Is it SCABIES?
Or is it really an Unidentified Parasite?
Or a total rip-off?
The site http://www.cure-skin-parasite.com/ is preying on the fears of people who think they have something along the lines of Morgellons.
They have a ridiculously long home page – fully of testimonials like
” Doctors said I was delusional and I knew what I had.. Those things hurt and I couldn’t sleep! I had spent literally thousands of dollars on doctors & treatments that didn’t work! I can finally say, after using your products and doing everything you suggested, I am finally parasite free! ”
I’m convinced!
Unfortunately they have such a wide range of products for sale, that I don’t know what to buy. Looks like the best value is the “Human Mite and Unidentified Parasite Family Superpack”, recently reduced from $339.95 to $199.95. Sweet! What do you get?
2-8oz. Mitactin Spray
1-8oz. PuraCleen Healing Spray
1 Gallon Rejuvenating Body Wash and Skin Conditioner
1 Gallon PuraCleen Disinfectant Cleaner
1-Free 2oz.Mitactin Salve
1-Mud Pack
Okay – let’s look at their “Mitactin Spray”, normally $39.95 for 8oz (or $199.95 for a Gallon). The ingredients are listed as : “Nonionic and anionic surfactants “. A surfactant is a “wetting agent”, something that reduces the surface tension of liquids. Soap is a surfactant. Nearly all cosmetic creams contain one or more surfactant. How is this special? What does it do to the mites that any other soapy spray would not? Can’t I just make my own from water and some 2-in-1 shampoo?
Solution of nonionic and ionic surfactants is used in the pesticide industry as “Adjuvants” – an additive to make the pesticide “wetter” and to spread over the surface of plants more. Perhaps that’s where they got the idea from – pesticide without the harmful chemicals!
Next Up: The PuraClean Healing spray 8oz for $39.95 – now this actually has an active ingredient: Benzalkonium chloride. Yup, just one – and it’s the same active ingredient as is in several other products, like the ringworm cream, and the skin burn cream. What is Benzalkonium chloride? It’s “A yellow-white powder prepared in an aqueous solution and used as a detergent, fungicide, bactericide, and spermicide“. According to Wikipedia it “must not be mixed with anionic surfactants” Whoops! Better not use it with your Mitactin spray! And don’t use soap!
But benzalkonium chloride is at least known to work, such solutions are “rapidly acting anti-infective agents with a moderately long duration of action. They are active against bacteria and some viruses, fungi, and protozoa.” – nothing about mites though. Probably covering the bases.
Bactine is a benzalkonium chloride spray. About $20 for 8oz. You can get 32oz for $6. It’s sold as “Foot Rot and Ringworm Spray for cattle,horse, dogs”. Some people are allergic to benzalkonium chloride.
Moving on, what do we get in our “1 Gallon Rejuvenating Body Wash and Skin Conditioner”? The “active ingredient” is again benzalkonium chloride, but we also have “hydrooxyethyl cellulose, propylene glycol, cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, octoxynol – 9, methyl paraben, citric acid, fragrance. ” All these are normal inactive ingredients in cosmetic creams, except for octoxynol-9 which is a spermicide and an inhibitor of various pathogens. Huh? Sounds like an active ingredient to me. It’s actually a non-ionic surfactant, perhaps as used in other potions.
Then: “1 Gallon PuraCleen Disinfectant Cleaner” ($69.95) – Purified water, cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, fragrance, color. and an active ingredient: Benzalkonium chloride. Just like the other things we got in the pack.
A note on “cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride” aka Cetyltrimethylammonium chloride aka CTAC, aka cetrimonium chloride (and lots of other names) It’s a cationic surfacant. Calling it CTAC is a bit obscurantist, as it’s better known as Cetrimonium chloride. It’s generally used in conditioners.
If you really want some of the magic ingredient, Benzalkonium chloride, it’s generic Zephiran, you can get it extra strength at Trask Research – where they make 1:750 aqueous solution. One gallon for $99.95. More expensive? but wait – for dermatology applications up to “oozing and open infections”, you can use a 1:5000 solution. So that makes about 6.5 gallons, or just $15 per gallon! Yay! And a gallon is $640 worth of PuraClean Healing spray!
Finally the feebies – Micatin Salve is like Micatin spray, but as a salve, exact same ingredients. The “Mud Pack” contains “Diatomacious Earth, Rosemary Oil, Tea Tree Oil, & Antimicrobial formulas” and is “Manufactured in our FDA approved lab”
What does the FDA Recommend for lice?
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/lindane/lindaneQA.htm#14
Scabies:
Crotamiton cream and lotion 10% (Eurax) – Rx
Permethrin cream 5%, (Acticin, Elimite) – Rx
Permethrin cream rinse 1% (Nix) – OTC
Head and pubic lice:
Malathion lotion 0.5% (Ovide) – Rx
Pyrethrum extract 0.33% with piperonyl butoxide shampoo (Rid) – OTC
Permethrin cream rinse 1% (Nix) – OTC
Hmm, DermaTech has none of the above.
My gosh, if a person didn’t already have a skin problem, I figure some of those chemical compounds would have to mess things up and cause more harm than good.
That was where I encountered my first problem with some morgie people on LB message board. Knowing, from a lifelong experience with eczema, in and out of remission, and from general skin sensitivities and allergies, I knew during my ordeal with the mess I’d found myself in when I had the symptoms of “morgellons disease”, to leave well enough alone. I was far from well, though, but I mean, I knew to not mess myself up and to leave my skin alone, aside from occassional things that could soothe and calm it. No hot water…ever. Only quick, tepid baths and showers when skin is irritated.
So many morgie people think that they have something to kill. Applying all the things that they do, is keeping their skin in an exacerbated, perpetual state of upheaval. Their own cellular debris is what they believe the “morgie thingys” are that they think they’re killing. Yes, they keep right on coming, more, and more, and more, because so many of these people won’t allow their skin to rest and heal.
Can’t tell them that. Something is amiss.
Oh, and that’s not to mention, of course, all the rest that comes with it. Non-stop itching and infections from damaging their own acid mantle.
This email is in response to a request from a patient who has improved dramatically, and begged me to look up this ABC medical mystery program (as she feels this is what she has. I am a family doctor near Philadelphia. I have treated approximately 15 of these style patients, successfully. They felt they had some sort of skin parasite and did not seem psychotic to me or in any way delusional. I called a dermatologist friend who assured me they were, in fact, suffering from a mental disorder, but I decided I would presume they had a parasite and devise some treatment. Topical steroids, elimite ( permethrin), and antibiotics were ineffective. I made a presumptive diagnosis of either “Creeping eruption”, or infestation with the larval cyst of the chigger mite (see cover of a recent CUTIS throw-away derm journal). Overseas they treat this “creeping eruption” parasite with topical thiabendazole, but for some reason it is very difficult to get in the US. I prescribed mebendazole tablets, to be crushed and mixed with any type lotion, for one application just to the affected lesions. All of my patients have improved to baseline (no lesions). Some have had temporary recurrences which also responded to a reapplication. As this is an off label use of this medication, I am not recommending it as a treatment for anyone I am not following personally in my office, but I am offering this for informational purposes. Emotional problems are rampant in our society, Anyone who has a persistant dermatitis, and especially is told repeatedly they have an emotional problem would tend to be a self fulfilling prophecy, I caution the doctors who believe everything they get from a textbook. The patient who asked me to contact you regarding this saw 22 doctors over five years, and has basically been through hell. At least her skin has cleared up.
Dr. Skaroff, I’m not sure what you are saying here? That patients need to have their skin conditions fully investigated? I’m in agreement there.
Regarding chiggers – if it was chiggers, why not perform a skin scraping and examine it under a microscope. Chiggers are not that small, the adults can be seen with the naked eye on close examination. Perhaps your patients got better simply becuase you listened to them? Did these patients have fibers coming from their skin?
It is interesting that you would consider the potential for listening to these patients to be curative when I had spent the exact same amount of time with them for the past few years with no benefit. What I was trying to impart was that after seeing this group of patients for over a year each with no benefit, treating them with topical steroids, oral antibiotics, topical permethrin, and having sent them to dermatologists, who generally alienated them and insulted them with this idea of “neurodermatitis”, all of these patients improved with the topical application of mebendazole. If I am not clear here please let me know. Personally I did not care to transmit this information because of the expectation of a rejection of the idea and the potential for personal ridicule. But, I guess I had to give it a shot for whatever it is worth. If you feel like trying the mebendazole concoction on your patients, please let me know if you get no response from it. Thanks.
Dr Skaroff. It would seem that treating 15 patients with a 100% success rate is quite an accomplishment. Why do you not publish your results? Recommending a treatment on the scantest of diagnostic criteria in in internet forum seems a little odd to me.
Again, if it were chiggers, why was it not possible to diagnose them with chiggers?
With all due respect, what type of doctor are you, please?
Excuse, I overlooked your having said that you’re a family doctor. Are you an MD? This sounds very odd. Am i understanding correctly, that you treat patients for “morgellons disease”, because you believe it to be a legitimate DISEASE?
Don’t waste your time on morgellonswatch.com. This website is being paid for by the people responsible for spreading this disease/parasite/bacteria, whatever it is.
Factual information can be found at:
http://biology-online.org/biology-forum/about1958-3324.html (note that you scroll through the posts on the biology website by using the “GoTo Page…” in the upper right hand corner.
Also see:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no2/02-0222.htm and here is more:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2768446&dopt=Abstract
I just found out it is from the tobacco hornworm! This is the insect that the parasitoid wasp does a number on!!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041025120719.htm
I have been trying to tell you guys about the ricsettsia diseases, in which they now call all of them the Bartonellas:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051219084711.htm
Lice Join Ticks As Possible Disease Carriers
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050328182844.htm
I am writing to the family doctor the remains anonymous with regards to morgellons disease. i need to schedule an appointment with a doctor in philadelphia who will listen
well done doctor, welcome
I’ve been using the DermaTechrx products and I must say they have helped me more than anything else. I use other products also, but I keep coming back to DermaTechRx. The creepy crawlys are to a minimum and I don’t have any lesions any more. I use to use Dermisils 750:1 dilution of their disinfectant and switched over to Dermatechrx’s disinfectant because it is the same and its cheaper. $67.95 vs $99.95 for a gallon concentrate.
My problem is that what works today will not work next week. I have found that using dermatechrx’s mitactin, healing spray or the sulfinex as a base works well with other products. I soak in the mitactin salve also in the bath tub. I used to sleep with the mud packs each night, but that is not necessary any more.
i mix 1/4 hydrogen perioxide with 3/4 mitactin in a small bottle with a dropper. I put a few drops in each ear and that has controlled the bugs and activity in my ears.
Dermatechrx has worked best for me. All I can say is that one needs to try it before they knock it. I’m only interested in what works for me. I bought one of their small packs and tried all the products before i invested in the large pack,
Susan
Hi Susan. If you are healed, what causes your problem to keep returning? What kinds of bugs do you have inside your ears, and do you know how they got there? Thanks.
Susan,
Do you think it’s fishy that what works this week isn’t working next week? Is your physical health condition changing every week, or is it still “Morgellons”?
Philly,
Is it that you want an appointment with a doctor who listens, or that you want an appointment with a doctor who collaborates with your opinion?
Daing, Louize, Anonymous found out about us! Quick, go burn your paychecks from “the government.”
BTW, my checks are signed by a senator who did not win re-election. Do you think I should petition for my evil, underground, vicious morgellonswatch.com paycheck to be signed by the incoming senator?
Wow you guys are really looking for a topic. Als post was over 140 days ago.
Thank you, Norman. But if you notice, Susan, a morgie believer, had something to say, in comment #12, on the topic, which is DermaTechRx products. She wasn’t saying anything in reply to Al’s old comment, “Well done doctor”, that he made on October 6th, to a doctor’s comments posted on August 11th. She must have just drifted in here, and right back out, but I was hoping she could answer me. How ya doin’ Norm? I hope you and your mother had a very nice Christmas.
Thank you for posting your comments on whatever it is that is really bugging us. I try and bug them by not letting them rest on me long. So far I have no lesions, but soreness at the nap of neck. I can see them in the sunlight swarming around. They swarm my hair, now I keep a conditioner on with Nizoral shampoo, with a bogin on to keep my head wet and keep reapplying. I also use Icy Hot Balm on my ankles and wrist. And I take to bed a medicated chest rub whereever they want to take a bite. The extentions office in my county said it sound like bedbugs because they crawl whereever skin it pressed to bed. Also I have received some relief from DermaTech RX, but I had hoped to make up my own potion with what I have read from the helpful Doctors and other helpful comments. Thank you.
Just for the record, I want to recommend that “morgellons disease patients” see internists, rather than dermatologists. Try taking a person of trust along to the appointment, let the doctor do their job, and follow up with their charted course of treatment.
I want to say the MORGELLONS is real…. I have flakes that come off my skin and are in the bottom of the tub after taking a bath. I have crusty patches on my back which eventually open and many tiny granules of sand start running all over the body. I have actually seen them after standing in the tub and rinsing my back off with vinegar/water. They would be on the bottom at my feet.
I have white squiggly mushy things on my eyelashes and in the corners of my eyes.
I have a few crater like things on my face.
I have open lesions on my face that take forever to heal.
And I find the same things on my clean bed sheets in the morning.
THIS IS REAL…. NOT IMAGINARY……….. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE AN ALIEN with things on me… but I see them everyday.
Since there arent any doctors here who know how to treat these unexplained symptons, I am going to start an alternative medicine regiment. I already have stopped drinking diet soda… and no sugars.
If you do not have this disease…DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS WHO DO.
i read this entire thread and see that Susan make mentioned of a product that she has used and is working for her. I would be happy to know if it is still working for her. The product name is DermaTechRx. I also used the same products in conjunction with other house hold products and so far, it’s working for me; the company name is Q-based solutions.
My lessions are controlled to one of two on my body now. I soak daily with dead see salts. My major activity is in my ears and head. I’ve been switching between using the Qbased products (Sulfinex, Mitactin Salve and the Mitactin) and over the counter products such as hydrogen peroxide, menthol, mixing balsm of peru, peppermint, and tea tree oil in the Sulfinex, dead sea salts from a company over the internet and mixing several essential oils.
I’ve been reading a lot of sites that explain that keeping your environment clean using disinfectants with benzalkonium chloride will help. I took Susans advice above and have purchased the disinfectant from Qbased. It should be here tommorrow. I will report if it made a difference.