Unconventional Strange Treatments - page 3

1. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Agency Nurse Joined: Dec '02; Posts: 10

   Can you believe this one!
   
   In a LTC setting, a diabetic resident set her foot on fire whilst smoking. After a graft, and numerous months of treatment, her foot was still an awful mess.
   
   Foot soaks, triple abo ointment etc. Orthopod recommended amutation. She refused. So, anyhow, last appt to PCP her foot was a dripping mess. Wrapped with Kerlix and Abd it would soak through in a couple hours. Comes back with orders from a reputably serious and anal MD..."I know it sounds like I am crazy, but it works in third world countries."
   
   Appy table honey to wound and change every day. Within one week wound is clean with no drainage. Wound bed has good blood flow. Infection is gone. W/o Oral abo's.
   
   Wild huh?
   
   Must be some enzyme from the bee's in the honey!
   
   Dara
2. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Emergency department Joined: Aug '01; Posts: 509; Likes: 2

   Third world countries, huh?? We have been doing that over here for, oh, about 5 years....I just thought it was conventional therapy for non-healing chronically infected wounds!! Not some wild & wacky treatment....
3. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Worrywort Joined: Jul '01; Posts: 1,349; Likes: 16

   Ok, even I (we?) think that post was a little strange.
   
   If you managed to visualize that while eating toast and honey, and not miss a bite...................you might be a nurse.
   
   This post was edited after vehement disagreement among the other voices in my head!

   Last edit by Peeps Mcarthur on Dec 10, '02
4. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Joined: Aug '01; Posts: 3,725; Likes: 459

   :imbar
   Julie
5. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: pre-nursing student, secretary - non-medical Joined: Jan '01; Posts: 1,761; Likes: 46

   When my dad was a youngster he stepped on a nail. Didn't do too much damage but by looking at the puncture wound you could tell that there was dirt and even a piece of rubber from his shoe up in the wound.
   
   The town doctor told my grandmother to wrap a piece of uncooked bacon around the wound, like you would a bandage. Low and behold next day when she removed the bacon all of the debris that was in the wound had fallen out.
   
   I still wouldn't try it though, even when I stepped on a nail last summer.
6. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Worrywort Joined: Jul '01; Posts: 1,349; Likes: 16

   Bacon's got alot of sodium doesn't it? Maybe it was hypertonic to the wound debris.
7. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: RN Joined: Nov '99; Posts: 2,950; Likes: 619

   the bacon thing reminded me of this.
   In the early 60's when my sister's kids were small. Her MD had her put onions on their feet to "draw out the fever"
   She swears it "fried the onions" Then when the onions were "fried" she was to replace them with fresh ones until the fever was gone.
   
   I also remember his perscription for measles was, "have an icream party with one spoon." The idea of the last one was that there was no vaccine back then; so get all the kids infected and get it over with.
8. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Telemetry RN Joined: Nov '02; Posts: 228; Likes: 1

   If you managed to visualize that while eating toast and honey, and not miss a bite...................you might be a nurse.

   :chuckle :chuckle
   My mom (also a nurse), uses wet tea leaves on insect stings. Takes the sting away immediately.
9. 
   Dec 10, '02

   Occupation: Telemetry RN Joined: Nov '02; Posts: 228; Likes: 1

   JoyfulNurse (Dara),
   
   Welcome
10. 
    Dec 10, '02

    Occupation: Registered Nurse Joined: Aug '01; Posts: 997; Likes: 23

    I wonder if she peed in self defence so you would get her off the commode (couldn't resist).

    Whatever it takes :chuckle I had to stay in there with her, I've never held my breath for so long in my life.
11. 
    Dec 10, '02

    Occupation: Pedi RN Joined: Sep '00; Posts: 2,728; Likes: 109

    No one mentioned leeches. Have had to do that once, which was plenty enough for me. BTW, it worked. Saved a girl's ear that was reattached after MVA.
12. 
    Dec 10, '02

    Occupation: pre-nursing student, secretary - non-medical Joined: Jan '01; Posts: 1,761; Likes: 46

    Hi purple,
    
    I just saw a special on Discovery Channel about how in England leeches and maggots and bees are making a comeback in medicine. Maggots were good with diabetics who had infections that could not be cured nor treated well with conventional medicine. Bee stings were used for people with MS to help relax muscles and allow the person control of their muscles, leeches were used in cases of plastic surgery and reattachment of skin and appendages.
    
    When my grandmothers sister was 6 years old she says she remembers the local doctor applying a bandage containg small maggots to an open wound her sister had on her leg. Then the doctor would come by every couple days to change them out. Back then the diagnosis was "bone cancer" but who knows. Either way they used maggots back then with much succes as my great aunt made a full recovery and hardly a scar.
13. 
    Dec 10, '02

    Occupation: E.R. Nurse Joined: Aug '02; Posts: 190; Likes: 1

    For any mouth ulcer my children have had...I use vinegar..take cotton swab dab in vinager, and paint ulcer liberally. BURNS LIKE H*LL for about 30 seconda then feels better...seems to heal quicker.
    ---For ear infections that would not respond to abx or drops the doctor had given,..I looked into my childs ear to see this ear cannal full of White cheesy stuff and red raw irritated skinn....Looked like yeast to me...So I poured in the gentian violet...and WA LA pain relief....(but purple ear canal)...My child was 13 at the time and jumped for joy when MOM cured his ear pain.. The ear healed in about 3 days

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