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Rob (Kentucky) on 02/08/2022
5 out of 5 stars

I have struggled with Blepharitis for years. Did the doctor's tour and they were no help, just wanted more $$, eye drops that don't work, another test… Tea tree oil helped but no lasting effects. Recently, I have been taking Turpentine “white” baths as promoted by Dr. Zalmanovn around 1904 for cardiovascular problems. Turpentine baths were used by “Russian” grandmothers for the treatment of joints, bronchitis, and many other diseases.

I am 21 days into the bath regiment (of a total of 30 days this round) when at about the 10th day I noticed I was not having eye issues anymore.

The symptoms I was having were; watery-red eyes, itchy eyelids, crusty eyelids upon waking up, sensitivity to light, blurry vision at times.

The only thing I can think of that is helping clear my eyes is when I'm taking the white bath, I am submerging my head down into the water and placing a soaked washcloth from the bath waters across my eyes and forehead. I do this for the entire 20-minute setting.

Since pure gum turpentine is an exceptional broadband anti-pathogen, anti-microbial, anti-parasite, fungicide. It makes sense that it would work. I just never made the connection to use it as a compress over my eyes. I am making my own homemade white baths using (Humco Brand - Pure Gum Resin Turpentine).

REPLY   4      

Replied By Javier (San Antonio, Tx.) on 02/12/2022

Rob, how many cups of Turpentine for white” baths as promoted by Dr. Zalmanovn around 1904. I would also like to make treatment for the eyes but I'm not sure if you are using the same tub of water with turpentine or making a new formula for eye problems.

Thank You.

I hope to hear from you soon.

REPLY         

Replied By Rob (Kentucky) on 02/19/2022

@ Javier... Cups? Try drops! The first time I tried this, it felt like someone poured gasoline on me and lit me on fire! Unless your skin is made of leather, it will probably do the same to you. Good news is, you will get used to it.

Making your own white turpentine bath

source recipe:

https://gameasphalt.ru/en/skipidar-emulsiya-skipidarnye-vanny-instrukciya-pokazaniya-otzyvy/

This white emulsion contains high quality essential oil of pine resin, along with salicylic acid, natural camphor and soap. It is used for bathing, which activate and clean the capillaries through their contractions and pulsations, is to open the obstructed capillaries. This increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and leads to an increased removal of waste products. White emulsion does not increase body temperature.

White turpentine baths ingredients:

  • Composition of the emulsion:
  • turpentine/gum balsam 0.5 liter
  • water 0.5 liter
  • salicylic acid or willow bark extract 3 gram/ml
  • baby soap 30 gram/ml
  • camphor alcohol 20ml

White turpentine mixture. To prepare 1 liter of the mixture, you will need: distilled water 550 ml, salicylic acid 3 g, camphor alcohol 20 ml, gum turpentine 500 ml and baby soap 30 g, which must be finely chopped. Method of preparation: pour distilled water into an enamel bowl and put on fire. After boiling water, add salicylic acid and planed baby soap. Stirring with a glass rod, cook for about 15 minutes, over low heat - until the soap dissolves. Remove the dishes from the fire and pour in the gum turpentine. Then, mix and add camphor alcohol. The resulting mixture, pour into a glass dish made of tinted glass. The finished mixture looks like curdled milk. During storage, it may separate into 2-3 layers - therefore, it must be shaken before use. Store the mixture in a dark place and at room temperature - so it can be stored for up to 1 year.

OR

My Small Batch Formula

Fill the bathtub up with enuff water so you can submerge your head down into it while bathing.

Bathtub temp MUST be at 100 degrees F.

While the tub is filling up. Take a clean empty soda bottle and add the following:

  • 20 drops Pine resin turpentine. Increase drops as you can tolerate up to 60 drops.
  • 1 - 325mg aspirin for the salicylic acid (it will dissolve in water)
  • 20 drops baby shampoo
  • 20 drops camphor oil

Now fill the bottle halfway up with water, cap, and shake til uniformed.

Now add this to your bathwater. Soak and enjoy. Unless you have a way to re-heat the water in the tub, you will have to refill tub with a new batch.

Replied By Rob (Kentucky) on 06/14/2023

Update:

I've been reading a medical book about blepharitis called TR. Awf. OPHTH. Soc., vol. 65, published in 1967 DEMODEX FOLLICULORUM BLEPHARITIS

After reading this doctor's research, I am thoroughly GROSSED OUT. To put it blatantly, microscopic worms/parasites are burrowing into your eye lid glands to feed. They over populate and cause the symptoms your doctor casually calls “dry eye”. No… It's a worm! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodex

The author, Tullos 0. Coston, M.D. states:

The fastest and most direct method for killing demodex mites is for the ophthalmologist to apply one of the following diluted solutions to the lid margins as described in the discussion on detection. After five or ten minutes, applied again, destroying the emerging mites. Actually many agents would kill the partially exposed organisms instantly (turpentine, D.M.S.O., benzine, acetone, chloroform, camphor, ethyl acetate, iodine, spirits of ammonia, to name only a few). The above treatment should be repeated weekly for three weeks, together with cotton applicator cleansing twice daily. From the book – TR. Awf. OPHTH. Soc., vol. 65,1967 page 388.

Understanding this doctor's research, I now understand why the turpentine baths with eye compress were working so well. To successfully treat blepharitis, you must wash your face and especially the eye's with soap and water daily and the treatment MUST BE DONE for 4 – 8 weeks, depending on severity. This interrupts the life cycle of the mites/worms/parasites. I first chose turpentine because you can obtain it off the shelf or online for a few dollars as opposed to a doctor's visit and them not really doing anything for me.

Now, I realize why my grandmother had a turpentine soap bar at home. I've been using tea tree oil soap on my face and eyes in an attempt to prevent a relapse of blepharitis. So far it's working.

Now… The #1 reason for Blepharitis?

According to the author, A frequent common denominator in appreciable Deilodex infestation is the failure to use soap on the face; so an essential step in treatment is careful face washing with soap. In my experience, 30 percent of patients with lid demodeces used no soap on the face, while only 6 per cent of those without demodeces avoided soap. The mite dearly likes grease (the oil sebum in your pores, that is it's food) and the use of facial creams and no soap promote its welfare. Cited by Ayers, S. Jr., Pityriasis folliculorum (Demodex), Arch. Dermat. u. Syph., 21:19-24,1930; Demodectic eruptions (demodicidosis) in the human, Arch. Dermat., 83: 816,1961

TIIE VICIOUS CIRCLE use of cosmetic creams for "cleansing" and avoidance of soap and water ("My face is so dry")

which leads to:

favors the growth of the Demodex (it normally lives on sebum)

this leads to:

which results in follicular scaling and plugging, sensations of itching or burning and feeling of roughniess

this leads to:

which causes the patient and her cosmetic counselor to conclude that her skin is too dry, to tolerate soap

which leads to further… My face is so dry

You have now laid the groundwork for a demodex mite infestation….

The Babylonians were the one ones who invented soap at 2800 B.C. In ancient Egypt, a medical document called the Ebers Papyrus described a recipe including animal and vegetable fats and alkaline salts from wood ash were used for washing the body to rid it of parasites on the skin. The understanding of soap's benefits to fight infection and promote healing grew through several events of the 19th and 20th Centuries. During the Crimean War in the 1850s, Florence Nightingale, credited with the evolution of modern nursing, stressed the importance of washing hands with soap to prevent the spread of cholera.

Now get up from your computer and go wash your face and eyes with soap and water.

Replied By Madelyn (Idaho) on 06/16/2023

Hi Rob in Kentucky, thanks so much for sharing this. I really appreciate it. I'm going to tell my sons this so they don't keep “forgetting” to wash their faces with soap!