Hey y’all,
So, I went on a strict eczema diet (mostly WFPB) back in the spring of 2019. I cut out my topical ointments and allergy meds cold turkey (which I absolutely don’t recommend!), and the detox was scary.
I was used to putting on my creams so often that I began detoxing within 12 hours (I also think the mental act of choosing to stop everything had an effect). I had eczema (which is really just inflammation) all over my body, and my face swelled up so much that the skin on my cheek actually tore. I didn’t leave the house for a whole week (claiming that I was sick).
The detox being so severe didn’t bother me that much. I knew that I would need to detox, and my body was getting rid of 20 years of waste.
Fast forward a few months. By the time winter 2019 came, my skin looked clear, so I began eating a few cheat foods. I didn’t have a ton, but I did have processed sugar about once a day and the occasional powdered milk (it’s cheaper than regular milk) and cheesy lasagna. I never ate gluten (it’s super inflammatory) or eggs.
By the time late spring 2020 got here, I was already seeing some small patches of eczema, but I didn’t think much of it because I’ve always had problems when the spring pollens come out. I continued to eat what I thought was a healthy, healing diet (oh how wrong I was).
Fast forward again to fall 2020 (October to be exact). My eczema hadn’t gone away. In fact, it had gotten so much worse! My eczema, which had begun as a little patch on my face, had spread to cover my face, cropped up on my arms, leg, stomach, and hand. The absolute worst was on my hand. It was crusty and oozing, and there were days I didn’t want to use it at all (which is difficult since I use my hands regularly).
I decided than enough was enough. I had healed on the eczema diet, so I decided to go back on it (that was still October of 2020). Around this time, I found a lot of videos about how raw foods heal the body, so I quickly began incorporating as many raw foods as I could, and I suddenly had a ton more energy and began healing even faster!
Nevertheless, how poorly my body maintained that first healing is shocking to me. I only cheated on my diet for about 10 months, and it’s not like I went back to the Standard American Diet. I was still following about 85-90% of the anti-inflammation diet. I didn’t go through a major detox this time around, but I did see my skin get oozier and hurt more. It amazes me that my body filters got so clogged after only 10 months of eating 85% good food!
Knowing what I know now, I’m sure I’ll heal my eczema for good this time around. It’s human nature to see what we can get away with, and I did that. Apparently, I can’t get away with much (Some people can get away with more, but not me). It’s health from here on out.
Frugal Treehugger 