As a reminder … In July, Adrianne Watts from Group 37 was asked to write an article for Parentsource.ca on managing eczema. She managed to parlay the article into a five part series. Here is the first of the installments. Way to go, Adrianne! This article was originally posted in Parent Source late September.

How diet can affect eczema sufferers: Eating for Eczema

We’ve heard it countless times, ‘You are what you eat.’ For some this may not be so glaringly important, or more so apparent. For an eczema sufferer this ideal is paramount. Eczema sufferers are sensitive individuals, sensitive to changes in weather, temperature, diet, social changes; essentially everything our bodies can revolt at given the slightest provocation.

You’ve also heard this one quite often; ‘your best defense is a good offense.’? This is what eating for eczema comes into play, this is but one of many tools in your eczema management arsenal.

In this segment we will explore the equally important idea of taking foods out of your diet before we begin to add in the super foods, vitamins and supplements. Why? Because no matter what you add to your diet it won?t help if you continue to consume items that you are sensitive or allergic to. It is important to start with a clean baseline with environmental and food allergens eliminated (where possible) and then we will begin to build a plan for eating to boost the immune system.

Approximately 1 in 10 children with atopic eczema have a food sensitivity (allergy), which can make symptoms worse. The most common foods, which trigger eczema symptoms, are cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, and nuts. Food journaling is the first step in helping you zero in on a food sensitivity (allergy) that may be acting as a trigger. So if you’ve done your homework from the last article we can begin the process of analyzing the results to see if we can detect any patterns.

Now you’re asking, how do I know if a food is making eczema worse?

Immediate food sensitivity occurs in some cases and symptoms often develop within two hours of eating the trigger food. Itching and scratching may worsen shortly after eating the trigger food. A common sign is redness, swelling and irritation around the mouth. Other symptoms may occur such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, wheezing, itchy eyes and sneezing. Delayed food sensitivity can occur in some cases, with symptoms developing 6-24 hours after eating the trigger food. Some symptoms may not be so obvious, even more frustrating some people with sensitivities do not present any easily detectable symptoms.

Everyone is different so it is important to evaluate even the slightest changes to be a possible indicator of a trigger food. For example when my daughter eats a trigger food (wheat, dairy) she becomes irritable and irrational and she begins to rub her eyes incessantly. Within two hours the itching and outbreak occurs fully developing into an eczema outbreak within 24 hours. When I eat a trigger food I begin to shut down mentally and can no longer cope with simple tasks.? I experience abdominal pain and eczema outbreak presents itself within 12 – 24 hours post consumption and severity depends on the amount of trigger food I’ve eaten.

Food journaling is the first step in helping you zero in on trigger foods. Further testing can be done via exclusion diets and sensitivity testing through your family doctor or your naturopath. You can conduct your own elimination diet by completely excluding a single food item from your diet for a two weeks and then reintroducing the food, all the while journaling to document your symptoms from elimination stage through reintroduction stage. If you’ve done it right it will be obvious if the food is a trigger.

Elimination Diet Instructions:

1. Completely eliminate the food from your diet for two weeks. While you are in the ‘elimination’ phase eat simple foods that you prepare at home to avoid the possibility of cross-contamination. For example, if you are eliminating dairy, eat fresh fruits, veggies, and meats rather than anything that comes in a package or is prepared in a restaurant, unless it has been made in a dairy-free facility.

2. Track your symptoms in a food journal (along with the food you eat) to see if they improve. If they don’t improve, then the food you eliminated was most likely not the problem. If they do improve, re-introduce the food in its most basic form to see if you have a reaction. This is called a ‘challenge.’ In the case of dairy a good challenge would be plain milk, rather than prepackaged food with multiple ingredients.

3. If your symptoms get worse after eating the food, try the process of elimination and challenge again to confirm the results. It is possible that the first time was a coincidence. For example, perhaps the food you used for your challenge is greasy and upset your stomach, but you can tolerate the food in another form.

Removing food allergens from the diet can prove to be difficult as they can hide in packaged foods and in places you least expect. Dairy exists in various forms in many foods you wouldn’t expect: whey, lactic acid, modified milk ingredients, casein etc. If you have a problem with gluten you may have a problem with other grains containing gluten, or grains that have been processed in a facility that also processes gluten. So extreme diligence in label reading is paramount to ensuring your completely removing the allergen from your diet.

Once you’ve removed all of the potential food triggers from your diet you can begin to add foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals and can help to strengthen your immune system, further helping you on your journey to an eczema-free life.

Tune in next month when we will discuss how you can add super foods and supplements to help strengthen the immune system and help you manage your eczema, naturally.

Be well,

Adrianne Watts

Adrianne Watts is a natural living advocate and founder of Nurish Organics, a skin care company that focuses on creating wholesome organic skin food. She has a lifetime of experience in dealing with eczema and other health issues, naturally. Adrianne believes that sharing knowledge helps empower others to become partners in their own health. Visit her at www.nurishorganics.com or for more articles and tips on eczema and natural skin care follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NurishOrganics and twitter: http://twitter.com/EmilysOwn

We have a recent graduate with some great news. In July, Adrianne Watts from Group 37 was asked to write an article for Parentsource.ca on
managing eczema. She managed to parlay the article into a five part series. Here is the first of the installments. Way to go, Adrianne!

Managing Eczema: How to take control

There are countless articles, tip sheets and websites out there that shout to the world that they know how to cure eczema. They have a magical cream, diet plan, cleanse program, supplements, etc. As the parent of a child who suffers the pain, discomfort and sleepless nights that come with the condition you are willing to try anything and at any cost to help your baby find relief.

I too have been there, I understand your pain for your child and I also understand your child’s pain. Both my daughter and I suffer from eczema. I hope to save you time, unnecessary frustration and money by telling you to stop looking for a ‘cure’. An eczema outbreak is an immune response and it is theorized that eczema is hereditary. It is also most prevalent in major city centers, and people who suffer from eczema are more likely to suffer from allergies (environmental, animal or food), and asthma.

The first step to truly managing – and minimizing – your condition is to accept the fact that this may be something you have to manage for the rest of your life. Acceptance of the condition helps you to think more logically and also makes you less susceptible to all of those hard sell marketing claims begging you to spend just $19.95 on a wonder cream that will wipe all your worries and rashes away.

Now that you’ve accepted this (or you are humoring me, but at least you are considering it), breathe. You can manage this.

Our body has this amazing ability to regenerate and heal itself. A wise friend of mine constantly reminds me that in nature every problem contains its own solution. Right about now you are wondering what does this mean and how does it relate to my child or me?

Think about a balance scale and a pile of marbles beside it. One end of the scale represents something that would be considered an insult to your immune system. The other end represents your body’s natural defenses. Now consider this: it’s June and you have seasonal allergies. You are very stressed out from working too hard and not sleeping enough. You are also not getting any exercise because you are tired (lack of exercise negatively affects your body’s ability to cope with stress). This is a tough time for your immune system. With each stressor the scale begins to tip. We now know that eczema is an immune response, so each time you add a stressor to your immune system you getting closer to an eczema outbreak. All you need to do to tip the scale completely is eat something that you don’t realize is stressing out your immune system and you are in full-blown eczema outbreak.

It’s a vicious cycle but this is also the light at the end of the tunnel: it is a cycle – it can be broken. The key is making a commitment to figuring out what your triggers are (or your child’s) and removing them from your life. Do this and you can live with minimal interference from eczema. The knowledge I will share with you I have gained from years of coping with eczema myself and finally doing something about it.

Did you love writing in your journal as a child? If you answered yes then you will love this exercise. If you answered no, take heart, it is a very important step in understanding how you can manage eczema for yourself and your child. Journaling is a short-term task, one that helped me discover eczema triggers that I would never have found on my own. Keep a journal and take detailed notes on:

1. The food you eat, when you eat it and how much.

2. What you drink, when you drink it and how much.

3. How much sleep you get each night.

4. Your stress level each day (events in your life, big or small, can stress you without even being aware of it).

5. Any physical activity you do.

6. The products that you use on your skin, and in your environment (laundry detergent, household cleaning and fragrance items etc.)

If you can track it for two weeks that’s good, tracking it for four weeks is best. Do this for your child at home as well. As you begin to track your day you will notice patterns emerging, after eating a certain food you feel sluggish, irritable, your stomach is upset etc. Be sure to note this for you and your child, these details are a key factor in determining triggers. The information you gather will help you become a partner in your own health, helping you to take control of this thing called eczema that can take over your life at a moment’s notice.

Tune in next month when we will discuss how you can dissect the information you gather in your journal and apply it to your daily life to help manage your eczema, naturally.

Be well,

Adrianne Watts

Adrianne Watts is a natural living advocate and founder of Nurish Organics, a skin care company that focuses on creating wholesome organic skin food. She has a lifetime of experience in dealing with eczema and other health issues, naturally. Adrianne believes that sharing knowledge helps empower others to become partners in their own health. Visit her at www.nurishorganics.com or for more articles and tips on eczema and natural skin care follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NurishOrganics and twitter: http://twitter.com/EmilysOwn