Heal Your Eczema from the Inside Out

A 2007 study published in Dermatitis said that “32 million people suffer from eczema and at least 17.8 million have moderate to severe eczema or atopic dermatitis.” I venture to say that many years later that number is higher. There are so many more people walking around with damaged, leaky guts due to the SAD diet, toxins, infections and environmental sensitivities. They’re chronically stressed and getting less than optimal amounts of sleep as well.

Eczema is not only painful and debilitating but it also takes an emotional toll. I love what Dr. Trevor Cates has to say about that,

“Struggling with severe acne, sensitive skin, or reactions like eczema and hives can have a big emotional impact. When you learn to adjust your diet and lifestyle, and begin to nourish yourself from within, your skin clears up and the relief if profound.”

Personally, I have found that to be true. I suffered from different forms of eczema for most of my life. My nickname could have been “Itch.” Attractive right? If it wasn’t my legs itching and scabbing over causing embarrassment, it was my arms of my face being plagued with eczema so much so that I didn’t even want to go out of my house.

During my healing crisis, when my body was completely shutting down, my eczema was so painful and all-consuming that I wanted to be put out of my misery. The good news is that over 5 years ago I was able to remit the horrendous eczema that I was plagued with for my entire life.

As long as I stick to the ways I am going to share with you below, I have been able to keep my eczema symptoms at bay which has been a huge relief!

Are you in a place right now that you can’t ignore eczema you have on your skin? Is it causing you to lose sleep and increasing your stress because of the pain it causes? Maybe you don’t have it as severe but it still bothers you to an extent and you’d like your itchy eczema to go away? If that’s you, I want to help you conquer your eczema and get rid of it once and for all. The key is understanding that most eczema does not start from the outside – the skin. Instead, inflamed, itchy skin issues start from the inside of our bodies. That’s what we are going to talk about today.

Different Types of Eczema

All in all, there are 9 types of eczema that are all non-contagious and are not the same as Psoriasis.

1. Atopic Dermatitis is the most common. It is immune-related and can begin in the first 6months of childhood.
2. Contact Dermatitis can come from touching substances that create skin problems. These are things like toxic skincare products, chemicals, allergens in the environment.
3. Dyshidrotic Eczema usually forms from stress, allergies and/or some heavy metal reactions.
4. Hand Eczema appears on the hands and in between the fingers and if often formed from having touched something that triggers it.
5. Lichen Simplex Chronicus is thickening skin resulting from Atopic Dermatitis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, or Contact Dermatitis.
6. Nummular Eczema which can be caused by allergies, asthma, and Atopic Dermatitis
7. Seborrheic Dermatitis is found where there’s lots of Sebum and is often found on the head. It is caused by hormonal imbalances, yeast overgrowth, silent infections, and genes that play a role in onset as well.
8. Stasis Dermatitis happens where vein blood flow pools and causes swelling and ultimately eczema.
9. Perioral (Periorificial) Dermatitis is itchy, tender skin and pustules around the nose and mouth and sometimes chin. It can be induced by topical steroids, hormone changes, chemically saturated skin cremes and lotions. It can be rooted in systemic infections.

Steroid Cremes and Antibiotics are not the Healing Answer

When you take on the perspective of the underlying cause of eczema being internal and not external, then you understand why steroid cremes and antibiotics are simply a mask and only offer temporary relief. Additionally, topical steroid cremes are well known to thin the skin, alter your hormones (which can be a root cause, to begin with), cause hyperpigmentation and can also cause Cushing’s Disease.

The use of Antibiotics does not tackle the underlying root cause of the problem either. Furthermore, they can cause super bacteria since they kill the good bacteria. It’s the most effective to heal your eczema from the inside out, discovering and defeating the root cause rather than just masking it temporarily with steroids or antibiotics.

What to do to Heal Your Eczema from the Inside Out

There are five areas to analyze in your diet and lifestyle and take action with changes so that you can get rid of that pesky eczema. Let’s start with what I consider to be the most powerful healing piece – Food.

Is What You’re Eating Allowing Gut Healing or Damaging Your Gut?

It’s been said, that 70%-90% of our immunity stems from the gut. Since the most common form of eczema is immune-based, it’s safe to say that when we prioritize healing the gut, our skin issues will disappear.

I can speak to this fact personally. As I mentioned before, my eczema used to be debilitating. It was so bad for a while that I couldn’t even take showers or get water near me because of the excessive inflammation that would happen and the itching and bleeding that would follow. When I prioritized healing my gut the following ways, my severe Atopic Dermatitis literally disappeared.

Food

The first, thing you must do, is eliminate the foods that your body finds inflaming and will otherwise continue to break down the intestinal barrier causing leaky gut. Everybody is different as far as what their body can’t tolerate so it’s worth eliminating each one (or all) for a period of at least one month to see if your skin problems subside. (Click the link to see which foods can cause inflammation)

On the flip side, you will need to build up your gut lining and further heal and seal your gut lining so you’ll need to introduce lots of gut healing broth as well as excellent, therapeutic grade probiotics. Drink at least two cups a day of broth. Here are several different types that you can choose from:

• Homemade Nutrient Dense Bone Broth
• Our Favorite Nutritious Boxed Bone Broth (get 20% off your first order with code: FEASTING20)
• Powdered Bone Broth 15% off in my Fullscript Dispensary (it is great to travel with)

Another item, along with broth, to get into your daily routine is collagen peptides. Collagen peptides contain all the same amino acid building blocks that our skin needs to heal. They have also been found to help heal and seal the gut lining, which in turn, will reduce inflammation and heal your eczema. I like to add one to two scoops to my smoothies, juices and teas every single day.

In tandem with drinking your gut healing broth, be sure that you are taking high-quality, therapeutic-level probiotics.

There are different types of probiotics with different strains of good bacteria and different levels of good bacteria. It’s always good to have a soil-based probiotic in your daily regimen as well as this therapeutic dose probiotic which is my favorite since it is high quality and you can personalize the dose. A few other additions that you can implement to heal your gut lining are:

• L-Glutamine is also a supplement that will help heal and seal your gut lining. It’s a bit controversial. You can read more about it here and decide whether it’s something you want to put into your daily regimen.
• Liposomal Colostrum in powder form is something you can add to water and drink every day. I don’t eat dairy and this seems to sit well with me. You’ll have to determine that for yourself though. Colostrum is a powerful supplement!

Before we leave the topic of food, I wanted to share a few studies that were done on our microbiome and intestinal barrier.

• “It has become increasingly clear that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the regulation of the innate and adaptive immunity and has been implicated in the development of allergic diseases.” (1)
• This 2016 study on babies clearly shows that altered gut microbiota contributes to eczema in infants.
• This 2016 study found an abundance of certain gram-negative bad bacteria, like Staph. Aureus, in the gut, reduces the integrity of the intestinal barrier function and increases the risk of developing eczema.

Toiletries and Eczema

Our gut is the most important system that needs to function optimally in order to prevent and/or heal eczema. When we apply a product to our skin it has a profound effect on our internal body.

Skincare products contain EDC’s (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals) and interfere with our hormone function. Our hormones directly affect our skin health. Chemicals from what we apply to our skin can actually get into our bloodstream. I recommend reading this compelling book that will educate you about the chemicals in our toiletries today.

Specific chemicals to stay away from are:

• Fragrance
• Formaldehyde Releasers like DMDM Hydantoin, QUATs, etc.
• Mineral Oils
• Parabens
• DEA, MEA, TEA
• Oxybenzone
• Hydroquinone
• Tocopheryl Acetate

{Read Your Labels!}

Address Your Allergies

Allergies stem from an unhealthy gut and immune health is compromised when allergies present themselves. Allergies can contribute to eczema and so addressing your allergies can help alleviate your eczema. When you have an allergy present itself, it is simply your body seeing a substance and harmful and reacting to it through an IgE reaction with our immunoglobulins. This is what sets off the inflammatory response of the body. To get rid of these reactions, the allergen needs to be eliminated and the gut health needs to be improved (see above in Food section.)

• You could be allergic to a food that you need to remove.
• You could be allergic to a plant that you need to steer clear of.
• Even medications and vaccines can cause allergies due to some of their fillers.
• An allergic reaction can also be caused by something you place on your body in the form of a toiletry.

Address your allergies to remit your painful eczema.

Devote Effort to Reduce Your Stress

Believe it or not, being stressed out can exacerbate your eczema. Since stress alters our hormones it can have a profound impact on our skin. According to Dr. Trevor Cates, “Many hormones play a role in the health of your skin – from adrenal (cortisol and DHEA) and thyroid to melatonin (our sleep hormone) and sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone).”

If you are chronically stressed out, here are 15 natural ways you can reduce your stress that will directly impact the beauty of your skin.

Be sure to note that sugar intake can put stress on the body and your blood sugar levels are directly related to your skin health.

Your Skin Connection to Infections and Vitamin Deficiencies

You’ve probably noted by now the importance of what you eat and the health of your skin. If you are eating nutritious food that gives your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to nourish the skin then you will dramatically decrease the likelihood of eczema occurring.

If you have a nutritional deficiency the first sign of it will show up on your skin. You need all the vitamins, minerals, macro and micronutrients you can get to repair the skin. Specifically, Vitamin A, B vitamins and Zinc are very important as well as iron for smooth skin that doesn’t itch. Essential Fatty Acids in the form of Omega 3’s are crucial are truly essential as well! Make sure what you eat is healthy and that you are taking a whole food multivitamin that’s right for your body and your vitamin and mineral levels. You’ll need to work with a practitioner on this since it’s so individual.

Silent infections like parasitic infections or yeast overgrowth can be a huge problem in obtaining skin that’s free from eczema. I recommend working with a practitioner that specializes in these and addressing them in tandem with your diet. Both overgrowth and infections can leach important vitamins and minerals from your body leaving you depleting and without the necessary building blocks for great skin.

If I Could Get Rid of My Eczema, You Can Too!

I want you to be encouraged and not overwhelmed about eliminating your eczema.

Go ahead and start by examining one of the sections above and put action to your steps.

Are you going to choose to target the food you are eating or not eating and get probiotics into your diet? Are you going to start with eliminating the toxic toiletries that are not only harmful to your skin but your internal organs? You could start by reducing your stress and download this practical guide to help you reduce your overwhelm. Or, equally important you could purpose to find a practitioner that will help address any silent infections you have as well as vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The choice is yours!

You’ve got to start somewhere, Address one area at a time and eventually tackle them all and you will find skin relief that is well worth your time and effort!