The main goal of this drug monitoring study is to determine if eczema, dermatitis, acne and psoriasis can be treated effectively and safely with a herbal ointment as an alternative to synthetic cortisone. The harmful side effects of synthetic hydrocortisone are well documented. As a result we have researched a number of alternatives to see if a viable product can be proven effective. The subject of this study is the Herbal Ointment developed by N2 Natural Health Pharmaceutical. Please note that although the term "drug" is used with reference to this ointment it is a 100% organically produced herbal and plant based product with no traditional drug additives.

Application

Patients were instructed to apply the ointment by two methods.

Topical application was five treatments per day on affected areas.

Hydrotherpeutic use was part of the hygiene program. While bathing, 5ml of ointment was dispersed under running tap water. Patients bathed as normal and lightly towel dried or allowed the air to dry them.

Methodology

Drug monitoring clinical trials are observational studies used to learn more about the treatment of registered drugs. Typically drug monitoring studies require a non-influencing relationship between physician and patient. Consequently, the patients for this study were randomly selected from the population of people with skin disorders rather than selected according to predetermined criteria.

Structurally, drug monitoring normally consists of a course of observation throughout the treatment period. In this particular study we have seen the patients after one, two, four, and seven days, after four weeks and after three months. During each consultation the physician scored the skin disorder, together with the subjective impression of the patient.

Characteristics of the patients

By gender, 107 were female and 80 males. Ages ranged from 3 to 49 years old. 23 suffered from their skin disorder for more than 4 weeks, 137 more than 3 months and 11 more than 1 year.

The drug monitoring group was composed of 187 people. 72% had seen a dermatologist before, 28% used self medication

Condition of Patiens before Study

Skin Condition: 57 suffered from eczema, 61 from dermatitis, 39 from psoriasis, 24 from acne and 6 from other skin disorders.

Affected areas: hands 80%, arms 83%, legs 74%, face 44%.

Score of skin condition: open, inflamed, red, infected and itchy.

Medication used before Study

Treatment with floraderm Herbal Ointment

All participants used the herbal ointment five times a day. For their daily cleaning regimen they were asked to use HerbaCort as an additive to the water for bath. Apart from the Herbal Ointment no other internal or external treatment was allowed.

The medical supervision took place one day after the first treatment, the second day, the fourth day, one week, four weeks and the final check after three months. All 187 participants finished the study.

Findings

None of the participants stopped the treatment by reason of incompatibility, allergies, or any side effects. During the three supervised months of the study there were no patients who did not approve of the treatment with the Herbal Ointment.

After 24 Hours:

83% of the group reported on the first medical supervision day, that itching disappeared within minutes after using the Herbal Ointment.

16% reported this phenomena after one hour and only 1% improved their itch just a little bit.

72% of patients noted that their skin felt softer and the physical discomfort had disappeared on the first day. Only 28% did not improve after 24 hours (with the exception of their itch disappearing). By the second day this group was reduced to19%.

After 1Week:

After one week participants with open skin (32% of the drug monitoring group) had visible reduction of the open skin, reduction of inflammation and infection. Only 10% of the 187 participants felt the same as before treatment (the exception again is that their itching did disappear).

After 4 Weeks:

After 4 weeks 100% of participants with skin lesions experienced improvement. We found this particularly significant because patients who take cortisone for this long normally experience side effects. The itchiness did not disappear from 2 participants and there was still an infection and inflammation found in 9 people.

With respect to the above mentioned 11 people who were having difficulty healing, was the fact that these people were all treated with synthetic cortisone for more then one year.

As a result of the apparent relationship between slow healing and previous treatment with synthetic cortisone we began to look more closely at this select group. Our observation was that 19% of the entire study group of 187 patients had no previous cortisone treatment. This group responded much faster to treatment with the herbal ointment regardless of the severity of their skin disorder at the outset of the study. The length of treatment with synthetic cortisone appears to vary directly with time required to heal using the herbal ointment.

We note that the Herbal Ointment repaired the visible side effects of previous synthetic cortisone treatment like paper thin skin. Later the skin disorder which was present at the commencement of the study experienced a reduction in infection or inflammation. Most notably the only exception was the itching - most patients experienced relief within the first 2 days.

After Month 3:

After month 3, no subjects experienced any itching.

2% of patients had inflammation, 2% had infections and 4% experienced light red skin. The results after 3 months was similar to the 4th week results.

Conclusion

The results of the Herbal Ointment study validate claims that this herbal ointment is indeed as effective in treating eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and other skin disorders as synthetic cortisone. It has proven efficient as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. Results substantiate that the Herbal Ointment is superior to hydrocortisone and corticosteriods in that it produced no side effects and in most cases visibly healed the damage caused by prolonged cortisone use.

Author:

Dr. Dirk Wiedbrauck MD., ND

About the author:

Dr. Dirk Wiedbrauck, born in July, 1950, after finishing his medical studies, became Germany’s youngest practicing medical doctor. Following four years of medical school he had his own successful practice as general practitioner for sixteen years.

During medical school he had his first doubts about the purely symptom-oriented treatment of diseases as practiced by modern medicine. After establishing his own practice, he engaged in intensive ongoing training in naturopathy, including a visit to China to learn traditional Chinese medicine as well as consulting and learning from experienced natural practitioners and homeopaths.

His acquired knowledge enabled him to apply medicine in a holistic manner and to have excellent results in the treatment of cancer and skin disorders, for example. His medical career evolved more and more in the direction of orthomolecular medicine, the therapy with vitamins, trace elements, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids, and thus away from the therapy with synthetic substances.

He developed and published his own therapeutic concepts which met with great interest from his colleagues, and treated his patients individually. It turned out that the work load in the medical office did not allow the implementation of such a therapy. He therefore designed a semi-ambulant clinic for traditional Chinese medicine and naturopathic therapies.

In 1990, he made an important acquaintance. His great interest in the treatment with natural substances had established many contacts with pharmaceutical producers. One producer had set himself the task to develop a preparation for the treatment of skin disorders made from natural substances that would be as effective as synthetic cortisone. Both Dr. Wiedbrauck and the producer shared this enthusiasm to such an extent that it produced a fusion of practical medical need and research capacity. This created the optimal and unique condition for the conception of a naturopathic preparation. Rather than being determined by scientific theory, the development was promoted by practical need. This personal contact proved to be one of the most fruitful in the doctor’s professional career.

Because of his extensive experience, he was frequently invited to lecture on naturopathic therapies during the last years of his general practice. There he presented the importance and complexity of the fusion of both medical approaches, traditional medicine and naturopathic medicine.

The permanent quest for the optimization of his work led him in 1995 to the Canary Islands west of Africa, reputed to possess the world’s healthiest climate. There he founded a semi-ambulant clinic for the chronically ill.

Supported by the convincing results of his work and the increasing positive response from his patients, Dr. Wiedbrauck today feels the need to turn to the public. He wants to use his experiences from the practical activity in the field of naturopathic medicine as a motor for the popularization and recognition of highly effective and non-toxic therapies. In doing so, naturopathic medicine will attain the status it deserves. In his own opinion, this project will undoubtedly be a difficult one, but he is certain to have the support of a large part of the population.