Eczema

[Nina]

I've been diagnosed recently with nummular (discoid) exzema.

It's been horrendous, but I've cut out cheese, chocolate (well, most of the time!) and started taking flax seed oil supplements. I've also been doing reiki on the affected areas.

Anyone suffer anything similar? What helps them? I'm left with just dry patches and discolouration now, but at the time the open cracked skin was intensely painful, and when it wasn't painful it was itchy! Plus I felt very self-conscious, as it was quite awful to look at.

Any clues on how to avoid another flare-up like that?

[Danustouch]

I know that exema is linked to stress. And I also heard that acidic foods can make it worse. I have read that Exema is related to the gastrointestinal tract. This is a list of reccomendations one former sufferer made to take care of eczema as it is related to gastro intestinal problems.Letters from the SCD support group: concerning skin rashes and excema



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Rashes
Wed, 16 Apr 1997 12:46:32 GMT

>Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 Does anyone have problems with skin rashes? My daughter continues to get better, but her skin rashes get worse. This week she had a full blown outbreak of eczema. Is there a relationship between skin problems and "leaky gut"?
I've treated her with topical aloe vera, oatmeal baths, and have started her on a EPA formula again with some success. Thanks.

Joyce Lavery





Re: rashes
Thu, 17 Apr 1997 17:24:16 GMT

Hi Joyce,

In my experience there is a connection between leaky gut and skin problems. I've been a sufferer of eczema since I was ten years old. Since being on the diet for approx. two months now, it has gradually gone away. I don't understand exactly the mechanism of how it happens though -- why leaky gut causes skin problems. I imagine there is a kind of auto-immune response going on.

Best wishes, Denise





Skin rash
Thu, 17 Apr 1997 17:55:47 GMT

Joyce & others,

I get these small, round, red patches on my back, legs, arms. They start out looking like bug bites, but then the redness goes away and the skin turns very dry and flakey and they get to be about the size of a quarter. Just a small dry patch that itches like crazy!

Can I have some suggestions on how to treat this. How do I stop the itching? What can I do for the dryness. I've used lotion, oils, etc. nothing seems to work. But I've never connected it to my crohn's until Joyce's note.

Warmest regards, Jim





Re: Skin rash
Thu, 17 Apr 1997 19:06:23 GMT

The description above is that of exzema. I had replied to Joyce previously about this, but since others are interested, I thought I'd also post to the list.

Skin problems are totally related to the gastrointestinal tract. I got excema, acne, and boils, plus erythema nodosum when I was first diagnosed. Usually, when there's something going on in the gut, it will express on the skin. This is very common. If you want to know what helped me with the skin, it was Homeopathy.
If you can find a GOOD, QUALIFIED, EXPERIENCED Homeopathic Practitioner, it would be well worth it. I suggest you go to your public library first, and do some research. There are many books written on the subject of homeopathy which explain it very well, and in terms you can understand.
When I read about it, I realized it really made sense. I am currently undergoing treatment from a good homeopath that I found via an internet refferal page. Come to think of it, there is also a lot of info about it on the net, if you do a few searches. Trust me, it's well worth the time and effort.

Whatever you do, don't go to a dermatologist or MD about it except as a last resort. Unless it is very severe, I would advise against consulting any MDs about excema at all for the simple reason that they tend to use cookbook medicine, which equals a prescription for steroid creams. These creams have a tiny percentage of corticosteroid in them, which is the exact same thing as prednisone. And if you know anything about the effects of prednisone, you will want to be wary about using any steroid products unnecessarily. Now, I can almost guarantee that a GP or Dermatologist will give you those creams, simply because that is the protocal, and they "think" it is harmless.
The problem with the creams is that although they may seem to cure the problem very quickly, the body does not see it that way. The body sees it as a suppression of a symptom it is trying to express, and the body's reaction to this suppression is to drive the expression further within the body. It will pop up again, as some other symptom; maybe a flareup of IBD, or some other problem.
This may not be what your used to hearing, but I did not invent this theory. I learned about it from reading about homeopathy. I believe that somehow, all the years of steroid creams, steroid inhalers, and antibiotics given to me by my doctors for skin conditions and allergies contributed to my getting CD.
I know I have not "proof" for this theory, but it is definately a possibility. If I had known then what I know now, I never would have used all those meds. It was not worth it. I think that each time my body tried to express an imbalance, I suppressed it the wrong way, instead of re-establishing the balance through natural methods like homeopathy or botanical medicine. Don't worry, I'm not a natural-only fanatic; I have taken plenty of drugs for my CD, but when it comes to skin problems, MDs don't really know the best way to deal with them.

I hope this didn't sound too lecturing, because I just wanted to pass on something that may be of help.
I know I would have wanted someone to do the same for me years ago. Anna






Re: Skin rash
Thu, 17 Apr 1997 22:35:47 GMT

Thanks for the responses. I've done some internet searches and found a useful site, "Altered Immunity & the Leaky Gut Syndrome". The author links this syndrome with Crohns and other digestive and auto-immune diseases including eczema -- the toxins that leak through a permuable intestinal wall can affect the health of the skin-- this site is at: http://www.naturallink.com/homepages/zoltan_rona/leaky/
Also -- the Julius Roth Foundation -- http://www.flair.co.uk/jroth/index.htm offers natural topical treatments that are supposedly curative.
So far,I've avoided giving my daughter prednisone. Interestingly enough, she was given a short course of prednisone for asthma 3 years ago (I told her doctor to never ask me to give it to her again), and she started having a host of other symptoms -- stomach aches, lack of appetite, etc. this is probably typical. I don't think the prednisone was causative,but aided in creating leaky gut syndrome, candida, etc.
My two sisters both suffered from adult onset colitis and did the steriods for long periods of time and have had long term side effects-- Both sisters begged me not to give their niece prednisone and to find another therapy. Both of my sisters now have been in "remission" for over ten years each after finding natural therapies and making radical dietary changes. For me, finding the SCD made perfect sense!

Joyce Lavery <joycekling@hotmail.com>






Re: Homeopathy (skin rash)
Fri, 18 Apr 1997 3:13:19 GMT

Anna, I too have been helped immensely by homeopathy. Before I was on the SCD, it was what made life liveable for me. Helped me a lot with headaches I used to get that were related to my digestive problems, also bloating and gas. I would like to reiterate what you said about finding a very reputable homeopath if you want to try it. It is a healing system that takes years of study.
My husband is a homeopath (lucky me) and he is studying constantly, always trying to learn more. It is never-ending. There are also different schools of thought within homeopathy, traditionalists or purists and newer schools of thought that prescribe based either acute, chronic or constitutional level problems (may use more than one remedy) -- so all homeopaths are not necessarily the same at all.
I've studied a ton of homeopathy myself because I was so desperate about my health and learned a lot. Many times I was the one who found the right remedy for my problem.
This may sound weird but I once dreamed of a remedy I had never heard of before that helped me with some severe bloating and gas that began to occurr for me at one point! However, my skin problems never cleared up until I was on the SCD. Thank you for sharing your experience about homeopathy.
I don't think you sounded too lecturey at all. Those of us who have ventured out into alternative and complimentary medicine in search of healing are out here too.

Best regards Denise




Re: Skin rash
Fri, 18 Apr 1997 7:20:18 GMT

Jim,

Those red patches sound a lot like a possible side effects of azulfadine and related medicines.
I was warned that the appearance, and especially persistence of such rashes might be cause to discontinue the drug. If you're on any medication, you should mention these rashes to your doctor and pharmacist.

Bill





Bill's concerns
Fri, 18 Apr 1997 17:49:01 GMT

Bill,

I am not on azulfadine, haven't taken it in years. The only meds I take now are pentasa, and hydrocortisone. And I did tell my doctor about the skin rash. He told me to see a dermatologist.

Jim





Re: rashes
Sat, 19 Apr 1997 15:38:58 GMT

Yes I know what your talking about and strangely enough I found the same thing. The better the gut gets, the worse the skin problems. I found you need to treat the gut to try and neutralise the toxins and stop the leaking.
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I've found the following helpful

paracetamol,
Slippery Elm bark powder
Psyllium husks,
Avoid nuts (they scrape and tear.
emphasise soft watery dishes, high in vegetables
Minimise meat eliminate red meat
Emphasise chicken and a variety of fish, and some vegetable protein
Minimise the simple sugars (honey/fruit and dried fruit)
Emphasise pumpkins/courgettes and carrots.
Use enemas or suppositries even if no bleeding.
Employ massage techniques esp to upper thighs mid section and
forearms.(pressure points here)

(http://www.scdiet.org/7archives/scd022.html)
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Jojoba Oil is highly reccomended for sufferers of Eczema, as is Aloe Vera, Marigold, Calendula, (all topically)

[Nina]

Danustouch - thank you so much, that gives me a lot to go on!

I have a friend who is a homeopath - time to give her a call I think!

Nina

[Morgandria]

Depending on where the sore cracked skin is, tea tree oil is something I use. I get mine on my face and scalp, and it is vile.
I use a soap for my face, and I actually add the essential oil directly into my shampoo - it made a tremendous difference in my skin. It's something to consider.

-M.

[Nina]

I hadn't thought of that - I have tea tree oil, and I'll use it in the bath. Thanks for the tip! Fortunately I haven't had it on my face, but the worst has been on the backs of my legs and my backside - made sitting very, very uncomfortable, and of course the pressure when I was sitting made it worse!

Thanks again,

Nina

[Lavender]

If you're going to use tea tree oil, use it with flaxseed oil. Mix in a couple of drops of tea tree to roughly 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil and massage that on your skin. Flaxseed oil is good for eczema internally and externally.

Can't remember if you said anything about checking your soap, laundry detergent...that kind of thing. Some detergent can irritate eczema as well.

[Nina]

Thanks Wildchild, I'm already taking flax seed oil, so I will use some of it topically with the tea tree oil. I use washing powders that are non-biological, and I've always used hypoallergenic toiletries. I don't think they were the cause of the flare-up - I think stress was a major cause, frankly.

It's looking so much better the last few days, it's nice to feel real skin instead of what looked like leprosy!!

Nina

[Shy Hawk]

My husband has it terrible on his feet, has had it most of his life. He uses prescription creams and lotion all the time...he also soaks them in water with oatmeal on occasion. It's a terrible thing, they are always red and often cracking...but yes, I've noticed that it gets worse when he's stressed...and I absolutely will not let him itch (when I catch him anyhow).
I've had it on my cheeks and scalp. It's vile. It went away within a couple months. I find that restraining from itching helps.

[bluglass]

yes, not scratching is very important. It is often called the itch that rashes because you start off with just the itch. The scratching excerbates the skin damage. You can search medline for this. I was just reading a long article on how to mitigate the symptoms in children. Doctors don't think the steroidal creams are not harmful -- they probably know full well exactly what they do do. They just don't have anything else and it tends to really help if they are strong enough and given for long enough. The trick is to not itch. It is caused by dry skin even when you don't think it is dry. Use of heavy creams like Eucerin really help. You can even use Crisco or lard if you want. Once the skin errputs a trick is to get it to dry up and heal quickly. Tea Tree oil with flax oil or aloe or calendula are good for this. Tea Tree oil naturally helps keep infection from setting in.

I've gotten it on my hands and feet all my life. As I got older it started to appear in a different form on my scalp. I use pine tar shampoo & a dandruf shampoo at least twice a week to help keep the itch down and the skin sloughing. I don't dry off completely after a shower or bath. Don't use really hot water and I slather up with lotions and heavy creams alternatively, more on places where I errupt. I don't use anything with fragrance if I can help it. I do use cortisone cream because it stops the itch in its tracks. If I never scratch it will subside quickly. Internally, as far as I know there is no fixing the fact that my immune system chooses to treat even the most benign substances, including my own self. Lack of exposure of often key to keeping it in check though interestingly enough allergy medications don't impact it. It is an overall immune response so the food changes help keep the body from reacting. I was just reading an article on avoiding foods you are not allergic to but which aggrivate your reponse to what you are alleric to. Something to do with the protein chains.

A another element is that the skin doesn't turn over new cells as quickly as it should so you should be gently exfoliating to keep dead skin from building up -- the type of eczema you see with scale and dry flaky skin that stays red.

Good digestion probably does have something to do with it. Personally, I have a very intense immune system and a lot of allergies. I have a lot of digestion problems but leaky gut and candida are not part of that. You can and probably always should take a probiotic supplement even if you are eating active culture yogurt. It really helps keep the gut intact and healthy.

Lots of other good ideas and information.

[indigo rain]

wondering if what i have is exzema, the doctor gave me a puzzled look and said simply, dermatitis, and prescribed a cream for it. but i think dermatitis is simply one of those terms for "a skin irritation the doctor doesn't know what is." anyway, they're small red patches, a little bit bigger than quarter sized, itchy and dry, a little scaley looking, but not cracking. i've used the cream prescribed and it made the itchiness and dryness go away, so the texture of the skin is back to normal, but it is still hyperpigmented (ie: the redness is still hanging around). is that normal? does what i have sound like exzema? i've had one patch on the back of my knee that's lasted for about...3 or 4 years, does it usually hang around that long?