Eczema - A Journey To Healing

[jessica]

We're going to cut them out, then. Can you recommend some good fat sources outside of beef fat, fatty fish like salmon, and bone marrow?

Side note: This lady emphasized the fact that all animal products accelerate the growth of cancer ..?

you guys are on the right track, just try to get some pastured lamb and pork, if you can, to vary your amino acid and fat profile.  and buy the fattiest cuts or add fat to each meal.  your bfs grazing habits might change if he goes lower carb and ups the fat for a while, it will probably be beneficial to his skin to a certain point.  just be sure that he is drinking much more water and more electrolytes/salts esp. potassium and magnesium if he starts eating lower carb then usual, it will help to keep him hydrated and hopefully help keep him from feeling like snacking. 

kelp and dulse are what seaweeds I use for electrolytes, along with a little lemon juice(its citrus season)https://www.seaveg.com/shop/ these guys are a good source from maine, their website has a lot of info on the mineral breakdown of seaweeds

there is also http://www.pacificbotanicals.com/store/home.php?cat=3&page=1 I think they are here in Oregon, they are a great company for herbs and seaweeds

I have taken like 4 of those now brand vitamin ds a day, I think they definitely help in the summer. but nothing beats sun bathing when the sun is out.  how does he react to the sun?

[jessica]

ps if he is going to be eating a lot of liver and heart, make sure he supps. with zinc.  you can read others accounts of there copper/zinc ratio getting out of balance, which encourages carb cravings and sometimes skin eruptions if there is bacterial disbiosis like candida over growth.  zinc will also help restore his hormonal balance.  investing in some other vitamins and nutrients just to flood his system to insure that he has all of the proper building blocks for healing isn't a bad idea..i know you guys are short on $ though,

[CatTreats]

you guys are on the right track, just try to get some pastured lamb and pork, if you can, to vary your amino acid and fat profile.  and buy the fattiest cuts or add fat to each meal.  your bfs grazing habits might change if he goes lower carb and ups the fat for a while, it will probably be beneficial to his skin to a certain point.  just be sure that he is drinking much more water and more electrolytes/salts esp. potassium and magnesium if he starts eating lower carb then usual, it will help to keep him hydrated and hopefully help keep him from feeling like snacking.

I was already planning to buy some lamb for us. We never did like it cooked (that weird flavor that supposedly comes from the 'glands' in certain cuts), but I would eat the lamb chops right off the bone. We have very little access to "pastured" pork, which is usually just organic grain-fed pigs that live outside. I just don't know if I can find the quality worth eating raw. What's your opinion? I have huge packages of grass-fed beef fat and connective tissue that the store saves for us, so I've been making him eat a few good sized chunks at every meal. I even sent him to work with a lunch box of just fat (hah).

kelp and dulse are what seaweeds I use for electrolytes, along with a little lemon juice(its citrus season)https://www.seaveg.com/shop/ these guys are a good source from maine, their website has a lot of info on the mineral breakdown of seaweeds

there is also http://www.pacificbotanicals.com/store/home.php?cat=3&page=1 I think they are here in Oregon, they are a great company for herbs and seaweeds

We picked up some packs of Kombu (kelp) and Dulse the day you recommended it. He's been eating a few pieces of each in the morning and sometime during the day.

I have taken like 4 of those now brand vitamin ds a day, I think they definitely help in the summer. but nothing beats sun bathing when the sun is out.  how does he react to the sun?

He's taking 5 of them, so 10,000 IU. I don't think he ever commented on any difference at all when taking it. I don't really have much to say on how he reacts to the sun. We sunbathed two days ago together just standing and talking for 45 min. I felt good, but he said there wasn't really any noticeable difference. I know that skin tone plays a part (I'm light skinned, he's dark tan), but I'm not sure how significant it is. We're going to sunbathe longer tomorrow, we've just both had work throughout the day yesterday and today.

ps if he is going to be eating a lot of liver and heart, make sure he supps. with zinc.  you can read others accounts of there copper/zinc ratio getting out of balance, which encourages carb cravings and sometimes skin eruptions if there is bacterial disbiosis like candida over growth.  zinc will also help restore his hormonal balance.  investing in some other vitamins and nutrients just to flood his system to insure that he has all of the proper building blocks for healing isn't a bad idea..

I'm not sure if he's going to eat "a lot" of it. We've never actually tasted it, but when I get more from the market in a few days we're going to. I told him to just try to make a meal out of liver once every other day for now ... hopefully that will be alright. I'm going to get heart as well to try. So we need to supplement zinc?

i know you guys are short on $ though,

We're not really short on money,  we just don't have a ton of spending money to throw around. I absolutely have the money to order/pick up some vitamins for him, I just want to make sure that I'm getting all the ones that are definitely important for him so I don't spend more than I have to.

[CatTreats]

So as of now, we don't have any real updates on improvements. It looks like his hands (one of the most intensely damaged areas) are trying to heal. Unfortunately, being in the food-handling business means he either has to touch harsh sanitizing solutions or wear gloves to avoid it, but the gloves also cause problems. So everytime they start to heal, he wrecks them again at work. Luckily, this is his last week at that job and he will be starting his non-food-handling job after that. Things should be better in that area then.

We started eating lamb again, and I realized that they have lamb chops with bone marrow in them available. So bone marrow will be a regular thing for him now. Waiting to hear some more input on pork. I've been getting him out into the sun as much as possible each day (we got an hour in today). We got magnesium oil, but are stuck only having him rub it on his palms. The saltyness burns him even in the clearest looking places. It does seem like he's gotten good sleep the last two nights since we started using it.

But aside from that, we're at a bit of a stand-still until I hear back from people about what supplements we definitely want to get for him. Waiting on GS to reply about doing colon/kidney/liver cleanses and how to go about them.

Fingers crossed! I appreciate all of the help so far.

[jessica]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/550420-sodium-potassium-skin-eczema/

Sodium, Potassium & Skin Eczema
  Last Updated: Oct 28, 2011 | By Natalie Smith
author image

Sodium, Potassium & Skin Eczema
The sodium in sea water may relieve the symptoms of eczema.
Photo Credit
Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images

Eczema is a condition characterized by inflamed, scaly and itchy skin. The patches of eczema may occur anywhere on the body, but they are more likely to appear on the face, scalp or extremities. As of the date of publication, there is no cure for eczema, but bathing with potassium permanganate or sodium may help relieve the itching and irritation.

Causes

No one knows what causes eczema, but it is more common in people who suffer from hay fever or allergies, according to PubMed Health. Most eczema sufferers develop the first symptoms of eczema as infants. Eczema may be caused by an immune reaction, similar to an allergic reaction, that causes the skin to become inflamed. Several triggers can cause an eczema flareup including heat, rough or scratchy fabric, dry skin, contact with an irritant or stress.

Potassium Permanganate

Potassium permanganate is a chemical compound composed of potassium, manganese and oxygen. A weak solution of potassium permanganate can have a soothing effect on eczema, especially eczema that is blistered or infected. To use potassium permanganate, dissolve the tablets in hot water in a ratio of 1 part potassium permanganate to 10,000 parts water, according to the New Zealand Dermatological Society, or one 400 milligram tablet for every 4 liters, which will make the water pink. Bathe in this solution twice a day until the eczema clears up. This chemical is caustic unless it is highly diluted, so take care to measure the ingredients.

[CatTreats]

We're seeing improvements: less itching, less shedding, inflammation lessened, skin is not so red, and under shedded skin is healthy smooth skin. Boyfriend says he's feeling better, less discomfort.

[CatTreats]

As of today, things are improving steadily still. Less inflammation, less shedding, less itching. The only serious issue right now that persists as strong as ever is the dryness. His skin will peel off, revealing very healthy, soft skin. But halfway through the day, it has completely dried out and then it cracks severely, so then there is broken skin everywhere. I had thought he was just scratching, but it's not even itching much these days. It just gets so utterly dry that his arms and hands crack open. When the cracking is bad, it looks like someone just took a knife and made little slices over his hands and wrists.

He uses olive oil to moisturize. That's all. It helps, but no matter what, within a day of the new skin forming, it has completely dried and cracked. It seems like that's the real hurdle to get over now. Again, itching, redness, inflammation are all down significantly. If we can just get this drying out to stop .... I hope it's going to improve.

[eveheart]

Two thoughts:

1) Healing comes from the inside out, so don't judge the outer appearance alone. Remember that it takes a ton of inner healing to manifest itself on the outside. In other words, it sounds like he is on the right track.

2) If a topical oil is helpful, find something besides olive oil, which is a highly processed, often rancid, oil. Coconut oil is more stable. Also, there's no law against rubbing animal fat on your skin. I use animal fat on my skin, and it does not turn offensive. 

[CatTreats]

Two thoughts:

1) Healing comes from the inside out, so don't judge the outer appearance alone. Remember that it takes a ton of inner healing to manifest itself on the outside. In other words, it sounds like he is on the right track.

These were my thoughts. The fact that the skin is healthy whenever the dry stuff sheds seems like a good sign. I keep telling him that we're healing 26 years of damage, so it's going to take time.

Also, he said that he's feeling a TON better internally. Just an overall better'ness. So I'm guessing that's the inside healing, and now it's just a matter of time before it shows on the outside.

2) If a topical oil is helpful, find something besides olive oil, which is a highly processed, often rancid, oil. Coconut oil is more stable. Also, there's no law against rubbing animal fat on your skin. I use animal fat on my skin, and it does not turn offensive.

I've mentioned that coconut oil seemed to cause a, albeit very minor, reaction on his skin. No visible irritation, but he said there would be a slight tingling feeling that was uncomfortable. What animal fats would you suggest, and how do you keep it from making you smell like a walking chunk of suet?

[goodsamaritan]

Try ghee to moisturize.

Try Nature's Gate papaya lotion.

[jessica]

  search back through the forum there are posts about using animal fat on the skin.  has he tried jojoba oil?

[CatTreats]

Things seem to be stuck. Nothing is worse, but nothing is getting better. His hands are still awful. No matter what we put on them, they will dry out and crack very fast. I had some lard, and he tried that. Still dried out and cracked within an hour or so. Not sure how to use the chunks of suet ... other than to render them into tallow, but I don't really want to do that.

I will probably pick up jajoba oil tomorrow. But still, these are just outside fixes. I'm not sure how to get the healing on the inside moving forward. I thought we were improving, but it feels like the dryness is still extremely chronic. He didn't sleep last night again because of how dry and itchy (thus, uncomfortable) he was.

[paper_clips43]

My skin issues all resolved when I increased my calories including acne and eczema.
Dry skin is symptoms of low thyroid. I track body temperature to understand thyroid levels.
My roommates just yesterday commented on how clear my skin is. They are both vegetarian and have a little bit of acne as well as, IMO, thin skin with inclination towards eczema.
I am pretty sure I blow their minds when I am eating tons of butter, honey, eggs, and meat all day with little to no veggies and look way healthier then them and feel it too.
It still blows my mind that they can continue to eat their way while constantly complaining of fatigue and stress.
Meanwhile I am stuffing my face all day while laughing and enjoying life

[eveheart]

...I had some lard, and he tried that. Still dried out and cracked within an hour or so. Not sure how to use the chunks of suet ... other than to render them into tallow, but I don't really want to do that.

Don't forget that a product like lard is not only cooked, but the fat that is used is probably from a corn-fed animal. Not everybody is that sensitive to a bit of corn-fed animal food - I'm not - but my daughter is. She get migraines when she has anything that was corn-fed.

For applying animal fat to the skin, just rub your hands on the fat until your hands are greased up, then rub it where you want to apply. You can also rub it on the skin directly once your chunk of fat is a little warmed from your hands.

[jessica]

 Does your boyfriend take showers?  perhaps try oil or fat bathing, where you massage your body with a ton of oil, the use a clean damp towel to exfoliate and wipe clean but don't totally get all the oil off and then add another layer of oil if/where necessary? 

Is there any chance you he will be getting his vitamin and mineral levels tested any time soon?

perhaps he needs to up his fat intake? 

I would also still recommend either eating dulse daily for the added minerals and iodine or taking a multivitamin that has those same trace minerals an iodine.  this should help the thyroid, like paper clips mentioned.

also just be super patient, healing definitely does not go at a steady pace,  you may see huge improvements then times where it seems nothing is happening, and maybe little set back and then some improvements again.  take into account the big picture.

[cherimoya_kid]

Things seem to be stuck. Nothing is worse, but nothing is getting better. His hands are still awful. No matter what we put on them, they will dry out and crack very fast. I had some lard, and he tried that. Still dried out and cracked within an hour or so. Not sure how to use the chunks of suet ... other than to render them into tallow, but I don't really want to do that.

I will probably pick up jajoba oil tomorrow. But still, these are just outside fixes. I'm not sure how to get the healing on the inside moving forward. I thought we were improving, but it feels like the dryness is still extremely chronic. He didn't sleep last night again because of how dry and itchy (thus, uncomfortable) he was.

He might want to try a few sessions in a tanning bed, just to see if it helps.  Sunbathing is healthier, but a tanning bed delivers a more precise dose. It's not necessarily something I'd recommend long-term, but it may work for his skin issues.

[CatTreats]

My skin issues all resolved when I increased my calories including acne and eczema.
Dry skin is symptoms of low thyroid. I track body temperature to understand thyroid levels.
My roommates just yesterday commented on how clear my skin is. They are both vegetarian and have a little bit of acne as well as, IMO, thin skin with inclination towards eczema.
I am pretty sure I blow their minds when I am eating tons of butter, honey, eggs, and meat all day with little to no veggies and look way healthier then them and feel it too.
It still blows my mind that they can continue to eat their way while constantly complaining of fatigue and stress.
Meanwhile I am stuffing my face all day while laughing and enjoying life

Yeah, we haven't been eating a lot of calories the past few days. I agree, I have a "vegan" co-worker who will "cheat" constantly. She says she's very healthy and in-tune with her body, but is one of the moodiest people I've ever met. She has gotten sick twice in the last month or so, always has headaches, and the worst skin ever.

Don't forget that a product like lard is not only cooked, but the fat that is used is probably from a corn-fed animal. Not everybody is that sensitive to a bit of corn-fed animal food - I'm not - but my daughter is. She get migraines when she has anything that was corn-fed.

For applying animal fat to the skin, just rub your hands on the fat until your hands are greased up, then rub it where you want to apply. You can also rub it on the skin directly once your chunk of fat is a little warmed from your hands.

I know, lard was probably not the ideal choice. But I only had these hunks of suet, and I wasn't sure how to use it. But he's going to try them tonight.

Does your boyfriend take showers?  perhaps try oil or fat bathing, where you massage your body with a ton of oil, the use a clean damp towel to exfoliate and wipe clean but don't totally get all the oil off and then add another layer of oil if/where necessary?

He says he's not sure about that.  I'll work on it. I've been on him a lot about taking long showers. I told him to just get in and out, but he will sit in there for 30 minutes or until I go in and yell at him.

Is there any chance you he will be getting his vitamin and mineral levels tested any time soon?

Unfortunately, no. If we're eating RPD and he's supplementing quite a few things, is there really a risk that he's completely deficient in anything?

perhaps he needs to up his fat intake?

Yes, he definitely does. Liek I mentioned above, we've both been lacking calories. Tonight, I'm making him eat a coconut and straight fat. It's been a while since either of us had a lot of fat. Tomorrow is shopping day, so I'll be able to stock up on more food. We just didn't buy enough last weekend and ate everything .. heh.

I would also still recommend either eating dulse daily for the added minerals and iodine or taking a multivitamin that has those same trace minerals an iodine.  this should help the thyroid, like paper clips mentioned.

We're going to buy more, but he's been eating both Dulse and Kombu regularly.

also just be super patient, healing definitely does not go at a steady pace,  you may see huge improvements then times where it seems nothing is happening, and maybe little set back and then some improvements again.  take into account the big picture.

I know. We're both trying our best to be patient. It's easy to stay positive when there's improvements, even if it's slow. It's just hard when suddenly his hands dry out, crack, and bleed leaving ripped, scabby hands that feel like scales. It can get discouraging.

[jessica]

30 minutes? Really? I hope that is not daily.
He should probably stop showering all together. 
I never knew there was an actual method for this but I am glad other people do it and can confirm it will make your skin feel greasy and amazing.  If your boyfriend would agree to this I would suggest that any oil he uses is one that he has tested many times before.
http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

[CatTreats]

Sunflower seed oil, though? If lard was bad for being processed and all, wouldn't a highly processed, rancid oil be a bad idea?

[jessica]

That's why I mentioned that if your boyfriend was interested in trying that technique to make sure the oil he uses is one he has tested many times to make sure it doesn't irritate his skin.  Its basically just giving you an idea of the technique and you tailor it to your specific needs and what feels and works best. 

Showering often can be harmful to already dry skin, taking away all of the natural oils that may have formed and any natural bacterial protection.  Also if you are unfortunate enough to shower in city water that comes with a whole host of gnarly chemicals that effect your skin and that your skin absorbs, more and more the longer you are in it. 

This just seems like a way to refresh the skin, getting rid of old skin and oils, without taking away all of the natural oils.  It might be one of those things where he has to get used to how different his skin feels, it might feel a bit worse before it feels better because the skin has to get used to not having to recover all of its natural oils or being incapable of that and shedding the dry skin. 

[CatTreats]

Just wanted to update. Kevin's skin is improving once again. It seems that we're down to just his hands and his feet. His face, back, and front torso are basically completely clear. His arms and legs are very good, but still drying out. His hands and feet are the only part that still have obvious inflammation - red, scaling and all. But still, this is serious progress!

Right now, he's still supplementing Vitamin D3 (12,000 IU), Vitamin C (2,000 mg), Glucosamine (2,000 mg) + Chondroitin (2,000 mg) + MSM (1,400 mg) which includes Vitamin C (60 mg), Manganese (1 mg), Potassium (2,000 mg), and Methylsulfonylmethane (300 mg), and Zinc (15 mg) which includes Copper (1 mg) daily. He's eating about a teaspoon's worth of Sulfur rich black salt, a few pieces of Kombu and/or Dulse seaweed, and a tablespoon of Great Lakes Gelatin + Cologen.

He's still 100% RPD. It's now a little over a month being literally 100% RPD for both of us. Focusing on eating raw animal foods. We've added in quail, wild boar, and venison for variety, and some pasture-raised chicken. So that, along with beef liver (we're very limited, so it's not a significant part of the diet at the moment), beef heart, tuna, and very fatty wild-caught salmon. Still eating some fruit when he craves it, but I make sure it's not too much.

I've gotten him to stick to ~30 second showers in lukewarm water. He generally makes a sauna in the bathroom with very hot water and stays in the steam for a few minutes, then reduces it to lukewarm water and hops in and out after a quick rinse. He's using raw beef fat on his skin and he loves it. The saturated fat moisturizes it like no other. He does smell like a walking fat slab which is pretty funny. Not so much when the bed smells like it, but it does make for building up your appetite in the morning for breakfast.  He takes a huge amount of the fat with him to work so he can continue to keep himself moisturized, and then he will eat the majority of the fat too, which is good. He only discards a few pieces that become too unappealing because of the amount of dead skin it collects. I can't say I blame him ... he offered a piece to me and I kindly declined (bleh).

He's done enough colon cleanses (castor oil method) that taking it results in a normal bowel movement. No runny diarrhea or sludge at all. Kidney cleanses are done from what I know. Still need to do liver flushes, but have to get my hands on epsom salt first. Hopefully that's going to help when we do it.

Slow and steady progress, but progress nonetheless!

[CatTreats]

Still no improvements on his hands or feet. His hands ... if we could get his hands better, we'd be nearly there. The dryness is just bad, cracking, scaling, scabbing. And the itch. Can't get rid of that. Using raw cacao butter right now (saturated fat) because we're out of our raw suet supply. It works and smells a bit more pleasant than raw fat,, so that's good. I wish we could get his hands to heal.

[eveheart]

Still no improvements on his hands or feet.

Things to check:

Is he washing his hands often or with soaps? Try SLS-free soap or forget soap altogether to see if that helps. Unwashed skin forms its own antibacterial environment. Dirt can be washed off with just water.

What footwear is he wearing? Lots of inner shoe material is treated with anti-bacterial chemicals. How are his socks washed, and what are they made of? Are his feet ever exposed to air and sun?

[goodsamaritan]

Try bathing in chlorine free water.

My technique is to have 2 pails and a dipper.

Fill the 2 pails with faucet water, let it stay overnight.  In the morning the chlorine may have evaporated.  Use the dipper to shower.

Just plain water.  No soap, no shampoo.  He can't use those right now.

You will see immense improvements when you get to doing liver flushes / coffee enemas.

[CatTreats]

Things to check:

Is he washing his hands often or with soaps? Try SLS-free soap or forget soap altogether to see if that helps. Unwashed skin forms its own antibacterial environment. Dirt can be washed off with just water.

What footwear is he wearing? Lots of inner shoe material is treated with anti-bacterial chemicals. How are his socks washed, and what are they made of? Are his feet ever exposed to air and sun?

No chance on the soap thing. We both stopped using SLS soaps and shampoos over a year ago. And more recently, a few months ago, we stopped using anything at all. We both just do rinse (water only) showers, no shampoo or soap. I wash our clothes with Dr. Bronner's (organic, castile soap) Peppermint and it's very diluted, too. I imagine the socks are just cotton, but never did check. We haven't bought new socks in quite a while. His feet definitely aren't exposed when outdoors. I'm the only one that goes barefooting, but he's always at work anyway. His hands are always exposed, but it's not much better either.

Try bathing in chlorine free water.

My technique is to have 2 pails and a dipper.

Fill the 2 pails with faucet water, let it stay overnight.  In the morning the chlorine may have evaporated.  Use the dipper to shower.

Just plain water.  No soap, no shampoo.  He can't use those right now.

You will see immense improvements when you get to doing liver flushes / coffee enemas.

No soaps or shampoo ever. I'll try the standing water. I think the only issue is that he won't like how cold it is.