[glueme]

Ok, so since of late I thew out and competely stopped using my topical steroids, I've been seeking out an alternative natural way of treating and healing my skin. (I'd done some research and realized that I already had the minor effects caused by prolonged topical steroid use - easy bruising, bruises that don't heal, unresponsive skin, addiction to the steroid, fatigue, muscle soreness etc.)

My skin has recently been going through a horrible, horrible flare up (stupid undecisive weather!), so I've been desperate. I heard from a friend who suffers from psorisis about naturopathic medicine, so I decided to give it a shot. I knew of another person with eczema who swears it cleared his skin right up and now his life is a thousand times better.

The theory is that your skin is a reflection of what's going on inside your body. Normal western medicine treats eczema from the outside and from inflammation to inflammation, not really curing anything in the long run. The naturopathic way is to assess and change things going on inside your body, as the your biggest organ, you skin, is the receiver of all the toxins that are ingested into your system. The aim to to remove all irritants, toxins and allergens from your life - through you diet, what you are routinely in contact with, etc. It aims to remove as many unnatural chemicals from your daily routine, as these often are more irritating than helpful.

I just started today, but here is what my doctor started me on (very similar to most naturopathic methods):

A Change of Diet (4 weeks)

No
wheat
gluten
yeast
sugar
dairy
eggs
red meat
caffeine
alcohol

Yes
white meat
wild game
fish
fruits (limit tropical)
vegetables
brown rice
oatmeal
quinoa
green tea
herbal tea
water

It's going to be hard! But I have to be strict on this, otherwise it'll be a waste of time and money.

I also took a blood allergy test to test for what allergens I'm susceptible to (long-term allergens, not immediate response ones), so I get that test beack in two weeks and my diet will change accordingly.

Removing Chemicals

So this is removing irritants from anything that comes in contact with my skin.

All natural, chemical free shampoo, conditioner, cream, lotion, oil, laundry detergent, fabric softener, soap, etc.

My doctor also prescirbed me EFA-PLEX oil, which I am supposed to take in juice, water, smoothie whatever. Also goes along wioth the theory that it will moisturize your system from the inside out. She also gave me a homeopathic ointment (RC30?) to replace my steroid use to treat inflammation. She suggested taking out whatever I needed to use, mixing in 2-3 drops of essential lavender oil and apply.


Today my skin burned insanely, so I took a bath with a LUSH In the Nude bathmelt,a bit of a Butterball bomb, and a cheescloth bundle of oatmeal. I rubbed the bundle of oatmeal all over (feels so good! another reccommendation of my doctor) to calm my inflammed skin. The after I applied my cream - my skin burned so much as always when it's flaring - I mixed the lavender oil into the ointment and slapped it on quickly. The burning stopped instantly! I've never been so surprised...I usually have to wait 15-30 minutes before the burning subsides.

Anyway, sorry for the essay. I just really wanted to share thsi with you guys because I know how you all feel. Maybe some of you will want to try going natural. I'll keep updates on how my skin's feeling - wish me luck - and if any of you want to try to diet with me, let me know!