Eczema Support Group

Eczema is a form of inflammation of the upper layers of the skin. The main symptoms are skin rashes characterized by redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, with possible crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Eczema can be extremely physically and socially uncomfortable. If you're an eczema sufferer, join the group and get support.

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Elimination Diet

catchasemouse
catchasemouse
Hi all,

I have had eczema all my life, and two years ago I developed asthma. My biggest problem is I have no idea what triggers attacks of eczema.

I am a student at the moment so I move from my mum's flat in London, and my student house in Cornwall (right in the countryside). So this rules out environmental issues from pollution and mold. I think my mum cat triggers flair up of eczema on my hands and my asthma. My asthma is generally fine when I'm in Cornwall (away from the cat), I know its not pollution because I was in New York for a while with no issues. However this does not answer what triggers my eczema.

It can be bad when I'm at my mum's, my student house and on holiday. This I think rules out environmental factors and leans towards a food allergy. I'm moving back to my student house in a week, and when I go back I was thinking on going on a food elimination diet and I wanted advice.

I was thinking of going on a juice only diet for 24/48 hours and then ruling out all diary for like 3/4 weeks to see if their is an improvement and then maybe move on to tomatoes. I wanted to know does any one have any good advice on how I should go about finding out if I have a food trigger, what foods should I eliminate or should I go about it in a different way. My doctor is not really any help when it comes to this, so I'm really relying on you guys for advice.

I originally put this in general discussion but I think I should have put it in the advice section.

Thanks
deleted_user
deleted_user
hey i was the same for a while about not knowing what triggers the eczema off i started doing a no dairy diet but that was not quite a success it lasted 24h so i didnt really rely on that as such. instead i went to my doctors about it and he suggested after a alot of pushing my need of knowing about why my eczema gets so bad he gave me a appointment to have an allergy test at the hospital. it wasnt painful if your worried about that it was just a blood test really. it took a while for the results to come via post but in the end i found out that i was highly allergic to dust !! so know i no what triggers eczema its helpful to avoid the thing that triggers it off. so i suggest making an appointment with your doctor and see if you can get an allergy test. i hoped that helped you a bit if you have any more questions than i would be happy to try and help thanks lucy.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Elimination diet is only neccessary when your eczema is very extreme. Other symptoms occur when you have a food allergy such as gastrointestinal problems. But not to say it still can be a leading cause of your eczema. Start off by eliminating gluten and MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate).
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hello! I really think it's a mixture of your mums cat and, possibly dust from...well, anywhere. I have both asthma and eczema as well, and I've learned that for myself when something triggers my asthma it usually effects my eczema. For example, I'm allergic to certain breeds of cats, so if I come in contact with one, I'll get the sneezing and the itchy red eyes, but then all of my eczema spots will start itching as well.
When it comes to the food allergy, my best advice would be to do your own food allergy test like they do with children. You eat as naturally as possible, to immediately eliminate all preservatives and processed foods from your diet (so, I guess juicing would be beneficial). You keep a food journal and you write down everything you eat and drink for the day. Introduce yourself to different types of food each day, and journal them as you go along. My suggestion is to keep your doctor, and Benadryl, on standby. Although it seems your doctor may not be of help with finding your allergies, you're still going to need help if you have a serious allergic reaction. And the Benadryl is for the not-so-serious reactions. Good luck, my friend!
BundlesofJoy
BundlesofJoy
I've realized that because there is no cure for eczema doctors too become frustrated. So it's really up to us to monitor ourselves very closely to see what has an adverse affect on our bodies & what our bodies can tolerate.

You are on the right track by coming here. We actually learn from what others experience. I just recently pinpointed that wheat triggers my son's eczema.
DebiDoodles
DebiDoodles
Hi, i know it was a long while ago you posted but if you have not got to the bottom of your skin probs yet, you may find this of interest.... If you have, and your skin is better.... i would love to know your secret!

I was told by my skin specialist recently, that unless you completely cut out all foods completely,other than 1 or 2 basic foods (with no additives) eg fruit, and eat only those for 10days -2 weeks + drink only bottled pure water, and then gradually -1 at a time, add another item-for the same amount of time, and so on....this is meant to be the only way that you can get an accurate result, as different foods can take different lengths of time in causing the skin to react.
It is a very slow laborious task( which is why i have never managed to stick to it myself!)

Below, i have added some links that somebody kindly posted earlier which look really interesting.....
and definitely worth a read................. :-) D.x

hi fat diet and skin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/


nickel foods: http://www.pennstatehershey.org/c/d


http://www.jcadonline.com/dietary-n
deleted_user
deleted_user
A dermatologist may recommend eliminating "obvious" foods from your diet -- I would eliminate one food for one week at a time to find out what may be triggering the outbreaks, even though you may not be allergic to them. You may, however, be sensitive to certain foods.

Try eliminating:
-peanuts and other nut(s) you may enjoy eating
-strawberries
-corn
-wheat and wheat products including pastas
-spicy foods

***Go through the food allergies websites and choose one with the list of foods you would like to eliminate.
***Remember that any condiments you use may be a trigger as well.
***Remember that any sauces and/or seasonings you use may trigger a skin reaction as well.

Good luck and let me know how it works out.
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