Cliradex vs Tea Tree Oil

[Faith1989]

K I worked in cosmetics for a while, and I know this is gross but I used to use the testers on my eyes. Maybe I got mites from the eye make-up! This is when this all happened. Also, now that I live at home with my sisters dog, my lids got worse. I got tested and am not allergic to dogs. I don't have scalp issues but minor skin redness and minimal acne.

[LaDiva]

Yes, Faith. If you have Demodex. the makeup testers could be a vehicle for mites. Some of the stuff I read says to wait a week or more into Demodex treatment before using any makeup. It said to throw away all of your old makeup and buy new. Wash bed linens weekly and dry in hot dryer, throw away old pillows and have pets and significant others checked.

[Faith1989]

The dog I live with is a beagle and sheds like crazy. The dog likely has them lol I need to wash my bedding and get shampoo, will do this tomorrow. One eye has completely cleared up (but this is my good, less stubborn eye), the right lid is less red but still iffy sometimes. The tea tree has provided the most relief so far-probably equal to my minims. I still use the minims for maintenance, but hope to be off completely. I am also using refresh endura for the castor oil which is also anti inflammatory. Wish there was such thing as tea tree foundation. Ill google it, maybe there is !

[Dog2012]

Hi Friands ,
I also thinking that if i LOVE dogs ..and work with them all the time i possibly have Demodex but a few tests i've done was negative.But Using Cliradex wipes helps..Does any systematic treatment for Demodex not just surface ?? Also would it new a good idea to hit Fungus and Candida ? Any treatment known or unknown ?
Vladae

[littlemermaid]

Dog, systemic treatment for demodex would be eg ivermectin - best to check side effects before thinking about taking anything without firm diagnosis

I'm interested in candida and gastro too but the symptoms are so varied I don't know what I'm looking for. Logandly treated candida with an -azole after oral antibiotics, if you want to search.

Unicorn, we're doing well on Avalon Organic tea tree shampoo from Waitrose. We also use some of the Body Shop stuff like foaming face wash. The doc reminds us we shouldn't overdo it, eg we do a 4wk blitz then weekend only. He's a good careful Ophth.

[Faith1989]

I just today got tested for candida and food allergies. I won't have results for three to four weeks so we will see.

[Dog2012]

Hi littlemermaid ,
Does any holistic systematic treatment exist ?

Vladae

[littlemermaid]

Vladae, I just can't get enough info on nutrition and inflammation and infection. Still looking for that. Obviously some people here are doing better with cleaner diets. My d. is much better on a wheat, gluten, sugar free diet and we don't use emulsified fats, just olive oil. Our docs are very supportive personally but none of us have the knowledge.

With parasites, it has to be a poison, basically, I think. But where we are naturally symbiotic, then maybe it's an overgrowth we should manage. If it's something opportunistic, maybe we should do a combo with a gentle but firm prevention regime. I speak as one who worked in primary schools so I've seen what lives on kids and what to do about it, lol. Similar with dogs, isn't it.

There is so much fascinating new work on gut microbiota so it shouldn't be too long now before we start to get 'diets as medicine' and work out what makes some people more tasty.

Seriously, I would ask the Vet. They normally give vitamin and mineral supplements with topical demodex treatment, don't they. They are way ahead on eyes sometimes too.

[Katewest]

My dog's shampoo had TTO in it and I didn't even realize it. I think a lot of dog shampoos just have TTO in them. I asked my vet what they do about mites and she said they will test for them and then recommend a shampoo. Soooo, basically I can just do that myself thanks!

[Faith1989]

I just moved back home (with my sister and dog) and my lids have been much worse since the move. I'm trying not to touch the dog then rub my eyes lol but believe it or not I do this constantly. I think bacteria/mites play a big role in mgd, probably more than we realize. I cleaned my bedding and bought tea tree shampoo so hopefully it helps too.

[spmcc]

From what I understand, demodex are not "foreign invaders" to humans (or dogs or horses etc.). It is normal for all to have demodex living in our follicles. They are usually considered commensal (i.e., live with, on or in causing no harm).

And I don't think they "jump" from, say, a dog to a human to cause 'illness'. For example, demodectic mange (that dogs get) isn't transmissible to humans.

Having said that, demodex can grow out of control when something bad is happening in the body. My old lab had patches of 'discolorations' on his muzzle from a demodex 'infestation'. He was hypothyroid. I was told by the vet that immune problems and underlying conditions can lead to an overgrowth of demodex. The 'infestation' didn't cause him any harm tho - it was not pustular.

I've said this before here (and it might sound strange), but I would talk to a vet to get examined for a demodex problem. It was so easy with my old lab... the vet simply scraped a little bit of the area on his muzzle, put the scraping on a microscope slide, turned around to her microscope on the counter, and looked. She let me look. It wasn't a matter of whether we saw demodex or not. They should be there. I was about the NUMBER of demodex (i.e., what would be considered "too many").

For some reason, vets seem to still use tried-and-true instruments to diagnose... there was nothing fancy about it. They just know what they're doing and looking for!

AND (!!) they don't charge you $400 for this test (which is what I know some doctors charge). I think I paid around $40!!

[spmcc]

Oh sheesh. I forgot why I was even posting the above...

There is a news story today about rosacea (papulopustular) and topical Ivermectin 1%. Here's a link: http://www.familypracticenews.com/ne...42ce3ee73.html

It seems that topical Ivermectin 1% cream flew through two important phase III clinical trials. Ivermectin, as a reminder, is known to kill demodex mites.

The latest thinking regarding the pathogenesis of rosacea is that this common chronic inflammatory skin disease is not caused by demodex mites, Propionibacterium acnes, or any other pathogen, she explained. In the current concept, cathelicidin proteins that are present in the epidermis as part of the vanguard of the innate immune system play a key role. When these proteins detect a foreign invader on the skin – bacterial, viral, or fungal – they release toxic enzymes, including cathelicidin LL-37, which kill the offending organism. High levels of LL-37 are proinflammatory, angiogenic, and activate the acquired immune system, effects that would explain the chronic skin redness and telangiectasias of rosacea. The trouble is, demodex is not a foreign invader.

"The innate immune system is not supposed to be triggered by demodex or P. acnes. They’re supposed to be in the follicle. They live there," Dr. Baldwin said.

Why the innate immune system of patients with PPR is apparently alerted by demodex, part of the normal fauna, requires further study, she added.

If this is so good for PPR rosacea, I would be curious if it could help dry eye... even tho we might not know why.

[LaDiva]

I like the way you think, spmcc. Now if we just had a list of good vets!

[Dog2012]

Dear little mermaid ,

Great asvice i will ask a few vets..here in CA they are more holistically thinking...You see...even vets better then these doctors..:}
Look ..dog can't speak and Vet needs to fix problem..we are telling those doctors what is the problem and there is no solutions .Doctors can't think out of book...O.M. G. don't let me start
Vladae