BURNS
A burn is the destruction of human tissue from overheating. It may range from a relatively mild and localized burn in which only the surface skin is affected, to third degree burns—burns penetrating deep into the flesh-to burns of varying degrees covering large areas of the body.
Painstaking research done by the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia), has revealed that there is a critical loss of magnesium in burn victims. Using a technique called atomic absorption measurement they were able to make very accurate chemical analyses of various substances.
The first and obvious problem is that a great deal of tissue has been destroyed and, in its dead form, has become toxic to the body. Not so obvious is the fact that there has been, especially in a major burn situation, a dramatic loss of magnesium.
“It (atomic absorption measurement) saved the life of a young boy who went into violent convulsions after being admitted to a Sydney hospital with severe burns. Atomic absorption tests showed the boy had suffered a critical loss of magnesium. Given doses of that element, he recovered. Today his photograph has a special place in Walsh’s office. (Scientist Walsh is the man who developed this technique.)
“Other atomic absorption tests solved the riddle of the crazed Minamata cats which were diving into the sea off Japan. The discovery that they had eaten mercury-polluted fish saved thousands of people from crippling illness and death. Similar tests recently explained the soaring delinquency rate in Sudbury, Ontario, revealing that a lead-smelting plant was contaminating the town. Atomic absorption has detected tainted baked beans during canning and helped find huge mineral deposits in Western Australia.”
Understanding the problem created by the burning enables us to understand how to treat it. The first task must be to draw off the poisons to prevent their circulation through the system. Secondly, external oxygen must be kept away from the burned areas because oxygen will accelerate decomposition of tissue, and continued decomposition only serves to manufacture more toxins in the form of dying cells. The third objective is to replace the depleted supply of magnesium.
Let us deal with small burns first, such as are encountered in the kitchen when you bump against the hot stove, dip a finger unexpectedly in scalding water, or such like. For these burns, nothing can compare with the application of Epsom salts. Everyone should keep a jar containing a saturated solution of this on their kitchen shelves or in their first aid cabinet. [A solution is considered saturated when the water's capacity to dissolve any more salts is exhausted.]
Some people advocate the use of honey for burns, but we have not had as successful a result with it as with the methods described above. Epsom salts also have the added advantage of not being as messy as honey.
The moment the burn is experienced, quickly dip a bandage in the Epsom salts solution and wrap it around the injury. Burnt fingers can be plunged directly into the jar. In a few moments, the heat and the pain will disappear from the wound, and there will be no blistering. Eight or ten hours later there will not even be a red mark to show where the burn was. Unbelievable? No, not really, because this treatment satisfies all three of the above requirements for a burn. First of all, Epsom salts have long been recognized as a substance having the capacity to draw off poisons and fluids. Secondly, binding up the wound excludes the oxygen; and third, Epsom salts are a magnesium salt, and the skin will absorb the magnesium, thus replacing any deficiencies caused by the burn.
DEEPER BURNS
These may be successfully treated with a potato poultice, either with or without Epsom salts mixed in with it. Potato is also excellent for drawing off poisons, sealing off the oxygen, and being rich in potassium, it likewise makes up deficiencies. Furthermore, the concentration of cold pulp absorbs the heat from the tissues.
*39\62\2*
