I hope it works for you.
That web site has a bunch of cosmetics/toiletries and cleaning products that can be made using natural products. I just happened to see homemade lip balm and lipstick there yesterday. I also get her newsletter.
Dealing with itchy bumps
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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wonderwoman
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 574
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:59 pm
- Location: Sun City, AZ
OMG. I think I found my answer. Amyopathic Dermatomyositis IS A SKIN DISEASE of EXCESS MAST CELLS!!!! I need some help translating the science of this 2010 article, but the take home message is that patients with juvenile DM had high numbers of mast cells clustered on their skin, and not just on the rash areas...all their skin. The mast cell numbers were normal in their diseased muscle tissue, which tells me the muscle component of the disease is a separate process (which could be good news for me!).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312790/
Now I think I need to look to Mastocytosis/MCAD treatments for potential solutions. So relieved! (I think!)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312790/
Now I think I need to look to Mastocytosis/MCAD treatments for potential solutions. So relieved! (I think!)
Charlotte,
I've been using the body "butter" and it feels great. The only surprise is that it stayed liquid. I set it in the fridge and whipped it when it was cold and semi-solid, but at room temp, it totally melts into an oil. It's suprising to me because I used twice as much coconut oil as the other thinner oils. I probably used one part cocoa butter (solid), 1 part olive oil, 1 part jojoba oil, and 4 parts coconut oil.
Thanks so much to alerting me to that site! I feel so empowered to make my own body products! My next step it to make my own Masto-cream with cromolyn sodium, but I'm hoping my dermatologist or integrative medicine doc may be able to point me to a compounding pharmacy that can make it. I think it'll be my alternative to steroid creams for this rash.
I've been using the body "butter" and it feels great. The only surprise is that it stayed liquid. I set it in the fridge and whipped it when it was cold and semi-solid, but at room temp, it totally melts into an oil. It's suprising to me because I used twice as much coconut oil as the other thinner oils. I probably used one part cocoa butter (solid), 1 part olive oil, 1 part jojoba oil, and 4 parts coconut oil.
Thanks so much to alerting me to that site! I feel so empowered to make my own body products! My next step it to make my own Masto-cream with cromolyn sodium, but I'm hoping my dermatologist or integrative medicine doc may be able to point me to a compounding pharmacy that can make it. I think it'll be my alternative to steroid creams for this rash.
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wonderwoman
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 574
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:59 pm
- Location: Sun City, AZ
Coconut oil stays liquid at temperatures of 76 degrees and higher. I put some coconut oil in a bottle that I could pour out all summer but now that our house temperature has dropped due to winter, it has become hard and doesn't pour. Now I need to scoop it out of the original larger jar when I want to use it for cooking.
If you want it to be body butter rather than body oil, you will need to refrigerate it. Either way should work for you.
Late this fall I kept the bottle on top of the water heater that is in a closet off the kitchen as that closet is warmer and kept the oil liquid. That no longer works as our water heater is on a timer and only heats from 4 - 8:00am when our electricity costs less.
If you want it to be body butter rather than body oil, you will need to refrigerate it. Either way should work for you.
Late this fall I kept the bottle on top of the water heater that is in a closet off the kitchen as that closet is warmer and kept the oil liquid. That no longer works as our water heater is on a timer and only heats from 4 - 8:00am when our electricity costs less.
Charlotte
The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison. Ann Wigmore
The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison. Ann Wigmore
I found this on this mast cells forum: http://mastcelldisorders.wallack.usZizzle wrote:My next step it to make my own Masto-cream with cromolyn sodium, but I'm hoping my dermatologist or integrative medicine doc may be able to point me to a compounding pharmacy that can make it. I think it'll be my alternative to steroid creams for this rash.
It's possible to buy cromolyn sodium as a nasal spray called NasalCrom. I have some at home. We could try to mix it with a safe cream and see if it helps.Cetaphil cream - good for itching, mix with nasalcrom (over the counter nose spray for an excellent itch cream - seriously)
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
My SIL just told me about Cetaphil and I started using it. I use the cream that comes in the jar, not the tube. I tolerate it fine, which is unusual for me. I haven't had hives in several days as I am on a very low histamine diet right now, but I think I will get the Nasalcrom . . . may need it for Thanksgiving in case I accidentally on purpose eat some pumpkin.
Mary Beth
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
I bought Nasalcrom for my daughter and hubby's seasonal allergies. Neither one got into using it as directed (several times a day), so I started spraying it directly onto my rashes, then adding moisturizer over it. It *might* have helped with the itching, but I didn't give it enough time to really work. I was thinking maybe the dose is too low in the nasal spray. Maybe I'll try again. I bought Nasalcrom for $16 at Rite-Aid. Not all drug stores carry it.
I mixed NasalCrom with Eucerin cream today and spread it on the itchy areas. I wasn't sure how much spray to use, though. It worked initially, but the effectiveness seemed to wear off after a few hours. Granted, the cortisone creams don't last forever, either, but they seem to last at least twice as long. The NasalCrom/cream might be a good use for the daytime, but I need something longer-lasting for bedtime.
Gloria
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gloria,
As I understand cromolyn sodium, it shouldn't work right away. It requires repeat application, probably every few hours for several days before it really stabilizes the mast cells. And then you must use continuously to keep the mast cells stable. I think steroids work similarly for rashes, but they are longer-acting.
As I understand cromolyn sodium, it shouldn't work right away. It requires repeat application, probably every few hours for several days before it really stabilizes the mast cells. And then you must use continuously to keep the mast cells stable. I think steroids work similarly for rashes, but they are longer-acting.
Another update:
My rash was completely gone by January 4, about four months after it began in September.
I was still applying steroidal cream and taking 1 Claritin RediTab in the morning and 1 Zyrtec at bedtime. I stopped applying the cream, but continued the antihistamine regimen for a week. After a week, I reduced Zyrtec to 1/2 pill in the evening, but still took Claritin in the morning.
The rash didn't return, so I stopped taking Zyrtec completely after eight more days, and continued the Claritin only.
Within three days of being off Zyrtec completely, I began getting some itchy rash spots on my upper torso. I applied steroidal cream on them and they'd go away, but the next day, another one in a new area appeared. I went back to taking 1/2 Zyrtec at bedtime three days ago and I haven't had any rashes since. It looks like I have to control my histamine levels by taking antihistamines. I ran out of Histame last week and am hoping the Claritin and Zyrtec will do the job without Histame. It's getting hard to find Histame on the Internet, and when I do, the pills are over $1 each. I'm going to see how I do without it before I spend that much money on it.
My BMs seem unrelated to the rash. I am a dosage of Entocort (2-1-2-1) which keeps my symptoms under control as long as I eat prudently. This is the level everyone should strive for because it allows one to determine which foods are causing problems. For example, I've found that I can't eat applesauce, and I'm nervous that the fructose intolerance is becoming apparent again. Still testing my one fruit - mango, to see if I truly tolerate it. I did without any fruit for 2 years and I don't want to do it again if I can help it.
Gloria
My rash was completely gone by January 4, about four months after it began in September.
I was still applying steroidal cream and taking 1 Claritin RediTab in the morning and 1 Zyrtec at bedtime. I stopped applying the cream, but continued the antihistamine regimen for a week. After a week, I reduced Zyrtec to 1/2 pill in the evening, but still took Claritin in the morning. The rash didn't return, so I stopped taking Zyrtec completely after eight more days, and continued the Claritin only.
Within three days of being off Zyrtec completely, I began getting some itchy rash spots on my upper torso. I applied steroidal cream on them and they'd go away, but the next day, another one in a new area appeared. I went back to taking 1/2 Zyrtec at bedtime three days ago and I haven't had any rashes since. It looks like I have to control my histamine levels by taking antihistamines. I ran out of Histame last week and am hoping the Claritin and Zyrtec will do the job without Histame. It's getting hard to find Histame on the Internet, and when I do, the pills are over $1 each. I'm going to see how I do without it before I spend that much money on it.
My BMs seem unrelated to the rash. I am a dosage of Entocort (2-1-2-1) which keeps my symptoms under control as long as I eat prudently. This is the level everyone should strive for because it allows one to determine which foods are causing problems. For example, I've found that I can't eat applesauce, and I'm nervous that the fructose intolerance is becoming apparent again. Still testing my one fruit - mango, to see if I truly tolerate it. I did without any fruit for 2 years and I don't want to do it again if I can help it.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gloria,
I'm so glad you got the rash under control. What a relief! Remember lots of people get itching when they try to discontinue Zyrtec, but usually not a rash. I've just tapered to 25 mgs of prednisone this week and my rash has woken up slightly on my shoulders and buttocks. I hope I just need to adjust to the lower dose for a few days. I refuse to stop the tapering here! It appears my rash will always be with me now, just waiting for a trigger to wake it up. I haven't had an alcoholic drink in a month! And my diet is more paleo by the day. But from what I'm learning, there is definitely a viral (maybe bacterial) component to my lymphocyte malfunction. . Probably Epstein Barr, maybe Parvovirus B19, maybe Lyme, there are others. Sigh. I get my ovarian cyst checked out by sonogram tomorrow. I don't expect them to find anything significant.
How's your hubby? Did his rash go away too?
I'm so glad you got the rash under control. What a relief! Remember lots of people get itching when they try to discontinue Zyrtec, but usually not a rash. I've just tapered to 25 mgs of prednisone this week and my rash has woken up slightly on my shoulders and buttocks. I hope I just need to adjust to the lower dose for a few days. I refuse to stop the tapering here! It appears my rash will always be with me now, just waiting for a trigger to wake it up. I haven't had an alcoholic drink in a month! And my diet is more paleo by the day. But from what I'm learning, there is definitely a viral (maybe bacterial) component to my lymphocyte malfunction. . Probably Epstein Barr, maybe Parvovirus B19, maybe Lyme, there are others. Sigh. I get my ovarian cyst checked out by sonogram tomorrow. I don't expect them to find anything significant.
How's your hubby? Did his rash go away too?
Gloria,
I developed a rash/hives in September as well and was using allegra to manage it. On January 1 my husband and I started a paleo challenge and the rash began to diminish. We are now a few weeks into it and the hives have stopped, as well as most of the itching. I visited with my allergist 2 weeks ago (appointment was made before I went paleo). He wrote me a prescription for singulair. He said an H1 blocker is not enough and that if nit comes back I also need a leukotriene blocker. He talked about the connection between environmental allergens and food, similar to oral allergy, but it could cause hives too.
I am finding the paleo diet manageable most of the time, but I do miss a few things. However, I have great incentive to keep with it.
Mary Beth
I developed a rash/hives in September as well and was using allegra to manage it. On January 1 my husband and I started a paleo challenge and the rash began to diminish. We are now a few weeks into it and the hives have stopped, as well as most of the itching. I visited with my allergist 2 weeks ago (appointment was made before I went paleo). He wrote me a prescription for singulair. He said an H1 blocker is not enough and that if nit comes back I also need a leukotriene blocker. He talked about the connection between environmental allergens and food, similar to oral allergy, but it could cause hives too.
I am finding the paleo diet manageable most of the time, but I do miss a few things. However, I have great incentive to keep with it.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Gloria, Zizzle, Mary Beth,
I don't claim to know anything about this issue, but this caught my eye:
Note that certain foods contain salicylates, and foods such as almonds, blueberries, green peppers, and cinnamon, for example, contain high levels. Raw (unripened or uncooked foods) tend to contain more salicylate than ripe or cooked foods. And interestingly, since the highest levels of salicylate are found just under the skin of certain fruits and vegetables, peeling them helps significantly. That suggests that fiber may not be the only problem with fruit or vegetables skins — salicylates may be a factor for some of us. Many of the products that are used on our hair (scalp) and skin also contain salicylates. You may find the article at the following link informative.
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/0 ... el-ill.htm
Remember that as the article points out, it's not necessary to avoid all salicylates — the main thing is to limit the total amount of exposure.
Tex
P. S. Gloria, that's really good news that you've finally got the rash under control. You've made some truly impressive discoveries with your treatment trials.
I don't claim to know anything about this issue, but this caught my eye:
I find it interesting that NSAIDs promote the production of leukotrienes. According to Dr. Fine's research, that's the reason why some people who have IBDs, react adversely to mesalamine. The common link between NSAIDs and mesalamine is the fact that they are all salicylates.Mary Beth wrote:He said an H1 blocker is not enough and that if nit comes back I also need a leukotriene blocker.
Note that certain foods contain salicylates, and foods such as almonds, blueberries, green peppers, and cinnamon, for example, contain high levels. Raw (unripened or uncooked foods) tend to contain more salicylate than ripe or cooked foods. And interestingly, since the highest levels of salicylate are found just under the skin of certain fruits and vegetables, peeling them helps significantly. That suggests that fiber may not be the only problem with fruit or vegetables skins — salicylates may be a factor for some of us. Many of the products that are used on our hair (scalp) and skin also contain salicylates. You may find the article at the following link informative.
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/0 ... el-ill.htm
Remember that as the article points out, it's not necessary to avoid all salicylates — the main thing is to limit the total amount of exposure.
Tex
P. S. Gloria, that's really good news that you've finally got the rash under control. You've made some truly impressive discoveries with your treatment trials.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Gloria
wonderful wonderful news!!! you must feel amazing to not be itching!!!
any wonder your body didnt like eggs - via the gut it was telling you (eggs are high histamine)
Tex
glad you noticed and posted that information
When i was doing the BIA, it came up that salicylates was causing/contributing to the inflammation.
I know i have histamine reaction to almond milk
with the MC /Mast Cell /Histamine link that is common for so many of us this makes alot of sense!
wonderful wonderful news!!! you must feel amazing to not be itching!!!
any wonder your body didnt like eggs - via the gut it was telling you (eggs are high histamine)
Tex
glad you noticed and posted that information
When i was doing the BIA, it came up that salicylates was causing/contributing to the inflammation.
I know i have histamine reaction to almond milk
with the MC /Mast Cell /Histamine link that is common for so many of us this makes alot of sense!
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama