Let's Talk About Wounds with Rachel
Where do you start?
#1 - A healthy wound environment.
#2 - Addressing the Liver (responsible for the production of blood cells).
This customer came to us with a horse that had been being treated for a large fetlock wound and at that time the horse was only being treated with a topical wound mud.
Our customer was open-minded and receptive to our suggestions. The wound initially presented as large, dry, and developed significant scar tissue. We began by addressing the wound environment. First, we thoroughly cleaned off all the topical mud, ensuring we had a clean surface to work with. We advise against using such topical muds, as they often hinder healing in several ways. One major issue is that they can leave the wound dry and dehydrated, which impedes optimal healing. For healthy tissue regeneration, wounds need to stay hydrated. These muds work by attempting to heal from the outside in, but our goal is to promote healing from the inside out.
Our formula Repair involves addressing the liver which removes stagnation of Qi and Blood while increasing the production of blood cells. Scar tissue is a sign of stagnation of Qi and blood throughout the body. This indicates the need to target the liver and open the channels to facilitate the movement of Qi and nourish liver blood to the wound. Without proper flow, the body cannot repair the tissue as we desire; instead, it fills the area with fibrous tissue—essentially a quick fix, not a true repair.
There’s a common misconception that scar tissue cannot be reversed, but that’s not true. Depending on the age and severity of the wound, scar tissue may require debridement. There are topical medications that can help dissolve scar tissue, but I’m cautious about using anything that could potentially disrupt the wound environment.
Regarding the wound environment, we applied raw manuka honey to stimulate the release of chemicals from the inflammatory cells to enhance healing and CICA-Care silicone gel patches. While these patches are typically used for scars, we used them directly on the wound. They help create a healthy environment for healing. Processes like autolytic debridement and collagen synthesis are crucial for wound healing, and these steps are only effective in a well-maintained wound environment.
As you can see in the photos, we made significant progress just by adjusting the wound environment. The wound became much healthier, though we still noticed swelling and the formation of proud flesh. The customer started using Repair on 1/30/25, after wrapping the wound, and by 2/8/25, there was a noticeable reduction in swelling and improvement in the tissue’s appearance. From there, healing progressed rapidly.
Again, it is worth noting that this case did not use any topical treatment aside from raw honey initially. From there we used only Repair orally and the CICA-Care silicone gel patches as part of maintaining the wound environment.
