pills (short term systemic relief), and
miconazole nitrate cream (short term topical relief).

I have done some more research into both acetic acid (i.e., vinegar) and boric
acid. Here's what I picked up. Remember: I am not a medical doctor, and this
is not medical advice. If you are thinking of messing with your skin with
these things, please check with your doctor first. Don't even think about it
if you think you are pregnant, don't ingest it, and there appears there may be
some risk of internal absorption if the skin is broken.

Used heavily, full strength vinegar can irritate the skin, but is otherwise an
effective antibacterial. For certain bacteria, it is effective even when
diluted. One of the organisms that it is particularly useful against is
Pseudomonas sp., which often occurs naturally on the skin. It is often a
complicating factor in ear infections in dogs. (My guess is that, if there is
a TTM and pet connection, it could very well be exaggerated by animals with
ear infections, which are partly due to the Malassezia sp. yeast, and partly
due to Pseudomonas or other genuses of bacteria.)

Boric acid is a good antifungal, particularly for non-Candida yeast species.
Stubborn vaginal yeast infections are sometimes treated with capsules of 100%
boric acid, if the standard treatments for the "usual" yeast, Candida sp., is
not effective. It appears that the body can tolerate the absorption of boric
acid somewhat, with the kidneys efficiently ridding the body of small loads.
The major risk of overdose appears to be kidney damage. It is not recommended
during pregnancy, as it appears to cause birth defects in the offspring of
rats fed high doses. In answer to a particular question, it does not appear
to work by a bleaching action, and I have not observed personally, nor have I
found any reports about hair color changes.

The combination of these two mild acids appears to be more effective than
either alone, even if the strength of either alone matches the strength of the
combination. The medical guess is that they work through different pathways
on any particular microorganism, and that the combination is particularly
useful if the skin infection is due to a mixture of microorganisms.

In the future, I would make one modification to my own experimentation, given
the surprising effectiveness of this rinse. Rereading the literature on its
use, it appears that it is not necessary to let it dry on the skin.
Saturation with the rinse for about five minutes per day, followed by a
patting dry, should work fine. This does leave a thin surface film of the
acids (both of which in their pure state are solids), but a lesser film than I
was using. What seems to be the active working principal is that the rinse
does get down into the follicles, where it does its disinfectant action.

One last warning and standard disclaimer: It appears likely that there are
many kinds of hairpulling, only some of which may be related to systemic or
local immune system reactions. No one knows how much of TTM is due to
allergic or dermatological conditions, since there has been zero medical
research on either. The current accepted medical wisdom is that TTM is best
approached by means of SSRIs coupled with behavior therapy. I don't expect to
find what is useful for me is useful for anyone else in particular. But there
may be others who do share the same kind of TTM I have, however, and I would
be grateful to hear of their experiences.

John