Scalding Water Treatment...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
April 4, 2009 11:01pm CST
Like some other ppl here on MyLot, I have allergies…not serious ones especially now that I’m older and know what to avoid. I’m also very sensitive to chemicals like in bleach, soaps, cleaners and things like that. When I was young, around 7-8 years old and had moved back with my Dad, my hands were badly broken out. I don’t remember the exact reason but I think it had to do with the soap my Mom was using when I was living with her.
Anyways, the doctors treatment at the time has always been crazy to me. Every night after my bath I had to fill the bathroom sink with scalding hot water (all hot, no cold). Then I had to hold my hands in the water for 15 minutes. I’d scream and cry the whole time. Afterwards I had to have a thick cream put on my hands and had to wear mittens to bed. This went on for around 3-4 weeks.
I was telling my Mom about it the other day and she couldn’t believe that a doctor would make a child do something like that.
If a doctor gave your child that kind of treatment, would you do it? Could you stand to hold your hands in scalding water for 15 minutes? Have you ever heard of a treatment like this?
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
14 people like this
39 responses
@Polly1 (12644)
• United States
5 Apr 09
First off-did it help your hands? Second-you could ave seriously burnt you hands. I can see holdings your hands in hot water, but not scalding. I wouldn't have a child hold their hands in scalding water. The cream idea is a good one and then wearing mittens to bed.
2 people like this
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
5 Apr 09
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v125/n6/full/5603667a.html
Read this.
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
5 Apr 09
Did you READ the article? Besides the original poster said she had reactions on her hands. I said it before and I said it again, it does work as I use that method all the time.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
5 Apr 09
There's no way I would make my child do something like that! I'd consult another doctor or research it myself. People shouldn't trust doctors as if they are gods, we often can use common sense and do ourselves more good than a visit to a doctor.
1 person likes this
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
5 Apr 09
Well actually I use that treatment all the time for bad allergy responses. the body can not process both pain and itching at the same time, the stronger input get the resonse, sort of confusing the body. I use a hot facecloth and hold it on the area involved. I do not use scalding water, but as hot as I can stand. It stops the itch until my allergy pills can start to work, and sometimes I do not need the pills at all. Sometimes I also use my hair dryer.
1 person likes this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
5 Apr 09
You may very well be right...I've never heard of the treatment and have never seen it prescribed for anyone else but then I don't check out every persons treatment from their doctor. I do think it's a crazy treatment to give to a child. An adult perhaps but not a child.
[b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169474)
• United States
5 Apr 09
Okay, it sounds like a treatment philosophy called a counter irritant. That is like putting a cream on shingles outbreaks that has capsaicin (hot pepper) oil on it. Or on arthritis areas as well.
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
5 Apr 09
I can see how the hot water helps, it feels almost like scratching it only without damaging the skin. But as you said, you use a facecloth, or something else, not scalding water. I've been told water would make it worse. I would think maybe even a heating pad or something like that would work, as long as it does not reach too high a temperature.
@mcelhenney (481)
• United States
7 Apr 09
I have never heard of anything like that.I would never let a child of mine do something like that .I would call it child abuse.What did your dad say about a treatment like that? Why did he let you do it.? Did it do any good? I could not hold my hands in scalding water and I most certainly would not let my child do it.Some one should have reported that doctor to some one.
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
5 Apr 09
Hi twoey68,
I don't think I could have done that and no I would do it, I'll go for second opinon and I have never heard of that kind of treatment and my sister-in-law is a doctor and she has never heard of it either, but did it cure you?
Tamara
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11642)
• United States
5 Apr 09
I'm not sure... The hot water would be to open the pores, which would help clean them out. Putting the cream on right away would help it soak into the open pores. It does seem pretty drastic though. I can think of MANY easier and probably a bit safer ways to go.
My step-daughter seems to have the same problem and we've tried to get her mother to let her us some of the natural products we've been using to see if they will help - since there are no abrasives in them. Unfortunately since this stuff isn't on the Johns' Hopkins "approved" list she wont even try them. I'm sure she'd try the scalding water though if they told her too...
1 person likes this
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
5 Apr 09
That would not be something I would want to be told to do. I can't see any logical reason why this would be a treatment for anything! I remember having a device put on my thumb at night or having tabasco on my thumbs to stop thumb sucking. It did not work I finally stopped on my own. If a doctor told me to do that to my kids, first I would report him to the local medical board and then I would find another doctor.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51819)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
5 Apr 09
No, I've never heard of such a treatment. I would have to question the doctor's sanity. These days, with the internet and all, it would be very easy to look up an alternative treatment.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
5 Apr 09
I am not sure if I would do the treatment unless I looked it up for myself, because if it's involving children I would want to know all the facts. I don't know if I could stand to hold my hands in scalding hot water for fifeteen minutes, but I do think I've heard of something like this before.
It's crazy but I know that there has always been advancements in medicine and other technologies that make techniques of the past seem silly. Often times their not, but also not known to be tried and true so are seen to be silly.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
5 Apr 09
that's horriblt is cruel. i would never make my child do that. can't see where any fool would think that would help anything. that just caused more problems. i'm so sorry u had to go through that. it's cruel & inhuman to do a child or anyone that way. i wouldn't have done it either & as i said much less put my child through it.
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
9 Apr 09
oh really? then what happened to your hands? did it heal for that mean treatment prescribed by the doctor? if ever it healed your allergy I think, the doctor is doing the right thing. Maybe that is the way to kill the bacteria that brings allergy. But with a scalding water? that is too much. You did not say it here if it helps with you or not?
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
5 Apr 09
That is horrible! I have similar problems with skin allergies, particularly with my hands. While really warm (NOT hot) water can feel good on your skin if it's itchy, I've ALWAYS been told to put them in water as little as possible. If that worked, it was probably the cream and mittens that did it, not the hot water. I could never do that to my child no matter what. But then I think back when we were kids, people still thought doctors were gods who could do no wrong; if they told you to do something, you did it. And after all, there are plenty of legitimate treatments that cause pain and misery (for example, chemotherapy and treatment for burn victims). So I guess maybe it can be hard for a parent to judge when a doctor recommends a treatment that seems wrong because of the pain it causes.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
19 Apr 09
That sounds like abuse to me. I have never heard of any such thing. I don't think that I would make my child do something like that. It is totally cruel.
@tammyr (5945)
• Etowah, Tennessee
19 Apr 09
I don't think I would make my child try that! My water is set pretty hot and I think it would cause severe burns!!
Maybe try it with some cold added and if it helped then yes I would do it, but only at a safe temp and if she was screaming and crying I would say the water is too hot!
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
1 May 09
If that doctor tried to do that here, he'd be struck off. Scalding hot water can permenantly damage the nerves in your hands, which means a loss of ability to tell the difference between hot and cold as well as the potential for loss of function.
I think the doctor was better off prescribing a steroid cream for the problem or recommending something like an Aloe Vera based prodcut. They are more gentle to the skin and do actually work.
Having suffered from some allergie myself, particularly to soaps, I have learnt that the best way to treat them is to discontinue use of the product and use a moisturiser designed for babies until the problem clears up. If it doesn't within a couple of weeks, I go and see my gp to get a steroid cream to clear it up.
@magrylouyu (1627)
• United States
19 Apr 09
NO way NO how would I EVER agree to have any of my children do that kind of "treatment". That is just cruel and unusual! If any doctor ever gave that kind of treatment I would opt to find another doctor at that point. I would never even do that kind of treatment. I dont think that doctors would really even say something like that these days.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
5 Apr 09
lol well i take baths that way as is since i have a high tolerance to heat so if its not boiling it feels cold to me.. but for a normal person?? heck no! and i could not make my kids or anyone i knew or loved go through that!! jeeze docs are just nuts sometimes!
