Ok, so I just had another test done in trying to figure out the rash episodes. For a history of that see Post 1, Post 2 and Post 3. I haven’t had it since October but went through with the visits to the Dermatologist anyway. I didn’t expect to get anything from this test since every single test I have had for anything has always come up as negative (nothing) or inconclusive. That includes tests for Celiac, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, inflammatory markers, abdominal ultrasound, liver enzyme tests, thyroid tests, hormonal tests, cortisol tests, etc etc. So the test I had done was called a Skin Patch Test. They stick strips of tape onto your back with a bunch of little circles of allergens on them. You leave that on for over 48 hours (no showering) then remove the tape. Another 24 hours later you have a look to see which (if any) caused reactions. I initially didn’t have any reactions when the nurse took the tape off, but she assured me this meant nothing. She said once the skin is exposed to oxygen the reactions can appear. One girl she saw had no reactions at first but the next day showed 21 of 30 something allergens reacting.
I went home and didn’t think anything would happen. Later that night I felt a crazy itchy spot and sure enough there were 3 spots of red on my back. The next morning I went in to see the Dermatologist and he told me which allergens they were. One was topical antibiotics, but we could rule that out as being the cause of the rash because I haven’t used any. One was dyes he said mostly dark blues and blacks. This could be interesting. I normally wear white tank tops or t shirts under my shirts but also have some blue or black ones. This could be a cause for sure, since it is an infrequent habit. The other was fragrances including cinnamon and cloves. I eat cinnamon very infrequently and he said it’s also in commercial toothpaste which I use infrequently. I will be cutting this out for a while to see if it helps. I will also be figuring out a homemade toothpaste to avoid these kinds of problems. I’m also going to look for a fragrance-free natural sunscreen. I don’t have any other sources of fragrances since I only use basic soap, coconut oil, baking soda, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, or an egg for cleaning my hair and body. See my post on How to Clean (SCD Legally) in the Tips and Tricks section.
So I’m kinda glad I did this test and it’s really the first time I have something constructive to work with. Should be neat to see if this makes a difference at all. I’m also hoping this is completely unrelated to Dermatitis Herpetiformis and that I don’t have Celiac Disease. Who knows, time will tell I guess.
Oh, and I didn’t shower for almost 3 days in order to complete this test. Did I smell? Nope, I used coconut oil and baking soda as a deodorant and that worked ridiculously well. Thanks to Sarah for that tip!
I found this recipe just yesterday for homemade tooth paste…. I'm gonna try it out.
2 Tbsp dried lemon or orange rind
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tsp salt
Place rinds in food processor, grind until peel becomes a fine powder. Add baking soda and salt then process a few seconds more until you have a fine powder. Store in an airtight tin or jar. Dip moistened toothbrush into mixture, brush as usual.
I love that deodorant 🙂 We use tooth soap, and I love it. Also, we don't use sunscreen- looked up the ingredients of even the 'natural' ones and they look pretty bad. Cheeseslave says that if you take enough CLO you can avoid sunburn.
Sarah let us know how that works. I'm going to start with baking soda and coconut oil, but will probably try a few things before deciding which one to settle on.
Cara, I have cut down on using sunscreen a lot, but I still find it necessary as I will still burn in under an hour. I would probably end up using some 3 or 4 days in a summer, if I'm at the beach the entire day. I did try taking lots of CLO last summer but even that didn't seem to help. I think I was getting too much Omega fats and not enough saturated fats. Maybe this summer will be different..
I just wanted to let you know that I did a patch test over the summer and found that I was allergic to "fragrance" as well. The derm. gave me a list of products that were safe. He advised me not to stray from that list because even products that are listed as "fragrance free" can still have the fragrance ingredients in them as long as they're not being used AS a fragrance. Even stuff that is supposed to be all natural can cause problems sometimes. So be careful when choosing products if you're not making your own and it might be a good idea to see if your derm can give you a safe list as well. My skin responded really well once I started only using those products. heh…I can't even use regular hand soap but boy does my skin thank me for it!
Thanks Stacey, My dermatologist didn't give me a safe list. But, I contacted the company that makes the bar of soap I use and the ingredients are fine. I think looking for a sunscreen would be the hardest, I might try to make one. Glad to see you had a noticeable improvement when staying away from products with fragrance. I'm hoping I don't get any more skin issues from here on.
I've been brushing my teeth with baking soda for a few months. I'm not crazy about the taste, honestly, it is quite salty, but my teeth do feel really clean. Sometimes I will brush with toothpaste afterwords to get that minty fresh breath. Some people say that baking soda is too abrasive to use on a daily basis but I don't buy into that, there are plenty of octogenarians who've been doing it all their lives.
I still haven't tried brushing my teeth with something homemade. I will this weekend! I heard if you mix coconut oil and baking soda it is less harsh and a better taste. I might try that. But if your teeth are strong and healthy I don't see how baking soda would be too 'abrasive'.
I have had colitis for about 8 years, with all kinds of rashes, etc, etc. I went on a strictly SCD whole food diet. No sugars, No starches, No grains, No dairy, No fermented foods until main symptoms went away. No drugs, No vitamins, No supplements — Go cold turkey on everything man made (with doctors ok, you may want to take a probiotic). Drink only water (lots and lots of filtered water), no sugary juices. Eliminate all acidic foods, vinegars, fruits. Stick to alkaline foods. Eat mostly veggies, salads, apples, almond butter, and healthy meats (no pork). Avoid anything man made when possible. And fast when possible (once a week). I also went on a 17 day water only fast which also did a lot of healing, not right away, put a few months later I felt much better. And most important, get on your knees and pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. God is the only one who can really heal us. I spent too much time thinking I was in control of everything. Not so. I learned the hard way, but God is good and I have healed a lot of the past 8 years, at least no more rashes. Best of Luck. Tim