Build a better life with help from Big Cat Chronicle
Learn strategies to embrace personal transformation. Big Cat Chronicle is the personal blog of Kathy Herrmann and it combines valuable insights punctuated by her wit.
I’ve been working on making lifestyle changes to help my allergies and allergy-related skin problems and two big changes are introducing raw honey and coconut oil to my diet.
Although I started consuming both to help strengthen my immune system, I’ve found they also help cut my cravings for junk food.
This is huge and pleasant surprise! I’ve been a life-long lover of junk food, both chips and sodas, and my cravings for both are almost gone.
If you’ve ever had eczema, then I feel for you. I have outbreaks of it too and it’s directly related to my allergies (trees, grass, dust, and molds are my biggies). When my allergies are up, so is my itching.
My eczema has a cycle. It starts with an overwhelming need to itch…which I fight as long as I can. At some point, the need to itch becomes so compelling and demanding, I give into it and itch. And oh, it feels soooo good at first. The relief is almost orgasmic.
The problem is, once I start itching, even an itsy bitsy bit, I can’t stop. It’s like the whole impacted area wakes up and demands to join the itchfest. So I keep itching until, finally, I’m itched out. Of course, by the time that happens, my skin is irritated and raw so it hurts in a whole new way.
The secret then, is to avoid itching altogether. And if you think that’s simple, then you’ve never had eczema.
In December, my “need to itch” to “itch free” ratio hit a new high where the former was almost constant. I decided to take action by investigating home remedies to combat the problem.
Among my successes to help relieve or decrease the need to itch are:
I may never completely rid myself of my allergies to tree and grass pollen, dust and mold but, starting in December, I made a commitment to find ways to lessen their affects on my body.
The reason? Between my watering eyes, constantly runny nose and incredible itchiness from allergy-related eczema, I couldn’t stand it anymore.
I’ve been doing a lot of different things since early December and one delicious change is substituting raw honey for refined sugars.
Aside from honey being a healthy substitute for refined sugar, it’s also having the delightful effect of helping to cut my cravings for junk food.
Adding to that, I periodically have outbreaks of allergy-related eczema. The eczema isn’t continuous (thank god) and I have periods of dormancy. Then an outbreak will occur and I go through months to years of itchy itch.
This December everything came to a head. I reached a point of almost continual itch to the point of severe distraction. And I became tired of my constantly watering eyes and sore eyelids from the weeping. Not to mention my close attachment to a box of Kleenex.
However, I didn’t want to have to resort to a pile of drugs to help myself, for either my allergy or eczema. First, I prefer to take minimal drugs and second, they’re way to expensive.
So I resolved to find more natural methods to improve my health. I’m not a doctor but I am a hell on wheels researcher.
