Benjamin Shine Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Before I ditched gluten a year ago, I had a rash on my ankles and elbows that was so itchy that I would regularly scratch it until it bled & scabbed up. Then it was even more itchy. Gross, I know. A dermatologist told me that I should never take a shower longer than 5 minutes, and always use cool water. He prescribed an intense steroid ointment for the rash, and said I should use it every day, forever. He also gave me antibiotics for my acne, and said to apply it twice a day, every day, forever. I was following those instructions (except for the always-take-cold-showers, yikes) when my gym encouraged me to ditch gluten for a 90 day challenge. When I ditched gluten, the rash went away, along with the acne and the eczema on my arms. Such a relief! Whenever I re-introduced gluten, the rash came back. It was such a clear-cut reaction that now it's pretty easy for me to resist gluten; I can see a week of a bad rash in a croissant. But I still had itchy knuckles sometimes, and lately they've been so itchy that I also would find myself scratching them uncontrollably until they bled. I applied prescription steroid cream or OTC cortisol every day, several times a day, trying to get relief. Since I started my Whole30 a week ago, those itchy patches have totally calmed down. The redness and flakiness is gone, and the scabs are healing quickly. Now, I LOVE DAIRY, so at the end of my Whole30 I'll try re-introducing dairy and see if that was the problem. I'll also test soy, separately. Or maybe it was even (oh no!) chocolate. Now I know I can find out, though. I know that my skin reactions are a result of my food decisions. This gives me power over them. -benji Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 That's awesome! I think you'll be surprised at your reactions to foods you loved before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Shine Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Uh-oh. I had a few tablespoons of ghee yesterday, and today my knuckles are itchy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny M Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have hand eczema too. I can't seem to narrow it down to any kind of food. Washing hands too much and hand sanitizer definitely triggers for me. i feel your pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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