Eczema gut health and food sensitivities – are they related?
How much of an impact do gut health and diet have on eczema?
From a clinical perspective, the connections between diet, gut health and eczema symptoms are complex and vary from person to person depending on their overall health and lifestyle. Therefore, there is not one or simple answer to the above questions.
We know from studies that gut health often reflects the health of the skin and vice versa. Nowadays, there are many studies suggesting that abnormalities in gut health are predictive of developing eczema [1]. Also, there is some research evidence that improving the gut barrier (leaky gut) may have a positive effect on eczema [2]. These links are often seen in clinical practice where a client’s gut health status and out of balance microbiome are reflected in the severity of eczema symptoms.
Many clients with eczema report multiple food reactions, these are called food sensitivities or intolerances. [3] In my clinical experience, identifying individual food intolerances by IgG testing and embarking on a food elimination diet based on the results, can be safe and effective therapeutic tools for many clients suffering from chronic eczema.
In this post, I describe our client’s life changing journey to better health and wellbeing. He had a severe eczema combined with joint pain and restless legs, that were resolved by correcting his food sensitivities. Check out all skin conditions and food sensitivities case studies HERE [4].
Eczema gut health and food sensitivities – how to identify your eczema food triggers?
Glen, a 35-year-old male, is a personal trainer and gym owner. He trains hard most of the time and has always watched his diet. He thought he ate a good diet avoiding milk (but not eliminating it completely) and enjoying sweets made with almond meal instead of gluten-containing grains, eating nuts and having a plant-based pea protein. However, despite his best efforts his health deteriorated over time.
Prior to the symptoms appearing, he was under a lot of stress because of his father’s illness and then death. He also did high intensity training regularly and pushed the body to the limit.
Glen’s skin problems started with a few red dots on the left side of the body (left hand) and then spread throughout the body. He developed large eczema like, red itchy rash on the torso, hands and legs. In addition, he experienced joint pain and restless legs at night interfering with sleep [5]. The symptoms worsened when he was stressed or run down.
He consulted with a few doctors who didn’t provide any clues as to the cause. He was told by one of the doctors that his symptoms were most likely stress related. Next, he met with a Naturopath who advised Glen to ‘fix the gut’ and prescribed a number of supplements, but his symptoms only got worse. Moreover, he followed a vegetarian diet for 6 months hoping it’ll help but it didn’t make any difference.
Photo of Glen’s eczema before starting the elimination diet
Glen was getting very frustrated and didn’t know what to do next. Fortunately, he talked to his trusted chiropractor about his problems, and he suggested doing food sensitivity testing.
The test indicated Glen likely had a leaky gut syndrome, inflammation in the gut lining and elsewhere in the body. Specifically, the results showed a number of inflammatory or trigger foods across many food groups. Main intolerances identified were egg white (the highest reading), followed by dairy, pea protein (he was having it every day in a shake), wheat and barley, nuts (5 different varieties), yeast and sunflower seeds.
See Glen’s initial IgG test results below.
He was disciplined and very motivated to eliminate all trigger foods right from the start. Subsequently, he felt much better within a week on the elimination diet.
After about 8 weeks all skin rashes were gone and they haven’t come back since.
Surprisingly to Glen, his joint pain also vanished after around 12 weeks! He blamed having joint pain on overtraining but discovered that it was food related when removing the trigger foods resolved it.
Similarly, his restless legs syndrome also settled and his sleep improved [6] because of it. In addition, nose congestion he felt after having certain foods such as beer (i.e. containing gluten [7] and yeast) also disappeared.
During the first 6 months on the elimination diet not only all his symptoms disappeared, he also he put on muscle and his stamina and strength increased. Notably, he decided not to take any supplements during the initial 6 months on the elimination diet and, relied on personalised nutrition only.
Two years after embarking on the elimination diet, Glen remains symptom free.
He remains disciplined and motivated which have served him well when following the guidelines. He was able to add a few foods from his ‘red’ list to his diet, but he continues avoiding the most problematic ones. Glen plans to ‘eat like this forever’, if it means he is well and lives a ‘normal’ life.
It’s quite possible that in time Glen will be able to sufficiently repair and heal the gut and the immune system [8] to add a few more nutritious food to his meals.
It’s been two years (as of Jan 2022) since Glen embarked on eliminating the trigger foods to get well. This decision and following through with the program turned out to truly be life changing for him. Nowadays, he is a keen advocate of food intolerance testing and encourages his clients, friends and family to utilise this tool as part of therapeutic options to help solving their health problems.
He remains symptom free, is healthy, has good energy levels and has put on muscle, too.
In conclusion, examining and dealing with the links between eczema gut health and food sensitivities, was the right therapeutic strategy for Glen.
Read the fully referenced clinical study HERE. [9]
Do you suffer from chronic skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and hives, among others?
Feel free to contact me to discuss your circumstances and efforts so far to get well. I’m an online gut naturopath and nutritionist based in Sydney [10] but also helping clients based anywhere in Australia.
Book an online consultation now [11] or click on the button below to book a free 25-minute initial discussion to talk about your circumstances and how I can help.
[11]I look forward to helping you get better health and wellbeing soon!
Good health and blessings
[12]
Joanna Sochan
Wholistic Health and Lifestyle Therapist
Natural and Lifestyle Therapies for Abundant Health and Wellbeing
Additional resources
- How to improve gut health with the right foods – a case study [13]
- 12 Top plant proteins and meal suggestions [14]
- Optimal gut health diet plan – a case study [15]
- Psoriasis – a wholistic approach to recovery [16]
- Eczema diet: foods to eat and to avoid – a case study [17]
Disclaimer: The above material is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, prescription or recommendation. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should not make any changes in their health regimen or diet before first consulting a doctor or other qualified health provider with any questions they may have regarding a medical condition or their particular circumstances.
Joanna Sochan is a Natural Therapist and founder of Naturimedica Holistic Wellcare. She has a passion for helping clients transform their lives by becoming healthy and well naturally. Joanna has 12+ years experience in clinical practice and has special interest in solving complex cases, gut health, food sensitivities, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders and weight loss. She helps clients individually (mostly online) Australia-wide and also offers online therapeutic programs, eCourses and self-help eBooks. View full bio [18].