Addressing Emotions to Prevent Eczema and Autoimmunity in Kids

Posted On November 6, 2018 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Healthy Moms Healthy Babies, Inflammation / No Comments

When you have children your life changes. You’re completely responsible for another life which is an immense responsibility. We all do our best but still make mistakes.

The key is how you handle those mistakes.

Do you grow from it? Do you ignore it and hope it goes away? Do you keep reinforcing possibly negative or detrimental patterns? Do you acknowledge it and realize you can change it? Can you get over yourself enough to put your children first?

These are all tough questions we have to ask ourselves when raising children from both a mental health and chronic disease standpoint.

Addressing Emotions to Prevent Eczema and Autoimmunity in Kids

My husband and I are both acutely aware of the importance of mental health issues being healthcare practitioners. We’re trained to identify anxiety, depression, and other conditions as they are so prevalent in society. (This needs to be acknowledged and solutions offered).

From a personal aspect we also understand because we both come from families where there is a history of mental illness and mood disorders to varying degrees. We both agree that while our parents tried, we wish they made these considerations for us and our families as children and teens.

We’re not saying that we had horrible childhood’s by any stretch of the imagination. However, neither of us feel we were given great emotional coping tools- something we work on in our home daily.

And guess what…. we’re not perfect and we don’t always get it right. But, we are always aware, practice self reflection, and try to do better the next time.

Nothing frustrates me more than when my son lies to me. His are more like omissions or being sneaky. For example, the day after Halloween the Switch Witch came which meant the candy went away in place of a small toy. I left a few pieces of candy I bought that were made with better ingredients and allergen friendly that he could have occasionally.

He asked for the candy and I said no. He asked again and I said no again.

I thought the issue died, but then found a wrapper on the bathroom floor.

I asked him about it and he fessed up. He said he just wanted it and that’s why he did it (and let’s face it…little kids are ruled by their desires). I didn’t yell (but sometimes I do and often regret it). I said I that was disappointed and no treats all weekend.

Hopefully a lesson was learned?!?!?!

Current research and my friend Dr. Keesha Ewers book, “Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle,” says that these “little issues” can add up and do damage as adults (you can take an Adverse Childhood Events/ACES quiz here for you or your kids):

– Cause chronic conditions like IBS and autoimmunity

– Cause skin conditions such as eczema, rashes and hives

– Contribute to anxiety, depression, and mood disorders

– Prevent us from fully achieving our own personal greatness because of self doubt and sabotage

– Create dysfunctional relationships

We want to avoid the discord that arises when issues aren’t dealt with. Relationships can become strained and distant when everyone knows there’s a skeleton(s) in the the closet that everyone is just sweeping under the rug. It is impossible to have healthy relationships with other people if you can’t trust them.

We work hard on a daily basis to overcome some of the negative patterns that have been ingrained in us since we were young children.

We decided we don’t want this path for our children. This is what led us to take our five-year-old to a martial arts studio that focuses on teaching love, respect (for self and others), and self control.

We did this for a multitude of reasons.

He is a sweet and smart boy.? He gets stellar reports from school and is usually a good boy at home. However, he sometimes chooses not to listen to our requests which ends up in turmoil.
He has been a strong-willed child from day one…even in utero! This determination often gets him in trouble. It’s kind of like the idea of curiosity killed the cat… sometimes he just can’t help himself. The self control aspect of martial arts is one of the main reasons we chose this route for him.
We want him to know from a very young age that asking for help is completely normal and healthy. We know he won’t be perfect at this and will have to rely on others for guidance to learn.
My husband and I are aware that even though we are conscious of some of the negative patterns that we learned from our parents, they occasionally show up and our son has seen it. At such an impressionable age, we are hoping that if he picked up on any of these that they can be reversed now rather than him having less-than-ideal emotional reactions as an older child, teen, and adult.
It takes a village. We know we don’t have all of the answers and would like exposure and input from an impartial party that isn’t Mom or Dad that he can relate to, trust, and respect.
He tends to be a perfectionist and sees everything is very black and white (as toddler’s do). He doesn’t handle being corrected by us very well. For example, he went through a phase where he called the letters of the alphabet numbers. When we would try to explain to him that that wasn’t the case, he would get extremely angry and breakdown, as if we were accosting him. We want him to realize that it’s okay to be wrong, it’s okay to fail, and it’s okay to receive constructive criticism. The key is to always learn and grow from these experiences. (A wise and uber successful acquaintance of mine once told me that every night when he puts his children to bed he has them talk about three successes and one failure. He said he felt that the one failure was more important than the successes because it provided opportunities to learn, grow and improve which can be way more valuable than successes that come easy.)

We really want him to have a solid emotion base, self confidence, and resilience so he can avoid the issues of eczema, chronic disease, and autoimmunity that so many in our family have suffered from. Mostly, we want him to be a happy, kind, and well adjusted person because the world could use lots more of that.

9 Healing Baths to Calm the Eczema Itch

Posted On July 9, 2018 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Eczema, functional medicine, Healing, Lifestyle, Natural Remedies / 1 Comment

Finding Relief From The Outside-In

If you?ve ever suffered from an eczema flare, then you?re probably familiar with the burning, itching, crawling sensation on your skin. And, you know how horrible it is!!

Your immediate instinct is to calm what?s happening on the outside? you just want to stop the scratching and bleeding and oozing.

In functional medicine, the goal is always to address the root causes and heal from the inside-out.

But when it comes to eczema? I know you need to have some relief on the outside first so that you can focus on the actual underlying causes? not just the symptoms.

What I?ve seen with skin issues, especially eczema, is that there?s no one-size-fits-all remedy.

Something that really irks me is when you go to message boards and people are like, ?Oh, (insert favorite remedy) is my miracle cure?.? or ?I use dead sea salt baths? or ?I use coconut oil? or ?I use apple cider vinegar.? Don?t get me wrong, these things are all helpful, but everybody is so highly individualized that it?s hard to say any one thing will work across the board.

Eczema is more specific to the individual than any other condition we treat in our clinic, so we encourage people not to get caught up in other people?s hype. Do the work to heal inside, but in the meantime you can find ways to help soothe the rash.

9 Healing Bath Options

Something I?ve used myself, and have gotten back feedback from patients and colleagues alike is on the benefit of a healing bath. There are lots of different things you can put into a bath, but these are my top 9:

Magnesium sulfate/Epsom salt. These minerals can be very soothing for an eczema flare for a couple of reasons. Epsom salt helps decrease inflammation which can reduce the swelling of lesions and calm itching. It also has antimicrobial properties keeping your skin free of bacteria.
Dead Sea Salts. I?ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about this one which is in the mineral category. Dead Sea Salts aid in hydrating dry skin and can provide some itching relief with it?s anti-inflammatory properties. And more than Epsom salt, it?s packed with lots of minerals that help balance pH.

I like to add dead sea salts with baking soda or Epsom salt with baking soda to my bath? usually a cup of each if the itch is bad. You can buy them at any natural food store or on Amazon.

Borax/Boron. You might be familiar with Borax (sodium tetraborate) as a cleaning agent, but it can also be very soothing for an eczema flare. It helps lower inflammation and can be used to treat infection.

You?re probably starting to see a pattern that most of these have an anti-inflammatory response which helps decrease itching (but it?s all about finding out which ones work best for YOU).

Read here for further information on the many benefits of Borax, because like many of these remedies you can use it for many application.

Essential Oils. Essential oils (EOs) have a variety of healing benefits, but you have to be very careful because for some people they can incite more of a flare. Even if they?re used in small, diluted quantities in the bath, they still can be a little caustic to the skin.

I tell people to use them very sparingly if you?re going to use them. Tea tree oil or lavender oil are the two that I tend to use most frequently and recommend starting out with.

Of all the EOs, tea tree oil is one of the best for treating eczema symptoms. It has antibacterial components that help fight infection and stop it from spreading. It also has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce itching.

Lavender oil can be calming for both your mental and physical state. It helps restore and balance healthy nutrients in the skin which reduces irritation. Bonus- lavender also minimizes the stress that goes along with an eczema flare.

Sitz Baths, Herbal Blends, and Chamomile Tea bags. If you?ve ever given birth, sitz baths are commonly recommended for their healing properties. I used them after both of my births and they significantly helped with the soothing and healing my skin.

I had an ?A-ha? moment with my second baby last year because I?d had an eczema flare because of the hormones during pregnancy. I thought to myself, ?Hey, I can probably use this for the eczema too,? so I tried it.

I actually bought Earth Mama Angel Baby (which just recently changed its name just to Earth Mama) since they make pre-made sitz bath pouches. I bought those because, quite frankly, who has the time to make them when you?ve got a new baby or kids or just have a busy life?

I also augmented it with dried chamomile that I got from a natural food store that I put that in cheesecloth or a sock if you don?t have cheesecloth. Soaking with those for about 20 minutes really soothes my skin (and my mind). Chamomile tea bags also work instead of preparing the dried herbs.

Bonus tip? sitz herbs are also recommended for hemorrhoids and diaper rash!

Colloidal Oats. I put a big asterisk by this one because of the *gluten issue*, but some of my patients have experienced healing benefits from colloidal oats or oatmeal so I didn?t want to exclude it.

Many people with skin and gut issues tend to have problems with gluten internally and sometimes externally. Those with Celiac can get a skin manifestation called dermatitis herpetiformis. I?ve seen people who have not been diagnosed with Celiac, but do have the dermatitis herpetiformis and it?s misdiagnosed as eczema.

Now, the cool thing is, really, it doesn?t matter what you label something on the skin. You?re going to end up treating it essentially the same especially because these are all in the autoimmune realm.

Like I said, I?m really careful when it comes to recommending anything that is grain-based, but this is where bio individuality comes into play. One person?s poison can be another?s medicine. If you?re going to do this, make sure it?s gluten-free. If gluten is an issue for you, and you don?t know it yet, you want to make sure you?re not adding fuel to the fire.

You can read more about the uses and benefits of colloidal oats here.

Hydrogen Peroxide. Most of us have this under our bathroom sink to clean out cuts or as a natural cleaner. When added to a bath, it helps disinfect eczema sores and promotes new cell growth.

Be sure to use a food grade hydrogen peroxide and add no more than one cup to your bath. I recommend starting off a little slower with maybe ? cup to see how you tolerate it.

Baking Soda. This is another household item that has many uses. I buy a giant bag at Costco because of the quantities I use and it?s way more economical. I add this to almost every bath for myself and kids even when I don?t have a flare because of its other benefits.

As I mentioned in #1, combined with Epsom salt it makes for a great detox bath.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Similar to the previous point, apple cider vinegar is also multifunctional. It has compounds like riboflavin, vitamins, enzymes, and mineral salts which can improve the quality of your skin.

It acts as an astringent and helps remove surface bacteria that shows up when the skin is compromised from a flare.

Experiment with the quantities that work for you, but I would start by adding ? – 1 cup to your bath.

Bottom Line

Many of these are items you likely already have in your home for other reasons, or you?ve built yourself a ?natural medicine cabinet.? Start with one ingredient at a time. Go slowly by using ?- ? cup with of the powdered ingredients or single drops of essential oils initially, then work up to the full dose you need from there.

If something completely doesn?t work for you, try something else from the list. Remember that it may take some time to see what works for you and dial in your recipe. You can always tweak it once you see what works for you.

Most people will get some type of relief from something on the list, even if it?s only a small amount.

Resist the urge to go hog wild with any of the ingredients because you could end up stoking the flames and adding fuel to the fire. It?s so easy to go overboard when you finally find a remedy that provides some relief. But heed my words… don?t do it!! (I know from personal experience and it was a disaster!)

There?s no one blanket approach to calm an eczema flare which is why I like to suggest a variety of options. All of these are going to provide different healing properties. Some are going to balance the pH while others will have antimicrobial effects, but they?re all going to be anti-inflammatory to some extent.

Have you experimented with any of these healing baths? Let us know in the comments section!

My Story of Eczema, Infertility, and Miscarriage

Posted On May 18, 2018 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Eczema, Healing, Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms, Pregnancy / 3 Comments

There is one thing that eczema, infertility, and miscarriages have in common?

All three can make you feel very alone and very tortured physically and mentally. I?m sharing my story with you because I think it?s SUPER important to change attitudes on child loss AND, inform people about the link between inflammation, autoimmunity, and infertility.

Bear with me first though- some confessions.

First, you?ll note as you read through this that I started writing it in December. I started but couldn?t bring myself to finish it, let alone publish it. I was afraid and still broken.

Second, because of the inspiration of some of my superwoman friends and colleagues in the health space, I?ve been able to process my traumas and gather the courage to share this with you all. THANK YOU to Anna Cabeca, Brie Wieselman, Christine Faler, Jaime Ward, Jenn Fugo, Jessica Drummond, Jolene Brighten, Keesha Ewers, Sheri Fox, and Steph Gaudreau.

You ladies all inspire me. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

I have so much gratitude for having you all in my life. We don?t tell people often enough how much they matter to us, so I want to let you all know.

Third, there are some very raw and vulnerable moments, so you might cry reading it as I have writing and editing it.

My Story

Miscarriages SUCK and are still taboo in our culture. This is really unfortunate because those of us who have suffered in the dark know what a lonely, hellish place they can be. NO ONE should have to suffer in silence when they’re dying inside. And sadly, no one can really relate unless they’ve ever suffered the loss of a child. It leaves you with a hole inside that never goes away.

[Initial thoughts from December] I’m doing something I never do right now. I’m attempting to write this in the throes of many emotions. On one hand I’m extremely happy because my little sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy. It’s a pretty exciting time for our family this year since I had my little girl almost 5 months ago.

On the other hand, I’m feeling very sad. Alone. Gnawing pain.

Because today is the anniversary of my first miscarriage. That was one of the hardest days of my entire life.

Worst day ever.

Looking back, it taught me many lessons about life, autoimmunity, and eczema. But that doesn?t make it hurt less.

On Christmas day two years ago I was trying to act like it was a normal day. I should have been extremely happy to watch my almost three year old open his presents and have family over. ?I was in the kitchen prepping Christmas dinner, but deep down inside I knew something was very wrong.

I was wearing a shirt that said ?joy? and I couldn’t have felt further from that. I knew deep down that I was probably having a miscarriage. I went through the day thinking, ?things like this happen? women have spotting and cramping and they still have healthy babies.? I was in complete denial.

I made it through dinner and went to bed, but I couldn?t sleep. I had a sense of impending doom that would not leave. And like many women, I tend to labor in the middle of the night. The cramps got worse and then my worst nightmare was realized. I was definitely having a miscarriage.

If you’re far enough along it proceeds exactly like a labor. I’ll spare you the details because it was HORRENDOUS as I?m sure you can imagine.

The experience is seared into my brain. I wish it was a foggy memory but I can’t forget. I remember sitting on the bathroom floor just sobbing and feeling so alone. My husband was there but I don’t think he knew what to do. I just sat there for what seemed like an eternity.

Eventually, I laid back in my bed next to my husband, but I felt like I was the only person in the world.

I couldn’t go to sleep so I went downstairs to our couch, laid in the fetal position and cried for 4 hours. Literally to the point I was nauseous and had no tears left.

The next several days were a blur.

I was largely catatonic. My sister was one of the few people I told and she came over and brought me flowers which I really appreciated but it still felt unbearable. I?ve had a few low moments in my life but I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt depressed.

I was quite depressed after this. I was numb. Thankfully, I had my son because if I didn’t I really don’t know what would have happened.

I got pregnant again in March and was cautiously optimistic. Things seemed to be progressing fine. I made it past the 8 week mark and was breathing a minor sigh of relief since that is when I had my first miscarriage. But then at 12.5 weeks, I had another one.

This one was different. Still agonizing, but I felt like I knew what to expect and went through the motions.

Almost like an out of body experience.

Again, I?ll spare you the details. And again, I really only told my sister and super close friends.

I suffered in silence.

I don?t want that for you.

It?s the worst feeling in the world.

And, it?s the opposite of what you should do.

For mamas that?ve experienced any loss, you know your world will never be the same. There will always be a hole in your heart for your little angel. As time goes on it hurts a little less but it will creep up on you when you least expect it and that empty, hollow feeling can return.

Mother’s Day will never be the same, even if you have children. The two Mother?s Days since I’ve had my miscarriages have been filled with both love and sadness. Last year when I was pregnant was particularly hard. I was sad and silently hoping that everything turned out fine because I didn’t know if I can handle another even more dramatic loss. I cried A LOT on Mother?s Day in a mix of hormones, fear, and grief.

Rainbow Baby

Thankfully, my story had a happy ending. My amazing and beautiful rainbow baby was born in August of 2018. She’s such an amazing little girl. She’s been so sweet and so happy from day one. People comment on how smiley and what a good demeanor she has.

I don?t take for granted how incredibly blessed and lucky I am because I know that there are women out there that won’t get that chance.

Women’s health, fertility, pregnancy, and birth are sacred. We need to support each other through the good and the bad. We need to make a long-term commitment to each other not just in the days and weeks after a birth or a loss, but in the months and years that follow. Because these moments become the fabric of Who We Are and intertwine us all together. They form the blanket of support that we need to give one another.

So, I want you to know, I am here for you.

And those ladies I thanked above- they?re in your corner too. They are all in the health and functional medicine space too- many are women?s health specialists- but all are darn awesome women.

A few of them (you know who you are) are probably why I was able to get pregnant and keep the baby to term.

Together, we ran a bunch of tests on me. My hormones were low across the board (thyroid, adrenals, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. I had dysbiosis from stress and previous birth control pill use (that?s another long and horrible story).

The likely culprit for my losses began as STRESS. Long term stress. That stress depleted my hormones, damaged my gut, and caused food sensitivities, nutrient depletions, and my eczema.

You need progesterone to maintain your pregnancy and I couldn?t make enough. Had enough to get pregnant, but not enough to stay pregnant. This is a big problem for women today. We?re all depleted from the stress and abuse we put our body?s through.

So, I got to work.

The Fix

Since my hormones were a mess I got on compounded, bioidentical DHEA and progesterone. I also upped my dose of compounded T3/T4. I knew I needed to get my hormones going in the right direction quickly and this was the best way for me, especially since I?ve had reactions to other types of hormone support in the past.

I went on an AIP rotation diet to calm my system down and start to heal my gut. Then I did 8 weeks on a dysbiosis protocol for pseudomonas and staphylococcus (using herbal blends, monolaurin, and rotated probiotics) with liver support. I followed that up with 3 months of gut terrain rebuilding and immune support. I also did some work on resolving past traumas too.

In all, this process took me 8 months, but then?.

I missed a period and found out I was pregnant even though I wasn?t actively trying.

Again, mixed emotions.

I was so happy, but so scared. I went through 75% of the pregnancy scared. Loss traumatizes you in ways you can?t imagine. I was super paranoid and had been before.

I took progesterone for the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy- 4 weeks longer than was recommended because I was that worried. It worked?and you know the rest of the story.

I had my beautiful rainbow baby.

But that doesn?t mean there aren?t scars and wounds that surface from time to time.

So, I need my tribe, which now includes you.

I?m here if you need me, because I want to help mamas be healthy, clear eczema, get rid of autoimmunity, and have healthy babies.

That is my mission.

And, we have to support each other. As women we need to have a voice and not stay in the dark.

It took me a couple of years to come out and share this, but I?m so happy I did. Because if I help even just one mama get through her dark time or resolve her root causes to have a healthy baby, I?ve accomplished my goal.

I hope you had a wonderful Mother?s Day 2018 no matter your circumstance. Earth babies and angel babies all count!! It?s okay to feel both happy and sad too. Don?t let anyone tell you otherwise.

If you know anyone that could use support, please share this with them. I really wish I had reached out for more help or someone gave me a little nudge to get more support. If they aren?t ready, just be there for them through the process and step up when called upon.

Manage Stress For An Eczema Free Easter

Posted On March 27, 2018 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Cortisol, Eczema, Lifestyle / No Comments

Don’t let the Easter Bunny bring you eczema for Easter!!

The topic of stress is tossed around so much these days that it seems we’ve become desensitized and brush it off. But the fact remains that stress is indeed one of the most notorious triggers for eczema and autoimmunity.

And, the holidays are often stressful times for most of us. On the surface, Easter seems pretty easy and benign, right??

Well, not really.

Granted, it isn’t the long, drawn-out process that Christmas has become now that the “holidays” start the day after Halloween (not to mention cost in money, time, and sanity). But, it definitely shares a few key components of the other major holidays that might cause an eczema flare.

Stress Related Triggers

Travel. Preparing for travel and the act itself are bigger stressors than you may think. It burdens your mind with all of the things you need to do before you leave, even if it’s only for a day or two. Packing and prep are hard enough, but add kids and pets and the stress is magnified (parents of kids and fur babies know what I’m talking about!!).? Then there’s coming home to laundry, no food, and maybe even work since technology can be a ball-and-chain that way.

Family.? It depends on your family dynamics and for many this isn’t so bad, but the larger the gathering, the bigger opportunity for issues to arise. Often family members feel free to let their opinions fly, disregard others’ feelings, or like to “stir the pot.” Every family has one (or more!).? In my family we give out the Blueberry Muffin Award at the end of events for the person that causes the biggest problem. (I’ve only received it once- about 20 years ago when I was in college).

It can also be difficult if you make healthier (“different”) lifestyle choices, and this is very real possibility if you have eczema. For years I’ve been teased about my diet and lifestyle choices. I’ve learned to ignore them because I’m WAY healthier than the people teasing me. Usually when people give you a hard time it’s because they’re feeling insecure or inadequate about themselves. Psychologically, it makes them feel better to go after you because you’re doing something they can’t or won’t do. That doesn’t make it okay, but you can take the high road.

Gawkers. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to deal with when you have eczema is people staring. As if you’re not self-conscious enough!?!?! If it’s family or close friends, these are usually the same people who have some smart-ass comment too. Being in a public setting with strangers can be rough too because that’s like an open invitation to stare because of the mob mentality.

Don’t Let Stress Get You Down

Having a strategy going into the holidays is key to not succumbing to the stress monster and ending up with an eczema flare. Take some time to think of possible stressors you’ll encounter and figure out how you’ll handle them before they even happen. Here are some helpful tips :

Planning will help you take some of the stress out of travel. Make a list of what you need to bring and getting things ready during the week prior to your trip helps avoid chaos right before you leave. Gas your car up a day or two earlier if you’re driving (this usually saves time and money). Get healthy food ready for your journey and make sure it’s easily accessible. Even if your only traveling down the street, preparing food the day before will help things go smoothly.
Bring food if you have special dietary needs and there won’t be options for you to enjoy the occasion. Ask ahead what will be served and let them know your situation. Often people are accommodating and understanding, especially if you’ve been down the eczema road for a while. If they aren’t helpful, control your own destiny and bring your own food. Upsetting your host’s feelings is not your problem when you’re skin is on fire (or could flare back up).
Don’t let the emotional bullies and energy vampires ruin your holiday! If people tease you for your choices, make snarky comments, or stare too long, you’ve got options on handling this. 1- Laugh it off and know that they lash out at others from their own place of hurting or insecurity. 2- Ask them when they got their medical or health care education when they give you unsolicited advice (since their comments are almost always rooted in opinion). 3- Bring an awesome dish that follows your dietary needs or restrictions, but don’t tell anyone it’s any different until they taste it and love it. Prove to them that their misconceptions on diet are exactly that. There are soooo many gluten, dairy, soy, corn, histamine, or _______ (insert any food here) free recipes that rock, so show them!
Attitude is everything when dealing with stress. If you go into the event with a positive attitude, chances are things will go well. This is where self fulfilling prophecy comes into play.
Breathing can also help get you through rough times. On many occasions I have chosen to take a few deep breaths and move on instead of engaging someone that’s trying to make me feel bad. I try to remember that it’s a them issue and not a me issue. They are just projecting onto me. It still sucks and can hurt, but I consciously know it’s not me and that’s huge.
This point may be controversial, but when we’re talking stress and health it’s completely valid- skip the holiday events if you think they’ll be too much for you. If you’re in the middle of a horrible eczema flare or have had lots of stressors in your life recently, this may be the best option for you. If you know going to Easter brunch or dinner will be a battle and will put you in a worse place then politely decline. Tell everyone you’ll see them at the next event. You don’t owe anyone an explanation even though family often feels entitled to one. If you do say something tell them the truth and be authentic because that will serve you better.

Make the holidays enjoyable and as stress free as possible to avoid the Easter Bunny leaving eczema in your basket! If you have any tips or suggestions for stress free holidays, please share in the comments below.

Treating Eczema With Functional Medicine: 101

Posted On February 26, 2018 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Eczema, functional medicine, Inflammation, Working with a Practitioner / 4 Comments

Understanding? an eczema outbreak is really complex. And like a child learning language, you have to understand the alphabet and sounds first before you can talk. Same goes for eczema.

To really understand an eczema outbreak, you have to first understand the difference between the way functional medicine and conventional medicine views it.

Why Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine (FM) is a “systems” way of thinking. And when we say ?systems,? it’s not like conventional medicine that views the body as a group of isolated systems where you have a cardiologist for the heart, an endocrinologist for hormones, etc.? In FM, we view the systems, or areas of the body, as operating as a whole response to the environment (kind of like the operating system of a computer).

It makes perfect sense because each area influences the others.

A good analogy to help you understand functional medicine versus conventional medicine is to think about a tree. Visualize the entire tree with its roots, trunk, branches, and leaves.? Conventional medicine looks at one branch, whereas functional medicine views all of the branches, trunk, and roots. It?s going to look at the leaves and even further in-depth because we really want to understand what?s going on in the entire person.

When we do this, we take a really detailed history and look for root causes. It?s interesting that we look for root causes and use the tree analogy, because the goal is to find out what is?foundationally?disrupted in your body to figure out what?s causing the eczema flare.

Conventional medicine really tends to see eczema as something that doesn?t truly have a cause yet. When I was told that I had eczema the doctor said, ?You?ve got eczema. There?s no known cure. See you later.? However, in functional medicine?and now even in the medical literature (check it out here)?they?re starting to talk about it as an autoimmune condition and starting to identify some causes of it. And that?s what we?re going to get into here a little bit later.

This is why taking a FM approach to looking at eczema really can help you get down to why things are happening.

The ATM Model

One of the foundational principles of understanding functional medicine is the concept of antecedents, triggers and mediators. We call it the ATM model. These are how a functional medicine practitioner frames an understanding of your entire life history and contributing factors to your condition. We?re looking at all of that to figure out how you got to where you are today.

Let?s start off with the antecedents, which are the predisposing factors. Those are things like genetics and family history, lifestyle, past illness, and exposures (occupational, home, or environmental), and are the underlying or precipitating cause of illness.

A key point regarding genetics and family history is that they aren’t life sentences. A lot of people think, ?Oh, there?s cancer in my family. I?m going to get cancer.? That?s not necessarily the case. There are so many modifiable factors here that can prevent you from actually having that illness even though you might be very prone to having it. Great news!!

To recap: Genetics are largely modifiable. NOT your destiny. **Note, in a future post I’ll address genetic concerns such as the filaggrin protein and common SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that matter to eczema suffers.

Triggers are what provoke the signs and symptoms of illness. Those are along the lines of infections, allergens, toxins, radiation, surgery, social conditions, and things of that nature. They?re going to combine with the antecedents to actually cause more signs and symptoms.

Last, the mediators perpetuate?the illness. You can think about these on a biochemical or psychosocial level. Biochemically speaking, the hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolites, free radicals, and inflammatory chemicals are what perpetuate what?s going on. Once you have that genetic factors, plus the triggers, these mediators keep that cycle going. In the case of eczema, it?s going to cause the flare to continue.

The psychosocial factors?stress, thoughts, beliefs, community- are extraordinarily important in this model, but also in eczema. Stress is often the primary trigger and tipping point for most people (***remember stress can be emotional or physiological like trauma or infection…regardless of the source, it causes systemic biochemical changes that are bad if they continue for a prolonged period of time).

Eczema ATM’s

Genetics, family history, lifestyle, past illness, and environmental exposures are key antecedents for everyone. For example, if you have certain historical factors like a family history of autoimmunity or allergies, asthma, and eczema (the allergic triad) you’re much more likely to get eczema than the rest of the population.

The most common triggers I see in practice are infections, allergens, toxins, diet, and dysbiosis (an imbalance in the microorganisms in your body?not just in your gut, but all over your body).? In eczema, skin dysbiosis can be an important piece of the puzzle too.

The primary mediators of eczema are (without getting too crazy science-y):

Hormone imbalances (especially from stress and sex hormones). Cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone imbalances can perpetuate inflammation and make eczema flares worse.
Depleted Nutrients. In practice it’s usually omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, antioxidants such as vitamin C and selenium, and minerals such as zinc and magnesium. Protein malabsorption can be an issue too since you need the amino acids to make collagen and skin tissue.
Inflammatory chemicals. Histamine, cytokines, and free radicals are major contributors here, though there’s a long list of players in this biochemical pool.
Impaired liver function. If you’re liver can’t function optimally, you can’t clear metabolic waste, toxins or hormones efficiently which are essential for a healthy gut and skin. This is often one of the key places we address first.
Leaky gut. This occurs when many of the above factors cause increased intestinal permeability allowing things into the bloodstream (like bacteria, toxins, proteins, etc.) that shouldn’t be there. This causes inflammation and immune system activation driving the eczema cycle.

I find for most of the clients we see in our virtual clinic is that stress is often the most significant factor, either as a trigger or as something that?s perpetuating, or both. We work on addressing it in its many forms, in many different ways.

To recap-?if you?re having an eczema flare or a flare-up of any autoimmune condition-? you?re looking at: antecedents + the triggers + the mediators= cause of flare.

It?s a cyclical process that self-perpetuates until you identify the triggers and the root causes to stop this cycle. You must eliminate the root cause imbalances such as infections, hormone and nutrient imbalances, allergens, foods, etc., to get this cycle to stop. Then you actually need to take the proper steps to heal it (replacing nutrients, healing leaky gut, balancing hormones, improving liver function, etc.).

Real Life Eczema Example

I’m going to use myself as an example. I?m not necessarily proud of this, but we?re all human 😉

I was driving home from my sister’s this past Halloween. I had just thought to myself that I was so excited because I didn?t have any Halloween candy…. but then I did.

BAD IDEA!

About an hour later, it triggered a flare. And for me, the area where my eczema always, always, always starts is my left wrist and my left hand. They started itching like mad. I was scratching for four hours.

UGH!!!

Immediately, I went downstairs and took some anti-inflammatory nutrients because I knew I had to get at that flare before it became a full-blown outbreak. Yes, it is possible to dampen the effect of a flare once you have your eczema under control.

But for me, I had a major flare. My last major flare was 1.5- 2 years ago. I hadn?t had anything go on since then until I was pregnant recently and had a few minor flares (due to hormones) that went away quickly.

Let’s also review my ATM’s.

My major antecedent is the allergic triad in myself and family members.? As I mentioned above, the allergic triad is allergies, asthma and eczema. Most of that manifests in childhood, but not always. I only had allergies in childhood. Eczema started in my 30’s! If you have any of those, you?re also going to be more prone to autoimmunity as an adult.

And, eczema often accompanies other autoimmune conditions, not just in and of itself.

So I have 2 of the allergic triad, and a family history of autoimmunity and inflammation conditions. There’s lots of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in my family. Historically, I was bottle fed and was around smokers growing up which are also key antecedents in developing eczema.

My main trigger?for this flare was hormone imbalance and dysbiosis that developed during pregnancy. In the gut, when your hormones such as progesterone are high, it slows things down in pregnancy. It sets the stage for things like leaky gut and dysbiosis to occur. This was something that I had experienced quite a bit of during my pregnancy (even though I tried my hardest to prevent it since I know what I know!!).

Diet was also a key trigger (especially the candy). I kept a clean, organic diet for the most part. However, after the birth, my diet has not been quite as tight.?I?m gluten-free and try to be in the realm of Paleo/Autoimmune Paleo. But sometimes I have corn or dairy or beans. And those things have crept into my diet more frequently now that I?ve had the baby.

The candy just happened to be the breaking point for me… that little bit put me over the edge!

My primary mediators?were hormone and nutrient imbalances from pregnancy and breastfeeding, leaky gut, and STRESS.

I’m going to reiterate stress here… I?ve got a new baby. I?ve got a 5 year old. I?ve got work. I?ve got life. Everybody?s got stress. But I currently feel like I have a lot on my plate. That’s the main mediator perpetuating the cycle for me.

And for me, stress is probably the number one factor that contributes to my flares every single time. When my stress levels get high, I can get a flare super easily. And I know that?s true for many of the people we work with in the clinic as well.

Another less obvious mediator is lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is a major contributor to manifesting any autoimmune condition, especially something like eczema. We heal and regenerate when we sleep. If you’re not sleeping well, it’s not happening.

Lastly, there’s the issue of support and community, or a lack thereof.? When you first have a baby, everyone comes and sees you for the first couple of weeks. And then it’s suddenly, it?s gone. This can leave you with a sense of feeling like you?re lacking community or lacking support. I won?t say that I feel that tremendously, but I feel it a little bit.

All of these things added up and resulted in my eczema flare.

I got it under control by tightening up my diet, doing some key supplementation, and topical salves.? Thankfully, this prevented it from erupting into a full-blown outbreak.

If you’re looking for more support in healing your eczema and understanding your root causes, you can always book a free 15-minute consult with our clinic:??http://drstephaniedavis.com/consultation/.

Do you know you’re root causes or ATM’s? Leave a comment below if you do!

7 Interventions to Stop the Eczema Flare Before It Erupts

Posted On April 12, 2017 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Diet, Eczema, Healing, Histamine / 12 Comments

Get out of the Stress-Eczema Flare-Clear Skin-Repeat Cycle?

Is your life causing your eczema flares? Read on to find out if it is…

I believe it?s possible to teach old dogs new tricks. Yes, I?m referring to myself as an ?old dog? even though I?m not that old! However, it?s a fitting phrase to describe when I decided to retrain myself not to get stuck in the cycle of stress-eczema flare-clear skin-repeat.

My pattern was pretty obvious. I take good care of myself on every front except?drum roll?stress management. This is true for most of us, but this is a huge part of what I do to help heal people.

Yet, I wasn?t doing it for myself.

I was too focused on my job, side projects, and raising my son who was a baby at the time.

I dove into everything head first and never said no. I was all GO, GO, GO, 24/7.

Until my body would hit the wall from stress and I?d start get flare ups on my hands, wrists, forearms, stomach, and thighs. Tingling would turn into little red spots that itched so bad they?d spread out like an oil spill. Broken, inflamed skin would leave ugly patches.

I was especially embarrassed of my hands, wrists, and arms because people could see them. The palms of my hands and wrists were the worst unfortunately and people would sometimes look a little too long when I handed them payment, opened doors, or waved hello.

It?s amazing how many things our hands are involved in and how self conscious you can become once you?re aware that people are looking.

Gloves year round, anyone???

My usual approach was once I got sick of dealing with it, I?d really dial in my diet, take anti-inflammatory herbs, and engage in some stress reduction. That usually did the trick.

The itching would soon begin to subside, redness would retreat, and the bumps and patches would fade. After several weeks of being ?good,? my skin would be clear again. AWESOME!!!

Then, I?d go back to my normal routine and inevitably have a flare up within a couple of months that was worse than the one before. It also started to get harder to treat.

Clearly I had a very short memory and I wasn?t learning from my past history!

Breaking the Cycle

After this cycle had been going on for over a year, I decided something need to change (there?s a longer version of this story that I?ll save for another day, but I?ll share the most important piece now).

The key change in retraining myself was managing my stressors. I needed to practice what I preached to my patients. Priority number one was establishing boundaries and stepping away from being a ?yes? girl. I started to say ?No? to many opportunities when I felt I had too much on my plate or felt I couldn?t give 100%. I also said ?No? to social and family events if I was busy or starting to feel like I was being pulled in too many directions.

I also did a better job of decompressing and taking care of me, which meant giving myself breaks to exercise and have some quiet down time daily to do some deep breathing, journaling, or meditate (even if I had to sneak away to the ?bathroom? to get it ?). I also made consistent sleep a priority as much as I could with a nursing baby.

These are habits I?ve maintained to this day, except I don?t have to hide in the bathroom anymore for peace and quiet!

Stress management was the single biggest change I made to break the cycle, but I also developed strategies to tame a flare if I felt one coming on that I?m going to share with you.

7 Interventions to Stop Your Flare Before It Erupts

1. Clean your diet up. Most of us let our diet go when we?re under stress. Naturally, our bodies crave sugar and carbs to fuel our stress response (but we?re not running away from tigers and lions anymore). Sugar in general promotes inflammation, but so do gluten and dairy. I recommend eliminating these first if you haven?t already. Eating a diet focused on whole foods- meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats will be supportive of calming inflammation.

If you?ve already pared down your diet, you might be sensitive to something else you?re eating. Start paying attention to how you flare responds to food. Do certain ones make you itch more? Do they give you other symptoms of inflammation like mucus production or joint pain? Is the response immediate or delayed?

Using a diary requires some effort, but it?s the best way to track the effects of diet and lifestyle. When I feel a flare come on, I open up an spreadsheet on my computer. I make columns for meals, immediate and delayed reactions, supplements, exercise, stress, sleep, and observations. I record everything that was notable and if nothing is notable I leave that spot blank. This way I can identify immediate issues, but also patterns that may otherwise be hard to see. This is actually how I figured out that I had a histamine issue.

2. Avoid Histamines. These nasty chemicals are produced in the inflammatory response and are part of the reason you itch. You can be consuming them in food or supplements like probiotics. There is a detailed list in my free triggers guide ?Eczema: Seven Sneaky Sources Making Your Flare Worse.? Additionally, fish, seafood, cured and deli meats, aged cheeses, dried fruits, citrus fruits, pickles, and any fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut. Basically, if it?s aged in any way- pickled, preserved, fermented, dried, salted or cured, it contains histamines. That makes left overs a no-go too.

Unfortunately, bone broth which is very healing, also contains high histamine levels, so watch out for any histamine related symptoms including itching, runny nose, mucus or phlegm, redness, etc.

Some strains of the probiotic group Lactobacillus (L. casei and L. bulgaricus) are known to produce histamine which may aggravate your eczema. From my clinical experience, I?ve also seen patients have a histamine reaction to other probiotics too, so pay attention to how your body responds to them. Remember- everyone is unique and we?ll all have different reactions to different substance.

3. Consume anti-inflammatory foods (or their supplement form). I?m a big fan of food as medicine. Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods are herbs and spices, specifically turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Together, these are pack a triple threat anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and gut and skin healing punch. They can be consumed easily in meals- especially any Asian or Indian recipes, added to smoothies, pre-made tea bags, or in this healing tea/infusion recipe.

The supplement forms can be used too. Sometimes you?ll find an anti-inflammatory combo with all or a few of these ingredients or they can be used separately. I prefer to use them for specific actions when using them as separate often highly concentrated supplements. In this capacity is use turmeric (curcumin) for inflammation, ginger for gut healing and calming, and garlic as an antimicrobial.

4. ?Avoid extreme temperatures. Whether you?re indoors or outdoors, or doing things like bathing or exercising, really hot or cold temperatures can have a negative effect on eczema. In the past, I?ve had a histamine reaction during exercise that resulted in extremely red and itchy legs in both summer and late fall. It?s really hard to workout when you stop to scratch every 10 seconds (plus people stare at your tomato red legs)!

Similarly, hot showers will do the same to me. I know when I?m in a flare to keep showers lukewarm or even cold.

5. Take a timeout. Not the kind where you sit in the corner and think about what you did wrong, but to similarly be still and contemplate. A couple of times each day take 10 minutes to just sit in silence while deep breathing. This doesn?t have to be a full on meditation (although if you want to- go for it because it?s amazing for stress reduction). The point is to let your mind quiet down and focus your intention to calmness and healing.

We spend all of our time in a stressed out, fight or flight mode (a.k.a. sympathetic nervous system ), which promotes inflammation, rather than the rest, digest, and reproduce mode (a.k.a. parasympathetic nervous system), which promotes healing. Chilling out, naps, eating, and sex are way more appealing anyway!

6. Laugh and play. Similar to the previous point, taking time to laugh and play does wonders for inflammation and counteracting the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. If you?re in a flare you might need to take a ?personal day? from work.

Send the kids to school (if you have them) and just chill out watching funny movies or meet a comedic friend for lunch. When the kids come home, do something fun like playing games or something you all enjoy together. If you don?t have kids, grab a spouse, partner, or friend do your favorite activity.

The goal is enjoy life and put a smile on your face. There are lots of positive chemical effects that occur in your body when you smile, laugh, or share intimate moments with those you’re close with.

Bonus tip– if you?re a stay at home mom with a baby or small kids it?s hard to take a personal day. Instead of calling in sick to your boss, call a friend or family member to watch the kids for a couple hours (or more if possible) so you can focus on some fun or alone time. No running errands or chores- this time is for you to enjoy yourself!!

7. Pamper your skin with healing moisture. Once you get out of your not-too-hot shower, be sure to apply moisturizer ASAP. I?m a fan of my healing salve recipe, however, there are many options, especially if you?re just into the beginning of a flare. Coconut oil, shea butter, or a combination of the two may just be enough to get your skin going in the right direction. If you start to develop lesions, bumps, or extreme redness, the salve might be a better choice.

There are also many choices available online now too. I?ve had many clients tell me about creams and lotions that have worked for them. The key here is to get a clean and green one- avoid synthetic chemicals, dyes, and scents. Many of the good natural formulas have a base of coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, and/or tallow (usually from beef) combined with essential oils or healing herbs. Going with a blend like this will help avoid topical reactions on the skin.

What remedies have you tried that have helped calm your symptoms down? Let us know in the comments section. Thanks!

Is Your Favorite Morning Beverage Causing Eczema

Posted On April 7, 2017 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Diet, Eczema, Healing / 25 Comments

(Spoiler: There?s a healing swap-out suggestion with an Eczema Healing Tea recipe included)

Does Caffeine Cause Eczema

Who doesn?t love their morning cup of caffeine? Coffee and tea consumption have become a significant part of American society. The cafe culture is a multi-billion dollar industry. This isn?t anything new?many civilizations for centuries have worshiped them too. But do these beloved brews contribute to eczema?

This is a question I?ve had to tackle for years in my practice with patients and for myself. Like any issues related to food or root causes of eczema- it?s a matter of individuality and how it?s affecting the inflammatory process in your body.

Personally, I love both tea and coffee for different reasons- I?ve been a lifelong tea drinker (thanks Grandma), but in my early 30?s I discovered coffee. I?d always loved the smell, but didn?t care for the taste. But as I began changing my diet to be cleaner and gravitated to Paleo/Primal, my taste buds changed.

Suddenly, I really liked coffee. I enjoyed the slight bitterness, dark chocolate, and fruity notes, much like a good wine. I hear this from patients too- they report liking bitter things such as coffee and really dark chocolate as they lose the taste for sugar.

I can drink it black, but I really love a warm cup of joe with grassfed butter and coconut oil in the morning. That?s heavenly for me!

So when the question of caffeine consumption and elimination arises, the reaction is similar for most of my patients- complete horror (even for a short duration). I?m often met with comments like: ?there?s no way I can do that!? Or else, ?you want me to do what!! And, for how long????

I get it. The thought of giving up my tasty, warm beverages (especially considering that I live in Minnesota) gave me slight panic too.

Caffeine is America?s number one drug of choice. Some of us like it for the taste, mental boost, or the purely for the energy surge. But sadly, your favorite pick-me-up can be counterproductive if you have a condition like eczema that has roots in inflammation.

I don?t ask patients to drop the mug to torture them (although some may strongly disagree). I do it because I understand the many ways caffeine alters the immune and inflammatory response.

How do Coffee and Tea Cause Eczema

At first thought it may seem crazy to consider coffee and tea as causes of eczema, but they can alter the inflammatory response in ways that play a role in the process of developing eczema. Once you have eczema, they can contribute to the vicious cycle of exposures (foods, infections, toxins, etc.) that perpetuate the condition until they?re removed.

Here are the most significant ways that coffee and tea promote eczema:

1. It spikes adrenal hormones just as stress does. I generally suggest stopping if someone has HPA axis dysfunction (also know as adrenal fatigue) because of caffeine?s effects on the inflammatory process. Caffeine sends a signal to the brain which sends a signal to the adrenal glands to pump out cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine), effectively putting your body in constant fight-or-flight mode. Not good if you have eczema and need your cortisol for its anti-inflammatory effects.

2. Elevated cortisol contributes to Leaky Gut. The chemicals secreted during the stress response are linked to intestinal permeability (leaky gut), inflammation, overgrowth in bad bacteria, and decreased microbial diversity that can alter immune function. These are significant root causes of eczema that need to be addressed to completely heal it.

3. You can react to the mycotoxins found in coffee. Mycotoxins are toxins produced by fungi and the 2 commonly found in coffee are ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1. These compounds are known to be immunosuppressive, carcinogenic, and brain damaging among other health problems. Chronic, low level exposure can build up in your system causing an immune response that can promote inflammation.

Swap Your Caffeine with a Warm Drink That Will Help Heal Eczema

I hate to tell patients that they must avoid something forever. In some cases this is necessary, like a Celiac sufferer avoiding gluten, but generally, most people can handle some caffeinated beverages once they?ve healed their eczema and gut.

But until that joyous day when you can imbibe again, here?s an alternative that?s equally as tasty and will help heal your eczema and gut.

Eczema Healing Tea

I enjoy this drink because it?s reminiscent of my favorite morning coffee, but it also incorporates the spiciness of ginger and turmeric that I love. It?s also warming and soothing on cold days. Prep is quick and easy too- usually 5 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

1-2 inches peeled, fresh turmeric
2 inches peeled, fresh ginger
1 garlic clove peeled- don?t worry, the other flavors mask the garlic 😉
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 serving collagen powder
8-12 ounces hot water

Tip: If you want to have a speedy process, peel and portion out the turmeric, ginger, and garlic for several days. I keep mine in a mini mason jar or glass container in the refrigerator. If you prep too much it can start to dry out, so placing a small damp towel or cloth on top can help prevent that.

Instructions

1. Get your water heating up before you start prepping so that you can pull if off and let it cool if necessary before you pour it into the mixture. I like to use a kettle to warm mine up.
2. Remove the skin from you turmeric, ginger and garlic. You can use a knife or spoon (scraping down the sides) to get rid of the skin. Note: spoon scraping gives a slightly better yield but is more time consuming than using a knife. Place them in the blender.
3. Add in the coconut oil and honey.
4. Pour the water over the mixture. Warning: don?t blend it up if it?s too hot and steaming because the pressure could build up and burn you when the lid is removed.
5. Add the collagen in last (truthfully, it probably doesn?t matter when it?s added, but I try to keep the collagen from clumping or sticking to the sides of the blender cup or carafe).
6. Blend up until all ingredients are fully incorporated. It should take 15-30 seconds for most high speed blenders.
7. Pour into a mug and enjoy!

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adjusted to taste and needs. Don?t like turmeric- don?t add it. Have a sensitivity to collagen powder? Leave it out. Got Candida or a fungal issue? You may want to adjust or eliminate the raw honey. You can customize this as you wish.

I actually make variations on this recipe often. I?m a ginger lover so I?ll add a huge 3-4 inch piece in sometimes. I?ll bump up the collagen if I feel more stressed. I don?t always have raw turmeric on hand, so I make it without it. If I?m feeling congested or sick from a cold, I?ll decrease the water by 2-4 ounces and add in the juice of one lemon and/or raw apple cider vinegar (ACV). Be careful using this variation if you?re in an eczema flare as the histamines in lemon and ACV can make symptoms worse.

Eczema Healing Tea is a Healing Bomb and Inflammation Buster

The elixir is packed with several anti-inflammatory, immune boosting, antimicrobial, and skin supporting ingredients. Coffee and tea definitely can?t claim that. Here?s a breakdown of the benefits:

1. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family which is why they share similar characteristics. However, the curcuminoids are what give turmeric it?s superior inflammation fighting power. The journal Oncogene published a study that found turmeric to be one of the most potent anti-inflammatories in the world, even beating out NSAIDs. It can also help heal the lining of the intestines which is critical for resolving eczema.

2. Ginger, like turmeric, supports immune and anti-inflammatory pathways in the body. Ginger is a great antimicrobial too, acting against a wide range of bacteria and fungi like Candida. It?s widely supports the gut too- relieving nausea, bloating, constipation, and acid reflux which are symptoms that often accompany eczema root causes like dysbiosis, GI infections, and food sensitivities.

3. Coconut oil is considered to be the ?motherlode? of healing foods. One of best features is the broad antimicrobial activity of lauric acid- helpful for addressing bacterial, fungal, and viral infection, but also maintaining daily health. The antioxidants in coconut oil are well documented to combat inflammation. It also has pain relieving (analgesic) capabilities. The same properties that make it amazing for internal use also apply to the skin. Externally it can be used as a cleanser, moisturizer, and as an ingredient in a healing salve or ointment.

4. Garlic in its raw form is a close second to coconut oil in it?s ability to protect against the ?bad bugs,? having potent antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. The sulfur containing compound allicin is effective against the opportunistic staphylococcus (staph) bacteria which is thought to play a role in eczema for many individuals. Personal note- when I did stool testing on myself during the peak of my symptoms I had a slight overgrowth of staph that had to be treated.

5. Raw honey is an antioxidant powerhouse. It contains several classes of polyphenols and flavonoids that support the immune system. In addition, it contains 22 amino acids, many of the B complex vitamins, and 27 minerals including magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium, calcium, and phosphorous.

6. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and a critical building block of the skin. Using supplemental collagen powder has been shown to improve skin quality by increasing the barrier function meaning better elasticity, moisture, and texture. Good news if your skin is damaged from eczema! Another reason collagen is great is that it heals leaky gut, which is a primary root cause in eczema. It?s benefits are similar to what?s seen on the skin externally- it ?seals and heals? the intestinal barrier breakdown that?s the hallmark of leaky gut.

Doesn?t all this goodness make you want to brew up a batch right now?? You may not ever want to go back to coffee or tea! Maybe?.. 🙂

Leave a comment below about your caffeine swaps!

Eczema: The Autoimmune Disease Everyone Seems To Be Overlooking

Posted On April 7, 2017 By Dr. Stephanie Davis In Autoimmunity, Diet, Eczema, Healing, Histamine, Working with a Practitioner / 86 Comments

The No Cause, No Cure Paradigm for Eczema is Wrong

I’ve always been a questioner. This is why I believe eczema can be healed and reversed (and new science backs this). When I was a little kid, I asked lots of questions because I wanted to know how and why things worked. Conversations I?d frequently have with my parents would go something like this:

Me: ?Why does my tummy hurt???

Parent: ?Probably because you just swallowed your gum.?

Me: ?Why would gum make my tummy hurt??

Parent: ?When you swallow your gum it can stick to your insides.?

Me: ?Why would it stick to my insides??

Parent (frustrated): ?Oh, I don?t know, it just does!?

At this point I usually stopped the dialogue because I was clearly annoying my parents and I was frustrated that I didn?t get the answers I desired. Even as little kid I couldn?t understand why gum wouldn?t be digested like the rest of my food?? It also didn?t make sense to me that it would stick to my insides. There is always a reason why (even if not everyone know the answer).

Those same feelings of frustration and disbelief came to the surface for me when I was told I had Eczema. I was instantly transported back to my childhood when I heard the words ?there is no known cause or cure.? It was so infuriating and disheartening.

No cause. No cure. Yet, you?re still miserable, with a very real rash that makes you crazy because you want to keep scratching it incessantly and your doctor hasn?t provided you with any help at all. This is exactly how I felt.

The majority of conventional medicine still clings to the old idea that eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is purely a topical rash that makes your skin red and itchy, causes lesions, and is related to allergies.

And if you?ve ever had an eczema breakout you know that this isn?t just something to brush off, or something you should have to live with- ?it?s a problem that affects the way you look and feel too.

I?ve never accepted the no cause, no cure paradigm- there?s always a reason why something is happening. Your body just doesn?t start to malfunction- it?s way too smart for that. There are complex physiological processes that occur over time that culminate in conditions like eczema. We?ll get into the details of that later.

Those of us in the functional medicine community, as well as many researchers, are redefining what eczema actually is. In December 2014, this groundbreaking study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology confirmed what many of us suspected all along- that eczema is indeed an autoimmune condition. The study showed that by blocking 2 key proteins involved in the body?s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses, the eczema was reversed. In the process of eczema, these proteins mistakenly target the body?s own tissues, causing an autoimmune reaction which can result in the body attacking the skin. That sounds like a cause to me!

But before we get into the details of how eczema develops as as autoimmune (AI) condition, let?s review what eczema is and briefly discuss the types.

What is Eczema?

As an inquisitive and frustrated kid, I?d reach for the encyclopedia when I got one of those ?it just is? answers from an adult. Encyclopedias helped, but were still limited in information on many topics.

Now we have an overabundance of information coming at us 24/7 thanks to the internet, but it?s hard to digest and make sense of it all. So, let?s break eczema down.

Eczema is more commonly referred to as Atopic Dermatitis (AD) clinically. That term is very telling since atopy or atopic is Greek for ?being out of place? and dermatitis is ?inflammation of the skin?. What?s interesting is that in my graduate training (which was conventional medical clinical pathology) we learned that atopy refers to an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity occurring in a part of the body NOT in contact with the allergen. Based on this definition you?d think that conventional medicine would?ve realized the cause of eczema isn?t occurring on the skin level, but that hasn?t been the case.

Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is defined by the Mayo Clinic as ?a condition that makes your skin red and itchy. AD is long lasting (chronic) and tends to flare periodically and then subside.? It?s the most common type of eczema and research suggests that a family history of atopic conditions such as eczema, allergies, asthma, and hay fever is a predisposing factor in developing it. The data compiled from my research analyzing over 7,000 patients shows that 1 in 5 people with a family history of eczema have eczema. 20% is significant.

Typical symptoms include:

Itching, which may be mild to severe, especially at night
Raw, sensitive, swollen skin from scratching
Small, raised bumps, which may leak fluid and crust over when scratched
Weeping wounds
Thickened, cracked, dry, scaly skin
Red to brownish-gray patches, especially on the hands, feet, ankles, wrists, neck, upper chest, eyelids, inside the bend of the elbows and knees

Eczema symptoms and appearance differs from person to person. A mild form might look like red, irritated, and slightly speckled skin, to more severe forms where the skin is significantly inflamed, with lesions that are bloody and weeping. Discolorations often occur during the outbreaks and as the skin heals.

7 Types of Eczema (Yes, …there?s actually more than one)

There are many different types of eczema according to various sources. You could go a little crazy researching them all on Dr. Google, so we?ll cover the most common ones here.

Most varieties of eczema are named for where they occur or because they look slightly different than your typical atopic dermatitis. Regardless of where it located or how it looks, it?s still eczema.

Contact Dermatitis occurs when an irritant or allergen contacts the skin causing redness, burning, swelling and sometimes blisters. It can be caused by things such as frequent hand washing, solvents, chemicals, foods, metals, animals, pollen, and plants like poison ivy. For the record,?I don?t believe contact dermatitis should be classified with these other forms of eczema as the cause is external contact and can happen to anyone regardless of health conditions and family history. It doesn?t appear to be AI in nature.
Dishydrotic Eczema occurs on the palm side of fingers, palms of hands, bottom of toes, and soles of feet. It presents as red spots, bumps, or blisters. Scaly patches, flaking, and deep cracks can form from damage to the skin. This type is 2 times more common in women. I can vouch for that since this one type that I had in a very classic presentation which makes it easier to distinguish from some of the other types.
Hand Eczema is different from dishydrotic in that it occurs on the back of your hand and fingers, as well as the webbing between fingers. It visually looks more like typical atopic dermatitis.
Neurodermatitis, also called Lichen Simplex Chronicus, which is similar to AD in that there?s significant itching but differs in that the surrounding skin is healthy. It occurs in isolated patches that look thick, discolored, dry, scaly or flaky and can be mistaken for psoriasis. There can be underlying dysfunction of the nerves in this area.
Nummular Eczema, also known as Discoid Eczema is characterized by coin or circular shaped lesions that can be raised. Inflammatory reactions occurring in the body and dry skin are thought to play roles in developing this type of eczema. It can look like ringworm which is a fungal infection so it?s worth ruling that out. ??
Seborrheic Dermatitis, Scalp Eczema, or Cradle Cap typically occurs in areas where there are high concentrations of oil producing sweat glands including the scalp, face, neck, upper back, shoulders, and chest. Individuals with immune system dysfunction are at increased risk for seborrheic dermatitis. It can have an oily or greasy appearance, unlike the other types of eczema, with white to yellow flakes.
Stasis Eczema/Dermatitis, also called venous stasis dermatitis, is a special type of eczema that occurs in areas where there?s decreased venous blood flow resulting in pressure build up causing fluid leakage from veins. Red, swollen, flaky, itchy skin occurs initially and if not taken care of can progress to ulceration, infection, and/or permanent thickening or scarring of the skin.

What Causes Eczema

If you type in ?causes of eczema? in Google, you?ll get a variety of answers like:

No true known cause
Dry or irritable skin
Genetic variant that affects the skin’s barrier function
Stress
Immune system dysfunction
Hormone Fluctuations
Bacterial or viral infections or imbalances
Environmental conditions such as cold, dry weather or humid, hot weather
Allergens

Unfortunately, while many of the above are absolutely true, most conventional doctors still treat it like it?s a condition that only occurs on the surface and don?t address most of that list. They?re likely to suggest topical treatments and possibly tell you to avoid a couple of foods, allergens, and hot or cold weather. They neglect the impact of the true root causes beneath the surface.

The worst fact of all is that some doctors are still of the old school thinking that there is no cause or cure for eczema.

Thankfully, research is evolving and know we know otherwise.

Given that eczema is now considered an autoimmune condition, we know the conditions need to be ?just right? for one to manifest.

These are the 3 key factors that come together to initiate autoimmunity:

A genetic predisposition/family history
Intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
Environmental triggers such as stress, infection, gut or skin dysbiosis (imbalance between the good and bad bugs), food sensitivities or allergies, trauma, hormone imbalances, toxins, and nutrient imbalances.

With autoimmunity, the immune system mistakenly targets a body tissue and tries to attack it like it?s a foreign invader. If you have eczema, this means that the autoimmune process is attacking your skin. And to get rid of eczema, you need to address each of your root causes, which are covered in numbers 2 and 3 above.

For me, the perfect storm for eczema flares was high stress levels, hormone imbalances, GI infections and dysbiosis, leaky gut, and food sensitivities. Histamine containing foods, exercise, and hot showers made it even worse. This scenario is very similar for most of my clients as well.

A New Paradigm for Eczema

Just like when I was a kid, I wasn?t satisfied with the explanation of what causes eczema, so I developed my own process to explain the cycle of how it occurs.

Stage 1: Flare Up

You know when a flare up is coming because your body send you little signals in the form of tingle, slight itchiness or a burning sensation. On the inside the panic begins to set in and you?re thinking, ?Oh no, not again!? These are the subtle hints that you?re body is unhappy and it?s trying to tell you. The flames have been stoked and a fire is beginning to burn inside.

From a physiological standpoint, your immune system is activated from one or more triggers like foods, chemicals, toxins, or microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses) and has begun attacking your body tissues. Having a genetic predisposition toward eczema or autoimmunity, and a leaky gut make this the perfect storm.

At this point, trying to stop or slow the flare is a good idea as it will help begin to reverse the inflammatory process. Start with your diet as many significant triggers for eczema are food related. At a minimum go gluten and dairy free, but likely you?ll find other foods that need to be avoided while you heal.

Getting stress under control right now is key as it?s often what pushes you over the edge into a flare. It?s hard to eliminate it, but try to manage stressors by maintaining boundaries, saying no, or asking for help. If you can completely eliminate a stressor (like avoiding a toxic person or situation) even better! Also, finding an outlet like journaling, deep breathing, meditation, or walks in nature can profoundly reduce the stress response.

Stage 2: Outbreak

Your flare up transitions to a full blown outbreak when the tingle, burn or minor itch escalates to constant itching causing red, inflamed skin with welts, wounds, and/or blisters. At this point it can appear to be treatment resistant since all of the root causes likely haven?t been addressed.

The outbreak occurs when the inflammatory process mediated by the immune system goes unchecked. The inflammatory chemicals have kicked up and are peaking resulting in your extreme discomfort and many symptoms. During this phase eczema can interfere with life, making social gatherings, work, sleep, and sanity difficult due to the incessant itching. There?s a full blown inflammatory fire raging inside.

Getting to the bottom of all of your triggers and root causes is essential now so you can heal. ?Addressing diet and stress may do the trick for some, but others may require deeper digging or testing which is easiest with assistance of a trained professional. Even though I do this for a living, I call upon my friends and colleagues to make sure I?m not missing anything. We can all use some help now and then!

If you haven?t begun dialing in your diet- there isn?t a better time. You need to focus on taming the fire burning within. Anti-inflammatory supplements and foods are super important now. This blog article I wrote provides a recipe, as well as 6 healing foods and supplements to help put out the flames.

Topically, some people may benefit simply from coconut oil, but I personally didn?t and many of my patients echo that sentiment. The same can be said of shea butter. However, by combining these an easy and wonderful healing salve can be made.

Eczema Healing Salve Recipe

? cup unrefined, organic coconut oil
? cup unrefined, organic shea butter
10 drops calendula essential oil
10 drops yarrow essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
5-10 drops frankincense essential oil

Mix these together in a bowl by hand or with a mixer. It will be hard and clumpy at first, but eventually will soften and everything will come together. Note: you can play with the essential oils as some people respond better to certain ones than others. If you can?t some of these, that?s fine too. These all have healing, calming or anti-inflammatory properties.

The most important thing to remember in the outbreak phase is the root causes. If you don?t identify and address them all, your eczema is likely to return at some point.

Stage 3: Healing

Relief is in sight! ?This is when you start to feel better and symptoms are less severe, but still present. You may or may not be itchy. Your skin still shows signs of irritation, but no open wounds and blisters. It may also appear thick, leathery, scaly, dark, or ashy now. The fire within is now just smoldering embers.

Your immune system is now ramping down and under control, but in physiological time things go slow which is why there are still visible signs (think of how long it takes to completely heal a cut or broken bone).

Steering clear of dietary triggers or any other triggers you?ve identified through self investigation or testing is still a must to maintain healing. Continue use of natural topicals to protect the skin and help rebuild integrity. Nutrients like vitamins A,C, D, and E, biotin, zinc, selenium, and collagen support healing and skin structure.

Stage 4: Clear Skin

Hooray!! When you?re suffering through an eczema flare you often don?t think this day will come, but it is possible to completely reverse eczema and have clear skin again. You?re skin is fully healed and looks great again. No more hiding in long sleeves or gloves!

Think of this stage as maintenance or dormancy. You immune system is finally calmed down and balanced so the attack on skin is over. The fire is out completely!

Maintaining a healthy diet, stress levels, and getting adequate sleep will help keep you here in your happy place.

Common Treatments for Eczema

Again, if you look eczema treatments up in Google, you?ll get a list that looks like this:

Over-the-counter medications such cortisone cream, Benadryl cream, or antihistamines (Benadryl, Claritin, and Allegra)
Prescription medications topical corticosteroids, oral steroids, and oral antihistamines. ?
Moisturizers that contain petroleum jelly, mineral oil, or synthetic emollients like lanolin or glycerin
Special baths with bleach, salt (sea salt or table salt), baking soda, epsoms salts, oatmeal, or apple cider vinegar. ?
UV Light/Phototherapy
Wet Dressings
Stress Reduction

While the medications may be helpful at first for managing symptoms, they don?t address the root causes and the eczema returns. Long term, the topical creams can damage the integrity of the skin and the topical steroids and oral medications shut off the body?s natural inflammatory response which is counterproductive to healing the body.

The moisturizers typically suggested sometimes work and other times cause more irritation due to the ingredients. Unfortunately, if they do work it?s only addressing issues at the skin level and not what?s beneath the surface.

Special baths can definitely be helpful in managing symptoms, but some need to be use with caution. I am personally not a fan of the bleach baths, ever. Sea salt, table salt and apple cider vinegar can be great, however should be tested first since they could irritate open wounds. Oatmeal baths are also very soothing as long as you know you don?t have Celiac or it?s skin variant called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. If you do, you should probably avoid oatmeal completely as it?s often contaminated with gluten.

Phototherapy from the sun is my preferred use. While using phototherapy lamps that emit UV light definitely have benefit, there are a few more risks associated with them due to broader spectrum of the light rays, such a burning, blistering, accelerated aging/breakdown of the skin, and skin cancer. More recently narrow band UVB therapy, which uses a smaller spectrum and thus less radiation, is a better option for artificial light therapy.

Wet dressings can be very helpful in healing eczema when used with natural moisturizers. However, topical corticosteroids are often used and I believe they?re a bad long term strategy for the reasons given above.

My Methodology for Healing Eczema

While some of the commonly used treatments listed above can be helpful at soothing?or even resolving some symptoms, they?re all missing the most important factor: addressing the ROOT CAUSES.

Even if you?re in remission and asymptomatic, you?re still at risk for a flare up because you haven?t addressed the important factors lingering beneath the surface. You?re trigger might be work, family, or financial stress, a stomach virus or infection, passing of a loved one or pet, a divorce or separation, moving to a new town or job, or even injuring yourself exercising.

My major trigger was always work related stress (or not addressing it) as it is for so many that suffer from eczema.

The good news is that I healed my eczema and we, together, can heal yours too.

My process starts with a detailed history, from birth until now, that identifies all of the contributing factors to your eczema and what potential root causes need to be investigated.

Next we order the appropriate tests to identify your specific and individual underlying causes.

From there, I design a comprehensive program based on your results and history that addresses all of your root causes in a systematic way. We don?t throw the kitchen sink at you all at once and hope it works. Instead, the plan is outlined in a step-by-step manner that makes it easy for you to follow and allows your body to heal.

If you?re tired of living in the eczema cycle of remissions and flare ups, or have an active, raging outbreak that itches so bad and looks so horrible it?s affecting every aspect of your life and you don?t think it will ever end, I invite you to work with me and my team to heal your eczema for good.

We?ll work together to put the pieces of your health puzzle in place. We?ll guide you at every step with a plan of action to get your body healing and skin happy again.

If you?d like 1-on-1 support troubleshooting which root causes are contributing to your Eczema, and get a specific plan to reverse it, the first step is to book a 1-hour ?Eczema Root Cause Troubleshooting Session?.