★★★★★
I am a super "healthy"and fit person with unending skin issues. I have standard contact eczema, pomphlyx/dysdriotic eczema and hives and now also PMLE (sun poisoning after being on antibiotics for an infection.
I've found over the years that I need to have a predominantly organic diet with no preservatives or chemicals to control skin issues. I of course had cortisone (limited length of release), antihistamines (work great- but will eventually cause dementia:( I don't like taking pharmaceuticals unless necessary.
I was taking ACV for a virulent UTI. It worked great for ousting the UTI, BUT, I got hives all over for a month. It turns out I am HISTAMINE INTOLERANT and need to follow a histamine restricted diet. No vinegars, cultured foods like yoghurt, Kim chi, Kombucha, aged cheese, alcohol -especially red wine etc. It's a daunting list of restrictions but I am so thankful I finally know why despite being "healthy" that I am so sick, chronically inflamed, brain fog, Sore joints, allergies, etc.
Being histamine intolerant, most things that I considered super foods and natural healing protocols Made me much more sick.
E.g. These contributed to my hives (and eczema) cacao, sauerkraut, probiotics with certain strains of lactobacillus (which really sucks because all of us with severe skin issues need to heal our guts! ); bone broth (because it is out to long); pulses; turmeric! ; cinnamon; nutmeg etc etc. All of these I thought were beneficial, but they were contributing to my illness.
Leftover food is not good for histamine intolerant people.
DAO enzymes are essential to heal histamine intolerance.
please look up HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE. I was so surprised not to find it on Earth Clinic because this is my go to site where I have discovered many miraculous cures. (Thanks Earth Clinic! )
I found many great sites on this topic. Dr. Jockers and Self Hacked websites come to mind. Mercola only had one article on it.
I'm still in the midst of healing, but I am so thankful to finally know what is wrong with me. Everything I researched fit me to a T, and now I know I can heal completely. Its truly empowering knowing that. But be prepared, it's a very restricted diet.
BTW. I found when my itchiness was out of control, the only thin to relieve the itch was to run my hands, or take a shower in almost scalding water. Immense relief when I was almost crying from the itch. I researched it, and found that many others experienced relief like me. I've been doing it for a long time and put Vaseline or Aquaophor on afterwards along with white cotton gloves on my hands (bought on Amazon).
Good luck to all of you!
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Earlier this year I suddenly started having hives...it was super uncomfortable. I would wake up at four with hives all over my body and would get them at various times of the day [they tend to manifest at the same time everyday].
Anyway, I did tons of research as to WHY I was getting these hives! After much trial and investigation I realized that I was GLUTEN SENSITIVE--or at least that I was having this issue because of GRAINS. I stopped eating wheat and also other grains--oatmeal, rice, etc.
It took about 2-3 weeks but the hives went away..until I ate some soy sauce [has gluten] and got the hives again....then went away until I ate flour at a restaurant that claimed there salmon was served with a "butter" sauce...who knew that it had flour in it? Anyway, I got hives again. I called the restaurant and sure enough, they fessed up about the flour. I took a good week for the hives to go away.
Its been about 4 months since I cut out grains and I am happy to report that I no longer have the dreaded hives!!
Now I see the hives as a blessing: my body was talking to me, telling me that grains were not good for me. They were ALSO causing me to put on weight and causing aches and pains.
Since cutting out grains four months ago I have lost about 2 dress sizes [I also later cut out sugar three months ago] and my constant knee pain is also gone!
No way would I consider going back to my old habits! I hope this post helps someone. Consider cutting out all grains for 3-4 weeks, then eat them again. You might find you improve by cutting them out--then a flare up when you add back in. But then, you'll have your solution!
Writing this as I am so sad to see so many people paying their docs good money only to be given meds or topical creams that don't work.
Lastly, grains, nut and diary are very related in some ways...also try cutting out the latter two items...people that have problems with grains can also have problems with nuts and dairy. [you can google this]
Good luck!! :)
""Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Eventually, I found a naturopathic doctor that helped me identify my outbreaks as an immune dificiency. It turns out that I developed an allergic reaction to gluten, which was basically in everything I was eating. At the time all this happend, I was in my mid-thirties and in relatively good health. Cutting gluten out of my diet helped tremendously, but I found a few things that helped with my condition prior to receiving my diagnosis.
If I did nothing, my outbreaks would pass within two or three days, which was just far too long for me, so I found a few different ways to move the hives out of my system within a day to half a day. In some instances, I was able to rid the current outbreak within a few hours.
1. Cayenne pepper. I took cayenne pepper to increase blood circulation. I added 1/4 tsp to a glass of water (8 oz) and chugged it once or twice a day. This might be too much for some people (it was too much for me at times), so I would recommend experimenting with this measurement. As bad as it was at times to drink this concoction, it was worth the relief.
2. Physical exercise. Again, the idea was to increase blood circulation. I joined a local field hockey team and we played 3 times a week. This was better than a treadmill because it was fun, I made new friends, and I got the serious cardiovascular workout I needed.
3. Sea water. I was visiting the Dominican Republic for a wedding and had a breakout every single day that I was there. I discovered, however, that taking a dip in the ocean soothed my outbreaks and got rid of them pretty quickly. I never actually tried it but perhaps an epsom salt bath would also help? Anyway, I include this here in case it helps someone reading this even though I only used it during my visit.
4. Juicing. Hands down this is the best thing I tried for hives AND my gluten allergy. I bought a single auger juicer for about $260 (US). The reason I decided to juice is because I not only wanted the vitamins and minerals, but I wanted to make sure I was also getting the live enzymes that come from juicing. I mostly juice vegetables and some fruit. Initially, I juiced every day for about 3 weeks. I made some form of green juice and had a tall glass of it right away. After that time period, I juiced a few times a week instead of everyday. By the way, I'm not talking about juice fasting. All I did then, and continue to do now, is incorporate juicing into my existing diet.
There are obvious benefits to juicing, and with a little research you can find certain recipes for different ailments. I have a favorite one that I make specifically for heavy metal toxicity, which I suspect is the cause of my pressure hives. The overall result from jucing? I rarely have any hive outbreaks anymore. They're all but gone. I can also have foods that contain gluten such as pasta, breads, ketchup, soy sauce, beer.... The list is endless. Although I can have it again, I'm choosing a cleaner diet. I'm able to carry a basket at the supermarket again and I want to keep it that way.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★