Expert: Imran R. - 7/10/2006

Question
Hi Imran,

I have been dealing with atopic dermatitis for about 5 years now. It started when I was about 24 yrs old, I was working as a Nuclear Medicine Tech at the time and believed it was caused by the constant washing of my hands and wearing latex gloves. I have since been working as a Medical Underwriter in an office, however I have never been able to get rid of my eczema. It is only on my hands, however they go thru the bunping itching phase, to weeping vesicles to crusting and starting all over again. I am awre of the outside irritants such as dust, animals, etc which has been confirmed that I am allergic to. However I believe the problem is dietary. I was never a big eater of wheat as a child. I didn't eat sandwiches, pasta or bread and I only increased this as I aged and started new things, especially when I married mmy husband who is of Italian background. He introduced me to ciabatta, bagettes, and we ate a lot of pizza. I feel I may be intolerant of a food in my diet and since wheat is such a large part of my diet now, I can only think of this as causing my skin condition. Do you think this makes sense? What would you consider as treatment?

P.S. I currently take a Omega 3, multivitamin, 20mg Paxil and Demulen for Birth control. I am in pretty good shape, 130/74 BP resting heartrate of 60, and I run 3 times a week (25km). My current diet consists of approx 70% carbs, 10% protein and 20% fat.

Thank you in advance!
Sara

Answer
Dear Sara,

Thank you for your letter. Your question sounds quite familiar to me,i believe someone contacted me last year with the same problem, and caused by a very similar line of work.

Sara, it seems to me that in these cases the immune system is reacting to a toxic allergen. Now generally, eczema is not caused by a wheat/gluten intolerance
but by a milk intolerance. But this is only one possible cause.

Depending on what you did at work, you could have a chemical sensitivity. I could be wrong but i believe in your line of work you often have to administer
radiopharmaceuticals to patients, which have radionuclides as a base component.

You are therefore definitely exposed to certain amounts of radiation. Working with MRI or X-Ray machines is also cause for radiation poisoning.  The end result is that
one's immune system is weakened and compromised due to this exposure.

What we know about immunity teaches us that where a certain food or substance would pose little threat to a strong immune system, a compromised immune system not functioning correctly may over react to something that was
previously not deemed too much of a threat. The over reaction though is a sign that the immune system is weak, still trying to do its job as best as it can, but is not
succeeding. It is a cry for help. It needs support to fulfil its functions.

We therefore need to strengthen and re-build your immune system through natural/organic supplementation, that is all. The eczema will disappear permanently as a result.
Eczema cannot exist in the presence of good nutrition and a strong immune system.

Please continue to take your omega-3. Make sure it says on the bottle that it is guaranteed or certified dioxin free.  

Do not however take any multi-vitamins. Store bought vitamins do more harm than good. They are synthetic in nature and are not absorbed or accepted well into our system.

Supplementation:

The only supplement you will need is a berry extract called fruta-vida.

It is high in anti-oxidants which is very important for your condition. It will strengthen and balance immune functions, the hormonal system as well as the nervous system. In general it is a potent nutritional formula and will provide you with natural polyphenols, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.

I advise you take 2 ounces a day if possible, and to speed up the healing of the eczema, apply/rub the supplement generously directly onto your skin every night just before bed. Within a few days you should observe a dramatic improvement.

The only other thing i would advise against here is the BCP's. They are very dangerous indeed. Please do research on birth control pills here:  www.mercola.com
Dr. Mercola is a trusted source.

My Dietary Recommendations:

Please cut out all soy products, except fermented soy. Miso, tempeh and soy-sauce are healthy. [fermented]

Raw soy itself contains goitrogens which depress thyroid function. It also contains phytic acid which hinders the bodies' ability to absorb proteins, calcium, magnesium,
iron and zinc. In general it is an enzyme inhibitor.

Next, please make sure you avoid all artificial sweeteners:
splenda, sucralose, aspartame, nutra-sweet, equal, acesulfame potassium.

Splenda/sucralose have become very popular these days but are just as bad if not worse than aspartame. These sweeteners are very toxic and are found in store bought vitamins, protein powders, anything sugar-free, gum, chocolate, soda... etc. Please read labels carefully
and cut out all artificial sweeteners. This is very important.

Soy and artificial sweeteners both weaken the immune system. And the immune system is the key to healing any illness. Therefore the more we can support immune related health, the better.

The fruta-vida supplement is available here:   www.tryfrutavida.com/main  

Please feel free to email me if you have any more questions.

With best wishes,

Imran