Boils
Definition:
Boils and carbuncles are bacterial infections of hair follicles and surrounding skin that form pustules (small blister-like swellings containing pus) around the follicle. Boils are sometimes called furuncles. A carbuncle is formed when several furuncles merge to form a single deep abscess with several heads or drainage points.
Signs & Symptoms:
A boil starts as a hard, red, painful swelling usually less than 4 cm in size. Over the next few days, the swelling becomes softer, larger and more painful. Soon a pocket of pus forms on the top of the boil (pointing).
These are the signs of a severe infection:
The skin around the boil becomes infected. It turns red, painful, warm and increasingly swollen.
More boils may appear around the original one.
You develop a raised temperature.
Nearby lymph nodes (glands) may become swollen.
Cause:
Most boils are caused by a germ (staphylococcal bacteria). This germ enters the body through tiny nicks or cuts in the skin or can travel down the hair to the follicle.
Some health problems make people more susceptible to skin infections, including:
Diabetes.
Problems with the immune system.
Poor nutrition.
Poor hygiene.
Exposure to harsh chemicals that irritate the skin.
How To Cure:
- Milk
Milk is an ancient remedy for the treatment of boils. Heat one cup of milk and add three teaspoons of salt in it. Stir the mixture thoroughly. To make the mixture thick, add some bread crumbles or flour in it. Apply the thick mixture directly on the boil. For quick results, repeat the process for several times in a day.
Milk cream can also be used to heal a boil. Add vinegar and turmeric powder in a teaspoon of milk cream and apply the mixture directly on the boil.
- Onion
Onion has antimicrobial as well as antiseptic properties that are effective for the treatment of boils. You are required to take a thick slice of onion and place it directly on the boil. Wrap the onion with a cloth so that the heat of the onion reaches inside the skin. If the process is practised 3-4 times a day, the boil will surely drain out.
- Egg
Egg white is used for curing boils. Take one egg. Boil it and peel it. Wet the white of the egg and apply directly on the boil. Cover it with a clean cloth.
- Bacon
Take some salt pork or bacon and roll it in salt. Now, place it in between the two pieces of cloth. Put the cloth directly on the boil. Though, the process is untidy, but, if practised many times in a day, it will surely drain out the pus from the boil.
