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Natural Cures for Boils

Boils are pus-filled, inflamed areas of the skin that can occur anywhere on the body, usually at an infected hair follicle. Most common sites are low back, thighs, buttocks, back of neck, and armpits.

Boils usually start as very painful slightly red bumps. They then become more swollen, more painful, redder, filled with pus and with a yellowish-white tip, and will keep draining or causing pain until the "core," a sac surrounding the pus, is expelled. The infection is usually due to the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

Recurrent boils can occur in people with decreased immune function, diabetes, chronic gastrointestinal problems, under active thyroid, lowered resistance due to borderline nutrient deficiencies, and chronic emotional stress. Bursting a boil can spread it, leaving scars, and usually does no good until the core is expelled.

Doctors commonly prescribe oral antibiotics to treat boils. Unfortunately, there are many harmful side effects associated with antibiotics, including nausea, vomiting, epigastric distress and diarrhea. Hypersensitivity reactions such as skin eruptions (ranging from maculopapular to exfoliative dermatitis) have also been observed; urticaria; reactions resembling serum sickness, including chills, fever, edema, arthralgia, and prostration; laryngeal edema; and anaphylaxis.

There are natural cures for boils that are designed to give immediate relief, as well as to improve one's general health. Dietary and lifestyle changes enable the body's natural defenses to fight the infection.