As a favor to me , a fellow blogger and MD , wrote an article on abscesses and how to avoid such. I figured this would be a good topic you, the readers.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
How Does an Abscess Develop and How can I Fight it?
An abscess is a collection or aggregation of pus on a cavity most commonly on the skin. Abscesses can actually develop in different areas on the skin and even inside the body. For serious abscesses, an operation may be necessary to drain out the pus. The pus is a think fluid that contains dead tissue, bacteria and white blood cells. Usually, an abscess is caused by bacterial infection. Not all bacterial infections result in the aggregation of pus.
Bacteria that make toxins tend to result in the formation of pus since the toxins may damage the body’s tissues. When bacteria produce toxins, the body’s defense mechanism fights the bacteria. As a result of this body’s reaction (i.e. its fight against bacteria), some tissues die. A cavity forms and starts to fill with pus. As the infection continues, the cavity may become bigger.
Abscesses may also be caused by small breaks or wounds in the skin. Some fungi may also cause abscesses. Individuals with weak immune systems are more prone to abscesses than others who have a healthy immune system.
There is no distinguishing characteristic on patients who get abscesses. Many skin abscesses can occur in healthy people. Aside from bacterial infection, there are usually no fundamental causes of abscesses. Once an abscess disappears after treatment, no further problems occur. Some abscesses may heal by themselves. It is normal for a scar to form once the (skin) abscess has healed. For large skin abscesses, the pus may be drained via a local operation that incises the top of the skin for the pus to drain. The more serious forms of abscesses, such as the ones that form inside the body, may be removed only via an operation. The operating techniques depend on the location of the abscess.
An small abscess on the skin may heal by itself since the pus would eventually burst out. However, abscesses inside the body should be taken seriously and one should at once consult a doctor for the removal of the abscess.
Abscesses can be prevented by strengthening the body’s immune system. One way to do this is to take the proper doses of antioxidants. One of the strongest antioxidants is vitamin C, which even helps increase the cells ability to fight cancer. Food that are rich in this nutrient are very much recommended for strengthening the immune system. Other important antioxidants are vitamin E and carotenoids.
Vitamin E strengthens body cells to fight infection while carotenoids strengthen the body by producing lymphocytes, or cells that fight infection. A good source of carotenoids are red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables. A diet of with high vegetable and fiber content helps in strengthening the body and not just one’s immune system. Some people have also had success with colloidal silver which you can find a link below to “more helpful information” there it tells their experience.
Please take a look at his blog at http://bodyhealthpro.blogspot.com, remember be smart.