Hello everybody! My name is Michelle, this website is an addition to my other site http://skinnygirlbigplate.blogspot.com/. My hopes for this blog is to deal more thoroughly with the issue of allergies and eczema; you make see product reviews, personal stories from me, and other hopefully neat things, so stick around!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Hi, I’m Michelle and I have allergies. Indoor, outdoor, food, drug (prescription), and chemical allergies; but somehow, I am making it through life and enjoying it as I do. I would like to share my experiences with you. Maybe my experiences will give you hope, make you laugh, make you wonder, but ultimately, I hope they help you; help you grow and learn to enjoy life too.
I have a wide range of food allergies. I have oral allergy syndrome (OAS) to apples and bananas, and I am allergic to caffeine, corn, eggs, some fish (Swai, and Tilapia), gluten, milk, mushrooms, peanuts, pineapple, potatoes, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and yeast. I will not though, discuss food allergy on this blog, because I have another one dedicated to that topic (http://skinnygirlbigplate.blogspot.com).
I have a long list of indoor/outdoor allergies too: cats, dog saliva, dust, grass, mold, pollen, ragweed, and tree pollen. I don’t mind being allergic to cats, I like dogs best anyway (and I am glad to only need to avoid being licked by one), but everything else cannot be avoided like a cat can be, it needs to be maintained. I have drug allergies also: Zyrtec, and prednisone are just two out of a list of drugs that I cannot be prescribed (they both contain milk as a part of their ingredients! In addition, if you have peanut allergy avoid using Elidel). Well, that’s a list of my allergies, what kind of allergies do you have? Leave a comment below!
I have a wide range of food allergies. I have oral allergy syndrome (OAS) to apples and bananas, and I am allergic to caffeine, corn, eggs, some fish (Swai, and Tilapia), gluten, milk, mushrooms, peanuts, pineapple, potatoes, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and yeast. I will not though, discuss food allergy on this blog, because I have another one dedicated to that topic (http://skinnygirlbigplate.blogspot.com).
I have a long list of indoor/outdoor allergies too: cats, dog saliva, dust, grass, mold, pollen, ragweed, and tree pollen. I don’t mind being allergic to cats, I like dogs best anyway (and I am glad to only need to avoid being licked by one), but everything else cannot be avoided like a cat can be, it needs to be maintained. I have drug allergies also: Zyrtec, and prednisone are just two out of a list of drugs that I cannot be prescribed (they both contain milk as a part of their ingredients! In addition, if you have peanut allergy avoid using Elidel). Well, that’s a list of my allergies, what kind of allergies do you have? Leave a comment below!
Wet wrap vs. Dry wrap (What you need to know)
There is one main method that Dermatologists use to treat dry or even weepy eczema, and that method is the Wet wrap. The name pretty much describes what you do: Take a bath, or a shower, and get yourself fairly wet, then pat (don't rub!) yourself dry. Apply cream, or medicated cream to the skin and then put on tight fitting pajamas (long Johns work) that have been soaking in water, make sure you wring them out! On top of that put on dry clothes,and then you can wrap yourself up in a blanket and just sit for an hour of two to allow the moisture to absorb into your skin.
This method is usually done with Triamcinolone, and the first one or two times this method works wonders! But even doctors advise against doing this too often, and if you are like me, this is not a good idea at all.
Another method is the Dry wrap; this may or may not be as self explanatory is the wet wrap, but it is certainly more simple: Apply cream, medicated cream, or oil of your choice, and put on tight fitting clothes (if you are modest like me, you can put something on top of these), and Bob's your uncle, you're done! you can do this as often as you need to in a day. This method works best for me, and I will tell you why in a little bit here.
Everybody is different, and everybody's natural biota is different too. Some of us who have eczema are more bacterial prone, and and others are more fungal prone. If your skin is more prone to fungal infections (i.e. athletes foot, cradle cap, etc.) you will want to stay away from doing the wet wrap; Heat and moisture breed fungus (it will breed a host of other things too, but this article is not touching those for now)! Fungus will not, cannot, grow in oil, which is why I use is coconut oil for my dry wraps. I could really go on about the benefits of coconut, but for this post, what you need to know is that it is a good anti-fungal.
So, in conclusion those of you who think you may be more prone to fungal infections, talk to your dermatologist; they may be able to culture your skin and see if it will grow fungus or not. Diet is an important part of keeping your natural biota in check. What I do is eat sauerkraut, I think that it is very good, not sure if many people would think like wise, but it's good for you. Oatmeal is also, and cinnamon, just don't sugar it too much. You will defeat the purpose. These are just some things that will hopefully get you started on your way to a healthier lifestyle, and that is exactly what it is, a lifestyle, you have to be ready to commit to this as a way of life. You can do it, go ahead!
This method is usually done with Triamcinolone, and the first one or two times this method works wonders! But even doctors advise against doing this too often, and if you are like me, this is not a good idea at all.
Another method is the Dry wrap; this may or may not be as self explanatory is the wet wrap, but it is certainly more simple: Apply cream, medicated cream, or oil of your choice, and put on tight fitting clothes (if you are modest like me, you can put something on top of these), and Bob's your uncle, you're done! you can do this as often as you need to in a day. This method works best for me, and I will tell you why in a little bit here.
Everybody is different, and everybody's natural biota is different too. Some of us who have eczema are more bacterial prone, and and others are more fungal prone. If your skin is more prone to fungal infections (i.e. athletes foot, cradle cap, etc.) you will want to stay away from doing the wet wrap; Heat and moisture breed fungus (it will breed a host of other things too, but this article is not touching those for now)! Fungus will not, cannot, grow in oil, which is why I use is coconut oil for my dry wraps. I could really go on about the benefits of coconut, but for this post, what you need to know is that it is a good anti-fungal.
So, in conclusion those of you who think you may be more prone to fungal infections, talk to your dermatologist; they may be able to culture your skin and see if it will grow fungus or not. Diet is an important part of keeping your natural biota in check. What I do is eat sauerkraut, I think that it is very good, not sure if many people would think like wise, but it's good for you. Oatmeal is also, and cinnamon, just don't sugar it too much. You will defeat the purpose. These are just some things that will hopefully get you started on your way to a healthier lifestyle, and that is exactly what it is, a lifestyle, you have to be ready to commit to this as a way of life. You can do it, go ahead!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)