Feeling discouraged with lack of results
I’m a chronic lifelong eczema sufferer but it was very manageable with topical steroids until my late twenties when I realized I probably had TSW symptoms rather than the eczema I was used to growing up. After two years of excruciating withdrawal, a round of antibiotics completely wiped any sign of eczema away… until about 4 months later when it slowly started creeping back again. I just simply couldn’t bear the eczema coming back and started using topical steroids again for about a year. When the pandemic hit, I saw an opportunity to do tsw again. About 6 months into tsw round 2, I became pregnant. i had an amazingly healthy pregnancy and the worst part of all of it (including labor and delivery) was the eczema. The moment she was born I got a topical steroid and protopic prescription as I simply couldn’t be debilitated with a newborn. Today I am still in a chronic unresolving flare that I try to tame with protopic and steroids. I’m exclusively breastfeeding a 3 month old.
I’ve been on the eczema detox for about a month now (with 1 or 2 cheat meals) with not much change to my skin and I am feeling very discouraged and more inclined to cheat out of despair. I can’t do FID right away as I want to ensure baby gets sufficient nutrition and a good variety of foods. I suppose this is less so a question and more so a solicitation for motivation. How long should I stick with it before I can expect to see any difference? How can I better identify my triggers? How will I know if this is working for me? What if it’s not diet (Even though I’ve ruled out basically anything else)?
Thank you!
Hi Paya, happy to help.
First let's help you to manage your anxiety. You have help and support here, and my best tip is for you to focus on relaxing each time you eat a meal. And say something positive to yourself. "I am eating my way to clear skin" is a good start.
If you are anxious while you eat it will make it hard to identify food intolerances, and it can create inflammation in your body, making things worse.
The next thing to do is to stop search for remedies and try one thing at a time. When you keep searching you are signalling to your body that you don't believe what you are already doing will work.
Most health practitioners don't know about the link between food chemical intolerance and eczema. It was scientifically proven in the 1980s but it's not trendy now so people don't study it anymore. If you are taking the herbal supplements you won't know if the eczema detox could help you as herbs are high in salicylates, possibly histamines and often alcohol as a preservative. So it will negate the whole detox diet and muddy the results. But it is totally up to you what you choose to take, of course!
Are you eating dark leafy greens and an avocado per day or have you avoided these at present while on the detox diet?
Having a new baby (and eczema) can be stressful so have you got some ways to relax manage the stress in your life? xx