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DiscussionLet's talk about it: Diets and foodseczema ... thoughts

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eczema ... thoughts

#11 · December 3, 2024, 5:34 pm

ok I'm going to try that next time I'm itchy. But I do seem to have problems with histamines and I do wonder if histamines might be stimulated by a lot of scrubbing and hot water.

#12 · December 4, 2024, 11:24 am

Quote from Joe2 on December 4, 2024, 11:24 am

Quote from Aaron on December 3, 2024, 2:38 pm

Quote from Joe2 on September 18, 2024, 12:35 am

Have written extensively along with a few other people on LYL about best ways to cope with urushiol and eczema rash while waiting for the benefits of low vitamin A to pay off. My rashes are already easier to deal with. Nice to see the pay off coming in.

One person remarked to my question that the hot water gives a euphoric feeling. My doc of 30 years told me after I described this protocol that I was using a natural antihistamine. No problems with using it repeatedly.

I have used this hundreds of times in last 20 years. Thought I was dealing with urushiol until I read Grant's books. I now use this for early diagnosis. The process reduces rash time by 50% routinely. It allows for good sleep and much more rapid healing.

Take handheld shower head. Set water to hot enough that you can only tolerate the stream on the skin while moving the head along. Hold it in one place more than 2 seconds and it burns too much. While moving it over entire body if an area is hit and it no longer hurts hold the stream there. Depending on age of rash and severity, this spot is often euphoric. It is better than scratching that itch. Turn the heat up to tolerance level. Hold stream there as long as desired. My longest is 20 minutes. When done, pat dry and apply zinc oxide / shea butter cream. Keep it covered with sleeves, socks whatever cloth to keep it from drying and scabbing to cause more itch. Go get some sleep and do it again when it starts itching in eight hours.

Noteworthy

have done this before any blisters even appear. It works beautifully.

have noticed that a clear defined border appears. Uncontaminated skin turns red at the edges of the rash area from the burn off the hot stream. The rash area remains white as if never scalded.

Hi @joe2,

I’m new here but have been lurking for a while, and I wanted to chime in on your post about using hot water. This topic really resonates with me because I’ve been managing full-body eczema outbreaks for years, and hot showers have been a crucial part of my routine.

I only started exploring a low-vitamin A diet about a month ago after discovering Grant’s work, but my reliance on hot water predates that. For a long time, I’ve used hot showers to relieve the intense itching, even though I thought it was likely damaging my skin. It was the only thing that brought relief. Without it, I honestly don’t know how I would have coped.

In the past, when my skin was at its worst, I’d hit the affected areas with hot water for that euphoric relief you mentioned. Like most eczema advice suggests, I avoided soap and scrubbing because I believed they would cause further irritation. But deep down, it always felt like the hot water was somehow doing more than just soothing my skin—it felt like it was releasing something.

About a week ago, I reconsidered my approach in light of what I’ve learned about vitamin A toxicity. I thought, If toxins are being released through my skin, then I need to wash them off. So, I changed my routine entirely: I still used hot water for relief, but afterward, I used real soap and a scrubbing sponge, treating my skin as though I’d been exposed to poison ivy.

The results have been surprising. That first night, my skin felt the best it had in a long time. I’ve continued this process over the past week, and it seems to reduce both redness and itchiness more effectively than just using hot water alone. For example, one day, a large circular rash appeared on the back of my hand during the shower. Instead of leaving it alone like I used to, I applied hot water and scrubbed it with soap. By the time I was done, the rash was gone.

It’s only been a week, but I’m hopeful this method will help me get through this detox process and that the itching will eventually become less frequent. Have you noticed this happening in your case? Are you finding that you rely on hot water less often over time?

I’m also thinking about trying sauna therapy with niacin and charcoal as the next step to sweat out more toxins. What are your thoughts on that?

Looking forward to hearing your experience and suggestions!

Good on you Aaron.

I started doing this 30 years ago. My homeopath and my other doc at the time (both still my docs) heard about it after the fact. They both told me to keep doing it. It is natural antihistamine. It gets 8 hours of relief. It has gotten me sleep during bad episodes where otherwise I could not sleep. It works well on bug bites as well.

Cautions: do not do this to bee or wasp stings. Especially during first few hours after sting. It can cause anaphylaxis. Came close to wrecking me once. Same docs explained it after the fact. Since then on LYL network, I learned

baking soda on bee stings - their venom is acidic

vinegar or citric acid on wasp stings - their venom is basic

So that is it on stings and bites. As to retinoid and urushiol, I think they are close enough that they are identical in all ways except origin. Urushiol attacks from outside. Retinoids from inside and out. They do work together. Decades ago I got poison ivy while working. A cut on another part of my body lit up with rash at the same time my leg rashed with the ivy. It was systemic. That is how I learned to run hot water over my whole body to find the spots in need. Where a rash is about to form, water hot enough to scald will not turn skin red and will not hurt. Where the skin is healthy, the water stream hurts and turns red.

As stated, have written extensively on LYL network about this. Growing group of us familiar with and using this idea. For what it is worth, I worked in health care for years. Ran across 30 or so folk in midst of their urushiol rash over the years. Told each one about this. Heard feedback from most of them months or years later. All confirmed it worked for them too. The gratitude is always paid forward.

As to the scrubbing, Grant's notes on urushiol and retinoids clarified for me the chemistry and mechanism. The scrubbing is not a problem for either AS LONG AS removal of the toxins is included. Great videos on youtube about treating urushiol before rashing. As long as it is washed off with dish soap and a wash cloth the exact same way axle grease scrubs off, no rash will come. Urushiol is thick and sticky same as axle grease. Too bad it is invisible.

Once the rash starts, I treat scrubbing the same way. Heat treating gives relief for 8 hours. The long hot stream of water probably removes some of the urushiol / retinoids. Scalding, then scrubbing, then scalding again is what works best. Experiment, learn and please come back here to confirm or deny. Also playing with scalding then finishing with cold stream of water.

Either way, know that whatever is on the skin can be absorbed and cause more problems. With vitamin D generated from skin in sun, that is a good thing to not wash off until it is reabsorbed. With retinoids and urushiol, get it off and away from the body.

So yes, at my worst, from 1/2023 to 5/2023, I had pussing, sometimes bleeding rash both lower legs with bad edema. And heat treatment got me through. Still thankful to Garrett and Grant for clicking on urushiol's relation to retionoids. And for learning that applying zinc oxide creams speeds relief and recovery. Charcoal probably helps alot too. I have less experience with that. I have about a year of experience with nicotinic acid. Flushing hard now as I type. Suggest to avoid nicotinic acid flush during hard rash UNLESS assured of that hot shower. Rash or no, when I flush hard that shower head on a long hose is a life saver during hard nicotinic acid flush.

Have fun and thank you for the affirmation.

Quote from Aaron on December 3, 2024, 2:38 pm

Quote from Joe2 on September 18, 2024, 12:35 am

Have written extensively along with a few other people on LYL about best ways to cope with urushiol and eczema rash while waiting for the benefits of low vitamin A to pay off. My rashes are already easier to deal with. Nice to see the pay off coming in.

One person remarked to my question that the hot water gives a euphoric feeling. My doc of 30 years told me after I described this protocol that I was using a natural antihistamine. No problems with using it repeatedly.

I have used this hundreds of times in last 20 years. Thought I was dealing with urushiol until I read Grant's books. I now use this for early diagnosis. The process reduces rash time by 50% routinely. It allows for good sleep and much more rapid healing.

Take handheld shower head. Set water to hot enough that you can only tolerate the stream on the skin while moving the head along. Hold it in one place more than 2 seconds and it burns too much. While moving it over entire body if an area is hit and it no longer hurts hold the stream there. Depending on age of rash and severity, this spot is often euphoric. It is better than scratching that itch. Turn the heat up to tolerance level. Hold stream there as long as desired. My longest is 20 minutes. When done, pat dry and apply zinc oxide / shea butter cream. Keep it covered with sleeves, socks whatever cloth to keep it from drying and scabbing to cause more itch. Go get some sleep and do it again when it starts itching in eight hours.

Noteworthy

have done this before any blisters even appear. It works beautifully.

have noticed that a clear defined border appears. Uncontaminated skin turns red at the edges of the rash area from the burn off the hot stream. The rash area remains white as if never scalded.

Hi @joe2,

I’m new here but have been lurking for a while, and I wanted to chime in on your post about using hot water. This topic really resonates with me because I’ve been managing full-body eczema outbreaks for years, and hot showers have been a crucial part of my routine.

I only started exploring a low-vitamin A diet about a month ago after discovering Grant’s work, but my reliance on hot water predates that. For a long time, I’ve used hot showers to relieve the intense itching, even though I thought it was likely damaging my skin. It was the only thing that brought relief. Without it, I honestly don’t know how I would have coped.

In the past, when my skin was at its worst, I’d hit the affected areas with hot water for that euphoric relief you mentioned. Like most eczema advice suggests, I avoided soap and scrubbing because I believed they would cause further irritation. But deep down, it always felt like the hot water was somehow doing more than just soothing my skin—it felt like it was releasing something.

About a week ago, I reconsidered my approach in light of what I’ve learned about vitamin A toxicity. I thought, If toxins are being released through my skin, then I need to wash them off. So, I changed my routine entirely: I still used hot water for relief, but afterward, I used real soap and a scrubbing sponge, treating my skin as though I’d been exposed to poison ivy.

The results have been surprising. That first night, my skin felt the best it had in a long time. I’ve continued this process over the past week, and it seems to reduce both redness and itchiness more effectively than just using hot water alone. For example, one day, a large circular rash appeared on the back of my hand during the shower. Instead of leaving it alone like I used to, I applied hot water and scrubbed it with soap. By the time I was done, the rash was gone.

It’s only been a week, but I’m hopeful this method will help me get through this detox process and that the itching will eventually become less frequent. Have you noticed this happening in your case? Are you finding that you rely on hot water less often over time?

I’m also thinking about trying sauna therapy with niacin and charcoal as the next step to sweat out more toxins. What are your thoughts on that?

Looking forward to hearing your experience and suggestions!

Good on you Aaron.

I started doing this 30 years ago. My homeopath and my other doc at the time (both still my docs) heard about it after the fact. They both told me to keep doing it. It is natural antihistamine. It gets 8 hours of relief. It has gotten me sleep during bad episodes where otherwise I could not sleep. It works well on bug bites as well.

Cautions: do not do this to bee or wasp stings. Especially during first few hours after sting. It can cause anaphylaxis. Came close to wrecking me once. Same docs explained it after the fact. Since then on LYL network, I learned

baking soda on bee stings - their venom is acidic

vinegar or citric acid on wasp stings - their venom is basic

So that is it on stings and bites. As to retinoid and urushiol, I think they are close enough that they are identical in all ways except origin. Urushiol attacks from outside. Retinoids from inside and out. They do work together. Decades ago I got poison ivy while working. A cut on another part of my body lit up with rash at the same time my leg rashed with the ivy. It was systemic. That is how I learned to run hot water over my whole body to find the spots in need. Where a rash is about to form, water hot enough to scald will not turn skin red and will not hurt. Where the skin is healthy, the water stream hurts and turns red.

As stated, have written extensively on LYL network about this. Growing group of us familiar with and using this idea. For what it is worth, I worked in health care for years. Ran across 30 or so folk in midst of their urushiol rash over the years. Told each one about this. Heard feedback from most of them months or years later. All confirmed it worked for them too. The gratitude is always paid forward.

As to the scrubbing, Grant's notes on urushiol and retinoids clarified for me the chemistry and mechanism. The scrubbing is not a problem for either AS LONG AS removal of the toxins is included. Great videos on youtube about treating urushiol before rashing. As long as it is washed off with dish soap and a wash cloth the exact same way axle grease scrubs off, no rash will come. Urushiol is thick and sticky same as axle grease. Too bad it is invisible.

Once the rash starts, I treat scrubbing the same way. Heat treating gives relief for 8 hours. The long hot stream of water probably removes some of the urushiol / retinoids. Scalding, then scrubbing, then scalding again is what works best. Experiment, learn and please come back here to confirm or deny. Also playing with scalding then finishing with cold stream of water.

Either way, know that whatever is on the skin can be absorbed and cause more problems. With vitamin D generated from skin in sun, that is a good thing to not wash off until it is reabsorbed. With retinoids and urushiol, get it off and away from the body.

So yes, at my worst, from 1/2023 to 5/2023, I had pussing, sometimes bleeding rash both lower legs with bad edema. And heat treatment got me through. Still thankful to Garrett and Grant for clicking on urushiol's relation to retionoids. And for learning that applying zinc oxide creams speeds relief and recovery. Charcoal probably helps alot too. I have less experience with that. I have about a year of experience with nicotinic acid. Flushing hard now as I type. Suggest to avoid nicotinic acid flush during hard rash UNLESS assured of that hot shower. Rash or no, when I flush hard that shower head on a long hose is a life saver during hard nicotinic acid flush.

Have fun and thank you for the affirmation.

lil chick and Aaron have reacted to this post.

#13 · December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Hi Joe, Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to hear you’re able to get 8 hours of relief from using hot water. I don’t seem to get that much range just yet — I think I’m still in the early stages of detoxing. For example, I usually require at least three showers a day. It’s funny, when I’m lying down in bed at night, I don’t feel too itchy, but as soon as I get up — whether it's for the bathroom or in the morning — the itching under my skin gets worse and worse throughout the day. I usually need a hot shower first thing in the morning, which gets me through to lunch. Another shower then usually lasts until just before bedtime.

Thanks for the heads-up on bee and wasp stings! I didn’t know that information.

You mentioned LYL — I’m not sure what that is, but I’d love to check out more of your writing and discuss this with the group you mentioned.

Yes, my process is similar — hot water followed by cold water to finish the shower. I'm currently in Brazil, it’s pretty hot, so I have to finish with cool water to help me cool down, but I usually end up sweaty again right after.

I also just got my niacin in the mail, but realized it was slow-release, so it’s basically useless.

Regarding the situation I mentioned, after another week, I’m not sure scrubbing is as effective as I initially thought. During that weekend when I suddenly had clear skin after the scrubbing, I was dealing with a low-grade fever from a minor infection in my toe. Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

So, is your eczema completely clear now?

#14 · December 6, 2024, 10:47 pm

Quote from Joe2 on December 6, 2024, 10:47 pm

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Hi Joe, Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to hear you’re able to get 8 hours of relief from using hot water. I don’t seem to get that much range just yet — I think I’m still in the early stages of detoxing. For example, I usually require at least three showers a day. It’s funny, when I’m lying down in bed at night, I don’t feel too itchy, but as soon as I get up — whether it's for the bathroom or in the morning — the itching under my skin gets worse and worse throughout the day. I usually need a hot shower first thing in the morning, which gets me through to lunch. Another shower then usually lasts until just before bedtime.

Thanks for the heads-up on bee and wasp stings! I didn’t know that information.

You mentioned LYL — I’m not sure what that is, but I’d love to check out more of your writing and discuss this with the group you mentioned.

Yes, my process is similar — hot water followed by cold water to finish the shower. I'm currently in Brazil, it’s pretty hot, so I have to finish with cool water to help me cool down, but I usually end up sweaty again right after.

I also just got my niacin in the mail, but realized it was slow-release, so it’s basically useless.

Regarding the situation I mentioned, after another week, I’m not sure scrubbing is as effective as I initially thought. During that weekend when I suddenly had clear skin after the scrubbing, I was dealing with a low-grade fever from a minor infection in my toe. Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

So, is your eczema completely clear now?

Good on you Aaron.

I was taking 3 or 4 showers a day. I think it is not so much how toxic or detoxed our livers are. Mine is still plenty wrecked. I think it is how experienced and skilled we are at keeping our excretory organs running smoothly and fast enough to keep up with what the liver dumps into the system. It goes to #toxicbiletheory. The Mod currently frowns on further conversation that I want to take this to. If you want, look up @zendogbreath on Twitter. Direct message him or comment publicly to him. He can be more direct to your questions. @hopetipton6 is another good one on Twitter. Just let them know how you heard of them.

The 8 hours is good, give or take a few, depending on what happens during those 8 hours. Yeh. I remember laying there feeling good and thinking "ok finally over that." Rolling out of bed and just lighting up and running to that shower to full blast scald. We still have the water heater set too high. When guests come over, we do not let them run our hot water unsupervised. Especially kids. One neighbor thought we were extreme until she weeded in shorts. We have landscaping business. Her husband used to landscape. He knew enough to wear pants, long sleeves and gloves. He did not know about the scalding though. When I told her how to get relief, I said that she would know she had the right spot and the right temperature when her eyes rolled back in her head and she could not pull the water stream off the spot. Next day she imitated her eyes rolling back and the relief in front of like 4 families. Embarrassed heck out of her guy. I said, yup. You got it. Rash was gone in like 3 days.

Few years later on another blog site, a friend I gave that to, told me the word is "euphoric." Best I heard so far. Exactly right. Now days, I almost feel disappointed when I run the scald all over to check for spots. I rarely get one. When I do though, euphoric is exactly the word.

The next step is to make or get hold of cream: zinc oxide and shea butter.

https://www.am

azon.com/gp/pro

duct/B07N8JFZ6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

(The blog will not allow a link apparently. Had to break it up to make it work.)

I also buy zinc oxide bulk powder and shea butter. Couple spoons powder in a bowl. Knead in shea butter until the mixture no longer stains everything it touches white.

My theory runs that the topical zinc is helping make more retinol binding protein to bind with the urushiol or retinoids burning the skin cells. The shea butter is keeping the rash from drying out a little longer. My experience is that after the shower, the skin is clear of the offending fat based toxin. As the wound dries out and scabs, the itch returns. Scratch it and it gets worse as the wound starts oozing again. So between keeping it covered with the cream and with the cloth and the hot showers, I am mostly free of the itch.

As to the mechanism, I think it is systemic. Grant got into what it does to the skin well in his book. Part of #toxicbiletheory runs that bile is already a caustic nasty liquid our body makes. It is used to grab and process out toxins. Usually gets dumped by liver into gall bladder and into GI tract and ideally out of the body through the colon. That bile is the distinctive aroma we get in puke and poop. Bile destroys even the tissues that are made to handle it when it gets toxic enough with retinoids. It even destroys the organ that produces it. So when the liver dumps it out into the colon and it causes damage, the bile usually gets reabsorbed and turned into secondary bile in the liver. That is even worse. It can damage gall bladder, bile ducts, and on. At some point it gets dumped into blood. Once in blood circulation it wrecks whatever we have that uses blood. That would be um, everything? That explains one of the first mysteries I noticed during my earliest urushiol rashes. I could not understand how a cut on my hand suddenly would not heal, would start to itch like the rash on my leg and then infect and inflame like and with the rash on my leg.

During those early years, my clinic's docs routinely gave me antibiotics. Usually helped for awhile. After a decade of that, it did not help. When it ruined my career and I was on 3 different antibiotics that were not stopping my infections, I sought out department chair of immunology at university hospital where my family graduated. He clarified for me that antibiotics were a mistake and got me started on studying for a better way. Stuart Levy's "Antibiotic Paradox" was my first find and realization that the pharma world I was raised in was pure lies. If I sound bitter, understand my Dad sold for Wyeth and Upjohn - aka Pfizer.

So all that was 30 years ago. I only found out about Grant and Garrett 2 years ago. Each time I get closer to the core of the problem life gets better. In this case, problems I have had for decades are fading out without my realizing it. Sometimes someone else notices first. Most of the time I notice a couple months after the change. In the meantime, I think our first priority is to cope with the problems as the liver clears its toxins out.

Alright. I got to ask. Do you get to train with any Gracies down there?

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Hi Joe, Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to hear you’re able to get 8 hours of relief from using hot water. I don’t seem to get that much range just yet — I think I’m still in the early stages of detoxing. For example, I usually require at least three showers a day. It’s funny, when I’m lying down in bed at night, I don’t feel too itchy, but as soon as I get up — whether it's for the bathroom or in the morning — the itching under my skin gets worse and worse throughout the day. I usually need a hot shower first thing in the morning, which gets me through to lunch. Another shower then usually lasts until just before bedtime.

Thanks for the heads-up on bee and wasp stings! I didn’t know that information.

You mentioned LYL — I’m not sure what that is, but I’d love to check out more of your writing and discuss this with the group you mentioned.

Yes, my process is similar — hot water followed by cold water to finish the shower. I'm currently in Brazil, it’s pretty hot, so I have to finish with cool water to help me cool down, but I usually end up sweaty again right after.

I also just got my niacin in the mail, but realized it was slow-release, so it’s basically useless.

Regarding the situation I mentioned, after another week, I’m not sure scrubbing is as effective as I initially thought. During that weekend when I suddenly had clear skin after the scrubbing, I was dealing with a low-grade fever from a minor infection in my toe. Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

So, is your eczema completely clear now?

Good on you Aaron.

I was taking 3 or 4 showers a day. I think it is not so much how toxic or detoxed our livers are. Mine is still plenty wrecked. I think it is how experienced and skilled we are at keeping our excretory organs running smoothly and fast enough to keep up with what the liver dumps into the system. It goes to #toxicbiletheory. The Mod currently frowns on further conversation that I want to take this to. If you want, look up @zendogbreath on Twitter. Direct message him or comment publicly to him. He can be more direct to your questions. @hopetipton6 is another good one on Twitter. Just let them know how you heard of them.

The 8 hours is good, give or take a few, depending on what happens during those 8 hours. Yeh. I remember laying there feeling good and thinking "ok finally over that." Rolling out of bed and just lighting up and running to that shower to full blast scald. We still have the water heater set too high. When guests come over, we do not let them run our hot water unsupervised. Especially kids. One neighbor thought we were extreme until she weeded in shorts. We have landscaping business. Her husband used to landscape. He knew enough to wear pants, long sleeves and gloves. He did not know about the scalding though. When I told her how to get relief, I said that she would know she had the right spot and the right temperature when her eyes rolled back in her head and she could not pull the water stream off the spot. Next day she imitated her eyes rolling back and the relief in front of like 4 families. Embarrassed heck out of her guy. I said, yup. You got it. Rash was gone in like 3 days.

Few years later on another blog site, a friend I gave that to, told me the word is "euphoric." Best I heard so far. Exactly right. Now days, I almost feel disappointed when I run the scald all over to check for spots. I rarely get one. When I do though, euphoric is exactly the word.

The next step is to make or get hold of cream: zinc oxide and shea butter.

https://www.am

azon.com/gp/pro

duct/B07N8JFZ6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

(The blog will not allow a link apparently. Had to break it up to make it work.)

I also buy zinc oxide bulk powder and shea butter. Couple spoons powder in a bowl. Knead in shea butter until the mixture no longer stains everything it touches white.

My theory runs that the topical zinc is helping make more retinol binding protein to bind with the urushiol or retinoids burning the skin cells. The shea butter is keeping the rash from drying out a little longer. My experience is that after the shower, the skin is clear of the offending fat based toxin. As the wound dries out and scabs, the itch returns. Scratch it and it gets worse as the wound starts oozing again. So between keeping it covered with the cream and with the cloth and the hot showers, I am mostly free of the itch.

As to the mechanism, I think it is systemic. Grant got into what it does to the skin well in his book. Part of #toxicbiletheory runs that bile is already a caustic nasty liquid our body makes. It is used to grab and process out toxins. Usually gets dumped by liver into gall bladder and into GI tract and ideally out of the body through the colon. That bile is the distinctive aroma we get in puke and poop. Bile destroys even the tissues that are made to handle it when it gets toxic enough with retinoids. It even destroys the organ that produces it. So when the liver dumps it out into the colon and it causes damage, the bile usually gets reabsorbed and turned into secondary bile in the liver. That is even worse. It can damage gall bladder, bile ducts, and on. At some point it gets dumped into blood. Once in blood circulation it wrecks whatever we have that uses blood. That would be um, everything? That explains one of the first mysteries I noticed during my earliest urushiol rashes. I could not understand how a cut on my hand suddenly would not heal, would start to itch like the rash on my leg and then infect and inflame like and with the rash on my leg.

During those early years, my clinic's docs routinely gave me antibiotics. Usually helped for awhile. After a decade of that, it did not help. When it ruined my career and I was on 3 different antibiotics that were not stopping my infections, I sought out department chair of immunology at university hospital where my family graduated. He clarified for me that antibiotics were a mistake and got me started on studying for a better way. Stuart Levy's "Antibiotic Paradox" was my first find and realization that the pharma world I was raised in was pure lies. If I sound bitter, understand my Dad sold for Wyeth and Upjohn - aka Pfizer.

So all that was 30 years ago. I only found out about Grant and Garrett 2 years ago. Each time I get closer to the core of the problem life gets better. In this case, problems I have had for decades are fading out without my realizing it. Sometimes someone else notices first. Most of the time I notice a couple months after the change. In the meantime, I think our first priority is to cope with the problems as the liver clears its toxins out.

Alright. I got to ask. Do you get to train with any Gracies down there?

Joseph has reacted to this post.

#15 · December 7, 2024, 10:00 am

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

Yes, have seen this myself!

I've heard of it being explained that it is because your immune system has changed course.

That now translates for me to: The VA has been mobilized to somewhere else.

#16 · December 7, 2024, 10:06 am

I wonder if the allergy to poison ivy can transfer to carotenes. I have some symptoms after being exposed to carotenes that really make me wonder.

Of course, one might wonder if VA-overload symptoms could be a cross-reaction that begins with poison-ivy allergy.

I once did a little survey here and not everyone here believes they are allergic to poison ivy. My husband doesn't seem to be and he still appears to be VA-overloaded.

But it might be part of what makes each person's misery different from one another.

#17 · December 11, 2024, 5:50 am

Quote from Aaron on December 11, 2024, 5:50 am

Quote from Joe2 on December 6, 2024, 10:47 pm

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Hi Joe, Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to hear you’re able to get 8 hours of relief from using hot water. I don’t seem to get that much range just yet — I think I’m still in the early stages of detoxing. For example, I usually require at least three showers a day. It’s funny, when I’m lying down in bed at night, I don’t feel too itchy, but as soon as I get up — whether it's for the bathroom or in the morning — the itching under my skin gets worse and worse throughout the day. I usually need a hot shower first thing in the morning, which gets me through to lunch. Another shower then usually lasts until just before bedtime.

Thanks for the heads-up on bee and wasp stings! I didn’t know that information.

You mentioned LYL — I’m not sure what that is, but I’d love to check out more of your writing and discuss this with the group you mentioned.

Yes, my process is similar — hot water followed by cold water to finish the shower. I'm currently in Brazil, it’s pretty hot, so I have to finish with cool water to help me cool down, but I usually end up sweaty again right after.

I also just got my niacin in the mail, but realized it was slow-release, so it’s basically useless.

Regarding the situation I mentioned, after another week, I’m not sure scrubbing is as effective as I initially thought. During that weekend when I suddenly had clear skin after the scrubbing, I was dealing with a low-grade fever from a minor infection in my toe. Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

So, is your eczema completely clear now?

Good on you Aaron.

I was taking 3 or 4 showers a day. I think it is not so much how toxic or detoxed our livers are. Mine is still plenty wrecked. I think it is how experienced and skilled we are at keeping our excretory organs running smoothly and fast enough to keep up with what the liver dumps into the system. It goes to #toxicbiletheory. The Mod currently frowns on further conversation that I want to take this to. If you want, look up @zendogbreath on Twitter. Direct message him or comment publicly to him. He can be more direct to your questions. @hopetipton6 is another good one on Twitter. Just let them know how you heard of them.

The 8 hours is good, give or take a few, depending on what happens during those 8 hours. Yeh. I remember laying there feeling good and thinking "ok finally over that." Rolling out of bed and just lighting up and running to that shower to full blast scald. We still have the water heater set too high. When guests come over, we do not let them run our hot water unsupervised. Especially kids. One neighbor thought we were extreme until she weeded in shorts. We have landscaping business. Her husband used to landscape. He knew enough to wear pants, long sleeves and gloves. He did not know about the scalding though. When I told her how to get relief, I said that she would know she had the right spot and the right temperature when her eyes rolled back in her head and she could not pull the water stream off the spot. Next day she imitated her eyes rolling back and the relief in front of like 4 families. Embarrassed heck out of her guy. I said, yup. You got it. Rash was gone in like 3 days.

Few years later on another blog site, a friend I gave that to, told me the word is "euphoric." Best I heard so far. Exactly right. Now days, I almost feel disappointed when I run the scald all over to check for spots. I rarely get one. When I do though, euphoric is exactly the word.

The next step is to make or get hold of cream: zinc oxide and shea butter.

https://www.am

azon.com/gp/pro

duct/B07N8JFZ6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

(The blog will not allow a link apparently. Had to break it up to make it work.)

I also buy zinc oxide bulk powder and shea butter. Couple spoons powder in a bowl. Knead in shea butter until the mixture no longer stains everything it touches white.

My theory runs that the topical zinc is helping make more retinol binding protein to bind with the urushiol or retinoids burning the skin cells. The shea butter is keeping the rash from drying out a little longer. My experience is that after the shower, the skin is clear of the offending fat based toxin. As the wound dries out and scabs, the itch returns. Scratch it and it gets worse as the wound starts oozing again. So between keeping it covered with the cream and with the cloth and the hot showers, I am mostly free of the itch.

As to the mechanism, I think it is systemic. Grant got into what it does to the skin well in his book. Part of #toxicbiletheory runs that bile is already a caustic nasty liquid our body makes. It is used to grab and process out toxins. Usually gets dumped by liver into gall bladder and into GI tract and ideally out of the body through the colon. That bile is the distinctive aroma we get in puke and poop. Bile destroys even the tissues that are made to handle it when it gets toxic enough with retinoids. It even destroys the organ that produces it. So when the liver dumps it out into the colon and it causes damage, the bile usually gets reabsorbed and turned into secondary bile in the liver. That is even worse. It can damage gall bladder, bile ducts, and on. At some point it gets dumped into blood. Once in blood circulation it wrecks whatever we have that uses blood. That would be um, everything? That explains one of the first mysteries I noticed during my earliest urushiol rashes. I could not understand how a cut on my hand suddenly would not heal, would start to itch like the rash on my leg and then infect and inflame like and with the rash on my leg.

During those early years, my clinic's docs routinely gave me antibiotics. Usually helped for awhile. After a decade of that, it did not help. When it ruined my career and I was on 3 different antibiotics that were not stopping my infections, I sought out department chair of immunology at university hospital where my family graduated. He clarified for me that antibiotics were a mistake and got me started on studying for a better way. Stuart Levy's "Antibiotic Paradox" was my first find and realization that the pharma world I was raised in was pure lies. If I sound bitter, understand my Dad sold for Wyeth and Upjohn - aka Pfizer.

So all that was 30 years ago. I only found out about Grant and Garrett 2 years ago. Each time I get closer to the core of the problem life gets better. In this case, problems I have had for decades are fading out without my realizing it. Sometimes someone else notices first. Most of the time I notice a couple months after the change. In the meantime, I think our first priority is to cope with the problems as the liver clears its toxins out.

Alright. I got to ask. Do you get to train with any Gracies down there?

Thanks for the recommendations on the twitter profiles. I will have to look them up and give them a follow. Twitter is actually where I end up doing most of my research into new techniques people might had to combat this stuff. I think it's actually how I found out about Grant's work.

It's funny, I know what you mean when you say you almost feel disappointed when you don't have one of those spots. I still have a long way to go though: my affected area is basically my entire body at this point. There are only a few locations on my body where the skin is normal and thus it actually hurts my skin. Whenever I end up going on prednisone for my skin and it calms down, there is no use in the hot showers as there is no relief from anything. And yes, euphoric is the perfect word to describe it. I actually had a pharmacy make me some zinc oxide and shea butter cream based on your earlier post here. It's interesting to hear your theory about it. I'll have to give it another try today after my scalding sessions.

No, unfortunately I have met an Gracies down here. When I was here for an extended time back in 2018 I think there was a Gracie-related spot to learn where we were. I would love to take some lessons, but my skin definitely keeps me from doing most things.

Quote from Joe2 on December 6, 2024, 10:47 pm

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Hi Joe, Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to hear you’re able to get 8 hours of relief from using hot water. I don’t seem to get that much range just yet — I think I’m still in the early stages of detoxing. For example, I usually require at least three showers a day. It’s funny, when I’m lying down in bed at night, I don’t feel too itchy, but as soon as I get up — whether it's for the bathroom or in the morning — the itching under my skin gets worse and worse throughout the day. I usually need a hot shower first thing in the morning, which gets me through to lunch. Another shower then usually lasts until just before bedtime.

Thanks for the heads-up on bee and wasp stings! I didn’t know that information.

You mentioned LYL — I’m not sure what that is, but I’d love to check out more of your writing and discuss this with the group you mentioned.

Yes, my process is similar — hot water followed by cold water to finish the shower. I'm currently in Brazil, it’s pretty hot, so I have to finish with cool water to help me cool down, but I usually end up sweaty again right after.

I also just got my niacin in the mail, but realized it was slow-release, so it’s basically useless.

Regarding the situation I mentioned, after another week, I’m not sure scrubbing is as effective as I initially thought. During that weekend when I suddenly had clear skin after the scrubbing, I was dealing with a low-grade fever from a minor infection in my toe. Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

So, is your eczema completely clear now?

Good on you Aaron.

I was taking 3 or 4 showers a day. I think it is not so much how toxic or detoxed our livers are. Mine is still plenty wrecked. I think it is how experienced and skilled we are at keeping our excretory organs running smoothly and fast enough to keep up with what the liver dumps into the system. It goes to #toxicbiletheory. The Mod currently frowns on further conversation that I want to take this to. If you want, look up @zendogbreath on Twitter. Direct message him or comment publicly to him. He can be more direct to your questions. @hopetipton6 is another good one on Twitter. Just let them know how you heard of them.

The 8 hours is good, give or take a few, depending on what happens during those 8 hours. Yeh. I remember laying there feeling good and thinking "ok finally over that." Rolling out of bed and just lighting up and running to that shower to full blast scald. We still have the water heater set too high. When guests come over, we do not let them run our hot water unsupervised. Especially kids. One neighbor thought we were extreme until she weeded in shorts. We have landscaping business. Her husband used to landscape. He knew enough to wear pants, long sleeves and gloves. He did not know about the scalding though. When I told her how to get relief, I said that she would know she had the right spot and the right temperature when her eyes rolled back in her head and she could not pull the water stream off the spot. Next day she imitated her eyes rolling back and the relief in front of like 4 families. Embarrassed heck out of her guy. I said, yup. You got it. Rash was gone in like 3 days.

Few years later on another blog site, a friend I gave that to, told me the word is "euphoric." Best I heard so far. Exactly right. Now days, I almost feel disappointed when I run the scald all over to check for spots. I rarely get one. When I do though, euphoric is exactly the word.

The next step is to make or get hold of cream: zinc oxide and shea butter.

https://www.am

azon.com/gp/pro

duct/B07N8JFZ6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

(The blog will not allow a link apparently. Had to break it up to make it work.)

I also buy zinc oxide bulk powder and shea butter. Couple spoons powder in a bowl. Knead in shea butter until the mixture no longer stains everything it touches white.

My theory runs that the topical zinc is helping make more retinol binding protein to bind with the urushiol or retinoids burning the skin cells. The shea butter is keeping the rash from drying out a little longer. My experience is that after the shower, the skin is clear of the offending fat based toxin. As the wound dries out and scabs, the itch returns. Scratch it and it gets worse as the wound starts oozing again. So between keeping it covered with the cream and with the cloth and the hot showers, I am mostly free of the itch.

As to the mechanism, I think it is systemic. Grant got into what it does to the skin well in his book. Part of #toxicbiletheory runs that bile is already a caustic nasty liquid our body makes. It is used to grab and process out toxins. Usually gets dumped by liver into gall bladder and into GI tract and ideally out of the body through the colon. That bile is the distinctive aroma we get in puke and poop. Bile destroys even the tissues that are made to handle it when it gets toxic enough with retinoids. It even destroys the organ that produces it. So when the liver dumps it out into the colon and it causes damage, the bile usually gets reabsorbed and turned into secondary bile in the liver. That is even worse. It can damage gall bladder, bile ducts, and on. At some point it gets dumped into blood. Once in blood circulation it wrecks whatever we have that uses blood. That would be um, everything? That explains one of the first mysteries I noticed during my earliest urushiol rashes. I could not understand how a cut on my hand suddenly would not heal, would start to itch like the rash on my leg and then infect and inflame like and with the rash on my leg.

During those early years, my clinic's docs routinely gave me antibiotics. Usually helped for awhile. After a decade of that, it did not help. When it ruined my career and I was on 3 different antibiotics that were not stopping my infections, I sought out department chair of immunology at university hospital where my family graduated. He clarified for me that antibiotics were a mistake and got me started on studying for a better way. Stuart Levy's "Antibiotic Paradox" was my first find and realization that the pharma world I was raised in was pure lies. If I sound bitter, understand my Dad sold for Wyeth and Upjohn - aka Pfizer.

So all that was 30 years ago. I only found out about Grant and Garrett 2 years ago. Each time I get closer to the core of the problem life gets better. In this case, problems I have had for decades are fading out without my realizing it. Sometimes someone else notices first. Most of the time I notice a couple months after the change. In the meantime, I think our first priority is to cope with the problems as the liver clears its toxins out.

Alright. I got to ask. Do you get to train with any Gracies down there?

Thanks for the recommendations on the twitter profiles. I will have to look them up and give them a follow. Twitter is actually where I end up doing most of my research into new techniques people might had to combat this stuff. I think it's actually how I found out about Grant's work.

It's funny, I know what you mean when you say you almost feel disappointed when you don't have one of those spots. I still have a long way to go though: my affected area is basically my entire body at this point. There are only a few locations on my body where the skin is normal and thus it actually hurts my skin. Whenever I end up going on prednisone for my skin and it calms down, there is no use in the hot showers as there is no relief from anything. And yes, euphoric is the perfect word to describe it. I actually had a pharmacy make me some zinc oxide and shea butter cream based on your earlier post here. It's interesting to hear your theory about it. I'll have to give it another try today after my scalding sessions.

No, unfortunately I have met an Gracies down here. When I was here for an extended time back in 2018 I think there was a Gracie-related spot to learn where we were. I would love to take some lessons, but my skin definitely keeps me from doing most things.

lil chick has reacted to this post.

#18 · December 11, 2024, 5:52 am

Quote from lil chick on December 7, 2024, 10:00 am

Quote from Aaron on December 6, 2024, 12:33 pm

Looking back, it seems that the fever had some kind of suppressing effect on the itching and inflammation. Have you ever heard anything about that? I’ll keep following the process and will report back.

Yes, have seen this myself!

I've heard of it being explained that it is because your immune system has changed course.

That now translates for me to: The VA has been mobilized to somewhere else.

Very interesting! It was such a relief of my skin during that fever.

I thought: maybe I need to work on increasing my metabolism in order to have a higher temperature all the time. Got to be careful with the Peating stuff thought right?

lil chick has reacted to this post.

#19 · December 11, 2024, 6:57 am

As you progress I think you will notice the "fever effect" less and less.

I don't think it has to do with higher temperature, I could be wrong. Part of peeling-my-health-onion was that I did raise my usual temp about one degree when I was doing natural family planning and watching my basal temp daily. (Iodine via kelp and fish). (I went from too low to normal). I still had rosacea.

I think when sick your system stops pushing VA through the skin, either because it is using it elsewhere or just too busy to think about detox.

I'm hoping things get better for you fast!

#20 · November 1, 2025, 9:53 pm

Was reading this article about Portuguese man o war and running hot water over your skin to get the toxins out and reminded me of the vitamin A / hot water conversation

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/warning-potentially-deadly-creatures-wash-32795101.amp

lil chick and Joe2 have reacted to this post.

eczema ... thoughts

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