Symptoms:
Included here are sores that will not heal, and abscesses, which are large and also have pus. But they do not seem to heal, so become open skin ulcers. The swollen part becomes inflamed and tender. There may be alternate fever and chills. Also see "Boils."

An abscess can form on the surface of the skin or within the body—in the sinuses, teeth, gums, tonsils, lungs, brain, abdominal wall, intestinal tract, breasts, kidneys, etc.

Cause:
Causes include poor living and bad diet; enervation; lack of rest; worry; exhaustion; as well as toxic poisoning. It may also be caused by an infected wound, an illness, lowered resistance, certain drugs, food allergies, stress, or junk foods. Drugs containing sulphur can produce boils.

Leg ulcers are a special problem; they are open sores which develop on the legs. They are more likely to occur in those with varicose veins. Poor circulation causes the skin tissue to break down. Because we have here a circulatory problem, the following treatment may, or may not, benefit the patient.

Treatment:
• For sores that will not heal: vitamin E: 200 units a day. Apply a dressing of fresh comfrey leaves and root or a paste made from raw garlic on gauze for 8-10 hours.

• For a boil (furuncle), or carbuncle, follow the directions below for an abscess.

• For a surface abscess: Keep the infected area clean with soap and water. Bring it to a "head" by placing hot compresses on it. This will make it soft in the center. (Hot compresses or ice bags will also help relieve the pain; hot compresses also promote healing.) A poultice with 3% boric acid can be used or a hot Epsom salt compress (dissolve Epsom salt in hot water and apply as a compress all night). Echinacea can be used, or a clay poultice. Some use a flaxseed poultice to soften and mature the head. Either it will open itself or, when "ripe," you can open it with a sterile needle. Then flush it clean with a syringe with pure water or one of the above solutions. If bits of puss or dead flesh still remain, apply 3% hydrogen peroxide; then flush out with pure water. The cavity will gradually fill in and heal.

• Take vitamin C orally to bowel tolerance, along with A, B complex, and E. Get plenty of bed rest, and drink lots of fluids to help flush the system. Clean the bowels with an enema once a week. Stay on a vegetarian diet, avoiding heavy starches, chocolate, excess sweets, too many saturated or hydrogenated fats. Brief juice fasts of one to three days are very helpful, especially if you are overweight. Take alternate hot and cold showers every morning and evening (or cool baths every evening). Also good: chlorophyll, garlic, and kelp.

• Drink distilled water with fresh lemon juice, plus 3 cups of goldenseal or echinacea tea, each day.

• Go on a liquid fast for 24 to 72 hours and stay in bed as much as possible during that time. This will cleanse the system and prepare it for a nourishing diet.

• A nutritious diet with adequate vitamins and minerals is needed to correct the problems in the body which led to the abscessed condition.

• A slippery elm bark and lobelia poultice soothes and helps promote healing.

• Apply honey externally to the area. It is believed that honey destroys bacteria by drawing the moisture out of those sores.

• On such open skin ulcers, you can also place herbal poultices, such as German chamomile, marigold, arnica, euphorbia, cliff rose, snake root, and/or witch hazel. Also helpful is red clover tea and carrot and beet juice. Also useful: Burdock root, cayenne, and yellow dock root.

• Applying chlorophyll water to the area several times a day will keep it cleansed.