DUST ALLERGIES
The Potent Particle.
NB this article is an anecdotal account. It is not a substitute for proper dust control and respiratory protection. Nor, due to the currrent state of legislation, fear and
recourse to the courts, should it be considered as any kind of medical recommendation. Anyone wishing to pursue the methods described here should do so from
their own interest and does so at their own risk. No responsibility is taken for the opinions expressed, nor liability accepted from any choice to experiment you
may make. Use your own intelligence.
In the U.K. Woodworker magazine for February '92 Richard Williams
states that ebony dust is "highly irritating and even stings the skin."
This is an interesting statement, for while it is clearly true for Richard
Williams, it is not true for everyone. I for one have worked ebony several
times and never had this problem. The fact is that such a reaction is an
individual allergy.
Some woods it is recognised, are more likely to cause problems than
others. Iroko, for example, is to most people highly irritating, but even for
such a classic as this there are people who suffer less, even hardly at all,
and some who suffer more even to the point of avoiding Iroko all together.
For many people irritation from wood dust becomes an increasing problem
until they are not able to work any species without problems, even
sometimes having to change their jobs.
This makes it clear that some woods affect nearly all people and some
people are affected by nearly all woods. This turns the problem around so
that people are the focus of attention not timbers.
The fact that many people suffer similar reactions to a given material may
not change the fact that it is an allergic type reaction. Usually an allergy
is only identified as such when the reaction is extreme such as severe rash,
fever or headache. But in fact allergies can show themselves by far more
subtle symptoms such as smarting eyes, slight unwell feeling or less acute
symptoms of many types such as an inability to concentrate or general
lethargy. Often the sufferer makes no connection with his woodwork.
If exposure to the source of the problem is regularly repeated the reaction
will usually build up until the sufferer makes a connection and takes some
action such as avoidance of that timber or improved dust extraction etc.
The people who suffer allergic reactions, are many and varied, the
healthiest person can suddenly find himself affected by either an
apparently innocuous common substance or by something more exotic.
Strawberries, milk, chocolate and pollen are four very common examples
of everyday things that cause a reaction in many people. I remember a
letter to this same magazine several years ago from a gentleman who had
been very ill as a result of sanding down a yew table. As Yew is known to
have poisonous seeds the connection was made.
Usually such a strong reaction will send a person to his doctor Often, as
was the case with this gentleman, modern medicine has very little it can
offer against allergic reactions. Powerful medicines like hormone creams
for skin rash and anti athsma drugs for breathing reactions are like a
sledge hammer to a hazelnut causing as many problems as they solve even
when they are effective.
The answer that I have used is simple, gentle and best of all was made in
my own kitchen, I have applied it many times. It is based on the healing
science of homeopathy now finding far more, acceptance. Recently some
serious scientific evidence has emerged to support what for years has
worked for many.
The principle of homeopathy is that Like Cures Like, according to this
principle if a person is suffering from a given symptom say watering eyes
and a runny nose, they may benefit from a substance that would normally
cause these symptoms, in this case onions. The substance to be given is
first “potentized”
The key here is the word potentized.
Potentization is a process of stepped dilution and mixing either by
taking one part of a substance and nine parts of water or sometimes
ninety nine parts of water and mixing very thoroughly indeed, then
diluting this again with the same quantity of fresh water as before.
Thus the original substance is rapidly diluted, while its healing
potential is increased.
This amazing effect is the subject of the recent research in physics,
chemistry and biology. Though there is no agreed unifying theory, it
has now been widely demonstrated in very numerous laboratory and
hospital trials.
The branch of homeopathy that I am going to describe here is called
“Isopathy” because it takes as its curative substance not something
causing similar symptoms as above but the very substance causing the
problem in the first place.
Please note that I am not a doctor and am not making any medical
recommendations or prescribing any method of health improvement. I
am describing something that worked for me and for many people I
know. If you wish to try the system that worked for me this is what
you do
If you have a problem with a wood dust that you can clearly identify
you start by gathering a teaspoon or so of this dust. If you cannot
clearly identify one species that is alone causing the problem you can
gather a cross section of the sort of wood you use by collecting dust
from a few recesses of the workshop that are rarely cleaned. On top of
a beam or high shelf, from the moulding over a door, from under a
machine maybe around the motor or anyplace to which dust can drift by
but is hardly ever cleaned. To get the best cross section gather several
teaspoons from as many such places as you can find and stir them
together.
For wood dust the next stage is simple. You put it in water and leave it
to soak for 10 - 20 hours.
Keep it warm but do not allow it to get much hotter than blood
temperature.
If the substance causing the problem is oily (motor oil can cause
allergies ) or in any other way not soluble in water such as fluffy
household dust (which I have successfully used to “cure”* more than
one person's house dust allergy) then the next step is to grind it up in
salt. Using ordinary household salt in a mortar and pestle, grind in the
substance steadily for at least three minutes without stopping. Then
place the salty compound in water as above
The homeopathic jargon for the solution that has been soaking for this
time is “Mother Tincture" and from here beginneth the lesson.
The equipment you will need is three jam jars, one with a watertight lid
and a teaspoon or similar small measure. Also three or four litres of
water, boiled and cooled. The jam jars and the teaspoon must be
sterilised either by boiling in water for ten minutes or in a low oven for
25 minutes. Do not use any chemical sterilises from baby
or wine making equipment or of any other sort. Once everything is
done and cooled down you can start the process of potentization which
should not take more than an hour.
From your mother tincture measure one teaspoonful of liquid into the
jar with the lid. This is your shaking jar. Add into this nine
1
teaspoonfuls of cooled boiled water. To make measuring these easier I fill
one of the jars with the boiled water and spoon it from there.
Close the lid on these ten spoonfuls and shake it continuously for three or
four minutes. Two and a half is my minimum, though the classical method
of mixing is to bang the jar against a leather bound book at least 40 times.
The Wala method as used in the Dr. Hauschka homeopathic medicines is
to move the jar in a figure of 8 motion such that the liquid sprays out into
weightlessness at the top and returns heavily into itself at the bottom for
two and a half minutes, being one fraction of a platonic year. I just shake
it as above, take your pick.
Now pour this into the third jar and fix a label or piece of masking tape
onto this jar. This shaken mix is called in homeopathic jargon D1 Write
this on one end of your label.
Now into the empty shaking jar measure one teaspoonful of your D1 mix
and nine of boiled water, close the lid and shake again for the same time.
This done throw away your Dl mix, you don't need it.
Rinse the jar with boiled water and pour the new mix into it, mark it "D2"
on the label. And so repeat as before, one teaspoon of the previous mix
(D2) nine teaspoons of boiled water, shake for three minutes, chuck D2,
rinse jar fill with D3, one teaspoon D3, nine of boiled water etc. until the
labelled jar has D6 written on it.
D6 is the best potency for basic Isopathy. It is a reliable and effective
cure in most situations.
Using the dosage described below you have enough power in this jar to
shift or "cure" your allergic reaction for years to come.
I have seen highly annoying allergies “disappear” from numerous people
coincidentally with taking drops of a D6 solution. Including house dust
allergies in both my wives and in my sister which were the start of me
making these remedies.
Following the publication of this article a furniture college teacher told me
that he had had such a strong face rash after working oaks that he had
been unable to use this common and useful timber at all. Trying, as a last
resort this weird and silly idea he found the problem disappeared and has
not returned.
With care other forms of homeopathic remedies can be made such as the
onion example above, often very useful in cold weather. It is a good idea
to consult an expert before being too adventurous.
Should it happen that your allergic reaction does not respond to the D6
taken as described below you can continue the 1:9 potentization process
up to D12. Dilutions between D6 and D12 are less effective than either of
them. Do this only if you are sure you have identified the problem
material correctly. In the rare case that D12 is ineffective it is better to
consult a professional homeopath than taking it further alone. Higher
potencies can have surprising effects. The yellow pages should list a
registered homeopathic practitioner.
Now that you have your D6 solution you can store it for months or even
years if you keep it sterile.It will be neutralised if you freeze it, overheat it
or expose it to strong smells such as peppermint chemicals or essential
oils. A common practice is the addition of an equal quantity of brandy to
aid sterility.
A D6 solution contains approximately one, part in a million of your
original mother tincture. So why is it so effective? This is the question the
researchers are asking.
Answers are varied and spring from differing world views.
In the language of new biology the morphological field has been patterned
by the original material enhancing the structure by the repetition of the
rhythmic succession.
Using Goethean science terms you could say that the water and the
rhythmic action have increased the strength of the ethereal forms of the
original material.
Or you could note that molecular science has recently uncovered a
large number of different patterns that water molecules form into. Any
body of water will contain groups of different patterns, and change and
exchange amongst these groups is part of water’s life. Complex
groupings of some of the most beautiful of these structures are now
being connected with the healing effects of water’s different forms.
However you care to view it, the proof of the pudding is in the eating
and centuries of use have catalogued its effectiveness
The common way of taking such a remedy is ten drops in water, at the
onset of symptoms. This at half hourly intervals for up to 4 doses, or 3
times a day till symptoms are relieved. Another method is twice a day
for 30 days which can relieve the symptoms for a long time to come.
During the period you are taking the remedy avoid mints in all their
forms and for some people coffee also neutralises the effects, though
not if it is decaffeinated. Garlicand strong essential oils are also to be
avoided.
The joy of this method of allergy treatment is not only in its
effectiveness but in having made something oneself that has this
remarkable effect. It looks like pure water but time and again it works
like magic.
Take your health as your own responsibility. Reclaim your
independence.
Notes.
This article has been checked for accuracy and safety by a professional
homeopath.
Should you wish to speak to a homeopath a list of those in your area in
the UK can be obtained from:
The Society of Homeopaths,
2 Artizan Road,
Northampton.
NN1 4HU.
Tel:01604 21400.
For those outside the UK, this society may be able to link you with
associated bodies in your land.
Tobias Kaye 1993.
*NB if this technique does work for you avoid claiming you have cured
anything, it tends to upset drug companies and some doctors who feel
threatened. It is best simply to say that there was a strange coincidence
between the disappearance of symptoms and use of the technique. In
this age when science has become a church with it’s own dogma and
articles of economic faith dissemination of this sort of account can be
seen as subversive.