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Thread: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

  1. #1

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    Talking Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I wrote this article on my blog and thought you all might be interested - it's pretty awesome what a vegan diet can do for your health. You can read the original article at:
    http://healthandwellnessnewsnow.blog...reatments.html

    What is Eczema?

    Eczema (also known as atopic eczema, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, seborrheic eczema, pompholyx or dyshidrotic eczema) is a term for a group of skin conditions that cause the skin to become inflamed, puffy, irritated or scaly. Eczema is most common in infants and it tends to run in families. One interesting thing to note is that people with eczema often have a family history of allergic conditions such as asthma, hay fever, or other allergies, thus showing that eczema is essentially an immune system disorder (more on this later).

    According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the prevalence of atopic eczema is increasing rapidly. Atopic eczema affects 9 to 30% of the U.S. population. Atopic eczema most common in young children and infants. While many infants who develop the atopic eczema outgrow it by their second birthday, some people continue to experience symptoms on and off throughout life. With proper nutrition and natural treatments, atopic eczema can be minimized or eliminated completely in most people.

    Please not that if you have eczema and it goes untreated for a long time, the skin can become incredibly irritated by the allergic inflammation and scratching and this can lead to thickening of the skin or scarring. So don't scratch if you can help it. And don't delay in taking action to reverse and eliminate your eczema! I'll show you how easy it is to completely reverse your eczema with natural eczema treatments - all you have to do is put it into action!



    What causes Eczema?

    Eczema is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction (similar to an allergy) in the skin, which leads to long-term inflammation. Basically, eczema an overactive response by the body's immune system to various environmental triggers. This overactive immune system response occurs because the immune system is out of balance. Thus, any effective long-term treatment for eczema must involve helping the immune system come back into balance. I'll show you exactly how to do that.

    Studies have shown that children who are breast-fed are less likely to get eczema. This is especially true when the nursing mother has avoided cow's milk in her diet. Other dietary factors which may increase your eczema include dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts, and soy. I've written more extensively on dairy and it's negative effects on immune system and human health in a previous post on Alzheimer's.
    Natural Eczema Treatments

    Because eczema is a disease caused wholly by an imbalanced immune system, the natural treatment for eczema is to bring the immune system back into balance and reduce inflammation. (Please note that the following recommendations have been proven to be effective for eczema as well as all the other autoimmune and immune system disorders such as psoriasis, Crohn's disease, allergies, asthma, and more).

    There are a number of ways to help bring your immune system back into balance, reduce inflammation, and get rid of that eczema:

    1. Eat more fruits and vegetables

    Thousands of studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables reduces oxidative stress which invariably reduces damage to the immune system. Fruits and vegetables help balance the immune system. This is one of the reasons why people who eat more fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop diseases like cancer, heart disease, and many others.

    Furthermore, fruits and vegetables are anti-inflammatory. Eating fruits and vegetables (and berries) is one of the most imporant things you can do to reduce inflammation.

    Since most people don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and won't even if they know it will eliminate their eczema or other chronic diseases, I recommend taking Juice Plus+. When my brother added Juice Plus+ to his diet 9 years ago, his eczema cleared up within just a few months without any other dietary changes or eczema treatments.

    2. Avoid All Dairy Products

    Dairy products contain a protein called casein. Casein has been shown to be incredibly harmful to the human immune system and has been shown in thousands of studies to increase allergies, asthma, respiratory infections, and autoimmune disorders. Your alarm bells should be going off now. In fact, most people find that just eliminating dairy from their diets has helped them eliminate their autoimmune disorders, allergies, and eczema.

    Much more information about casein and dairy protein can be found in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.

    Not sure what to use instead of dairy for all your meals? Check out my post about dairy substitutes.

    3. Add Omega-3 Fats to your Diet

    Omega-3 fats are essential to good health and proper immune system functioning. Omega-3 fats are the anti-inflammatory fats. Omega-6 fats are the pro-inflammatory fats. Research shows that the ideal balance for human nutrition is a 1:1 ratio of Omega-3 fats to Omega-6 fats. In America, our ratio is closer to 1:15.

    This incredible imbalance in the right fats in our diets causes our immune systems to be extra inflammatory and out of balance. This immune system imbalance causes immune disorders like eczema, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and many others.

    There are two very easy ways to add more Omega-3 fats to your diets - with whole flax seeds or with flax seed oil. You can buy them at your local health food store or order them online.

    4. Get Enough Vitamin D Every day

    Vitamin D is crucial to good immune system functioning. For reasons that are beyond the scope of this post, the RDA for Vitamin D of 200 IU is way too low. You need between 4,000 and 6,000 IU daily for optimal health. Getting enough Vitamin D every day can't be done just by eating foods or taking a multivitamin. Unless you get 30 minutes or more of high sun exposure on your whole body every day, you should be taking a high-quality Vitamin D supplement.

    It's also interesting to note that pompholyx or dyshidrotic eczema often occurs during the winter months - which just happens to be the time when our bodies are least able to create vitamin D because of the lack of sunlight. It's vital for people with any type of eczema, but especially pompholyx, to supplement with vitamin D during the winter when your body is unable to create enough vitamin D.

    I've written more extensively about Vitamin D in a What You Need to Know About Vitamin D.

    5. Avoid Refined Sugar and Processed Foods

    Refined sugar is incredibly damaging to the human immune system and has been proven to reduce your body's ability to protect itself from diseases like eczema. In fact, sugar has been shown to be a major factor in children developing eczema. For more information about sugar, I highly recommend Dr. Mercola's article 76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.

    Likewise, processed foods are also damaging to the immune system and often contain many chemicals like refined sugar, hydrogenated oils, and other ingredients and food additives which are damaging to the immune system. Furthermore, because processed foods are either cooked, pasteurized, or chemically changed in some other way, they often contain very little if any nutritional value. And remember, nutritional value is what you need to improve your immune system and get rid of eczema (that's why eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is so effective in treating eczema).
    Natural Eczema Treatments

    So there you have it - five natural ways to balance your immune system, reduce inflammation, and get rid of your eczema forever. Anyone of these dietary changes may work for you. Of course, every human body is different and unique, and eczema is not a singular disorder (there are so many different things that can throw your immune system out of balance). So I do not know which of these natural eczema treatments will work for you...

    But I do know this - If you do all five of these things - eat more fruits and vegetables, eliminate all dairy products from your diet, add more Omega-3s to your diet to get closer to the 1:1 fat ratio, get enough Vitamin D every day, and avoid refined sugar and processed foods, your immune system will be happier and your eczema will disappear!

    What do you think? Have you tried any of these natural eczema treatments? Please comment and let me know what worked for you and what didn't.

  2. #2
    timberly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Since I've been vegan my eczema has gotten worse, and I definitely eat healthier now. I have very bad eczema and I normally follow 1-3 and 5 but maybe I need more Vitamin D. Hmm... thanks for posting this.

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Hi Timberly,

    I'm glad this info may have helped you. If you give me some more insight on what your diet and lifestyle is like, I might be able to help you with some more suggestions for your eczema.

    Are you eating any artificial sweeteners? (aspartame, sweet n low, etc)

    Do you drink soda pop?

    Have you had antibiotics anytime throughout your life? (if so, you'd want to take probiotics for some time to help balance your gut microflora)

  4. #4
    BlackCats
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I don't have eczema but I used to have psoriasis and it has improved since I became vegan from vegetarian and I think it is to do with cutting out dairy products. I do take vitamin D tablets a few times a week now though as well.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I also got eczema alot worse since I've been vegan.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Have to say it hasn't helped mine one bit either. I'm covered in it at the moment cause of this cold weather.
    Todays empires, tomorrows ashes...

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Quote tcorsonk View Post
    Hi Timberly,

    I'm glad this info may have helped you. If you give me some more insight on what your diet and lifestyle is like, I might be able to help you with some more suggestions for your eczema.

    Are you eating any artificial sweeteners? (aspartame, sweet n low, etc)

    Do you drink soda pop?

    Have you had antibiotics anytime throughout your life? (if so, you'd want to take probiotics for some time to help balance your gut microflora)
    I never eat anything with artificial sweeteners and it's extremely rare for me to drink soda, I maybe had two cans in 2009. I've never taken probiotics but if you think it will help, I'll definetly get some. When I was 14 (20 now) I found out that I had lymes disease for awhile, untreated. I was very sick and had an IV in my arm for about three months to drip in bags of antibiotics. I have eczema on the creases of my arms and knees, neck, and recently on my hands

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Hey Timberly,

    Yeah that might be it then. With that massive amount of IV and probably oral antibiotics you got, I'm sure your whole bacterial ecosystem got damaged and out of balance (there are actually 10x more bacterial cells in your body than human bodies) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0603085914.htm

    The best way to recover from that is taking probiotics. Since you had such large amounts of antiobiotics, I'd recommend getting a high quality probiotic like Primal Defense (it's more pricey than some others but it's higher quality) and taking it every day for at least a year.

    What happens often when you get a lot of antibiotics, you can get candida overgrowth which has been shown to cause eczema, rashes, and other autoimmune disorders. Probiotics and a good diet will often help bring it back into balance.

    That might help fallingup and barry as well if you've been on antibiotics before and haven't taken probiotics.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Definitely doesn't work for everyone. My oldest son had eczema really badly on his face and hands. Always been vegan, breastfed, etc. Tried every "natural" remedy in the book. Eventually tried a steroid ointment which finally controlled it. But then he outgrew it by the time he was 1. Go figure. But some eczema is definitely not diet related.
    mama to Ryan (7), AJ (6), Nate (3), Maia (1), all born at home.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Yes, I had eczema for a year. Not diet related at all, in my case.
    context is everything

  11. #11
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Constant moisturising on the affected area (I mean every time you think about it, up to several times an hour) cured my severe eczema some years back after some time on increasingly stronger steroid creams which began to turn my skin yellow.
    Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Eczema is an incredibly vague term which we use to describe various skin disorders. So one person's eczema could be radically different than anothers in terms of its features and causes.

    However, Eczema in general is caused by an overreaction or imbalance of the immune system. Basically, the skin gets inflamed because the immune system thinks there are foreign proteins, bacteria, or viruses there.

    Obviously there are lots of factors other than diet that impact the immune system like stress, drugs, heavy metals, pollution, and other environmental factors. But for most people, diet does work if done properly because an excellent diet rich in fruits and vegetables and no processed foods is by definition anti-inflammatory and balances the immune system.

    Steroid cremes are basically just antiinflammatory drugs applied to the skin to cause the inflammation to leave, but it doesn't solve the fundamental imbalance in the immune system.

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    It is often a genetic condition. My son likely had it because grandma, great grandma, and aunt on my husband's side all had it.
    mama to Ryan (7), AJ (6), Nate (3), Maia (1), all born at home.

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I have to say I've struggled with eczema when I was younger and grew out of it. It's actually started to show itself again now and I spend much time covering myself in moisteriser to try and counteract the effects, I have to say that I partly think it may be related to stress in some senses but I'm watching which washing powders I'm using and seeing if that makes a difference, perhaps I should drink some more and eat even more fruit and veg!

  15. #15
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    are you a doctor?
    "i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."

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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I'm not a doctor. My parents are both doctors and we all work together with nutrition. They both retired from the medical profession to focus on nutrition because they saw it made a bigger difference by helping solve the root cause of many health problems instead of just treating symptoms.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Really, that's not the way it works. I am (obviously) a vegan, I don't eat soya or nuts as I'm allergic to both of them, I definitely get enough omega 3 and vitamin D and I avoid processed foods like the plague. I am also covered in excema. I know there are some vegans think that going vegan solves all health issues, and tell the world that this is the case, but this is honestly one of the reasons so many others think we're full of rubbish!

    Don't get me wrong, obviously it works for some people, but perhaps for these people their excema is almost entirely triggered by dairy - this can happen with any food, I know someone with skin problems triggered by citrus fruits.

  18. #18
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Yep. I'm allergic to animals, and my asthma and eczema are both triggered by coming into contact with animal hair. My eczema also flairs up if I don't wear rubber gloves to wash up or chop fruit and vegetables, especially tomatoes and potatoes. It has been much worse in the cold weather.

    I'm sure that for some people who are allergic to dairy, that cutting it out of their diets will eliminate their eczema, but in my experience, nothing I do to my diet helps my allergies. Unless I can include antihistamines!

  19. #19
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    It has been much worse in the cold weather.
    Yup, like I said in a previous post, it's the cold weather that gives me problems. I don't have it at any other point in the year apart from winter.
    Todays empires, tomorrows ashes...

  20. #20
    Prawnil
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Quote tcorsonk View Post
    there are actually 10x more bacterial cells in your body than human bodies
    That's not true - I've been eating billions of people a week for years and they never seem to pass through.

  21. #21

    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    I liked reading this article, it gave me hope, again, however, my eczema is not gone.

    It was absolutely dreadful, but it has become better since becoming a vegan...unfortunately, it hasn't managed to clear up as much as I would hope! I think that most of the results came from the giving up of dairy products

    But at least it's cleared up a little bit...maybe I personally just need to give it more time...

  22. #22

    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Veganism has made my eczema a little better. I have dyshidrotic eczema, don't google image it they look far far worse than mine. It doesn't come up on my hands anymore but I still get it on my feet. It's worse in the summer.

  23. #23
    diamondgeezer
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    Many with gluten intolerance suffer with psoriasis and other skin issues.

  24. #24
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    Default Re: Vegan Diet Reverses Eczema

    My daughter has severe eczema, she actually bleeds with it. She is 12. Her diet is omni, but I would say 99% of the time she is on a vegan diet because that's what I prepare for her. Has made absolutely no difference to the severity of her eczema. It's still awful.
    Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~Albert Einstein

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