This was a response in an Fb group that I thought would help others.
Do I deal with it, too? Yes.
Do I have a family history of eczema? Yes
Do I like everything I should do to keep my particular case under control? Nope
Have I been able to calm it down over the years even if I do/eat/feel something to aggravate this condition. YES!


Here is my response.

The reason steroid creams work is because they are shutting some reactions off in the body. If we want to be able to turn them off in a healthier and more sustainable way, we'd need to do one or a combo of these because everyone's case is different:

(You may very well know these, But if anyone is also reading and struggling, it would be good to know triggers)

-contact allergy

-food allergy/sensitivity (most common is gluten)

-environmental sensitivity

-nickel from skin contact and/or diet

-internal heat/inflammation

-stress/anxiety-hormonal imbalance (it's often worse around PMS time)

-other reason for over-reactive immune response

*On some occasions this can be from a microbial source like a fungus

* It often pops up during OR after a period of either physical stress (even touching chemicals often can be considered a physical stress) or emotional stress and stick around.

*strong genetic predisposition

So what is your underlying cause?
Imagine this irritation as your body protecting you (yeah right, I know but hear me out). It's like your body externally alerting you to some fire that has sparked inside your body but you can't see it. Like a working smoke alarm going off, it’s annoying but irritating so you’ll notice it.

Steroid creams can provide relief in the short term, but long term these creams and sometimes the accompanying antibiotics use are like taking the batteries out of the blaring smoke alarm and going back to sleep.


If you address the underlying cause even a little bit now, it won't burn your house down in even bigger flames later.

Dyshidrotic eczema/pompholyx is often made worse in hot and/or humid weather because these further aggravate our underlying issue. For example, maybe most of the time one can get away with eating salty canned black olives or clouds of bread, or stressing before your period but the added aggravation to one's constitution that summer weather creates is more smoke that finally sets your smoke alarm off.

So what if you didn't have to give up gluten all the time or be the princess of stress-free living? What if we could create less smoke overall so the alarm won't go off?

In the moment, some hacks can provide relief. Because everyone’s case is different, effectiveness will vary.

-hand soaks in Epsom salt and water

-meditation

-aloe

-apple cider vinegar applied to the skin (sometimes with baking soda in a paste)

-scrub them down and applying salt paste (not for the faint of heart)

-antimicrobial drying soaps meant to clear infections applied after Epsom soak or scrubbing them down

If you’re in Taiwan and you have an inkling about which might be your trigger(s), or even if you're not sure where to start in looking for your trigger(s) send me a message at Health Bestowing Hands I can give you some small adjustments that could make a big difference for you even when you don't have time/energy/patience for big things. Because there are so many other big things right now.