Staring into the void of my skin: eczema part 2
I’ve been drawing a connection between these eczema flare ups and emotional health as well. One of the common triggers for eczema is stress. There has been a lot of change, upheaval and transition in my life and the world recently, and this may be my body’s expression of trying to hold it all. In any case, grasping for meaning is part of the human condition that is sometimes futile. Life has meaning because people are storytellers, and having a story to hold on to feels better than the endless void of empty universe.
A photograph of dry-cracked Earth taken by Leaf Silver in 2015
It pains me to have to write a follow up about dealing with eczema this summer. It has been nearly three months now since the beginning of the worst flare up I’ve experienced thus far in life, and am reaching a point of frustration with engaging in what feels like a never ending cycle of extreme discomfort.
After initially flaring up I tried different herbal poultice recipes including oatmeal, calendula, and a Chinese herb called Ai Cao. I ripped up an old bedsheet to use as reusable wraps around my arms. I started going to acupunture and got some herbs sent over to me from a Chinese herbal doctor I saw in Chicago a couple of years ago for a different skin malady.
The dried herbs came wrapped in a blank piece of white paper that I decoted and drank every morning for two weeks. As well as a small unmarked tub of white cream that caused almost an immediate improvement. This combination of treatments helped to clear up the rashes on my arms for a couple weeks. I was so grateful to be spared some of the discomfort and felt like I could actually enjoy summer for the first time this season. Going swimming and spending a little time in the sun.
It has been like riding a rollercoaster watching my skin flare and then resolve multiple times with no indication of what triggers the next flare up. It could be a combination of what I’m eating, different outside factors and the weather. This week it is in the upper 80s (F) every single day with no sign of letting up. The heat wave causes excess heat to build up in my body and then expresses itself externally on my skin.
I wish that I could report that I’ve found a magical remedy that works every time, but taking into consideration that no one really knows what the root cause of eczema is and that there are multiple factors that contribute to its emergence, there really only are ways to manage the syptoms.
Some treatments I’ve found helpful with these last few cycles of flare up are:
Spreading honey over weeping rash and wrapping in a clean cloth for a couple hours. Honey has a disinfectant quality which helps prevent infection on open and irritated rashes.
Calamine lotion: helps to dry out the rash as well and acts as a skin protectant and managing itch.
I have also been using a very concentrated Chinese herbal oil called Feng You Jing, usually used for bug bites and spreading it on the rash for a cooling, anti-itch effect.
All of these things are external however and don’t address what may be going on internally. Digestive health, and issues with the digestive system can be intimately linked to skin health. I may try removing some common allergens from my diet to see if that helps, although the connection between diet and skin health seems to be a bit more complicated than just that. Focusing more on eating whole, nourishing and anti-inflamatory foods seems like a better option then elimination diets.
I’ve never liked diet culture or restricting what I eat. I like to eat pretty intuitively and I love to cook so it’s very unappealing for me to think about restricting certain foods from my diet unless I discover a specific food allergy through testing.
It has been difficult to come to terms with the fact that this may just be a part of my relationship to my skin now. Seeking to eat well and improve gut health and digestive function feels like something I can do to work towards clear skin. I’m writing this out in the middle of the night because I wasn’t able to sleep because of how itchy the rashes on my arms are. I would not wish this amount of discomfort on anyone and I only hope that the heat wave ends soon.
The cool soothing breath of fall is fast approaching. Longing for dormancy and sweater weather. I don’t want to be ungrateful for summer. I feel like we wait all winter for summer to get here and when it’s here I complain about how I wish it was over. Each season has its extremes and the heat of this summer has been stifling.
I’ve been drawing a connection between these eczema flare ups and emotional health as well. One of the common triggers for eczema is stress. There has been a lot of change, upheaval and transition in my life and the world recently, and this may be my body’s expression of trying to hold it all. In any case, grasping for meaning is part of the human condition that is sometimes futile. Life has meaning because people are storytellers, and having a story to hold on to feels better than the endless void of empty universe.
sources:
https://nationaleczema.org/eczema-management/diet-nutrition/