How I said "chaoooo!" to my eczema from the roots
Left photo: April 2021
Right photo: October 2021
Here's the short version of my story:
I had never experienced harsh eczema except for a tiny spot on my elbow which came and went during my university days. It was so minor that I never batted an eye about it until I moved to Bogotá, Colombia and things went haywire.
I started paying real attention when it interfered with my sleep. I'd wake up at night itching desperately, hoping for relief, and in the morning I would find more blotches.
Things I tried that gave immediate relief but no long-term solution:
Fresh Oregano leaves
Fresh Aloe Vera
Calendula cold-tea press (Marigold)
Lavender essential oil
Tea tree oil
*Corticosteroids (steroid cream)
Healing my relationship with my dad (Yep, that's what a Doc told me I had to do)
Side Note on the Corticosteroids: Using this cream gave me great relief and actually eradicated the eczema. I was amazed. It seemed to work!! If you're getting excited, DON'T. This is not the solution to say goodbye to eczema for good. Use the cream and get a few good nights' sleep while keeping in mind the following:
Our skin is a detoxing machine. When our skin manifests eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea or any other condition, something is not right internally and we need to work from the inside out.
So if all of these things were bandaids, what finally worked?
It's almost too simple:
I began to heal my gut.
Food became my medicine as much as the absence of certain foods became my medicine.
When your gut (intestines) become over permeable, stuff can get in there that we really don't want! The body freaks out because it feels attacked and BOOM: eczema and other skin manifestations.
Through a functional approach, I began little by little healing my gut and my skin cleared up. I'll get into the nitty-gritty details next week so stay tuned. Until then, keep using your creams, no stress.
And remember, "with purpose, perseverance, and pain as our teacher, we can heal."
-Sofía
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