Lon (Stanhope, NJ) on 02/18/2009

My son, with Down Syndrome, has several chronic ailments resulting from poor nutrient absorbtion, because of having Hirschsprung's Disease and an ileostomy...such as, candida, fungal nails, cracks on heels and between toes, gingivitis, fatty liver, tendency toward dehydration and so on. He also had mono recently and may have insuline resistance. All he wants to eat is meat, which seems to be common with other people who have this disease. When I to try bribe him to eat organic vegetables or fruits, I noticed that these foods, as well as the expensive supplements I give him, are passed through his system undigested. He doesn't chew well either. Lately I bought a blender so he can have nutritious smoothies. I've also switched to liquid supplements when I can find them.

All of his life, he has had a fissure on his lower lip. It often cracks open and bleeds. He also has surgical scars on his abdomen which become sores because of a habit he has of adjusting the waistband of his pants. I've tried every angle, extra fluids, supplements, different lip balms, diet, tea tree oil. The tea tree oil tastes bad, so he wouldn't tolerate it, although it may have helped. I try to watch ph balance, but when he's at school, at the sitters or out and about, he gets a lot of junk food given to him by people who are trying to be kind. I puposely don't give him extra money, so he can't buy snacks. His teacher said she had to stop well meaning people from constantly bringing treats for her students. Recently on a school field trip,a waitress bought him soda...this happens so often, I feel i can't win when it comes to diet, but I do my best at home.

I read recently that active manuka honey from New Zealand is now being used in hospitals to treat chronic wounds and bed sores especially for people with diabetes. A culture isn't needed because the honey kills a wide variety of organisms including fungus and MRSA. It's also used to treat certain digestive problems. If you research it you'll be amazed. The honey is available in different strengths, with a number of ten or more, indicating activity level, recommended for wound healing. It is expensive, but we tied it. It seemed to help a little, but my son keeps licking it off as soon as it's applied. The recommmended method is to apply the honey to a sterile dressing and cover the wound; of course i can't do that on his lip. I finally thought of mixing the honey with a small amount of virgin coconut oil to make it stay on better, and rub it generously into the crack. We apply it several times a day. The crack is now fifty percent smaller after only a couple ofdays. We've never had even minor success with any other strategy.

We are so pleased with the results! We've been helped so much from the many posts here at earth clinic. For the first time, I feel I have some control with my son's issues, because of the success we've experienced with the rekmedies here. If one thing doesn't work, we study the various posts and tweek the treatment until something helps. We hope we can give back to the people from all over the world who share their remedies here, by sharing this information.