It Puts The Lotion On Its Skin

For close to two years now I’ve had off and on flare ups of eczema. From my GP to a Dermatologist to an Allergist treatment has gone from antifungals (no change), antibiotics (a little better?), topical steroids and moisturizers (calms things down, but is not a long term solution, also greasy), to changes in my shampoo (now using Dr. Bronner’s to avoid SLS) and experimenting with Gold Bond Powder (didn’t help much) and lastly topical antimicrobial wash (seems to help breakouts heal, but isn’t preventative) and diet change. My allergist didn’t think my rash looked like a textbook gluten rash but said it was worth a try. I started a gluten free diet and within two months my skin was great. I also began slowly losing weight and my.. um toilet related activities were better, not that I thought they were horrible to begin with.

But the last few days things have gotten itchy again. Did I eat some gluten accidentally? Quite possibly. But I’m not sure. I did notice some gastrointestinal distress the day before the rash came back.

Yesterday I saw a post by Eugenia with gut problems but also eczema describing the benefits of starting a modified Paleo diet to her condition. My friend Sam has had a similar battle with colitis, which he is successfully controlling with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that inspired Eugenia to start her modified paleo diet

So, my current thinking, since antibiotics do seem to help calm things down, and the antimicrobial wash seems to help a little, and gluten seemed to be the answer, or part of the answer is this: I’ve got a rogue bacteria on/in my skin or in my gut that is causing the autoimmune reactions leading the the ezema. I’m not entirely sure if gluten free is enough, or if I need go to something like SCD or Paleo. So my current plan is to blog more. (Ha!) I’m going to document the condition of my skin and what I’ve been eating, and what lotion i’ve put on my skin, or else I get the hose– I mean itchy.

Tags: ezcema, gluten

Posted in health