GAPS Guidance: What I Know About Eczema – Part 1

I heard about an interesting study the other day talking about the amount of stress a mother feels who has a kid with eczema. The amount of stress accredited toward the mother with a child with eczema is significantly higher than the mother who has a child with other conditions such as diabetes, rett syndrome or deafness. Aside from cancer, eczema causes the most stress in mothers. (Source: PMID: 17412743)

My stress level was exceptionally high in the years leading up to GAPS when Raleigh’s health was in severe decline, but it was also quite high in the first 1-2 years after beginning the GAPS diet. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt anxiety at this level before in my life.

When Raleigh was between the ages of three and four I would often have to take him places with his face wrapped in gauze. We did this to try and trap moisture into his skin and give his skin a much needed break from the itching. I would have to take him in public this way from time-to-time. Thankfully, he was young enough to not notice the people who would stare and I don’t think he remembers the many questions. But I remember one time at Whole Foods the person behind me asked if he was a burn victim.

Raleigh’s skin’s condition was always the trigger to my many emotions. If he looked bad I felt bad. If he looked good I felt good. Someone once messaged me on Instagram years ago, told me a bit of her story and shared a mantra with me that I’ve carried to this day. She wrote, “quality of life is not quality of skin.” It was humbling and really what I needed to hear in that moment. Because the quality of Raleigh’s life is not dependent upon how his skin looks on a given day. He can be in great condition, skin-wise, or struggling with a flare up and it shouldn’t matter. The quality of his day — of his life — should not hinge on the quality of his skin.

This was easier said than put into practice but I wrote it on a sticky note and put it above my stove – a place I frequented often ; ) 😉 – so I could be reminded everyday to have grace for the healing process. I’ll do another post just on that mantra another time.

But for now, let me share with you what I do know about eczema.

Eczema is always connected to yeast overgrowth and heavy metals. Eczema means the gut wall is very damaged and porous. Those who suffer with eczema often also suffer with food sensitivities and allergies. The skin is our biggest organ and a huge pathway for detoxification. When the body pushes out toxins and the skin rashes up it is due to the immune system using inflammation to address the issue. Therefore, we get eczema.

Specific Ferments to Combat Eczema

Kefir – Kefir contains beneficial bacteria and yeast strains. If dairy is tolerated, I highly recommend making kefir. Raw milk kefir is top tier, if you can get your hands on raw cow’s milk dairy and make the 24-hour ferment at home. Raw goat’s milk is another great option. Second best would be pasteurized milk (not ultra-pasturized UHT) to make the kefir with. The beneficial strains of yeast work to drown out the pathogenic strains that cause eczema. I have seen quite a few people resolve their eczema just by adding in kefir.

Fermented Garlic – If dairy is not tolerated, or not tolerated to the degree of kefir, I recommend fermented garlic. Garlic is a natural antibiotic but it is also anti fungal and antibacterial. It has the unique ability to kill pathogenic bacteria while feeding beneficial bacteria. It is a power-house ferment and works well against eczema. You can consume both the brine, if on the introduction diet, and the cloves. I tend to allow mine to ferment in the pantry for a full month. This isn’t necessary, the ferment will be done within a couple days to a week, but if left in the dark pantry the heat-element that garlic possesses will diminish. I found this helped my son be able to chew the cloves and not spit them out. This is the recipe I follow.

Diversity is Key

When repopulating the gut with beneficial bacteria we want diversity in strains. This means incorporating as many different fermented foods as possible. This will help repopulate the gut and kill off the pathogenic bacteria that drives eczema.

Heavy Metals and Eczema

After two years of healing on the GAPS diet it was time to treat Raleigh for heavy metals. Dr. Natasha recommends waiting at least 1 year before doing any type of heavy metal detox or parasite purge. She recommends this so that the body is strong enough to handle the purge. We decide to put Raleigh on TRS. I have blogged about it previously. You can read about that here and here. At two years the majority of Raleigh’s eczema was gone but there was still a “muted mass” of untextured eczema around his torso. When we began treating him with TRS that muted mass began to break apart and disappear. You can read here about his parasite purge that came along with treating for metals.

Parasites coat themselves in heavy metals to hide from the immune system. So when his body was dumping metals it was also purging parasites. It was a difficult part of the journey but a huge final piece in the puzzle for resolving his eczema.

You can purchase TRS here.

There is more! Come back next Friday when I drop Part 2.