Bed Sores are also called Pressure Sores. They aren’t something you deal with every day. If you are dealing with them it is probably not for yourself, but for someone you are taking care of. That can make them almost as painful for you as it is for them. Watching someone hurt and being unable to do anything about it is the hardest job in the world.
But there are some things that can be done. Bed sores are caused by immobility. This in turn allows muscles to deteriorate which exposes bones and makes the skin looser. Then the person lays, sits, or rubs a particular area as they are immobilized. It used to be called bed ridden, thus the term bed sores. Now it can be anyone who doesn’t move around much. Sometimes it is the slight movements that cause the pressure that cause the sores. These movements can be things like sliding down in a wheel chair or bed constantly. Moisture from spills, sweating, urine or feces will contribute to the sores.
Before the skin breaks open into an ulcer there will be signs. The area will turn pink, red, or show irritation. If you can successfully move the pressure off the area at this point you can avert a true bed sore. Another way to avert bed sores is through nutrition. Kathy Foulser, N.D., a naturopathic doctor at the Ridgefield Center for Integrative Medicine in Connecticut suggests increasing the person’s Vitamin C and Vitamin E as a way of increasing their anti-oxidants. But then she warns that too much Vitamin C can cause diarrhea, which can in turn compound the problem. Another source of anti-oxidants that don’t cause diarrhea is the Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete. This can provide much more anti-oxidants into the blood stream without fear of stomach upset. She says this can strengthen the skin and blood vessels and prevent the sores from developing. Another way to strengthen the skin is with Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max. Unlike the topical forms of Aloe, Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max works from the inside. It seeks out inflammation, such as those emerging hot spots, but it goes much further than that. Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max encourages new growth of the cells, which would strengthen both the skin and the muscles to be at their best.
In addition to anti-oxidants the experts recommend that anyone with bed sores needs a good multi-vitamin. Most people who can’t move around don’t have much of an appetite and are not getting the nutrition they need from their food. One of the best available multi-vitamins is Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus. This will give the body the core nutrition it needs. Most people who are immobile usually are fighting some kind of illness; their immune system is working overtime. To feed and strengthen their immune system they can take Enriching Gifts Sterol Max. These plant sterols encourage the immune system to seek out anything that is attacking the body, and attack back.
Once a sore has broken open the risk of infection is extremely high. Dr. Foulser recommends a zinc cream, or taking additional zinc supplements, but has many cautions about balancing the zinc with copper. An easier way to prevent infection is to swab or even spray a dilution of Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver mixed with sterol (distilled or even just filtered) water several times a day. Another book recommends witch hazel for soothing the sores, but I have found that Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver is both soothing and anti-bacterial without a lot of fuss. It won’t interfere with any vitamins or medications the person is taking.
Bed Sores are just one more thing that makes a difficult time even worse. If they can be prevented through good nutrition, the proper supplementation and a little vigilance it will make the sick person healthier and more comfortable and make the care giver’s job a whole lot easier.
Sources:
Nature’s Medicines by Gale Maleskey and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, copyright 1999 by Rodale Inc.
Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy copyrighted 1997 by Ash Tree Publishing
Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition, Fifth Edition by Eleanor Noss Whitney, Corinne Balog Cataldo and Sharon Rady Rolfes. Copyrighted 1998 by Wadsworth Publishing Company.
