Check out this super informative lecture my health coach Donia did called Health through Nutrition. She’s a pretty amazing woman, and she’s the one who inspired me to take control of my health and heal my eczema naturally once and for all. Just her sharing her healing story on her site, gave me the courage to begin this blog many years ago and document my journey for you all to see. I’ve learned a lot from her, and because of it, I can share my info with all of you across the world! If you are interested in the products that she is talking about in the lecture, feel free to shoot me an email at eczema.holistic.healing@gmail.com and I can provide you with more info as well as my store site 🙂
Here it is finally, my summer 2016 healing update! I guess being that today is the first day of fall, it’s better that I get it in today, better now than never! It’s been a little while since I’ve given an update with pictures and such, so here it is!
In his article, “Skin Health, Eczema, and Preventative Strategies”, James Barker, N.D. sums up the importance of protecting the GI integrity for eczema patients by saying: “If the eyes and the skin are the portal through which we may observe the body’s internal health, the gut then is the door through which a majority of disease initiates its entrance into the body… It goes without saying that… the first area of treatment then for the patient displaying eczema should be the gastrointestinal lining, without a doubt” (p. 58).
Having an optimally functioning gut is key to healing one’s eczema as well as countless other diseases. We must heal from the inside out, and the integrity of the gut is the first line of defense in repairing the skin of eczema. The gut holds 80% of the body’s immunity! When the detoxification systems aren’t eliminating properly (gut, kidneys, liver) then the toxic waste needs to go somewhere, and the skin is the organ it decides to eliminate on. Putting the focus on healing internally with diet, and probiotic rich foods and supplements will put the body back in balance and add good bacteria into the body.
The best foods to put into the body to repopulate the good gut bacteria are plant based foods. These foods are highly alkaline, fiber rich and come with an array of various vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Drinking celery juice first thing in the morning is another great gut healing remedy one can do. Check out this very informative video on why its best to fill up on all kinds of plant based foods in order to heal the gut which will in turn heal your skin as well as other health issues.
Seven signs you should be taking a probiotic
Antibiotics – If you’ve taken antibiotics in the past year or even five years and you haven’t re-cultured your good bacteria you should look into taking a probiotic. Birth control and anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAID’s (over the counter pain meds like Tylenol, Ibuprofen etc) will also destroy the gut.
Food Poisoning – This is a shift in the equilibrium of the gut, meaning that you have more bad bacteria than good. When this happens you will definitely want to re-populate the gut with good bacteria.
Digestive Disturbances – Such as bloating, excessive gas, constipation, diarrhea etc. If this is occurring, you will want to look into supplementing with a probiotic.
Skin Conditions – Once you start to fix what’s going on in the inside of the body, the outside will reflect more harmony and balance of your health.
Mood Disorders – If you are having mood issues, such as depression, there’s a good chance that a good probiotic will help bounce up the seratonin levels. 95% of the seratonin is in the body is actually made in the gut and it’s the “happy molecule” in the brain. Once you start fixing your gut, you will notice that your mood will start to enhance!
Weak Immunity – If you’re the type of person that gets sick two to three times a year and you’re wondering why, there’s a good chance that over populated bad bacteria is holding you back and you should look into considering a probiotic.
Yeast Overgrowth – If you’re dealing with any type of yeast infection or yeast overgrowth on the inside, rebalancing the good gut bacteria will definitely help you.
For more info on the whole food based probiotics I use, check out this link HERE and shoot me an email for more information and how to order at eczema.holistic.healing@gmail.com! I also do health coaching with eczema sufferers where I send them a health questionnaire to get to know them better and offer tips, diet advice and natural remedies. ☺️
Yup, you read that title right… March 2016 marks four whole years that I’ve been topical steroid free! It’s pretty amazing when I look back at all that I’ve endured, physically, mentally & emotionally. This post is kind of bittersweet because on one hand I have nothing but gratitude in my heart that I’ve come this far but on the other hand I wish I could be writing this saying that I’m completely healed and back to my normal life. Now this isn’t to discourage anyone…healing DOES happen. In my case it’s taking awhile. If you’re new to my blog I think it’s best for me to give some background of my history. I used topical steroids from 10 months old to 26 years old. I also had injections of (I believe) triamcinolone into my hands and feet multiple times. I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2008, which I underwent 6 months of chemo twice a month (it’s said chemo has a half life in the body up to 10-12 years!). So needless to say I’ve had A LOT of toxic build up in my body, hence my lengthy withdrawal. Buuuut I’m apparently right around the time as far as healing times go. Supposedly for every 7 years you’ve used TS you will go through a year of withdrawal. So although actually 28 years of usage would equal 4 years of withdrawal, I’m not too far off, plus I have the “added bonus” of injections and chemo 😦 . Everyone is different and depending on your usage and potency you may have a shorter or longer healing time than myself, so don’t be alarmed by my lengthy healing time… you may restore faster than me, it just all depends.
So many times I will think about this “journey” that I’m on of healing. It’s been a loooong rough road and I still can’t believe that next month I will be 4 years topical steroid free! There have been many ups and downs. Many depressing times where I thought I had zero strength left in me to continue, then I realized I truly had no choice… it was either go back on the poisonous medication or keep on pushing, and I kept on pushing. I wiped my tears, calmed myself down, prayed and kept on going. My faith, and strength has been tested so many times I can’t even begin to count. Through all of the emotional and physical pain that I’ve endured, I would honestly not take it back. This journey that I’m on has changed me for the better. Just as the message says, I’ve felt that I’ve now become the person that I was always supposed to be in the first place. I have felt that this experience has broken me down so much that I’ve only had to understand myself in this broken state, the true person that I am. I feel that I’m now more empathetic to others pain and suffering, I feel so deeply now than I ever have before. I feel that I’ve found a purpose in all of this pain, and it’s to help others in any way that I can. To be of service is truly our only jobs on this planet and I feel that using my experience; the good the bad and the ugly, to inspire, help and comfort others is what it’s all about.
The journey may be a rough one to endure, but always remember that “the blessing is in the breaking”… when you’ve been broken down so much you finally realize who you are truly supposed to be and what the breaking is all about… bringing you to your highest self, vulnerable and ready to be built back up to a better you. Don’t give up, in your weakest hours is when your faith and strength are truly tested and when you need to hold on even tighter. In these moments I give thanks to the Most High. I praise God all throughout the day, when I’m having a great day and when I’m crying out in pain with thoughts of crawling into a deep hole to never return. He always listens, He always comforts and heals. Never give up on your faith… the journey may take longer than you’ve expected, but it WILL end, it may not be in your time, but in God’s time. Just know that everything has it’s purpose and there is a reason and season for everything. Trust in your body’s natural ability to heal, just give it all of the love, rest and nutrients it needs to heal and it will do all the work. Always tell yourself how much you love yourself, no matter what state your skin is in, kiss your skin, talk to your body calmly and sweetly with positive healing words. Your thoughts will influence your healing just as much as what you put into your body and on your body. 🙂
Many Blessings Warriors ❤
Jen
I leave you with an inspirational tune from Hillsong United
Here’s a little “part two” of my emollient experimentation 😉
You can check out my DIY essential oil lotion and see what I added to it the first time around. I kept this mix a bit simple with only 4 essential oils this time, and I made the consistency a bit thicker so it’s more like a cream instead of a lotion. Since using this blend, I’ve found that I like it better with this consistency than the lotion. Using less olive oil and less essential oils made it more like a thick, fluffy cream instead of liquidy.
The newest addition to this mix is helichrysum essential oil, which is a game changer for skin health. I’m so glad I started incorporating this healing oil to my moisturizer because of it’s awesome restorative properties! It feels really smooth when applying and it locks the moisture in well enough to where I don’t really need to reapply too often. It’s weird, but in a way I feel like it’s almost drawing out the dead skin to where my skin is sloughing off flakes somewhat more often. I suppose it’s just the skin cells regenerating at a faster rate, this property is due to the helichrysum oil.
I’ve been experiencing some super annoying irritation on my hands lately. Cracks in the lines of my palms and rawness in between the fingers. This has been making everything much more challenging because of the pain I feel in doing the most normal chores. Just getting my hands wet would burn like crazy and leave me crying waiting for the tingling and intense itch to calm down. Because of this symptom, I’ve been keeping my hands as dry as possible, using loose fitting plastic gloves to do anything (chopping up veggies, brushing my teeth, washing up my body). The skin is trying so hard to form a new layer and every time it gets wet it’s just ripped off, left exposed and oozy 😔
The word is getting out about the dangers of topical steroids! Unfortunately this show is notorious for editing important info and not really giving the guests enough time to speak, but either way, this fellow TSW warrior Briana’s story was put out on national television for all to see! It’s a horrific withdrawal process, that can easily be avoided by dermatologists not prescribing these poisonous creams in the first place & getting to the root cause of the eczema. I hope this segment will resonate with the viewers, they’ll do their research and take the steps to getting their health back like I and countless warriors have done! For more info on topical steroid withdrawal, check outwww.itsan.org
“I am incredibly thankful to everyone who reached out and gave me strength through this process. This was the scariest, most vulnerable thing I’ve done in my life. It isn’t easy seeing yourself on TV with a *viewer discretion advised* sign because of how badly I have been affected by my health condition. I wanted to help a suffering cause that I am a part of when I was offered a chance to speak out about my personal battle on national television. I am very thankful to The Doctors and their producers for giving me this chance. I did my best to represent the TSW community. Was part of it edited for their purposes? Of course. Is MRSA the cause of my pain? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I will be making my own video statement about this segment soon and what I hope others have taken from it. Topical Steroid Withdrawal will be a growing issue if the medical community doesn’t start calling it like it is and taking responsibility for the consequences that come with over prescribing medication to patients. I am hoping to be called back to the show once I am fully healed to truly drive home how important it is to ask questions, do your research, be prepared in a doctor’s office, and how you CAN recover from this without the use of more steroids. Topical Steroid Withdrawal is something that can be completely avoided, as well as many other iatrogenic conditions.
I am but one voice that was trying to speak out for us sufferers. All we can do is keep trying to spread awareness regardless of how people wish to spin our pain.”
October was thankfully a pretty great month for me! It had been a full month since I had been in Florida and my body had finally acclimated to my new environment. It took me a minute for my body to calm down from the stress that I was experiencing from the month before. Upon coming to Florida from New York, I was packing, getting my things together trying to not stress out on the day to day chores and such and my skin was already in a state, so of course it just started to get worse. When I got to Florida on the first of September, I was going through crazy insomnia, on and off oozing, chills and feverish symptoms. It wasn’t until the end of September that I started to feel a lot better. My sleep slowly started to improve, the skin that I was shedding (MASSIVE amounts at that) was becoming less and less and my oozing was calming down. I was experiencing oozing on my legs so badly that I was sticking to my sheets 😦
Great news….I reached over $1,000 on my fundraiser last week! I’m so thankful for the love and support from everyone who has donated and shared my campaign! I just need a bit more help to fully reach my goal and any donations would be awesome! I have so many ideas for this site and how to further this passion of mine of helping other eczema sufferers. Please check out the link below for more info on the fundraiser 🙂
*p.s. if anyone needs support, tips and advice on naturally healing, feel free to email me at eczema.holistic.healing@gmail.com for “health coaching” support! ❤
Eczema Holistic Healing 