HOW I CURED MY SKIN DISEASE


I turned to a diet of vegetables, salads, fruit and regulated my bowels with large quantities of bran, recommended by Mr. Ellis Barker. I began to feel much stronger and happier, and the Sulphur which had acted insufficiently when I was on the wrong diet, began to act more favourably and I became so much stronger and happier that people made remarks on my improved appearance.


I AM a youngish man, occupied in the City, tall thin and rather pimply. I had suffered for years from a persistent skin disease ; it was very unsightly and it horrified those people who saw anything of it. In consequence I was afraid to show my body. I could not go to the swimming baths, takes a Turkish bath or go sum-bathing, except where no one was near to observe me. It was a trouble which depressed me greatly ; nothing seemed to do it any good. The doctors had given me evil-smelling ointments some of which were pitch black and spoilt night clothes and bed-clothes.

I found that all these ointments had no effect whatever on the skin, or at best they produced only a temporary effect. When the doctors had failed, they sent me hospitals and I was examined by skin specialists, who treated my trouble only from the outside without any success. They were very perfunctory about it. Whenever I saw a doctor or specialist, I had the disheartening feeling that nothing could be done for me.

After years and years of striving to get better with the help of the orthodox medical men, I though I would try Nature Cure. I read some of the Nature Cure Journals, and was told that the most wonderful cures could be effected by a blood-clearing and vegetarian diet, fresh air, exercise, exposure to the sun and particularly by prolonged fasts. I consulted some of the Nature Cures and followed their advice. I adopted a diet which I found rather weakening and then did a number of fasts.

I had a two weeks rigid fast when I had only water. Then I had other shorter fasts where only water was taken, and other fasts where I had fruits juices. A fast led to the clearing up of the skin, but unfortunately improvement was only temporary ; a few weeks after the ending of the fast, the skin was as bad as ever while I felt considerably weakened from the strain and had lost weight.

I had almost given up hope of ever getting better when I saw a poster if a monthly journal which had the intriguing title of “HEAL THYSELF”, partly by obtaining some homoeopathic books. I soon discovered that the orthodox methods of treating skin disease from the outside were totally opposed to the homoeopathic idea of cure. I became convinced that a skin disease which comes from the inside and tries to find an outlet by the skin, should not be driven into the body but should be driven out by internal treatment.

My pimply condition made it quite clear to me that I needed some blood clearing medicine. I had learnt from my homoeopathic books that those who cannot stand great heat and cannot sit near a fire, need Sulphur. This was my case. I could not stand great heat of the sun nor a large open fire ; the latter made my skin eruption worse. I discovered the strong sun had blistered me. I had a muddy skin and complexion, which is another Sulphur sign. I felt a sinking at 11 a.m. which again indicates Sulphur. Last, but not least, I had to put my feet out of bed which is a strong Sulphur symptom.

I got from one of the homoeopathic chemists a box of Sulphur pills. The chemist advised me try the 6x potency, which means that every dose contained a millionth of a grain of Sulphur. It seemed to me absurd that such small quantities could have any effect whatever, but I resolved to try an apparently hopeless experiment. I took a dose three times a day and in a week I noticed that my skin became clearer and that the eruption was distinctly receding. Unfortunately the improvement did not last very long. There was an aggravation of the trouble and I wondered how it had happened.

Then I came across some books pointing out the importance of a freely working skin and of a correct diet, free from poisoning of the bowel through putrefaction from flesh, fish and fowl, and how these could be replaced by eggs, cheese, egg and cheese dishes, etc. I turned to a diet of vegetables, salads, fruit and regulated my bowels with large quantities of bran, recommended by Mr. Ellis Barker. I began to feel much stronger and happier, and the Sulphur which had acted insufficiently when I was on the wrong diet, began to act more favourably and I became so much stronger and happier that people made remarks on my improved appearance.

It then occurred to me that any of the homoeopathic medicines ought not to be continued for too long a period in the same strength. I discussed the matter with my chemist and he suggested that I should now take Sulphur 12x for several weeks, then go on to Sulphur 30 and take a few doses of Sulphur 200 once a week. I followed his kindly advice with excellent results, so I went to my homoeopathic chemist once more for his advice and he suggested that, although the diet and medicine were good, there might possibly be some disease factor or some inherited factor which was responsible.

I had had scarlatina badly when quite small, so he suggested that I should take occasional doses of Scarlatinum 200. Then there had been some tuberculosis in my family, and again acting on his advice, I took some Bacillinum 200 occasionally. Then I had been vaccinated and had a very bad arm when quite small, and for this he suggested Thuja 200 as an antidote.

I took each of the high potencies once a week and found that I got a strong reaction after the first dose, a slight reaction after the second dose, and the whole result was most satisfactory. I am glad to say that I am cured, and I have described my cure at some length in the hope of benefiting other readers of this Journal.

I have become a great enthusiast for Homoeopathy, and I imagine that I shall never again try any other form of treatment.

The horrible ointments and depressing opinions of the doctor about my skin eruption were a nightmare. My skin disease is now cured except for a few tiny patches here and there which amount to nothing, and I am very happy, well and contented.

Bernard Erickson