help! lip rash!

topic posted Sun, May 20, 2007 - 9:24 PM by  offlinePia
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okay, i have this very bad lip rash for the past couple of months. it effects the lips and then about a quarter inch red area around them. it goes through a 2-3 day cycle where it will heal up except for slight redness and then go back to being very stinging and dry and red. then it goes through a peeling stage and then back to normal for a little while. it's better at night and worse in the afternoon. it's NOT hsv, i have had tests and it's not a fever blister or bacteria. the doc says no but that she has nothing to help me except trying steroid cream and that's not a reality for me. i am thinking it's an allergy to something, but... what? i eat wheat, dairy and coffee, so those could be the culprits and am contemplating elimiating them one by one to see what happens tho the coffee thing makes me sad! i am mostly pitta and vata with kapha close behind. hmmm.... any advice?
posted by:
Pia
online Pia
Portland
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  • Re: help! lip rash!

    Sun, May 20, 2007 - 9:49 PM
    I experienced something very similar to what you're going through, as a teenager and also recently..I'm not sure of an ayurvedic explanation but it seemed linked to candida or yeast to me. I know that coffee and wheat can both exacerbate yeast infections, not sure about dairy. Yeasts are very tough little beasties and there's a lot of them floating around all the time..
    I'd ask my doctor, if you haven't already, if yeast is the culprit.
    Good luck, and you have my sympathy!
    • Unsu...
       

      Re: help! lip rash!

      Sun, May 20, 2007 - 10:13 PM
      It does seem like you may have something systemic going on and that something - perhaps one or all of the things you mentioned - is triggering a response.

      I think you are correct in trying an elimination strategy for yourself.

      I would also suggest you pay very close attention to *everything* you put in your mouth and the subsequent results if any can be determined...

      Have you had a full spectrum of allergy tests?

      When this is triggered, do you find yourself "messin" with your lips and mouth, thus exacerbating whatever is going on?

      Look closely at the behavior you engage in when you wake up - when it's settled and seemingly beginning to heal to the point of when it feels more acute.

      ~V~
      • cm
        cm
        offline 8

        Re: help! lip rash!

        Mon, May 21, 2007 - 12:14 AM
        Avoiding steroids is a wise decision.

        This condition is called as oshthaprakopa according to Ayurveda. Oshthaprakopa is classified in 7 types (vata, pitta, kapha, vatapitta, vatakapha, and pittakapha, and vatapittakapha). You can get the diagnosis considering the symptoms. E.g, itching is due to kapha, burning is due to pitta, and pain (e.g. stabbing, piercing) may be due to pitta. colorwise, bright red is due to pitta, black color or color of rising sun (aruna varna) is due to vata, and whitish color is due to kapha. There are other factors like aggravating causes, season, and of course body type to be considered before coming to a final diagnosis. Also consideration of factors like dhatus, relation to menstrual cycle-if any, and habits, e.g., coffee as you have mentioned, is necessary.

        There are some places in our body where mucous membranes join with skin. E.g, eyelids, and eyelashes, anus, and mouth. Lips are such a junction. These places are very peculiar. Some dosha complexes typically manifests here. E.g, fever, pitta+rasa dhatu, etc.

        Although this is described as a minor disease, this could be really irritating problem. In my experience most of the patients present with pitta imbalance. It is always safe to use antipitta medications initially to treat this. I suggest virechana followed by internal treatment with combination of suvarnagairik, anantamula, and guduchisatva, and application of shata-dhauta-ghruta. For any further help mail me at cmthite@gmail.com
        • Re: help! lip rash!

          Mon, May 21, 2007 - 9:25 AM
          it's not yeast and it's not a bacteria, it's an immune sytem reaction as in an allergy. thanks for your advice, friends.
          • Unsu...
             

            Re: help! lip rash!

            Tue, May 22, 2007 - 9:13 PM
            Hey Pia,
            sometimes everyone above can be right, just expressed in different systems/ language.

            That the symptoms reduce over night might tell you that giving yourself rest is healing it.

            Most new symptoms follow periods of life stresses/ activity.

            Thereafter, digestion is lower, leading many foods/substances that did not previously cause problems to now become 'toxins', causing symptoms. So now you have to be extra good, better than you were before, for a while.

            Also, spring is a time for toxins and rashes.
            You will get natural seasonal help in the 'night' of the year (mid-winter).

            If you wish improvement before then, try to reduce your vata, enjoy more rest, and watch out for stimulant, spicy foods and substances.

            Avoid over-drying/ washing the face/ lips. Avoid chemicals locally.

            You will like fresh cucumber or watermelon rind, rubbed on topically, for up to half an hour, symptomatically, i.e., while you're watching TV, etc.

            If possible, the problem can be a sign for you about your greater health and balance.

            Good luck.
            Gabriel Van Loon
            www.durhamayurveda.com
            • Re: help! lip rash!

              Wed, May 23, 2007 - 2:39 PM
              Pia,

              I agree with CM, esp about the Anantamula. Try to get this herb in powdered form. Mix it in almond milk or rice milk and add some sugar to taste. Take this instead of coffee- you'll see that it can not only be a replacement for coffee which is not good for a situation like yours but also has a strong pitta clearing action for the skin. Use some raw sugar and avoid honey. Sugar is good for pitta issues- to get the medicine down (anupana). I often ask people- what is worse- going without coffee or dealing with your health condition?

              www.banyan-botanicals.com/prodinfo.asp

              Good Luck
              • Re: help! lip rash!

                Thu, May 24, 2007 - 7:28 PM
                hey guys,
                thanks for the continued advice.

                an update: i stopped coffee and dairy 4 days ago. i am still drinking black tea because cold turkey's not an option for this vata vitiated caffeine fiend! i know, i know... but, my lips are looking and feeling soooo much better. the skin around my lips is only slightly red and the the lips themselves merely feel chapped and this is a HUGE improvement. i have yet to get out for the herbs mentioned. honestly, i feel like this rash is god's grace to get me to stop drinking coffee... coffee has been like "happy juice" for me for years now and has been more of a psychological issue... like i want to just "wake up and roar". as a nurse i tend to need a jump start when i get up at 5:45. i actually have been feeling really happy the last four days without coffee... maybe because my mouth feels so much better...i have gotten really out of whack from working nights and big relationship and housing chages with allergy season top of it all... i think that coffee was completely blowwin gout my last bit of reserves.

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