fabrics best tolerated? silk etc

[novemberrain]

So I keep hearing silk is good. Is this true? Why?

What other fabrics seem to help?

Thanks!

[jonsi]

I think where the clothes are made has a lot to do with the biting sensations.

China has used nano-tech in producing fibers and other things. Who knows what else they add to what they produce.

For a long time I couldn't wear anything made in China because it "bit" me. Cotton especially...

Household Traditions Bug Arrest "Bug-Arrest" is a good enzyme that you can dilute and spray on your clothes to get rid of the "M". Another thing that helped me was to put my clothes in individually tightly sealed plastic bags (after the dryer & bug-arrest) until I wore them. Try calling you local pet stores to see if the carry "bug-arrest" before you buy it on-line.

Anyone tried America hemp clothing? If i had the money, that's all I would wear

itwl,
~jonsi

[zenmorgie]

Great question! Silk is helpful - I used to be able to wear fleece without much problem but that seems to irritate me if it has the dreaded fiber balls attached (I know the fiber balls can happen naturally but either M's related or just normal they bug my skin if I leave them on my clothing). I got a cheap little de-fuzzer and use it on anything fleece related. When things were really bad initially I ironed my clothing before getting dressed in the am and that was so helpful. I can wear most everything now without incident.

If any of you live in cooler climates how are you handling winter jackets and such? I cannot wash jackets after every use for a family of 5 so I need some kind of strategy - spraying with an enzyme cleaner or maybe Lysol (once and a while) - thoughts?

[tcmgpt13]

I have never noticed that not washing winter weight garments after every use made one bit of difference to my symptoms. IMO this infection, whatever it is, is generated internally and is not caught from the environment past being exposed to heavy metals which probably weaken the body, inviting infections of many kinds to flourish. Have you ever been tested using standard testing from Lab Corp or Quest? You may find you have some viral or bacterial infections which could be identified and treated. Not a cure, but a lot of the debris you see may disappear magically.

[annesco]

I wear a ton of fleece, and find that it sometimes irritates me around the neck, but then most things do. Aside from the M thing, my neck skin is very dry these days, especially around the neck and wrists... I find that nylon worn underneath helps a lot. I can wear cotton blends now, too. I can wear jeans, and most anything, without too much trouble.

As to winter coats, I bought a quilted "puff" coat, full-length that is washable and dryable, and wash all of my jackets once a week. It seems to suffice. I used to spray a little lysol along the collar and sleeve cuffs, but I don't anymore. I also don't seal my clothes in plastic all of the time anymore, and haven't seen any increase in negative occurences. But I do wipe down my dresser drawers with Pine sol, and keep lavendar-scented moth balls in each one. The new formula moth balls don't leave a smell in your clothing, so I can take stuff out and put it on and go to work without worry. If you buy the "old fashioned" ones, they definitely leave a scent. I also put moth balls in a lot of my shoes when not wearing them.

I used to iron all of my clothes before wearing in the first stages too, and I think it helped back then, but I don't need to do that anymore. Still washing my own clothes seperately from hubby's though. Sheets twice a week, and change my pillow case daily. Borax is a must in every load. I sound like a commercial.

[Pollyringworm]

Originally Posted by annesco

I wear a ton of fleece, and find that it sometimes irritates me around the neck, but then most things do. Aside from the M thing, my neck skin is very dry these days, especially around the neck and wrists... I find that nylon worn underneath helps a lot. I can wear cotton blends now, too. I can wear jeans, and most anything, without too much trouble.

As to winter coats, I bought a quilted "puff" coat, full-length that is washable and dryable, and wash all of my jackets once a week. It seems to suffice. I used to spray a little lysol along the collar and sleeve cuffs, but I don't anymore. I also don't seal my clothes in plastic all of the time anymore, and haven't seen any increase in negative occurences. But I do wipe down my dresser drawers with Pine sol, and keep lavendar-scented moth balls in each one. The new formula moth balls don't leave a smell in your clothing, so I can take stuff out and put it on and go to work without worry. If you buy the "old fashioned" ones, they definitely leave a scent. I also put moth balls in a lot of my shoes when not wearing them.

I used to iron all of my clothes before wearing in the first stages too, and I think it helped back then, but I don't need to do that anymore. Still washing my own clothes seperately from hubby's though. Sheets twice a week, and change my pillow case daily. Borax is a must in every load. I sound like a commercial.

Haha, yeah a commercial. Can you imagine? "Use borax to get those pesky Morgie's out of your favorite linens." Who should our spokesperson be? Tom Cruise? He could jump and down on a sofa while saying it. Maybe with a box of open Borax in his hand that flies out every time he jumps.

[jonsi]

I use borax in every load of wash too!

itwl,
~jonsi

[novemberrain]

I find fleece and down bothersome for some reason. I wash ALOT w. borax, baking soda, salt, oregeno oil.

[thebaldchic]

from what i'm reading the m survives on cellulose which makes sense as to why you would have more sensation when wearing cotton and other fabrics made with a cotton blend.

right now i'm wearing a cotton shirt that's "organic" LOL i've got more sensation now than i do wearing my under armour garb. that's it, i'm wearing spandex from here on out!

i was doing a little test today. green tea seems to knock these things out. i pulled some off of a sweatshirt. these were very fine but long fibers. i put some on a freshly used teabag and others i dripped tea on. these things freaked! they were wiggling all around trying to get off the bag. in the end they stopped moving and broke apart very easily.

i'm going to try making a linen spray with green tea and possibly some menthol, like dr bronners or the like.

[jeanlong]

I like smooth fabrics. I personally wear organic cotton, some regular cotton, silk, rayon and tencel. I think as long as you don't have an allergic reaction, that is not what will make your skin feel OK or not. My outerwear jackets are poly, nylon, and blends. I don't wear anything that feel scratchy or stiff, no matter what it is made of.

But to be comfortable, make sure anything irritating is avoided, that's my idea. That could be perfume in the laundry soap, or stuff with irritating anything - people can be sensitive and have contact dermatitis from wool, angora, or from stuff in the textiles - detergent chemicals, fabric softeners, chlorine, textile colorants, textile mordants, starch,etc. Laundry products by Seventh Generation, Ecover, and biokleen are biodegradable, nontoxic, and generally provoke fewer allergic responses.

Agree with TCM that this skin difficulty is a problem mainly from a systemic issue, meaning the internal pathogens and parasites need to be controlled. They are probably in the skin and gut, and the blood, the way borrelia lives.