Slaying the eczema monster

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Some days I really think that eczema is like the Hydra monster of Greek and Roman myths. It seems unslayable! Every time we attack and subdue it, it reappears somewhere else! Or suddenly appear in a more extreme form. For example, sufferers and caregivers of sufferers who are observant would have noticed that when skin issues abates or disappears, issues with the nose (sinus congestion or the like) will start. Or when one patch seems to be healing nicely, it may suddenly become itchier and then all improvements will go down the drain. Sigh.

The Atopic Triad

Because eczema is also often linked with asthma and/or sinus issues (rhinitis) or what is called the Atopic Triad. It is actually common to see a decrease of the symptoms of say, eczema but an increase in intensity of the symptoms of sinus issues. And those clueless amongst us think that eczema has gone! It has and it hasn’t. The manifestation of the allergy as eczema is gone but now it is manifesting as asthma or rhinitis/hay fever! I have experienced this personally and so have my children. It is as though the body needs to exchange one for the other instead of just getting rid of the monster! Grrr!!!

Eczema – the itch that rashes

Long time readers of this blog will know that our family battles eczema – an itch that rashes is what some people call it. Because if you don’t scratch that itch, it won’t rash up and there won’t be any diagnosis of eczema. Eczema is however, a term that is loosely used on any rash that appears on the body. Sometimes, even doctors do that (call any rash eczema) which can be frustrating to sufferers because then any product can be touted as a cure for eczema. Say you have a rash due to dry skin and you call it eczema. After application of a lotion/cream the skin is no longer dry and you no longer scratch and the rash goes away. Voila! This product cures eczema. It does not!!!

Eczema seems to unconquerable, and the medical community seem to agree with it, often only prescribing medication to reduce or suppress the symptoms. Patients are often told to just manage it.

We have been battling it since 2005 in a mild form in our second child (for myself, I have had it on and off since I was 7 or 8 years old) and in 2010 for what we thought was a severe form for my oldest daughter. The flare this year (March 2016) was however, the worst any of us have ever seen it! Skin that just oozed non-stop. Skin that flaked off relentlessly – every step leaves skin flakes all around, a mattress and even bed frame that is covered in skin flakes. And of course, the intense itch that goes bone deep, so deep that you cannot stop scratching even though you know that when you stop, the pain that comes will leave you screaming in pain.

Theories, theories, theories

There are so many theories out there that it is mind boggling.

(a) Allopathic Medicine

Allopathic medicine (western medicine) often disregard diet and lifestyle components (although they may pay lip service to the top 8 allergens) when treating eczema and treat it by suppressing the body’s natural reaction with steroids (topical and oral) and immunosuppressant drugs (Protopic and Ellidel).

Beware if you are using this method to treat allergies. Not only are there long term side effects of taking these drugs, there is also the addiction and withdrawal symptoms of using steroids and immunosuppressant drugs. Check out ITSAN for more details. Allopathic medicine only manages/suppresses the manifestation of the allergies, even for asthma and hay fever. There is no cure from this field.

(b) Alternative Medicine : Leaky Gut

The alternative healthcare practitioners, however, insist that lifestyle and diet are major components in the battle against eczema and all other allergies. Some have explained allergies as a manifestation of a leaky gut, where food particles end up in places it is not supposed to to, triggering an inflammatory response because the gut lining has been compromised, either through use of antibiotics or eating of foods that irritate the gut. Cure is found when the leaky gut is repaired. Usually an Elimination Diet or the GAPS/Paleo Diet is prescribed, on top of vitamin and/or herbal supplementation.

(b) Alternative Medicine : (ii) Allergy Bucket

Included in the alternative medicine arena is also the allergy bucket explanation, which explains why certain foods can be consumed with no reaction for days or even years on end, but one day causes great flare ups. The cure is making sure that the bucket does not overflow. So on top of an Elimination Diet, there may be a need to adhere to a Rotation Diet where you do not eat the same food on consecutive days. By keeping the contents of the bucket inside the bucket, there will be no manifestations of any allergy reactions.

(c) Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) says its cause is dampness and heat, a congested liver and/or spleen. Balance all these elements and one will be cured. So herbs and even acupuncture are prescribed.

And the list goes on. These I listed are what I am more familiar with. Other alternative therapies and theories abound, including Ayurvedic medicine, treatment with NAET, BRT, etc … Who is right? All are right? All are wrong? There needs to be a combination or the various theories?! Mind boggling!

Food not the only component

I am no doctor and have no medical background. But I have suffered from eczema (on and off, mild and severe) since I was a child of about 7 or 8. I have cared for and am caring for children with eczema for a long time. In our experience, I know that food plays a BIG part in triggering and/or exacerbating it when we are in Singapore. Anyone who wants to treat/manage/cure eczema here without looking at the food component is going to find the path even more difficult. A super strict diet may not be necessary for all or for the long term but some restriction is necessary to allow the body to recover.

But food (diet) is not the only component. Why do I say that?

Because I have heard too many stories of people I know personally, and people I don’t know personally, who have gone away from Singapore for even as short as 4 to 5 days and have seen a major improvement in their skin issues. And have the symptoms reappear almost immediately upon return to Singapore.

The Allergy Bucket Theory

This is when I start thinking that maybe, the Allergy Bucket Theory could be the best explanation of all the theories put out there. You can head over HERE to read more about it. Abby’s story is quite amazing. Simply put, all of us have a unique-sized bucket given to us at birth. As long as irritants collected in the bucket remain in the bucket, we do not manifest any symptoms, be they itching or sneezing or asthma attacks. However, the moment the bucket overflows and spills out the irritants, we are in trouble. We would start exhibiting the symptoms that plague us.

This is why when we leave Singapore and go to say, Australia or even Bintan (yes, that happened to us), and not change our diet, the symptoms are either eliminated or reduced substantially. You could say it is the stress levels that are reduced when one goes on a holiday. But stress is also an irritant. And I am not the only one who has experienced this shift when we leave Singapore. Stephanie of Keeper of the Home also wrote about her experience here some years back.

So does that mean we can ignore our food choices? Well, only if we can be sure we are not causing the bucket to overflow. The idea is to keep the irritants IN the bucket and not allow it to overflow. Since we cannot control the dust (in and out of the house) issue or any of the other environmental irritants, we have to control the diet even more strictly.

Prayer

And then … PRAYER. To me, this is the biggest component in our healing journey. Indeed we need to pray without ceasing, even when we see no improvement or relief. Don’t stop praying!

• Pray for wisdom and discernment to know which foods irritate the body.
• Pray for humility to be hear from God. Is there a spiritual dimension to the allergy issues that are manifesting? But do not stay under condemnation. If we have confessed our sins,the Bible tells us that God cleanses us (1 John 1:9) and then move on! Don’t keep confessing the same sin over and over.
• Pray to know what is the root cause of the allergies.
• Pray as you partake of the food to nourish you and not harm you.
• Pray that the allergy bucket is emptied out and kept clean and kept robust.
• Pray for no leaks in the bucket!

Do you deal with allergies? What has your experience been with managing allergies?

*PS : While I understand many well-intentioned people offering advice and products to “cure” allergies, the best thing you could do for us and for anyone you know who is suffering similarly is to PRAY for us. We have tried too many products in the past 6 years to know that they don’t work for us as I have shared before in Another One Bites the Dust! But prayer – it works mightily!

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