Just did a lil post sharing info on the Eczema & Topical Steroid Withdrawal -Red Skin Syndrome Support Group on facebook about why we itch and why it’s best to not suppress it…..
Hey guys! Here’s some info I’d like to share with y’all about that dang itching we’re all experiencing and have ever since we got eczema. This is from the book Food is Your Best Medicine by Henry Bieler MD.
We gotta keep in mind that the body doesn’t make any mistakes. All that heat and itching is for a reason. Just like having diarrhea or fever is the body’s mechanism to kill or get rid of germs, there is reasons for itching and heat in the body with eczema.
The following information is what I found to be the most logical explanation of why you should not use drugs to suppress the severe itching associated with eczema, it’s truly a part of the process as maddening as it may be
Henry Bieler, MD, in his book “Food is Your Best Medicine” said that he always explained to his patients that their pain and illness is the result of their dietary mistakes and intake of drugs. He said that when the normal chemistry of digestion is upset because of unhealthy living habits, toxins are stagnated in the blood which can impair the filters and eliminative organs, chief of which are the kidneys, liver, bowels, and skin. He explained that skin problems like eczema is a “terrific attempt” by the body to get rid of toxins since the normal channels of elimination such as the liver is no longer functioning normally. If the bile poisons in the blood come out through the skin, we get the various irritations of the skin and itching is one of these irritations. The itching is necessary so the poisons can come out of the skin. “Thus, the skin is substituting for the liver, or a vicarious elimination is occurring through the skin” (Bieler, pg. 43).
He describes eczema as a hyper secretion of the thyroid gland. “This gland, located at the base of the neck, controls all functions of the body’s three layers of skin: the outer skin… the inner skin… and the middle skin. The normal function of the outer skin is to exhale gases, sweat out water and certain toxic salty substances and oil itself and its hair with special oil glands. The vicarious elimination, which results from forcefully exuding gases, acid sweat, and toxic oils and greases through the outer skin (can be the cause of) chronic eczema…Skin diseases…are really signs of toxic irritation…” (Bieler, pg. 46). To stop the itching, hyperthyroidism must be brought under control through diet changes and complete elimination of offending toxins.
Itching as Henry Bieler explains in his book is a “terrific attempt” by the body to get the toxins out of the body. So itching leading to skin lesions that become infected is nothing more than channels of elimination to remove toxins out of the body. This will only stop when the natural channels of elimination (liver, kidneys and intestinal tract) function normally.
- Natural antihistamine like foods that are high in Vitamin C such as kiwi, pineapples, oranges and bell peppers will help with the itching since one of the main causes of increased histamine levels in the body is a vitamin C deficiency. Black cumin seed oil and using the crushed seeds with a spoonful of honey is also a good natural antihistamine remedy. Also taking plant based digestive enzymes at night such as bromelain will help reduce itching. Here’s the digestive enzymes I take to keep the itching down as much as possible. Bee pollen also helps because it has quercitin in it which minimizes the histamine response.
Vitamin C has an effect on histamine in your system, and your body’s vitamin C levels also regulate your level of histamine release. Adequate vitamin C consumption maintains relatively low levels of histamine in your system, while a vitamin C deficiency can raise your body’s levels of histamine, according to a study published in the “Journal of the American College of Nutrition” in 1996. The abnormal histamine levels as a result of vitamin C deficiency can have an effect on your overall health. SOURCE SOURCE
- I haven’t personally tried this remedy, but taking some activated charcoal can help because it will absorb circulating toxins and remove them quickly from your system. However, activated charcoal is indiscriminate in what it absorbs. Therefore, it should not be taken with food or medicines as it would absorb them too, and it should not be taken over long periods of time. It is, however, good for instant relief of circulating toxins.
- To overcome itching and heat at night so you can sleep, grind fennel seeds and cumin seeds and allow this powder to soak in half a glass of water for 2 hours or longer. Drink this mix and all the soaked powder content and this takes away the heat and itching with the cooling action of the ingredients.
- There is also a product that I’ve found effective to calm down the itching too, it’s an essential oil blend made for allergies called TriEase. You can get it HERE (just click on the “shop” tab and type it in a search). I also did a whole post on it HERE.
I had been reading a little bit about fasting and specifically water fasting and wanted to give a go. I’m always looking into natural remedies that I can try out, and fasting is one of the best ways to give our bodies a break and let it heal on its own. Just days before my 3 day fast, I was an oozy mess. My legs were sticking to my sheets (from the ooze coming out and drying on the sheets) and I was having this uncomfortable, achy, heavy pain in both of my legs and feet. That odd throbbing pain seems to happen when the skin is cracked, open and oozing. My skin also itched and flaked a decent amount the night before the first day of the 3 day fast, and shed even more the morning of.
Eczema Holistic Healing 