Apple Cider Vinegar For Eczema

[NinaBlahBlahBlah]

Hello! So I've had eczema since about three years ago. For the first two years it showed up on the inside of my elbows at the end of the school year probably due to stress. The first year it disappeared on its own. The second year I used steroid cream and it went away until the end of this school year. But this time it spread all over my legs and shoulders. It was terrible and I was forced to wear long sleeves and long dresses all summer. I didn't want to use steroids because I read about how terrible it is for your body. I read somewhere that apple cider vinegar was a great remedy and so I started spraying it everyday and drinking it. It started to get a lot better until I went on vacation to China with my family. The airplane rides and different weather there made it worse. Then I came back and school was starting so I really just wanted to get rid of it already. I decided to go on an extreme healthy diet, getting rid of all possible allergens and eating only fruits, vegetables, rice, and fish (I don't like red meat anyways). I started the diet the day school started and it has been exactly one week. However I couldn't stop myself from scratching so now I've made it a little worse. I've been trying to stop scratching and hopefully I can stop myself. The apple cider vinegar has been helping and I think so has the diet change. Does anybody know how long it will take for the eczema to completely clear up? Because I really can't keep wearing long sleeves and clothes that cover my legs in school. Also does anybody know if the eczema will ever come back when it does clear up? And also if anybody has other tips! Please please and thank you.

 

[nicklebleu]

Hi NinaBlahBlahBlah,

First welcome to the forum. We customarily ask newcomers to write a short introduction in the "Newbies Forum" (just look on the Home Page for this entry) on how they found us, who they are and what they are interested in. Nothing too personal, just a quick intro.

:)

As to your question: In my experience eczema is mostly due to a poor diet. In general the BIG 4 perpetrators are gluten, dairy, soy and corn (and in eczema dairy is the most likely culprit). To go on a vegetarian diet might not help - in fact it might be detrimental. You might be much more helped, if you decided to gradually change your diet towards eliminating all grains (gluten being the worst), all dairy, all soy products and all corn, to gradually reduce carbohydrates and at the same time increase (animal) fat intake. Red meat is really something that is healthy - provided it comes from a nonindustrial source raising the animals in a healthy and ethical way.

I would suggest that you read the following threads (all to be found in the "Diet and Health" section as "sticky" threads - that's the bold ones at the top):
- The Vegetarian Myth (referring to a tremendous book by Lierre Keith - an ex-vegan of 20 years)
- Life Without Bread (also referring to a book of the same title)
- Ketogenic Diet - Path to transformation?

I would suggest to read them in this order and maybe also Lierre Keith's book, which will totally transform your views about Vegetarianism/ Veganism.

One note of caution: It's a LOT of reading, but we are talking big changes in diet and life style - and these should be done with care and knowledge. So before diving headlong into dietary changes I would advise you to carefully read the above threads and acquire the knowledge needed to make a successful and healthy transition to a more beneficial diet and health. Don't forget, these threads are the fruits of 3 years of research and experimentation in this forum and you cannot expect to incorporate all that overnight.

Hope this helps!

 

[Gawan]

Welcome NinaBlahBlahBlah :)!

Hi NinaBlahBlahBlah,

First welcome to the forum. We customarily ask newcomers to write a short introduction in the "Newbies Forum" (just look on the Home Page for this entry) on how they found us, who they are and what they are interested in. Nothing too personal, just a quick intro.

Adding to that you can do that here NinaBlahBlahBlah.

 

[NinaBlahBlahBlah]

Thank you! I will read these pages and when I find time I'll do the introduction thing. But I just wanted to make it clear that I've had a pretty healthy diet all my life. I was raised vegetarian but I do eat chicken once in while. Also my family eats fresh cooked salmon and tuna very common. I don't like red meat I guess just because I never got use to it. So not eating meat isn't really a big deal for me because it's never been in my diet. For a while I was eating very unhealthy with pizza and junk food and what not and that was the stuff I was getting out of my diet. Also things I got rid of was dairy and glutton like you said. Another thing I should mention is that I'm allergic to most tree nuts so I typically avoid all nuts just in case they were processed with other nuts.

 

[nicklebleu]

Also my family eats fresh cooked salmon and tuna very common.

You have to be careful with these two fish - they are big fish, which means that they are top predators. the problem with that is that they usually have high levels of heavy metal contamination (mercury) which has been accumulated up the food chain (small fish eats little fish, bigger fish eats small fish, tuna eats big fish). The other problem with salmon is that nowadays it's next to impossible to find wild caught salmon - they are almost exclusively farmed (at least in my part of the world). The problem with that is the same as with grain-fed meat - the omega3:omega6 ratio is out of whack - we are already consuming way too much omega6 ... the other problem is that they often have high levels of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, due to the fact that they are fed with leftovers from industrial food processing (like breweries or slaughterhouses).

So in summary the best fish to eat are the smaller, wild caught, cold water fish, like sardines or anchovies - as a rule you shouldn't eat fish that's bigger than a normal plate ...

 

[Laura]

Most skin problems relate to a leaky gut issue and most vegetables rot in the small intestine because humans can't really digest them, and then irritate the colon with fiber.

 

[Joe]

Thank you! I will read these pages and when I find time I'll do the introduction thing. But I just wanted to make it clear that I've had a pretty healthy diet all my life. I was raised vegetarian but I do eat chicken once in while. Also my family eats fresh cooked salmon and tuna very common. I don't like red meat I guess just because I never got use to it. So not eating meat isn't really a big deal for me because it's never been in my diet. For a while I was eating very unhealthy with pizza and junk food and what not and that was the stuff I was getting out of my diet. Also things I got rid of was dairy and glutton like you said. Another thing I should mention is that I'm allergic to most tree nuts so I typically avoid all nuts just in case they were processed with other nuts.

Just to confirm, you eat NO dairy whatsoever? And have not done so for a long time?

 

[Gimpy]

The apple cider vinegar has been helping and I think so has the diet change. Does anybody know how long it will take for the eczema to completely clear up? Because I really can't keep wearing long sleeves and clothes that cover my legs in school. Also does anybody know if the eczema will ever come back when it does clear up? And also if anybody has other tips! Please please and thank you.

The Diet and health section has a lot of information to help you with this, because its not a condition that responds the same way with all people. You'll need to try things out to see if they work for you or not.

I was raised vegetarian but I do eat chicken once in while. Also my family eats fresh cooked salmon and tuna very common. I don't like red meat I guess just because I never got use to it. So not eating meat isn't really a big deal for me because it's never been in my diet. For a while I was eating very unhealthy with pizza and junk food and what not and that was the stuff I was getting out of my diet. Also things I got rid of was dairy and glutton like you said. Another thing I should mention is that I'm allergic to most tree nuts so I typically avoid all nuts just in case they were processed with other nuts.

One route to try, since you are allergic to tree nuts, is supplementing with fish oils. Removing grains from the diet will take time, and that can also help. Keeping the skin moist and avoiding things that dry it out is the standard treatment for eczema.

What worked for me was treating for a leaky gut, then removing foods that my body couldn't either digest or tolerate well, which took about two years. When eczema crops up now? Its from an outside allergy, instead of a constant issue.

 

[Mal7]

NB: I am not a medical expert, just someone who has had eczema from time to time! (It was worst when I was a child.)

In the past I have had years when I was completely free of eczema, and then a period when it came back again quite badly.

At the moment, it is almost enitrely gone, just a bit behind my knees. I think if it were summer and I were out in the sun wearing shorts, or maybe swimming in the sea, that bit would also disappear in a few days (i.e. I think some sunlight and swimming in the sea helps.)

You could try one of the herbal eczema creams, e.g. I have one called "Itch Calm Cream" made with "fresh-plant mother tinctures of Nettle, Chickweed and Calendula in a natural aqueous base".

For dealing with strong itchiness, in the past I have found Calomine lotion about as good as anything.

Apart from diet and stress, you didn't mention if you are avoiding most conventional soap products? I have found in the past using regular washing powder to wash clothes and sheets is one of the worst things for my eczema. I now always use Rawleigh's "Willpower - for sensitive skin" brand for washing clothes. I am not sure if that brand would be available locally. If it is, and you decide to buy some, make sure you get the sensitive skin variety as they also make one called "Willpower" that is not for sensitive skin.

You can also try adding Pinetarsol to a bath, avoiding too much heat on the skin, and avoiding drying areas with eczema by rubbing with a towel (just pat dry or drip-dry).

Apart from stress and diet which are two big factors, eczema could be brought on variously in different people by,as you noted airplane rides, pr changes of weather or climate, and also allergies such as dust, animal hairs or feathers, wearing wool, and chemicals such as detergents or soaps.

The diet threads when you finish them also have information about low-carbohydrate diets which could help. It is recommended to read the entire threads.

Although the steroid treatments have side-effects, I personally don't think I would rule out using them entirely. I would say if you can make do without them, then make do without them, but that if eczema is very severe and troublesome it could be worth using them for a short period to try and bring it rapidly under control (by rapidly I mean a big improvement with a few days). That is just my personal opinion, not medical advice, and not necessarily good advice either.

 

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

I personally know someone who has had an issue with what appears to be eczema for as long as she can remember and she has tried everything except a diet change and nothing seemed to work, or it would relieve it for a few days and it would come back. About 4 months ago she went on a clean keto diet (not the typical keto which still allows for things like dairy, which the suggested books should explain in more detail) and within a month the problem was gone and hasn't returned since. So it was either sensitivity to some food, or precisely what Laura said - the gut was able to heal itself enough to get rid of pesky things like that. To fully heal the gut it may take 6 to 12 months depending on damage, but I think the benefits will be materializing much sooner than that once you're on your way. Good luck!

 

[NinaBlahBlahBlah]

Perceval
I did use to eat cheese and butter. not that much milk other than that contained in sweets.

 

[nicklebleu]

Perceval
I did use to eat cheese and butter. not that much milk other than that contained in sweets.

The problem with your situation is - as has been amply documented in the threads mentioned above - that you have to go 100% free of what you want to cut out of your diet to get any benefit. If you cut out dairy, but still eat chocolate with milk, you might as well not do it, because it's pointless. Same with gluten: You don't eat pasta, but still have gluten in soy sauce, or beer, or whatever - thinking, oh, but it's just a tiny amount! To heal your gut, or to change the shape of your metabolism, you have to make sure you get rid of gluten or dairy or whatever you eliminate at this stage 100% for prolongued periods of time (3 weeks is a ball-park figure, but it can be up to 12 months in certain individuals). Otherwise you just won't see any positive benefits ... If you have done this for months or years and all yournsymptoms have disappeared, you might try to reintroduce certain foods again. Sometimes that works, sometimes not - and you may have to to this several times to get an accurate result.

That may sound harsh and difficut - and yes, it's a commitment - but once started you will reap a lot of benefits - and never look back.

 

[NinaBlahBlahBlah]

The apple cider vinegar has been helping and I think so has the diet change. Does anybody know how long it will take for the eczema to completely clear up? Because I really can't keep wearing long sleeves and clothes that cover my legs in school. Also does anybody know if the eczema will ever come back when it does clear up? And also if anybody has other tips! Please please and thank you.

The Diet and health section has a lot of information to help you with this, because its not a condition that responds the same way with all people. You'll need to try things out to see if they work for you or not.

I was raised vegetarian but I do eat chicken once in while. Also my family eats fresh cooked salmon and tuna very common. I don't like red meat I guess just because I never got use to it. So not eating meat isn't really a big deal for me because it's never been in my diet. For a while I was eating very unhealthy with pizza and junk food and what not and that was the stuff I was getting out of my diet. Also things I got rid of was dairy and glutton like you said. Another thing I should mention is that I'm allergic to most tree nuts so I typically avoid all nuts just in case they were processed with other nuts.

One route to try, since you are allergic to tree nuts, is supplementing with fish oils. Removing grains from the diet will take time, and that can also help. Keeping the skin moist and avoiding things that dry it out is the standard treatment for eczema.

What worked for me was treating for a leaky gut, then removing foods that my body couldn't either digest or tolerate well, which took about two years. When eczema crops up now? Its from an outside allergy, instead of a constant issue.

I've cut bread and pasta out of my diet. But is brown rice alright?

 

[aaronfransen]

I can't speak for anyone else, but for my own experience I used to get horrible eczema on my hands, and I was forced to use the steroid cream too. Cutting out wheat made it go away almost completely.

 

[Nienna]

I've cut bread and pasta out of my diet. But is brown rice alright?

All grains, including rice and corn, have a form of gluten in them. And it takes 6 months for all traces to clean out of our systems. Even one crumb of gluten starts the process all over again and it takes another 6 months. And it's been found that substitutes such as Quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are also problematic. Soy is also a bad thing to eat. So eating "gluten-free" bread, pasta and whatnot still contains gluten in one form or another. And packaged foods contain gluten, even if it's not noted on the label.

It is suggested that eating things like yams/sweet potatoes are a good substitute for going gluten-free.

To heal the gut can take as long as 2 years, or more, depending on how long it has been damaged and how extensive the damage is.