I've seen it on the shelf, but was wary to pulled the trigger...hmmm. Chocolate pie as nutri-ceutical.

I've been visited by 3 parasites in the last couple of years. Ringworm from a cat twice, and a fukn scary tapeworm recently. I was embarrassed about the latter until i read up on them recently. heh.

TMI ALERT, read at your own risk:

At first I thought I had eaten a large onion ring and the skin hadn't been digested. most had come out, some was still anchored to my colon somehow. Finally got the nerve to pull the remaining couple of inches out. stared at it for a good five minutes trying to figure out what it was. It was apparently deceased, or at least it didn't move. So my question for you healthcare professionals is: when that one left, did my problem end? Or is there a good likelihood that his disgruntled spouse is still shacking up in my innards?

You really have to stop eating sushi.

you get multiples of 'em.

Think of finding a dead tapeworm as being like seeing a roach. Actually, finding a dead one is pretty unusual, IIRC.

On the upside, they kill you really slowly (a good parasite does minimal damage to it's host, but there are few good parasites), and can help you lose weight.

Go see your doctor.

Tapeworms, like quicksand, and rubberknees, are the reoccuring horrors in my nightmares.
Poor soul! Get them all out! I think it may be beyond the miracles of tea tree oil.

Oh, and noodle, you're not going to end up convincing us that your ringworm was from an sick cat.

Infected pussy, maybe.

I'd see a doctor. Unless you clearly identified the head, you probably only got part of the worm, and the rest is still happily eating away inside your GI tract.

Read this. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cringe.

The worm within

However, yogurt contains lots of sugar which is yeast food. Not the best idea to treat a yeast infection with yogurt.

My partner has severe reactions to most yeast infection treatments. She has tried yogurt, and garlic and peroxide but finally settled on a diluted tea tree oil douche as the best method. It takes a few days of twice daily doses (and can sting if you get the concentration too high) but does work quite well.

I found a site with some studies:
The Linus Pauling Institute
A number of studies have compared tea tree oil with conventional medications:

* The topical application of 5% tea tree oil versus 5% benzoyl peroxide has been investigated in the treatment of acne vulgaris caused by the microorganism Propionibacterium acnes. Both compounds reduced the number of acne lesions, although the action of tea tree oil was slower, possibly due to the use of a suboptimal concentration. Tea tree oil produced fewer side effects than the benzoyl peroxide.

* The use of 10% tea tree oil cream has been compared with 1% tolnaflate and placebo creams in the treatment of tinea pedis, or ringworm. This is the commonest form of superficial dermal infection caused by several related fungi. Patients in the tea tree group and tolnaflate group had significant clinical improvement, but the tea tree oil did not cure the condition. However, as with the acne study, the concentration of the oil may have been suboptimal. Unlike the oil, tolnaflate use resulted in minor skin irritation.

* In another study, the topical application of 1% clotrimazole solution or 100% tea tree oil for the treatment of toenail disease (onychomycosis) resulted in nearly identical clinical improvement.

* Gynecological conditions, including vaginal infections like trichomonal vaginitis, have been successfully treated with tea tree oil. Anaerobic (bacterial) vaginosis is usually treated with oral nitroimidazoles like metronidazole, but these drugs may cause toxic side effects, and long-term recurrence is very high. Topical treatment with tea tree oil may be more effective because the abnormal bacterial flora is replaced by normal lactobacillus.

Bacterial and fungal microorganisms against which tea tree oil has been shown to be effective in culture
MICROORGANISM
Fungi
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus niger
Candida albicans
Malassezia furfur
Bacteria
Escherichia coli
Propionibacterium acnes
Proteus vulgaris
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Staphylococcus aureus

Are you supposed to eat it or apply it topically?

I'm not a scientist, but I do have a master's degree ...

The number of times the Pauling folks say, "Well, maybe it didn't work because the concentration was suboptimal" leads me to conclude that the tea tree oil makes you feel like you're doing something, but doesn't actually make you any better than a similar application of time and patience would.

Labrat, correct me if I'm wrong, but in "real science" don't you retest at a higher concentration if you've decided your original concentration is "suboptimal"?

I vaguely recall something about independent and dependent variables from gradual school.

From a sales pitch:

Tea Tree Oil is steam distilled from an extremely hardy tree native to Australia - when cut down, the Tea Tree will quickly regrow from the stump. The Aborigines in northeastern New South Wales have used tee tree as a healing herb for many generations. They make a poultice of the leaves and treat skin infections, cuts and wounds.

After landing the H.M.S. Endeavor in Botany Bay in 1770, Captain James Cook and his party came upon a grove of trees thick with sticky, aromatic leaves that they found made a spicy tea. The 'Tea Tree', as it was called by Captain Cook, became a valued bush remedy used by early European settlers.

in 1923 an Australian government scientist, Dr. A. R. Penfold, conducted a study of tea tree essential oil, and discovered it to be 12 times more potent as an antiseptic bactericide than carbolic acid (the standard at the time). Tea Tree oil became recognized, according to the British Medical Journal in 1933, as 'a powerful disinfectant, non-poisonous and non-irritating'.

Tea Tree essential oil is now well known in natural medicine for its antimicrobial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal effects. Some of it's immune supportive properties may be a result of it's anti-depressant effects, as one's emotional well-being has a significant impact on the body's ability to resist infection. Tea Tree essential oil can also help sooth insect bites, but is even better used as an insect repellent; one aromatherapist claims Tea Tree Oil is the best she's ever used. A must for the traveler's medicine kit.

Tea Tree Oil is found in many oral hygiene products, and it's wide spectrum of action has made it traditionally useful in treating mouth sores and gums, for acne, and for herpes infections, as well as for general immune system stimulation and for support when fighting respiratory infections. Tea Tree Oil has the wonderful property of effectively fighting infections without harming tissues and may be effective for infections of the genital area, particularly candida-related problems, vaginitis and trichomonas.

Either way.

It makes more sense to limit sugar in the diet and take lactobacillus and acidophilus on their own, not in a sugary food. Candida can show up anywhere, but usually isn't a problem for people with healthy immune systems, unless they've been on a broad spectrum antibiotic. Further use of antibiotics (even tea tree oil) continues to kill both the candida and the beneficial bacteria. To really solve the problem (of recurring infection) you need to rebuild intestinal flora and starve out the fungus. There are several different versions of a Candida Diet (or anti-candida) out there. Google for info.

I'm not going to pretend to fully understand it, but the basics concepts of homeopathy make a lot of sense to me. There is no medicinely goodness involved, symptoms are not treated. It's all about enery. Vibrations. Sorta like a quartz watch. I think.
Arnica is amazing. If the boy starts puking, I give him arsenicum and he stops. Allergies? Allium sepa. Homeopathy rocks!


edit: Oh, I forgot about calendula ointment. Boiron (of Newtown Sq.) makes the best one. It makes a burn stop hurting in a few minutes. Wonderful stuff.