This might be my last blog post.
Before I started this blog, I struggled with Eczema for so long that it became a way of life to scratch the hell out of my skin. I went along with the doctor's prescriptions because I thought they knew better. I now know better!!!
The doctor's prescriptions are temporary relief. This is fine if you have transient dermatitis that disappears after using this temporary relief. This is not the same for folk who suffer from Atopic Eczema. The hydrocortisones/betnovates & petroleum/paraffin based moisturisers (aqueous cream, diprobase) worsened my skin condition and on reflection I believe it caused my ailments to be widespread as I liberally continued to use these moisturisers all over my skin.
My skin became ultra sensitive to so many things that would cause eczema to suddenly appear. The more I scratched, the more I spread it along my skin as I weakened the skin structures of good skin trying to avoid scratching the bad skin. Now a days I moisturise my skin about twice a day now with a non-specialist moisturiser.
Those reading this blog to help someone you care for, please do not tell them to "stop scratching" - it is a bloody annoying phrase to hear! Negative language creates negative responses. Be positive with your language to an eczema sufferer.....errr saying "scratch more" is also unhelpful. Provide distractions that require an eczema sufferer to use their hands and to think about the task we have to complete. It is most likely they just need some hydration so providing a cup of "relaxing" herbal tea like chamomile or fennel certainly goes a long way with me.
I created this blog so I could record what I had tried and what worked for me. All eczema conditions are not the same but I have noted that there are some things that are consistent for all: sleep and hydration.
If you are lacking in either one, expect itchy skin. I think I have written enough about the healing power of sleep. I used to believe sleep was a waste of time. I now love my sleep and the powers it has. I am frequently having to teach myself to sleep especially during times of stress. Drinking water is another habit I have had to force myself to do. 2-3 mug sized cups of water was all I used to drink. I played sport without drinking very much. I used to itch like crazy after a sweaty session of sport. I have also written much about hydration and the use of herbal non-caffeine teas to add a calming effect to your mind and body.
Carbohydrates may be debate-able but have you noticed how most people eat soooo much of it. In "developed" countries there are large parts of the population suffering from type II diabetes, stroke and heart attacks. This food type is supposed to be used for a quick source of energy.
I am a programmer. I sit on my arse a lot during the day - yet the biscuits and crisps were the ones I used to constantly snack on. I now snack on spinach and rocket....or drink a cup of hot water/herbal tea. Remember vegetables have carbs. It is noted that there are many places on the web that indicate grains, starches, dairy, and sugars can cause inflammation. Personally I have noted keeping sugars and dairy low in my diet has been beneficial.
I run marathons on quorn cocktail sausages (am slow so need slow burning fat) supplemented with a couple of breakfast bars. Gels are chemical crap - another "quick fix" to fool you mentally. Perhaps should only be used by folk who need a quick shot of energy because they are metabolising at a high rate (see earlier posts). In my opinion, now having completed 55 marathons/ultras, the only time I have used gels are caffeine gels as I try to force my body to maintain alertness....really I only took then for the caffeine. In my experience I have seen too many athletes use gels at the beginning and during an ultra and found they became ineffective. Too much blood sugar and the body goes into "lah lah" land. Talk to a diabetic who measures their blood sugar to see the spike they get when they have one sweet.
I am not completely free of eczema, with my hormones screwing with my skin. So I take a quarter of an anti-histamine to keep it under control in those times. However my skin is in a good place and I am thankful for the use of the web to be able to record and journal my healing process and what has worked for me. Without it, I would probably still be struggling with my skin urghs.
Thank you to all those who have commented on my blog over the years and hope I have inspired you to start your own blog about your skin so that you can discover what works for healing your skin urghs. Keep it positive and keep it real.
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Oiling From the Inside
With the Keto Adapted diet, I have learned about the different types of oils however I did not really appreciate the impact of uncooked oil until I was in Italy for 2 weeks. I noticed the Italians do not fry with Olive Oil and tend to throw liberal amounts on the before it is served.
My skin has been feeling well moisturised and smooth. I will continue eating more copious amounts of uncooked virgin olive oil and coconut oil to see if the effects will continue the "great skin" feeling.
At the same time the rooms I have been staying in, have been very clean, which also helps.
More in a couple of months time when the oily diet is proven.
My skin has been feeling well moisturised and smooth. I will continue eating more copious amounts of uncooked virgin olive oil and coconut oil to see if the effects will continue the "great skin" feeling.
At the same time the rooms I have been staying in, have been very clean, which also helps.
More in a couple of months time when the oily diet is proven.
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Sleep, Breathing and No-Poo Hair
Sleep
So what is new? Nothing really. Have just been understanding how I underestimated the power of sleep. I have observed how everything feels better when you've had proper sleep.....never realised that flu, bronchitis, etc heals so much faster when one can have proper sleep. AND the skin feels calm.
Breathing
Before I get up, I now try to breathe deeply ten times. This seems to energise my body and believe this is because it is a deep breathe rather than our shallow breaths that we take when we are doing everyday things. Worst is when we are doing activities such as running. We forget to breathe and either breath through our mouth (very shallow breaths) or in through our nose and immediately expel everything out through out mouth. If you are a runner, try breathing in and out through your nose.
Result:
- less snot
- more energy in the legs
No-Poo Hair
I have given up on shampoo. It took most of last year to do so. I used to shampoo my hair frequently because it itched and also because it became greasy very quickly. Last year I began to reduce the frequency I shampooed my hair starting from:
1. washing it every other day for about a couple of months until I felt comfortable to go the next step
2. washing it every 2 days etc
3. washing it every 3 days etc
After washing it every other week, I decided to drop the shampoo altogether at the end of October.
I now only wash my scalp with water when I have sweat. It is not greasy. However my hair seems to be a little dry from the hard water so adding oil on the ends seems fine.
Result:
- my head is no longer itchy (unless I am very tired)
- less split ends
Still moisturising skin and take a quarter of an anti-histamine before the "grouchy woman time".
BTW folks keep recommending creams and stuff to me. Great if it has helped you! It does not mean it will help me. An example, I have often been told Aveeno is really good for moisturising eczema. My skin hates it! I have documented what works for me. So thanks for trying to help and forgive me if I respond negatively to "do I want to try a product".
Get back to holistic measures on your own body rather than looking for a fast fix. You will have a long term heal with Atopic eczema when you provide your body the right environment to heal and to fight.
So what is new? Nothing really. Have just been understanding how I underestimated the power of sleep. I have observed how everything feels better when you've had proper sleep.....never realised that flu, bronchitis, etc heals so much faster when one can have proper sleep. AND the skin feels calm.
Breathing
Before I get up, I now try to breathe deeply ten times. This seems to energise my body and believe this is because it is a deep breathe rather than our shallow breaths that we take when we are doing everyday things. Worst is when we are doing activities such as running. We forget to breathe and either breath through our mouth (very shallow breaths) or in through our nose and immediately expel everything out through out mouth. If you are a runner, try breathing in and out through your nose.
Result:
- less snot
- more energy in the legs
No-Poo Hair
I have given up on shampoo. It took most of last year to do so. I used to shampoo my hair frequently because it itched and also because it became greasy very quickly. Last year I began to reduce the frequency I shampooed my hair starting from:
1. washing it every other day for about a couple of months until I felt comfortable to go the next step
2. washing it every 2 days etc
3. washing it every 3 days etc
After washing it every other week, I decided to drop the shampoo altogether at the end of October.
I now only wash my scalp with water when I have sweat. It is not greasy. However my hair seems to be a little dry from the hard water so adding oil on the ends seems fine.
Result:
- my head is no longer itchy (unless I am very tired)
- less split ends
Still moisturising skin and take a quarter of an anti-histamine before the "grouchy woman time".
BTW folks keep recommending creams and stuff to me. Great if it has helped you! It does not mean it will help me. An example, I have often been told Aveeno is really good for moisturising eczema. My skin hates it! I have documented what works for me. So thanks for trying to help and forgive me if I respond negatively to "do I want to try a product".
Get back to holistic measures on your own body rather than looking for a fast fix. You will have a long term heal with Atopic eczema when you provide your body the right environment to heal and to fight.
Friday, 14 November 2014
Trying a Keto-Adapted Diet
....basically this means cut out all processed foods and sugars, eat a medium amount of protein and a high amount of fat. You train your body to burn fat to convert into ketones for energy rather than purely relying on sugar as the "developed" nations often do.
Now why would I want to do that? Because it appears to have a bunch of health benefits including reducing the symptoms of eczema. Additionally those looking to lose weight will enjoy this diet. I'm not but am interested at cutting out stuff to see the effects.
SUGAR
Interestingly a lot of medical sites warn about the developed nations consuming a high amount of sugar that leads to obesity, diabetes and a whole lot of other health issues. Sugars can be in different forms:
- Sugar as we know it
- Fructose from fruit
- Glucose
- Lactose
....and more
Reading about it from various sites, you get the feeling that it may also feed cancer cells. It appears that glucose is used as a trace to determine the location of cancer cells in your body, 'cos cancer cells will snap up the glucose before any other cells!
Our insulin levels have to rise in order to deal with our sugar hits and convert it into energy. Unfortunately our body can only store small amounts of sugar (compared to fat) and continued high doses can cause all types of complications as we cannot produce enough insulin to deal with the sugar spikes.
So on this diet no sugar also means no fruit!
CARBOHYDRATES (carbs)
We eat a lot of carbs in our diet. Carbs are converted to glucose so again an insulin spike is required to deal with that high carb meal that you've just eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hence after a meal filled with carbs we might experience a short energy high and then tiredness often follows after.
In this diet you get your carbohydrates from vegetables. Here is a list of high carb and low carb vegetables: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatveg.htm
Now I love my rice and noodles and it is pretty hard watching someone else enjoy a bowl of rice and you've just got meat and veg!
It should be noted where there is too much glycogen in our bodies, the body will convert it to fat.
PROTEIN
I am mostly a vegetarian at heart. I get my protein from eating tofu, quorn and textured vegetarian protein (this is quite high in carbs) and the occasional fish...although I seem to have gone off fish. However I eat pretty much what ever I am served.
FAT
So I have learned that not all saturated fats are the same nor are vegetable oils. Medium chained triglycerides (in meat and coconut oil) are apparently good for you and do not stay in the body like long chained triglycerides that is in vegetable oils. It appears that Coconut Oil has lots of medicinal benefits. My holistic masseur friend raves on about how fantastic coconut oil is for the body.
I am thus eating lots of coconut oil.
So far what have I found...
I am pretty useless at staying on a "strict diet" especially as winter heads in. I love my rice and noodles and watching my partner eat it everyday makes me want it more. I think I should just kick him out of the house!!! However I have managed to stay on this diet for about 6 consecutive days at a time and the patches of eczema have been less itchy. Also as winter comes in I have increased my vit D, omega 3, vit C, calcium and magnesium supplements.
I have found I eat less due to the higher fat content in my diet. I have not gained or lost weight.
Although I have flirted with eating slightly more carbs than usual, I have lost the appetite for sweet things. After about a month of eating no sugary substances, I gave into a friend who kept on about sharing her dark chocolate truffles. I caved in to her "come on you need to live a little" etc. I was surprised about how soon after my neck became itchy. I will be avoiding chocolate from now on.
My partner brought in a whole bag of biscuits because he is addicted to sugar. However with the increased stress of a greater workload, I did a dive in for some.....during a day....okay 1/2 a pack. Again the eczema patches reacted.
I guess might have to give up biscuits for good as well.
Interestingly I have found eating sausages before a marathon far more "energising" than carbo loading. With carbo loading I have found I am hungrier sooner and I eat more.
Anyway as long as you do not have medical problems, perhaps you might like to try a high fat diet with medium protein and low carbs. and see how your eczema responds.
Thursday, 13 February 2014
An Interview and thus an overview
Ahh questions, questions, questions and a response for those who don't want to read back thru my blog.
Social life and Eczema
Eczema started with me in my young teenage years, first only a small area was affected and into my late teens spread on my face, neck an body. The docs were busy prescribing higher doses of cortisone which would appear to improve the skin, but really my skin was becoming addicted to cortisone in the pursuit to see "nice" looking skin.
I had scaley scabby skin, but never let that interfere with my social life, nor my sporting life. Growing up I realised that people had all sorts of hang ups. At A'Levels other slim gals would compare their body sizes against me, wishing to have my body size!!! Or they would comment about how much weight they've put on (they're slim!). Self-awareness is high on the agenda and skin disorders are rife amongst teenages - greasy skin, spots, dry skin, psorasis....and me with eczema. So I would just get the elephant out of the way and tell folks I had eczema and want that meant. Once that was out of the way, no one really cared.....well those that did kept on telling me not to scratch or hit my hand off my skin - which irritated me even more and made me scratch more vigourously.
I had to stop and not be forced to stop by someone else.
Eczema did not and has not stopped my social or sporting life because I did not allow it to.
Sport and Eczema
Sweat causes my eczema to become worst. On the eczema areas, this is because the skin is broken and becomes irritated. However have also found that during times of "low sleep" and "low hydration", the sweat can cause intense areas of itchiness. When am feeling that am going to be itchy during sport, I now take a quarter of an anti-histamine tablet before sport. When I have had good sleep and hydrated beforehand, there is none to low intensity of itchiness. Hydrating during sport is important to keep the itch at bay.
Winter and Eczema
The more active I am during winter, the eczema has a smaller area. This has probably to due with my skin being able to sweat out "stuff". Additionally I have been experimenting with taking 5000 iu vitamin D3. This appears to cause my skin, hair and nails to grow faster. Due to frostbite on my finger and it going necrotic, have increased the dosage to 10,000 iu + omega 3 oils. Probably throw in some ginger tea and gingko nuts to aid circulation.
My eczema toolkit contains some antihistamine and weak moisturing creams. Petroleum vaseline is no longer in my winter kit as it appears to aggrevate my skin.
Sleep and Eczema
We spend about 1/4 of our lives sleeping which is good for healing! Sleep deprivation (unfortunately I am a little bit of an insomniac) causes you to be stroppy and can cause the eczema to itch for no apparent reason.
With so much time in bed, clean and dust your room, to reduce dust mites. Sleep is really very beneficial. So if you find you're in that crazy lack of sleep due to itchiness, it is worth cleaning up your body (food and water) and taking a little antihistamine to help control the bad time. Once you're under control, ditch the antihistamine.
I don't like drugs, and have found a quarter of an antihistamine is sufficient as indicated above, especially a week before my period when my head does not appear to like sleeping!!!
Food and Eczema
When we have eczema, lots of different types of food can appear to cause the eczema to become itchy. When you clean up your body, those foods that appeared to cause the eczema to become more pronounced will have less of an effect. MSG, peanuts and peaches can still cause me a problem.
I cleaned up by eating raw, freshly grown veggies every day for a couple of months and fish. My skin cleared up totally and my local GP asked me what I did! I found I can now use seasame oil which once before would have appeared to irritate the skin on my throat!
I also do find herbal teas help to relax me if I am feeling itchy. Fennel is a favourite for me.
Holistic Approaches
Unfortunately I believe there are many GPs who are owned by the pharmaceutical companies. They are too fast to prescribe medicines when there are other ways to cure a disorder. During 2012, I had swollen fingers on my right hand and was prescribed anti-inflammatories. At the end of the year I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome (as well as restless leg syndrome) - more drugs and potential surgery. Thankfully a friend intervened and asked me to try massage therapy. This friend felt "blocked energy" from the shoulder down to the finger. After 2 weeks of massage therapy my fingers were no longer swollen. I returned to the neurosurgeon's clinic to have more tests. I no longer have carpel tunnel syndrome! My friend's details are here: Sarah Chevasse.
So look at your eczema problem more holistically before you start on the cycle of medicines and steroids. Change your life and begin to heal. I hope the above helps you discover what will work for you.
Social life and Eczema
Eczema started with me in my young teenage years, first only a small area was affected and into my late teens spread on my face, neck an body. The docs were busy prescribing higher doses of cortisone which would appear to improve the skin, but really my skin was becoming addicted to cortisone in the pursuit to see "nice" looking skin.
I had scaley scabby skin, but never let that interfere with my social life, nor my sporting life. Growing up I realised that people had all sorts of hang ups. At A'Levels other slim gals would compare their body sizes against me, wishing to have my body size!!! Or they would comment about how much weight they've put on (they're slim!). Self-awareness is high on the agenda and skin disorders are rife amongst teenages - greasy skin, spots, dry skin, psorasis....and me with eczema. So I would just get the elephant out of the way and tell folks I had eczema and want that meant. Once that was out of the way, no one really cared.....well those that did kept on telling me not to scratch or hit my hand off my skin - which irritated me even more and made me scratch more vigourously.
I had to stop and not be forced to stop by someone else.
Eczema did not and has not stopped my social or sporting life because I did not allow it to.
Sport and Eczema
Sweat causes my eczema to become worst. On the eczema areas, this is because the skin is broken and becomes irritated. However have also found that during times of "low sleep" and "low hydration", the sweat can cause intense areas of itchiness. When am feeling that am going to be itchy during sport, I now take a quarter of an anti-histamine tablet before sport. When I have had good sleep and hydrated beforehand, there is none to low intensity of itchiness. Hydrating during sport is important to keep the itch at bay.
Winter and Eczema
The more active I am during winter, the eczema has a smaller area. This has probably to due with my skin being able to sweat out "stuff". Additionally I have been experimenting with taking 5000 iu vitamin D3. This appears to cause my skin, hair and nails to grow faster. Due to frostbite on my finger and it going necrotic, have increased the dosage to 10,000 iu + omega 3 oils. Probably throw in some ginger tea and gingko nuts to aid circulation.
My eczema toolkit contains some antihistamine and weak moisturing creams. Petroleum vaseline is no longer in my winter kit as it appears to aggrevate my skin.
Sleep and Eczema
We spend about 1/4 of our lives sleeping which is good for healing! Sleep deprivation (unfortunately I am a little bit of an insomniac) causes you to be stroppy and can cause the eczema to itch for no apparent reason.
With so much time in bed, clean and dust your room, to reduce dust mites. Sleep is really very beneficial. So if you find you're in that crazy lack of sleep due to itchiness, it is worth cleaning up your body (food and water) and taking a little antihistamine to help control the bad time. Once you're under control, ditch the antihistamine.
I don't like drugs, and have found a quarter of an antihistamine is sufficient as indicated above, especially a week before my period when my head does not appear to like sleeping!!!
Food and Eczema
When we have eczema, lots of different types of food can appear to cause the eczema to become itchy. When you clean up your body, those foods that appeared to cause the eczema to become more pronounced will have less of an effect. MSG, peanuts and peaches can still cause me a problem.
I cleaned up by eating raw, freshly grown veggies every day for a couple of months and fish. My skin cleared up totally and my local GP asked me what I did! I found I can now use seasame oil which once before would have appeared to irritate the skin on my throat!
I also do find herbal teas help to relax me if I am feeling itchy. Fennel is a favourite for me.
Holistic Approaches
Unfortunately I believe there are many GPs who are owned by the pharmaceutical companies. They are too fast to prescribe medicines when there are other ways to cure a disorder. During 2012, I had swollen fingers on my right hand and was prescribed anti-inflammatories. At the end of the year I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome (as well as restless leg syndrome) - more drugs and potential surgery. Thankfully a friend intervened and asked me to try massage therapy. This friend felt "blocked energy" from the shoulder down to the finger. After 2 weeks of massage therapy my fingers were no longer swollen. I returned to the neurosurgeon's clinic to have more tests. I no longer have carpel tunnel syndrome! My friend's details are here: Sarah Chevasse.
So look at your eczema problem more holistically before you start on the cycle of medicines and steroids. Change your life and begin to heal. I hope the above helps you discover what will work for you.
Friday, 27 December 2013
Fighting Winter with Vitamin D3 & Antihistamine
I think my skin loves the sunshine and dislikes winter.
During winter last year, I took cod liver oil and primrose oil suppliments. However the arms, neck, face, legs and parts of the torso succumbed to eczema. Spring into Summer improved the skin greatly and nearly killed off the eczema. Was probably eating better but not sleeping better!
However back in the throes of winter, the inner elbows and neck have gone back to being eczematic. So am taking vitamin D3 (5000 IU) suppliments. There appears to be some improvement in the inner elbows and neck. Additionally am taking the next couple of weeks to sleep and allow skin repair. So let's see what happens.
Am taking a 1/3 of an antihistamine if it begins to itch during the night (a regular monthly occurence at the moment. Yes before that darn girly period!). This appears adequate to keep things under control so that I am not tearing out my skin.
Still moisturising with different moisturisers and have ventured back to other types of commerical creams that contain some parafin constituent. Skin seems to be okay with it all. It just doesn't like being clammy.
Hope you all are having success in discovering how to keep your eczematic skin under control.
Merry Christmas
During winter last year, I took cod liver oil and primrose oil suppliments. However the arms, neck, face, legs and parts of the torso succumbed to eczema. Spring into Summer improved the skin greatly and nearly killed off the eczema. Was probably eating better but not sleeping better!
However back in the throes of winter, the inner elbows and neck have gone back to being eczematic. So am taking vitamin D3 (5000 IU) suppliments. There appears to be some improvement in the inner elbows and neck. Additionally am taking the next couple of weeks to sleep and allow skin repair. So let's see what happens.
Am taking a 1/3 of an antihistamine if it begins to itch during the night (a regular monthly occurence at the moment. Yes before that darn girly period!). This appears adequate to keep things under control so that I am not tearing out my skin.
Still moisturising with different moisturisers and have ventured back to other types of commerical creams that contain some parafin constituent. Skin seems to be okay with it all. It just doesn't like being clammy.
Hope you all are having success in discovering how to keep your eczematic skin under control.
Merry Christmas
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Hard Water vs Soft Water or is it just Jetlag
Having been in a place with soft water for the last 2 weeks, it was interesting to observe that after a hot shower in hard water the eczema skin felt a little irritated. However this might be coupled with extreme tiredness from a long haul flight and perhaps the water was a little too hot!
Anyway whilst it is still in the 20s (degs C), am returning to having cold/luke warm showers.
There has been lots written about soft water helping eczema sufferers but from my point of view I have had great normal looking skin whilst still washing in hard water. So not sure about that.
4 days later:
Body has now nearly aclimitised and the hard water now has no effect on irritating the skin. Can only conclude that the supposition that soft water is better for eczema skin is questionable. In my case - no difference!
Sleep makes a difference
Anyway whilst it is still in the 20s (degs C), am returning to having cold/luke warm showers.
There has been lots written about soft water helping eczema sufferers but from my point of view I have had great normal looking skin whilst still washing in hard water. So not sure about that.
4 days later:
Body has now nearly aclimitised and the hard water now has no effect on irritating the skin. Can only conclude that the supposition that soft water is better for eczema skin is questionable. In my case - no difference!
Sleep makes a difference
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)