Eczema and Allergies

For years I've believed that eczema was caused by food allergies.  I don't remember exactly where I first heard it, maybe from my mom, maybe in massage school, or somewhere along the way. I Googled the topic today, after discussing it at a Nerium University party last night, and to my surprise I didn't find the hard core conclusive evidence I was certain I would find.  What I did find wasn't too surprising, but interesting none the less, so I thought I would share it with you. 
Whether food sensitivities and allergies cause eczema or eczema causes the allergies is not exactly known.  A few things can help though.  Avoid any food that exacerbates the condition.  The simplest way to find out what your triggers are is to do an elimination diet.  Start with eggs because they seem to be the most common trigger.  Don't eat eggs or anything with eggs for 2 weeks.  If it gets better, stay off the eggs and move on to another of the most common allergens, such as wheat, dairy, nuts, or shellfish.  Keep in mind that it may get better but never completely go away. 
Stress and non food allergies, like dander and hay fever, are also linked to eczema.  There are a couple of things you can do for that too, like getting a regular massage.  Check back soon and I will have the research posted that proves how effective massage is for stress and eczema.  Some research shows that getting more vitamin D can cure eczema. 

(From About.com) 

Associated Conditions and Risk Factors:

Eczema is associated with a variety of allergic conditions. Among them are asthma, respiratory allergies, and allergic rhinitis. Eczema has a genetic component; children born into families with a history of asthma, hay fever, eczema, or other allergic disorders are more likely to develop eczema.

Eczema and Food Allergies:

About one-third of eczema patients respond to food triggers. Eczema can make allergy testing difficult. It can make skin testing almost impossible. (In these cases, RAST tests may be useful). Food allergens can sometimes cause eczema to worsen or "flare up." In people with eczema and food allergies, strictly avoiding food allergens may help reduce or, occasionally, eliminate symptoms.

Common Food Triggers for Eczema:

The most common food triggers for eczema are eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat. Among these, eggs are probably associated the most strongly with eczema.

  

Cutting Edge Mammography; why it's better for many women.

Gamma Ray Mammography is finding more tumors sooner, especially in younger women.  Watch this TEDtalk video to learn all about the technology, technique, and why it isn't more widely available. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/deborah_rhodes.html

Massage therapy shows promise as adjunctive breast cancer treatment

Preliminary findings of an ongoing pilot study demonstrate that massage decreased anxiety and lessened depression among 10 women with stage-one (diagnosed within the previous five years) breast cancer. The study will be complete when 35-40 women have participated in the study.

Measurements of immune function, which consisted of blood, urine and saliva samples, also indicated that natural killer (white) cells -- those cells that fight viruses and tumors -- also increased, which implies an improved immune system, said one of the lead researchers, Maria Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D., director of research at the Touch Research Institute.

The massage routine focused on promoting relaxation, Hernandez-Reif said, and included strokes of effleurage and petrissage, as well as range-of-motion techniques.

The average age of the 20 women (10 in the massage group and 10 in the nonmassaged control group) is 52. Seventy percent had a breast removed and the remainder had a lumpectomy.

One group had 45-minute massages three times a week over a five-week period. The control group did not receive massage. Eighty percent of those receiving massage had better immune function, while only 30 percent of those in the nonmassaged group showed improved immune function, according to Hernandez-Reif.

Those who received massage were half as anxious after massage, while those in the control group remained anxious, Hernandez-Reif said. Women who were massaged had progressive drops in their reports of depression, she noted, while those who did not receive massage reported no change in their depression over the same time period.

Article copyright Massage Magazine, Inc.~~~~~~~By Melissa B. Mower

See the research on Breast Cancer

Do it for your boobies!

In honor of all the women in our lives who have had breast cancer, I was going to write to our readers about how personally affected we are by this life changing disease.  Whether it’s you, your mother, your sister, your wife, or your friend, we are taught lessons from experiences of just how fragile life is.  As I pondered, I realized that it’s impossible to put into words, at least in a few paragraphs, how life changes because of cancer.  Instead of telling you of, unfortunately, we will all learn, whether first hand or through others experiences, I want to focus on the hope and positive energy of healing.

As research shows, massage is very helpful for breast cancer patients.  In the post-operative period it decreases pain and speeds up healing.  During chemotherapy and radiation, massage significantly boosts immune system function.  That is key to staying on track in a chemo regimen and beating cancer before the treatments beats you.  Regular massage improves feelings of anxiety and depression.  It decreases insomnia, fatigue, and nausea.  Research shows massage therapy had an incredible effect on breast cancer patients that had lymph node dissection and/or lymphedema too.  It also improves range of motion and shoulder function in these patients.

There’s a ton of info out there to support the positive benefits of massage for cancer patients.  I’m posting several research studies and articles this month for you to read.  Please take a look at them, as the proof is in the pudding. 

I love TEDtalk.  Click the link below to watch this informative talk about why a healthy diet is so important in cancer prevention.

Can we eat to starve cancer?
http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.html

Why did the Free Range Chicken cross the Road?

To lay eggs in a greener pasture. 
Today I start with a joke, a bad one at that, but a joke because the rest of this article is no joke.  I'd like to inform you about the differences between free range and factory farmed chicken eggs.  If you want to skip the grim details and just take my word for it, I urge you to find someone local to purchase your eggs from or get a few of your own hens for a backyard coop.
To begin, eggs in the grocery store are, on average, about 30 days old.  The vitamins in an egg deplete daily so the fresher the better.  The preparation of store bought eggs also compromises the nutrition in them.  When chickens lay eggs in factory farms, they are taken through a process of cleaning that kills not only bacteria but damages the outside surface of the egg, making it more vulnerable to outside contamination and faster deterioration.  Factory farmed eggs are washed in a bleach solution and although they are rinsed after being washed, the cuticle of the egg is removed by the bleach.  The cuticle is the membrane on the outside of the egg that naturally protects the permeable shell from outside contamination.  Removing this membrane opens the door to contamination by bacteria and the bleach itself can now leach into the eggs.  Although I couldn't find any research on this bleach contamination, I would argue that people who have acquired a sensitivity or allergy to eggs may have been exposed to too much bleach contamination in their eggs.  Bleach poisoning causes symptoms like diarrhea, mouth and throat soreness, stomach cramps, and a general feeling of sickness.  I wash my chickens' eggs in warm water only.  They have a very clean coop so I rarely have any poop on them anyway.  If you are concerned about bacteria like salmonella on your farm fresh eggs, then go check out the birds living conditions.  If they are really free range and have a clean coop and plenty of clean water to drink, you probably don't have to worry.  The living conditions of factory farmed eggs increase the probability of salmonella because they are kept in such confined spaces.  Farm fresh eggs are better tasting, more nutritious and probably safer to eat that store bought eggs.  Here's a picture of some of my eggs! 

Chlorophyll, a Superfood for Health

Chlorophyll is a gift from the earth, literally.  It is responsible for giving plants their green color.  More importantly, chlorophyll is what actually absorbs sunlight in plants, giving them their energy and making them grow.  It is called plant blood, probably because of it's similarity to human blood.  In fact, it is identical to blood except that the atom in chlorophyll is magnesium and in blood it is iron.  It has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and it helps to repair all tissues in the body.  Leafy green vegetables contain the most chlorophyll.  Because cooking vegetables greatly reduces the amount and quality of chlorophyll in plants it is best to take chlorophyll supplements to ensure you are getting enough.  I use the liquid kind, one tablespoon every morning.  Although it does not have a foul taste, odor, or texture I follow it immediately with a full glass of water and then brush my teeth.  It stains everything green so I try to clean my teeth as soon after I take it.  It's inexpensive and you can find it at any health food store.


Here are some of the known chlorophyll benefits:

• It has been seen to help in the growth and repair of tissues.
• Chlorophyll helps in neutralizing the pollution that we breathe in and intake everyday - a good supplement for smokers.
• It efficiently delivers magnesium and helps the blood in carrying the much needed oxygen to all cells and tissues.
• It is also found to be useful in assimilating and chelating calcium and other heavy minerals.
• It had been seen to have a good potential in stimulating red blood cells to improve oxygen supply.
• Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.
• Chlorophyll is also an effective deodorizer to reduce bad breath, urine, fecal waste, and body odor.
• It may reduce the ability of carcinogens to bind with the DNA in different major organs in the body.
• Chlorophyll may be useful in treating calcium oxalate stone ailments.
• It possesses some anti-atherogenic activity as well.
• It can be used to treat infected wounds naturally.
• These are only a few of the multitude benefits that chlorophyll can do to the body.
• It has antimutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties so that it may be helpful in protecting your body against toxins and in reducing drug side effects.