Hi paleo forums!

First I'd like to say: Thank all of you for this site. I've never poured over something so extensively as I have this. I've gained a wealth of knowledge already.

The reason I'm posting is my eczema. I originally went paleo to treat (cure?) it and so far it hasn't made much of a difference. I cannot sleep at night because of how itchy I am. I have a large rash covering my neck, shoulders, and chest, and other reptilian markings on my inner arms, wrists, knees, ankles, etc. Pretty much everywhere (save my face, for now).

I'm 11 days into paleo now. I eat a lot of fatty meats (various cuts of steak chicken and pork), avocados and artichokes, apples and cherries and plums, bananas, and carrots and broccoli. No nuts, and as of yesterday, no Nightshades either (no tomatos!!) I supplement every meal with 1 gram of fish oil (3 a day) and occasionally I take a Vit D when it's raining out all day. I cheat regularly with one cup of coffee a day, and I had a bowl of plain pasta last Tuesday. Other than that, strict paleo. I have all the motivation in the world - the infernal itch of eczema leaves no limit to the lengths I'll go - so I've been strict since day 1.

I've read several posts saying the "first two weeks are hell" and to give it at least three weeks before new "digestive enzymes" kick in.
In your experience, how true is this? Are there any other eczema sufferers on board who eventually saw results? Should I expect to at least get better soon? HOW LONG DID IT TAKE BEFORE YOU SAW **ANY** RESULTS? Right now I just feel like crap - but thats because I'm not sleeping well because of how itchy I am and how just generally disheartened I'm becoming that I'll never fix this crap on my body!

Any encouraging words are welcome. My eczema is really bringing me down, and I hope beyond hope that paleo can lift me back up. Thank you all.

Thank you for the reply. I'm upping to Vitamin D intake, I'm going to start taking 4000 IU a day and see if that helps.

Once a person goes completely paleo, how long does it usually take to purge the body off all the things that were upsetting it? Like if I allergic to gluten or dairy, and haven't eaten them in X days, how long does it take until they are completely out of my system? I understand it depends on metabolism and the individual person, but I am a 21 year old athletic male with less than 10% body fat, so I have  a fairly fast metabolism.

Arrggh I'm so itchy!! Sorry if I'm asking excess and redundant or silly questions I just want to get better so badly!!

Haha I've been to your site several times, goodsamaratin.

When you say raw meat, do you literally just open the meat from the package and eat it? This is the part I'm most confused on.

Also,

"You may want to stop using condiments for a while."
I only spice my food with salt-free spices (like generic italian seasoning made up of oregano and thyme, etc). Nothing spicy like garlic or curry. Is this OK?

"Step V – Anti-Microbial Guide
Some eczemas and psoriasis have a microbial angle.  These may be cleaned up by the safest and most powerful antimicrobials which just happen to be natural extracts as well.  There’s virgin coconut oil, oregano oil, olive leaf extract, and many more."

You mean just eat that stuff? I've recently started cooking with coconut oil, as well as blending a spoonful into my spinach smoothies.

You recommend only a small amount of raw veggies - why is that? I am eating broccoli and carrots and occasionally boiled artichoke. Half the time I eat the broccoli and carrots, they are cooked. I will go 100% raw with them.
I've already cut out nightshades (seriously, I've been to your site a lot  - it's all over google )

Do I really need to do any sort of full body detox? I'm only 21, and have always eaten the standard American diet version of healthy. Which would you recommend?

Thank you for the help.

Hi Bob,

I also suffer from moderate to severe bouts of eczema. I've only been Paleo for a few weeks, and have also yet to see a difference from this way of eating. (I know eggs are said to be a common trigger, but I've not ready to give them up yet since my diet already feels so limited.)

The only thing that helps me is a cool shower followed by extra virgin coconut oil. If I do this twice a day, my skin seems to hold moisture better and the inflammation is lessened.

I've had good luck with the Nutiva brand - Vitacost has the best price I've found.

Good luck!

Hmm, I had cheap fatty bony chicken yesterday cooked in some recently purchased coconut oil - and no tomatos, and I actually slept pretty well. My skin is still very dry, but dare I say it's less itchy?

portesa, thank you. I've been using Cetaphil moisturizer but I'll give coconut oil a go on my skin.
samjohn: definitely! Gonna start eating fat like I'm starving.

I know one night of good, relatively itch-less sleep isn't a sure sign of anything, but I'll definitely take it as progress! Woo, my hopes have been somewhat restored.

I'll update this thread with my progress. Thank you all.

I've noticed 0 difference in my skin while eating paleo, both for acne and eczema.

My eczema has never been really bad though, just little bits of it here and there which go away pretty fast using steroid cream and coinscously not scratching.

Cook yourself something really fatty, like a pork shoulder roast with the skin on, and eat the skin/crackling first.