Rashes

By mold recovery 1/30/2012 , , , , 11 comments
Brandon reached into the refrigerator the other night and applied some whey to a rash on his arm. The rash is nothing new. It's been there for more than four years. Fortunately, it has substantially diminished in size. The rash used to go from the top of his arm straight through to the inside of his elbow. Many times I wondered if the pigment would ever return. Slowly but surely, his rash is healing; it's down to a patch at the top of his arm.

Every now and again he'll decide to put something on it, and whey is one of our options.

I had no idea the rashes we experienced while living in our toxic home were connected with our environment. Of course, the skin is an easy port of entry and exit for the body, so in retrospect it's obvious.

Since our detoxification process began three years ago, we've seen some incredible rashes, many of them more dramatic than the ones we saw in the house.

What are some helpful solutions for rashes? These are our top five:

  1. Calcium bentonite clay. I keep a jar of liquefied clay in the cupboard. Living Clay offers an excellent quality product. Add clay powder to water at a ratio of 1 part clay to 8 parts water. Calcium bentonite clay can be combined with raw apple cider vinegar for added benefit.
  2. Grapefruit seed extract. GSE is antimicrobial and often helps with itching. NutriBiotic offers a reliable option. GSE is best diluted before application.
  3. Tea tree oil. Also highly antimicrobial.
  4. Whey, kefir. The probiotics in homemade dairy products can be very beneficial and soothing.
  5. Coconut oil. Unrefined virgin coconut oil is optimal. Wilderness Family Naturals offers an excellent option.

11 comments :

  1. Ruth AJanuary 30, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    Andrea, is it possible that these rashes are visable evidence of healing...the "ickies" leaving the bodies?

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  2. mold recoveryJanuary 30, 2012 at 8:28 AM

    The rashes have made the detoxification of the body very real for us, Ruth...you're right.

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 30, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    Thank you for great information! For some reason, the slide show doesn't show on my iPhone, but it probably will on my laptop.

    Andrea, every time I see there's a new post from you it's like another jeweled dewdrop on a gray branching topic (just trying to be an expressive poetic writer like apparently every member of your family!)

    Now if only I had more energy to do these necessary things for healing. I wonder how many people would do more to heal but struggle with the energy to do so, an irony. Thanks for inspiring, which gives mental energy! Karen

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  4. MareMareJanuary 30, 2012 at 1:51 PM

    I started making my own soaps, lotions, etc to control my contact dermatitis (I get a rash when things rub on my skin...jewelry, metal, rubber, elastic, leather). What I've been using for years to make the rash go away in a day or two is unrefined shea butter mixed with tea tree oil and lavender essential oil. It's great on bug bites too!

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2012 at 9:44 AM

    Have you had any of these rashes checked for strep? I thought all my childs rashes were from our sick home too! I was wrong! It is strep on the skin. Kombucha,keifer and even yogurt made it worse!

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  6. mold recoveryJanuary 31, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    Certainly viruses leaving the body makes sense...I have no doubt we had quite a few. Probiotics didn't seem to aggravate however...sometimes just allowing it to pass was enough. That's one thing we have learned....that these rashes do pass.

    Thanks for the input!

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  7. Ruth Lynn MarshJanuary 31, 2012 at 5:41 PM

    Karen, I so ditto your post (especially the poetic part)! The timeliness of it is amazing! At this very moment, I am struggling with whether we are doing enough, or doing too much or what. Thank you for reminding me that, even though it feels like it, we aren't in this alone. And thank you for reminding me of Andrea's ever-encouraging words!

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  8. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    Andrea, just found your website here...wow. I hope your healing is progressing well. I know your struggles as it was just over 1 year ago that I finally solved the mystery cause of my many illnesses...mold! In my quest for answers, I saw over 12 doctors, had everything from a brain MRI, colonoscopy, endosocpy, etc, etc. My list of symptoms, like yours, was too numerous to list. For nearly 6 months I have been working with Dr. Shoemaker to try and get better and have seen improvement. Oh, and by the way, it appears we are related!...I too have the "dreaded" genotype. (Ha, kind of!) I'd love to visit with you more about your experience and share mine, in hopes broadening my knowledge base. I have finally seen my inflammation levels go down (TFGB-1 fell, C4+CD25 up), which is good but my brain fog is still out of control. I recently started VIP spray two weeks ago, the last step of his protocal as you likely know, and I am hopeful that overtime this will subside. I too left my office building (source of mold), and have drastically changed my diet and lifestyle in hope of this helping. You obviously are aware of Dr. S so I was curious as to your thoughts on his protocal and if you ever followed it, and ultimatley went on VIP spray? I am so hopeful this brain fog will one day subside. It is like the harder I concentrate, the more "foggy" I get. Looking forward to our dialogue Andrea. And continued best wishes on your recovery.

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  9. mold recoveryFebruary 2, 2012 at 1:18 PM

    We were on cholestyramine for 6 months as well as the Martin Pall nutritional supplement protocol for chemical sensitivity as well as bentonite clay, charcoal, and glutathione. It was all quite helpful. Because of the expense I explored dietary options and discovered the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome). This has helped my brain fog tremendously. Focusing on the gut made sense to me and has proven to be effective for our family. So nice to connect with you!

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  10. MaribethFebruary 5, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    I have just put that clay that you recommend on my skin, let it almost dry, then washed it off. Feels so much better, but need to do it again. The rash will occur when I am around mold, and worsens when I consume high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)- a good thing to avoid. I used to have the rash constantly almost. Thank you, Andrea, for alerting me to the healing properties of this clay. And for the reasons to avoid HFCS too in your earlier post.

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  11. AdrienneFebruary 17, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    I have also recently discovered the chinese herbal wash/tincture called "Yin Care" which is great for rashes. I just put a little on a cotton ball and swab the area before I got to sleep, and it's much better in the morning.

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