Healing ulcers
Ulcers are poorly healing epithelial wounds i.e. discontinuity of the skin (dermatology) or discontinuity of the oro-gastrointestinal mucosa (gastroenterology). The injury of an ulcer (open wound) is tortured by the insult of something rubbing over it (food sliding past ulcerative colitis, body weight onto decubitus). Improving the chances of an ulcer healing is welcome news to anybody who has them.
Two commonly seen skin ulcers are diabetic ulcers and decubitus ulcers (pressure sores). Next to promoting safe (from the inside out) wound healing, it is vital to respectively stabilise the diabetes mellitus and relieve the pressure on the skin.
Three commonly seen digestive tract ulcers are mouth ulcers, gastroduodenal ulcers (peptic ulcers) and ulcers in ulcerative colitis.
In diabetic ulcers the first objective is to stabilise the diabetes and a diet (total carbohydrate load) review forms one part of that. Aloeride® aloe vera, next to accelerating wound healing is known to help the blood sugar management. Decubitus ulcers often happen in the elderly and are as uncomfortable as they can be difficult to heal. Beyond the faithful sheepskin, there are many more devices nowadays to ameliorate skin contact. Decubitus often requires specialist wound nursing care and always strict hygiene. Mouth ulcers can be a local issue but also occur concurrently in Ulcerative Colitis, visit your dentist, mix Aloeride® capsule content with lukewarm water and swirl it around the affected side of the mouth for no less than 5 minutes. Gastroduodenal ulcers (peptic ulcers) are covered in my free ebook which you’ll receive after joining the mailing list. Ulcerative colitis is covered in an article on UC in this website.
Wherever the ulcer is and whatever its causal factor, a complex series of events that constitutes wound healing must happen for the ulcer to cure. This happens in three stages:
1. inflammatory phase after initial vasoconstriction and clotting to stop blood loss, blood vessels open (more blood - that should contain molecules necessary for repair - now goes to the affected area), the local heat generated by inflammation kills local heat-sensitive pathogens, finally phagocytosis engulfs and removes dead and body-foreign cells.
2. proliferative phase can takes upto 3 weeks during which the fibroblasts lay a bed of collagen, fills any defects and produces new capillaries; the wound edges should pull together and finally epithelialisation takes place and the wound is covered again.
3. remodelling phase new collagen forms which increases tensile strength to wounds.
If you look at the processes that are required to heal an ulcer, then several natural steps you can take become obvious. By the way, there is nothing against combining say triple therapy for a H. pylori infection with natural steps, providing the cart is pulled in the same direction and there are no adverse interactions. |
Vasodilation of phase I
Improving the local circulation for say a leg or an arm ulcer can be achieved by Kneipp alternating hot and cold foot/arm baths. For lower leg ulcers for instance use two washing-up bowls; in each bowl the water temperature varies between approximately 10°C und 38°C but frankly, if you can stand it, then go as cold and as (pleasantly!) hot as you can stand it. Do NOT scald yourself. You may wish to top up the bowl of warm water with boiling water (careful please) so as to keep its temperature up and you may wish to drop ice cubes into the cold bowl. Alternate between the warm bath (for < 5 minutes) and the cold bath (for < 1 minute) and always end with the warm dip. If you can follow it up with some active exercises, so much the better. Large hot packs on the solar plexus may help the circulation of the upper abdomen as people with digestive disorders may have experienced.
Improving the general circulation can (over time!!) be achieved by taking 10 grams of the essential amino acid L-ArginineM2 thirty minutes before you know you fall asleep (ingest absolutely no food 3 hours before, a low glycaemic status is imperative) which enhances systemic Nitric Oxide production by blood vessel endothelium (i.e. opens vascular bed) but also effects regression of atherosclerosis (i.e. reduces furring of blood vessels thus improves your circulation). Nitric Oxide is successfully used in critical limb ischemia so why not use it to effect safe perfusion in wound healing! Ingested thirty minutes before sleep L-ArginineM2 crosses the blood brain barrier (BBB) and stimulates the pituitary gland naturally into producing more human growth hormone (i.e. do not take it if you are 23 years old or younger). Note that ordinary L-Arginine products may reactivate a dormant herpes simplex virus and that pregnant or breastfeeding women cannot use any L-Arginine supplements. Rather than using Arginine + blind amino acid rider in isolation, we tend to give (always to the elderly) a specific wholemeal powder supplement (healthy, always, for everyone), with a large serving (in lieu of lunch) taken before the midday nap and a normal serving before bedtime, akin to the LAM2 philosophy. To the question why not use Ginko Biloba or Padma28 the answer is simple, long term they will not be as broad acting as L-ArginineM2, and you can only spend your money once. And of course, if this can be done, sustained cardio-vascular exercise also benefits general circulation. Never throw the baby out with the bathwater simply because you stumbled onto something that looks like a clever shortcut.
A short sharp inflammation is a useful response but ongoing inflammation causes damage. Aloeride® provides a host of natural anti-inflammatory molecules and your dosage should reflect the situation that is being dealt with.
|
Proliferation phase II
A reasonably accurate analogy I use is that Aloeride® stimulates the knitting whilst nutrition provides the wool. Aloeride® itself being a food provides wool, but is it enough for the job in hand? No one size fits all, some people accelerate safe, from the inside out wound healing with just Aloeride® but in the elderly - who on the whole no longer eat daily truly nutritious meals - additional nutritional support may be necessary.
The cell types you want to see working harder in the proliferative phase of wound healing are: fibroblast, keratinocyte and collagen growth (type III > type I), their activity greatly improves by taking Aloeride® and your dosage should reflect the situation that is being dealt with. Any nutritional deficiency of proteins, vitamin A (collagen synthesis, epithelialisation), vitamin C (collagen synthesis) or Zinc will slow down wound healing. This is why in difficult wound healing people can be advised to combine Aloeride® (2-3 cps a day) with a wholefood supplement that contains these nutrients and antioxidants in both good quantity and natural ratios. |
Remodelling phase III
Remodelling only happens once the inflammatory and proliferative phases are completed. Whereas you notice the inflammatory and proliferative phase, you’ll never know about phase III. It seems wise though to fuel the body with extra nutrition and Aloeride® for a while longer to support this phase too.
If you enjoyed this information, you may wish to subscribe to the Aloeride® newsletter and receive a comprehensive free e-book on digestion by return that gives you oodles of useful tips about how to improve your digestion. (don't worry you can unsubscribe instantly and your email is never shared with any other company) |
