Dishydrotic Eczema: The New Leprosy

Ok, I admit that this title may be a bit misleading. Dishydrotic eczema, also called dishydrosis and pompholyx, is neither new nor a form of leprosy. But it can make you feel like you have a flesh-eating disease, so that’s how I’m justifying my choice of words.

I have had the lovely good fortune to develop dishydrosis in recent months. It started out innocent enough—just a few tiny little bumps on one of my fingers that were strange but didn’t bother me. It stayed this way for weeks so I didn’t think much of it. Then…well, it got angry.

A goodly portion of both my hands is now covered in these little demons. The first areas that developed have gone through their vicious cycle of blistering, itching, rupturing, weeping, drying, peeling, and cracking. New blisters seem to develop every day. I now have every stage of dishydrotic eczema’s progression thoroughly documented on my hands. Aside from it being incredibly uncomfortable, it just looks nasty.

Making the Connection

What in the name of all that is good does dishydrosis have to do with a Coke addiction? Well, I’ll tell you. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, so I can’t be positive, but I think my addiction to soda may have contributed to me developing this lovely little gem. Nobody really knows what causes it, but eczema flares do seem to be triggered by stress, diet, and environmental factors.

I’ve got plenty of the old-fashioned form of stress without counting my less than stellar diet. But the amount of crap I’m putting into my body—the sugar and the chemicals—combined with a complete and total disregard for proper nutrition must be putting a great deal of stress on my body. I mean, think about it: I’m not giving my body anything that it needs to function but I’m constantly pouring toxins into it in the form of Coke, nicotine, and coffee. I’d be stressed if I were my body, wouldn’t you?

Desperate for Relief

I’ve tried to give up Coke for other reasons before and I just can’t manage to do it by conventional methods. The one and only time I had success was when I was on the Master Cleanse. So, whether the cleanse itself rids me of dishydrosis or it simply allows me to break my Coke addiction and eliminate years of future stress on my body, I don’t care. It’s the first step toward getting well and living healthier. It’s the best first step for me—it may not be for someone else.

I know it seems extreme and that’s fine. My diet and lifestyle are pretty extreme in the worst possible way anyway. Two weeks of this cleanse will allow me to detox from caffeine, cleanse my palate so that I can enjoy real food again, and allow me some time to reflect on where my health is headed. I’d rather have two weeks of semi-extreme fasting than live the rest of my life as a slave to a liquid. And if it clears up my dishydrosis in the process, all the better!