Boil or Carbuncle?

1. Painful and throbbing from first day.
2. A head will be evident at the infection site on a boil.
3. Bursting the head on a boil will relieve the pain.
4. Bursting the Head will release pus from the centre of the boil
5. The pus leakage will be followed by blood leakage.
6. After bleeding stops, healing starts.
7. Penicillin, antibiotics will rapidly cure the problem if needed.
8. Boils may have multiple heads.

1. No throbbing or pain.
2. No head visible for a few days or even weeks.
3. Swelling in the general area.
4. Tapping on the head of the carbuncle when it forms gives a burning sensation.
5. When carbuncle bursts, pus leaks out around a central jelly-like core.
6. Leakage of pus and blood may continue for weeks or months.
7. Penicillin/antibiotics have no curative affect.
8. I have never had a multi-headed carbuncle.
9. The pus from a carbuncle has a distinctive smell (Stink).

Finally my mother told me to go our local chemist who had a very good reputation. After telling him the whole sad story, he said that he needed to check exactly what is was and then removed the bandages. On revealing the ‘boil’ he immediately said that it was not a boil, but a carbuncle.

He also said that it was easily treated!

He then went around to the back of the shop and returned a few minutes later with a small bottle containing lots of small grey pills.

It cost me 2 shillings (10 new pence). That included supplying his own bottle, the label, his time spent on examinations and profit.
He told me to take all the tablets according to the instructions, and to return when the swelling had gone down.

The following morning the swelling had reduced considerably, and by the third day all the swelling had gone, just leaving the original ‘boil’.

Re-examination by the chemist revealed a 1″ diameter open wound with 3/4″ diameter yellow core of Jelly like consistency, which he immediately dug out with some difficulty.

By the end of the week the only sign of the carbuncle was a small scar, which I still have.

What did I learn from our local chemist about carbuncles?

Most of the knowledge about carbuncles came from experiences in the two world wars. He did say that the ‘Multi-headed boil’ description was false and that carbuncles could be single or multi-headed. (I managed to work out why later.)

I have had many carbuncles over the years. One possible reason is that I am susceptible to them. The main reason is that in the early days I got them by being in the wrong place, which is old attics. During the First World War many British soldiers were fighting in old houses and other buildings, many of which were severely damaged. They were covered in the dust from attics and roofs. and quickly infected with boils and/or carbuncles. In the Second World War people in bomb damaged areas were infected with boils and/or carbuncles.

Before this carbuncles were not unknown, but were considered to be just another type of boil, the main difference being that in many cases the carbuncles proved to be fatal.

The first five times I got them after doing work in old attics. but these were rapidly cured without much bother by stannous oxide tablets. Since then I have been unable to obtain the necessary remedy and so have had to go through months of aggravation, changing dressings 2/3 times a day. My last one (about 8 years ago) lasted 16 months and cost me £100’s in dressings plus £100’s in subsidised antibiotics plus continual supplies of vitamin supplements.

Update 30th October 2011. My latest one, started late September 2010 (under my right arm) has now been with me for 13 months. This is probably the one that will kill me, due to my age.

Up date March 11th 2015. The one under my right arm is still with me (3 years and 5 months) One in my groin area has reactivated. At my last of 3 visits to ‘experts’ at local hospital 5-6 months ago, I was told that “….it doesn’t matter what you call it , you can only have antibiotics”. This from the senior consultant.

How to Identify a Carbuncle.

Simplest and quickest test is just to tap on it with your finger. If there is a sharp pain it is probably a boil. If it gives a burning sensation, similar to that caused by holding a cigarette end close to the skin, it is almost certainly a carbuncle.

Carbuncle: [L. carbunculus, dim. of carbo, a live coal, a carbuncle]

Source: Stedman’s Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

You would think that this would give a clue to the medical profession!!!

A boil is nearly always more painful than a carbuncle. This is one of the reasons for the ‘multi-headed boil’ problem. You can have a carbuncle for many days without realising it, but a boil makes its present felt immediately. A carbuncle can reach the bursting stage before you become aware of it. When a carbuncle bursts the infection gets smeared across the skin which then creates more ‘heads’. The human body creates a protective film around the site of a boil or carbuncle to prevent the infection spreading and to confine the ‘safety valve’ nature of it to one location. If any of the infected pus from a carbuncle is smeared outside this protected area, new carbuncles start. Contact with this pus can start infections in healthy people, as happened once with my wife. (Luckily for me, the cure was still available at this time.)

If the first infection head is properly ‘dressed’, further heads are prevented. Note; I was advised to do this by the chemist. I personally have never had a multi-headed carbuncle. I have had multi-headed boils.

A second identifier is that boils ‘throb’, carbuncles don’t, another reason why they get ignored.

A third identifier for carbuncles is the ‘core’, the yellow hard jelly like centre. In boils the yellow centre remains liquid and normally comes out first on bursting. In carbuncles the yellow centre remains until you physically extract it.

Treatment

The only effective treatment is no longer available in Britain.  I have had a prescription for 8 years that I have been unable to have made up despite trying many pharmacists, medical supply companies and even one of the companies that used to manufacture them. (They did not even have a record of ever having made them, even though I have an old empty bottle of theirs.)

The original treatment was a compound of  tin and tin oxide in tablet form.

Each tablet contains the following:-

• Tin Powder – 0.10625grammes
• Stannous Oxide – 0.01875 grammes

1. Day 1 – 16 tablets (4 + 4 + 4 + 4 )

2. Day 2 – 14 Tablets (4 + 4 + 3 + 3 )

3. Day 3 – 12 Tablets. (3 + 3 + 3 + 3 )

4. Day 4 – 10 Tablets. (3+ 3 +2 + 2 )

5. Day 5 – 8 Tablets. (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 )

6. Day 6 – 6 Tablets. (2 + 2 + 1 + 1 )

7. Days 7 /8/9 and 10 as Day 6

The bracketed numbers indicate the number of tablets to be taken at intervals over the day. It is always best to space them at 6 hour intervals, but it is not crucial.

Why the Cure has been missed by the medical profession.

• Manufactures started marking the the tablets   “For use against boils and carbuncles”, but they were totally ineffective  against boils. So much for the manufacturers ‘expertise’. Even today they still use the term “for Boils and Carbuncles” on commercial products. Tin and its oxide do not work on boils, antibiotics do not work on carbuncles.
• Doctors were using them for boils, found they did not work, therefore stopped prescribing them. Doctors did not know the differences between boils and carbuncles. It is possible that some doctor had diagnosed a carbuncle as a boil (because it only had a single head) and prescribed stannous oxide, found that it worked, and advised other doctors of this. Later it became obvious that it did not work on real boils and was discontinued.
  Having spent many hours over the years discussing carbuncles with members of the medical profession, including dermatologists, I have still not met one who knew the difference. Nor have I met one who had ever had a carbuncle.
• Doctors, like many people, generally only learn what they are taught, and what little I have found about carbuncles in medical publications has been very sketchy. Case studies are almost non-existent ( Who wants to read a case study on carbuncles? Therefore why should I do one?)  To be honest I’ve not managed to find one yet.

General.

The use of metallic oxides in medicine has received a lot of attention in recent years, particularly in regard to viral infections.

The fact that streptococcus (the claimed cause of boils and carbuncles) is unaffected by tin oxides, clearly indicates that carbuncles are not caused by streptococcus. (This from my experience that anti-streptococcus injections and pills had no effect on carbuncles.)  Note that they may have been helpful in that they cleared a lot of streptococcus from the system.

There is a bit of confusion here. When the body is attacked by ‘nasties’, its immune system goes into overdrive. The white blood cells move into action attempting to destroy every kind of ‘nasty’ they can find. The white blood cells will, if possible, kill everything they recognize as a ‘nasty’. Streptococcus is something they recognize and can usually destroy. If you are infected with anything, streptococcus will be found, if only by collateral damage, (they may not be what is causing the problem but will be killed anyway.)

The white blood cells may not even recognize what is actually causing the infection, and therefore ignore it. It is possible that carbuncles are caused by viruses. It may be that streptococcus are carriers of viruses.

It is also possible that the virus responsible for Legionaire’s Disease is the same virus, or similar, to that causing carbuncles. The similarities in origin, attic dust and ventilation dust, would indicate that some further investigation is needed. It would also give the possibility of stannous oxide as a cure for Legionaire’s Disease. Modern ducting systems, using inert materials like plastics or stainless steel, do not have the advantage of having a inner coating of metal oxides (Zinc Oxide) that the traditional galvanised steel has.

It would be nice if Stannous Oxide was available again. because I’ve always had the feeling that carbuncles would eventually kill me.

The only side effect I ever had was that I had to do household tasks sooner.

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Medical Importance of Tin.

TIN by trapper/kcmo .....

Date:   4/29/2011
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Tin – Health Effects
Acu-Cell Analysis Acu-Cell Nutrition Acu-Cell Disorders Tin – Health Effects Mineral Ratios
The Clinical Research Resource for Cellular Nutrition using Acu-Cell Technology ™

Health Benefits & Toxicity of the Element Tin, and its Effect on Adrenals, Depression and Fatigue

While Tin (Sn) has been established to be an essential trace element for some animals (they won’t grow well without it), some researchers are still unsure of whether tin is essential to human health. Daily dietary intake of tin from various food sources is in the 1 – 3 mg range, which is less than 1/10th of the daily intake obtained years ago before lacquering tin cans, switching to aluminum cans, or, in the more distant past, when tin cups or tin pans were still in use. Since bronze contains copper and tin, the use of tin has been established well past the Bronze Age, several thousand years ago.

Rat studies have shown that tin-deficient diets resulted in poor growth, reduced feeding efficiency, hearing loss, and bilateral (male pattern) hair loss. Tipton and Shafer examined tin in human tissue after accidental deaths.

They noted that tin was found in the aorta, brain, heart, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, spleen, pancreas, testes, stomach, and uterus, but none was found in the thyroid of any victim, while the prostate, which usually shows no other trace element, had tin.

(Is this lack of tin the cause of erectile dis-function and prostate cancer? Brian.

Average concentrations were the same range as cobalt, iodine, chromium, and selenium, which are known vital nutrients. Inorganic tin is capable of entering into biological activity at saline pH, and it is far less toxic than other known vital trace elements such as copper and cobalt. In addition, tin levels do not vary statistically with age, gender, or geographical areas. Misk found traces of tin in the fetal heart and spleen, and higher levels in the liver, while Schroeder and others reported no tin in stillborns.

As mentioned on the Acu-Cell “Tin & Iodine” page – where additional information about tin is found – Tin is associated with iodine in the same way as calcium is associated with magnesium. Tin supports the adrenals, and iodine supports the thyroid, with both subsequently affecting cardiac output: Tin + adrenals control the left side, and iodine + thyroid control the right side. In addition to low Vitamin C and/or Vitamin B1, low tin is a common nutritional cause of low adrenals, which can lead to left-sided cardiac insufficiency. While fatigue or depression may be experienced with cardiac insufficiency of either side, breathing difficulties or asthma are more common with left-sided cardiac insufficiency, and swelling of hands and is more common with right sided cardiac insufficiency, regardless of the cause.

Comparing thousands of patient records since the mid 70’s showed that better than 90% exhibited below normal levels of tin when referenced to the status of all other essential trace minerals, making it the most deficient element compared to any other trace mineral measured. Symptoms associated with low levels of tin typically include depression and/or fatigue, and others.

I had 285 individuals taking part in evaluating tin, some on a short-term basis (about 3 weeks), and others on a long-term basis (1 – 2+ years), resulting in some valuable feedback on various responses encountered, including side effects, although the poor absorption of stannous oxide was a limiting factor in being able to achieve optimal increases of cellular tin in all subjects.

Of those who experienced changes after supplementing tin, negative reactions, e.g. stomach / digestive upsets, or skin reactions were at par, or less compared to the best tolerated trace minerals such as calcium, chromium, or magnesium.

Positive health effects were numerous and included improvements with fatigue, and some forms of depression, with a general increase in energy, well-being and mood. There were also benefits with certain types of headaches, insomnia, asthma, or improvements with digestion, skin, or various aches and pains.

Tin toxicity documented over the last 200 years in humans has been associated with the consumption of foods or beverages that were stored in tinned, un-lacquered containers under long-term, low-pH conditions, and where levels of several hundred to several thousand mg / kg were ingested. Symptoms were limited to mostly gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting, with excess tin being rapidly excreted, and no long-term negative health or toxic effects reported.

There are many causes of depression, some resulting from abnormal brain chemistry, while others are associated with low blood pressure, low thyroid, or low (or high) levels of various essential nutrients such as lithium, calcium, magnesium, copper, sodium, protein, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, manganese (low blood sugar), among others. Many of these nutrients are well documented in affecting mood, but I have not previously come across any reference to tin until starting to do research on it, and after it helped some patients with depression where any other drug, nutrient, or intervention had failed.

Tin is not a panacea for depression — it will not work when other chemical imbalances are involved, but it can be the missing link when most other attempts to resolve depression have failed; essentially involving low, or malfunctioning adrenals. For the same reason, some cases of asthma – particularly when related to low adrenals and subsequent left-sided cardiac insufficiency – respond to tin as well.

Tin (as stannous fluoride) is found in some toothpastes, and it has been used in the form of stannous chloride as a chemical preservative. It is also added to asparagus to improve its taste, while in some countries it has been utilized as a remedy for intestinal parasites.
Some herbal sources of tin (in the highest to lowest order) are doggrass, juniper, bilberry, milk thistle, dulse, lady slipper, althea, valerian, Irish moss, nettle, barberry, yarrow, blessed thistle, red clover, yellow dock, kelp, licorice, devils claw, pennyroyal, and senna. ¤

General recommendations for nutritional supplementation: To avoid stomach problems and promote better tolerance, supplements should always be taken earlier, or in the middle of a larger meal. When taken on an empty stomach or after a meal, there is a greater risk of some tablets causing irritation, or eventually erosion of the esophageal sphincter, resulting in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It is also advisable not to lie down immediately after taking any pills. When taking a very large daily amount of a single nutrient, it is better to split it up into smaller doses to not interfere with the absorption of other nutrients in food, or nutrients supplemented at lower amounts.

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Copyright © 2011 Acu-Cell – Element Tin: Health Benefits & Toxicity

Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is the latest term replacing daily dietary reference values such as:
Adequate Intake (AI *), Nutrient Reference Value (NRV), Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), Estimated
Average Requirements (EAR), and Recommended Dietary Allowance / Intake (RDA / RDI).

Tin – (Stannous Oxide):

DRI (RDA): none

18 years + (suggested minimum) 10-20mg

Therapeutic Range: 25mg – 250mg

Estimated daily intake of tin from food and water (excluding canned food) is 1mg – 3mg per day.

Cellular / Intracellular Attributes, Functions and Interactions:

Tin Synergists:
Nickel, iodine, Vitamin B1, Vitamin C,

Tin Antagonists:
Iron, calcium, copper, chloride,
Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, [bismuth, zinc].

Low Levels / Deficiency – Symptoms and/or Risk Factors:

Fatigue, depression, low cardiac output (left side), low adrenals, shortness of breath, asthma, headaches, insomnia.

In Animals: Low tin results in poor growth, alopecia / bilateral hair loss, hearing loss, and reduced feeding efficiency.

High levels / Overdose / Toxicity / Negative Side Effects – Symptoms and/or Risk Factors:

Skin rash, stomach complaints, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, palpitations.

Tin Sources:
Tinned / canned foods, cereal grains, dairy, meat, vegetables, seaweed, licorice, some toothpastes. ¤

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Extract from BBC news item. 1 October 2011

Copper fixtures could help hospitals combat infections such as MRSA, scientists say, because of its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

In Trafford General Hospital, copper door handles and work surfaces are replacing stainless steel in the fight against the superbug.

Combined with meticulous hygiene, the new fittings have contributed to the hospital’s MRSA-free status for the past two years.

Copper oxide, zinc oxide, stannous oxide. For over 100 years Metal oxides have been known for their medical properties. When I was a child we knew that it was safe to suck copper coins. Zinc oxides were used in dressings and ointments and tin oxide was used for carbuncles. Why has the medical profession been so slow?

SEE ALSO;

Brian Williams

Author