Hope had reasonably serious eczema from birth up until the age of 12. At this age, some allergy tests revealed that she was intolerant to gluten and dairy, and after cutting these out of her diet she remained mostly eczema-free until last year.
In July last year, Hope experienced an extremely stressful and traumatic event. The stress of that incident sparked an extreme eczema flare and it spread over her entire body. She then started using steroid creams and antihistamines right through until October. However, she was desperate to heal her skin for good and stop using steroid creams. Fortunately she found Karen Fischer’s Eczema Detox book.
Because her eczema was so severe she decided to undertake the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) program. Hope explained that the first 4 weeks of FID were challenging:
“Not because of the food restrictions particularly, but because I think I experienced a ‘healing crisis.’ My eczema flared hugely and was incredibly itchy, I couldn’t sleep and struggled to shower, even putting on a bra was too much! I had no energy and actually took time off work as I could barely get off the couch.”
You can find out more about “healing crisis” and ways to manage it here.
“Around the 6 week mark, I started seeing real improvement and my energy level increased dramatically! After about 8 weeks it was harder to maintain the strict FID diet, especially around Christmas/New Years’. I would say I am somewhere in between the Eczema detox plan and FID now.”
In addition to the FID diet Hope found the Skin Friend AM and PM supported her healing.
“The supplements have been amazing for my skin and I notice a real difference if I miss them for a few days.”
Hope likes to take Skin Friend AM in water like a shot and she enjoys PM in a warm or cold cup of soy milk before bed, ‘it’s a really nice little ritual.’
Implementing stress-reducing techniques was significant on her healing journey.
“When I started walking for a half-hour every day, having regular salt baths, journaling, and removing stressors in my life it was amazing how much my results sped up. I think a healthy, relaxing lifestyle is key when trying to help heal eczema.”
Here at Skin Friend, one of the most significant things we see that helps people's skin is calming down the body's nervous system (reducing stress). Stress can sometimes be hard to avoid but there are many things we can put in place to keep the nervous system calm. We have plenty of stress reducing techniques on our website and you can find them here.
Hopes’ healing journey, like many eczema sufferers, is ongoing but she is so thankful to have made such big improvements.
“My eczema is so much better than where it used to be. This diet plan and the supplements have been the only thing that worked for me in months, however, it did take a lot longer than expected! The first few weeks were rough, but I trusted the process and I’m so glad I did. I’m not completely healed yet, but I have been able to expand here and there without too severe reactions. If I have a night off I’ll go back on FID strictly for a few days and I come right again. I think it will just be a slow process to get back to an unrestricted diet again, but seeing my skin slowly heal makes it worth it”
We are so grateful to Hope for sharing her story and that the eczema detox and supplements have supported her healing.
Article by nutritionist Bonnie.
