Rashes

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.

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Rashes

Rashes are a daily part of our lives now. We've grown accustomed to them. They began when we were in our home and have stayed with us. In fact, they've escalated since leaving our toxic home. This makes sense since the skin offers an easy exit for toxins.

Here's an example of one that emerged for one of the kids soon after we began our detox protocol.

Last year, Colin had some severe ones on the backs of his legs, and Reagan had a black spot on the back of his neck. I posted some pictures here.

Here's a recent rash of Brandon's:

We keep remedies on hand and are always prepared for whatever rash may appear. Here are some of our "favorites."

• Bentonite clay mixed with raw apple cider vinegar
• Ketacanozole cream
• Grapefruit seed extract
• Tea tree oil
• Neem oil

I was not prepared, however, for the rash that appeared on my feet a few days before Thanksgiving.

My right foot began to swell on Friday evening. By nightfall both feet were beginning to itch. By 2:00 in the morning the itchiness became severe.

We tried mixing bentonite clay with raw apple cider vinegar and dousing both feet with it. It helped. But only until the clay dried.

There was no doubt in my mind this was a die-off phenomenon. I can’t prove this, of course. I know the body is full of mystery, especially when it comes to fungus and other unfriendly pathogens.

It’s just that the oozing bumps were so familiar. Plus I had recently upped my intake of coconut oil, a very potent healing food.

The discomfort of the edema wasn't the problem. It was the itchiness. Elevating my feet did nothing for the swelling or the itchiness. I thought of Job and his boils. I was in tears, the itching was so severe.

I called our acupuncturist, since the swelling began just hours after my weekly appointment.

We reviewed my diagnosis. This, of course, is what drew me to acupuncture in the first place. Chinese medicine offers a profound way of looking at symptoms. With our mold exposure and the lurking pathogenic nature of our illness, our family exhibits signs of dampness, specifically damp heat. (Damp diseases, according to Paul Pitchford, author of the book Healing with Whole Foods, "have a sluggish, stagnant quality and often take a long time to cure.")

My rash, therefore, could be seen as the release of heat from the body. The most immediate remedy? Cooling the feet. "Put your feet in ice water," he suggested.

I filled the tub with ice water. For the first time since the onset of the rash, I felt relief. No itchiness whatsoever.

I kept a tub full of cold water for the next three days. I soaked my feet in the middle of the night and whenever the itching became severe.

By Thanksgiving my feet were back to normal. Just a few crusted bumps to show for my trauma.

A rash this signicant two years into recovery doesn't surprise me. Our extreme exposure combined with our genetic burden makes the detoxification process long and difficult. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years. I'm grateful, therefore, for this latest hurdle. It only makes me more determined to keep on climbing.

With some extra bags of ice on hand, of course.

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De-Toxing for Dummies

Pay no attention to the title of this entry. The truth is we're all overloaded and anyone who considers a de-tox protocol is anything but a dummy.

Still, I had no idea what to expect when we began our journey one year ago. Recently one of my older daughters' hair turned red (from a dark brown). This happened to my son's eyebrows last summer.

I've seen more rashes than I can count. We've seen sore throats reappear, back aches return, tempers flare, and much more.

The body has to work hard to get rid of the overload.

Even my husband, who is better equipped genetically to get rid of mold toxins, has experienced Herx reactions. (Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction is named after two doctors who noticed increased symptoms following treatment for skin lesions. Herx reaction is also known as healing crisis, de-tox reaction, or die-off syndrome.)

While de-toxing, it can be difficult to determine if you're experiencing an effect from de-tox, a reaction to a food, or a reaction to the environment. When I break out in a rash on my hands the day after acupuncture, I know it's de-tox. If I eat something with carbs or sugar and experience sudden fatigue, I know it's dietary. Listen to your body. Keep a journal of foods, symptoms, and environments. It's amazing how enlightening this simple exercise can be.

The best explanation of the healing process I've seen comes from the book, "Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition" by Paul Pitchford. The book is more than 700 pages.

Pitchford’s thoughts on detoxification are part of a chapter on dietary transition in which he describes the patterns that occur when one moves from an unhealthy to a healthy diet. (It's important to note that die-off can also occur following removal from a toxic environment or a different de-tox protocol.)

Pitchford says, "If the new diet is purer, the old toxins are released, sometimes with various forms of discomfort known as 'healing reactions.'”

He goes on to say:

"If chronic sore throats occurred during childhood, a healing reaction could involve one or two sore throats that would eliminate any residues that accumulated from the original infection(s). Certainly everyone wants healing reactions to be minimal or non-existent.

"According to traditional Japanese medicine, however, if there is no meigan (healing reaction), there is no cure. Most reactions involve the body's purging itself of toxins."

Examples of healing reactions (according to Pitchford):

1. Tension or pain may occur in the upper back and neck, which may move upwards to the head, downward across the abdomen, arms, and legs, and eventually to the head top, toes, and fingers. Pain may occur in the internal organs, particularly in the liver area under the right side of the rib cage. Headache is common.

2. Vomiting may occur. Bile or various types of mucus may come up.

3. Digestive imbalances may develop: gas, cramps, diarrhea, etc.

4. Weakness, weight loss, and sensations of cold and/or heat are signs that the body is first strongly eliminating before the building and strengthening phase occurs.

5. Typical emotional reactions include unreasonable impatience, anger, and/or depression.

6. More sleep may be needed during transition, and dreams may be wild.

7. Menstruation sometimes ceases but will resume when the digestion calms and the liver and kidney functions are renewed.

Pitchford suggests foods high in chlorophyll to get through the crisis period.

The process of detoxification is a long one. It can take years. It requires tremendous focus and dedication. We're only a year into it, but our bodies are listening and responding. I can tell it's worth every ounce of energy we're expending.

Maybe I ought to rethink the title for this entry and simply call it, "Expelling for Experts."

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Rashes

We continue to see evidences of internal turmoil as our de-toxifying journey continues. The black mark on the back of Reagan's neck appeared recently and lasted only a day. The three photos below document a progression on the back of Colin's legs. This is over the course of the last month. Tea Tree Oil and Neems Oil help with the itching.

We see rashes come and go on a daily basis. Mycotoxins involved in mold exposure are sticky and tough to move. These rashes tell me they're on the move.

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Rashes

All 11 of us have had some type of rash along the way. Everything ranging from bumps, to dry areas, to red marks, to large areas of raised bumps. A black light will show if the rashes are colonized fungus or immune complexes. The chitin, the main component of the cell walls of fungi, will glow in the dark if the rash is fungal. I have documented some of the rashes since leaving our home.



Colin had extensive rashes on the backs of his hands when we left. Within days we watched the rashes move to his first set of knuckles, then to the second set of knuckles and finally they were gone. This happened without treatment. It was his body de-toxing before our very eyes.








Reagan showed signs of a fungus rash 3 months before our exposure in May of 2007. There was a circle of raised bumps on his elbow. The dermatologist biopsied the skin and determined it was an allergic reaction. She encouraged me to switch our detergent. Soon after we began de-toxing a similar rash appeared on the left side of his forehead and his right ankle. Both of these rashes are now gone.


Within hours of moving into the rental home sprayed with pesticides, open sores appeared on my hands and fingers. They healed within days.







The most common rash has been a simple red circle. These continue to appear as the de-tox process continues.


Most recently I took Kaitlyn in for a wound on her foot that hadn't healed properly. It turned out fine but while we were there I asked if we could take the black light to the dry area around her mouth. It was colonized fungus.


When we were in our home the backs of my heels were extremely cracked and dry. I would often wear plastic bags to bed with a moisturizer to help ease the discomfort. I didn't realize this was a sign of a stressed adrenal system.


We continue to use ketacanazole cream for the areas we know are fungal.

Tea tree oil is a natural anti-fungal and helps with itching. Coconut oil and grapeseed oil are excellent anti-fungal moisturizers.

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