Full disclosure: My new bedtime is looming near and I have melatonin in me. If I make no sense, it’s not my fault. So.
A week or two ago, I promised to tell you guys what I’ve been experimenting with to help my dyshidrotic eczema. So I suppose that’s what I’ll do on this fine dyshidrosis Tuesday. J
I’m Taking Vitamin D Daily
Way down deep in the bellies of a long since forgotten forum, somewhere around page 26 or so of Google’s search results for “dyshidrotic eczema treatment,” I found something I had not read before. This person wasn’t just telling about something he/she had found to help dyshidrosis—he/she was fairly well pleading—begging, even—with fellow sufferers to start taking Vitamin D supplements.
Now, normally I wouldn’t try something based on the pleas of a completely anonymous potential nutcase, but this claim intrigued me. According to the poster, addressing his/her Vitamin D deficiency cured his/her dyshidrotic eczema. Did you read that right? I said CURED, not simply treated.
I was only able to find a brief mention or two about vitamin D in relation to dyshidrosis a couple of other times, but certainly not anything that would back up the claims of a cure. On the other hand, the medical community has failed to even determine the cause of this condition, and they certainly aren’t interested in finding a cure.
My Rationalization
The way I look at it is, although I have no blood work to back this theory, I’m convinced there is no way I’m NOT deficient in vitamin D. It’s hard to get from food sources, especially since I’m not real big on anything “fortified”, and I get less sun than most bats. So I could probably stand to supplement whether it will help my hands or not.
Interesting Findings
I’ve been taking 2,000 IU of Vitamin D nearly daily for two weeks now. I did have a new outbreak of blisters the Monday after our trip to Perry, but that’s because I wasn’t exactly what you would call “sensible” about my caffeine intake during that trip. However, the new blisters have caused me only minimal discomfort comparatively, and have not been anywhere near the insane crops that were coming up before.
What’s more interesting is that my hands are healing. I’ve still got plenty of dry skin, but the itching has gotten down to manageable levels. I’m no longer brutalizing my sinuses with constant doses of Benadryl just to keep the itching from driving me crazy. Now, I’m still having to be careful about water because it still burns like crazy if I get my hands wet. But overall, I’ve noticed more improvement in the time since I’ve been taking Vitamin D than I’ve noticed with everything else I’ve tried put together.
Amazing coincidence? Perhaps. But honestly, I don’t care. The Vitamin D seems to be helping, and it can’t hurt me as long as I’m not taking super mega doses, so I think I will continue for the time being. It’s something I never would have considered, but, for now at least, am very grateful to have stumbled upon.
**UPDATE**
After many requests for a follow-up, and having finally found a few moments to do so, I have an update on my success with this theory. You can read it here: Vitamin D as Cure for Dyshidrotic Eczema, Take Two: 10 Months Later. Thanks so much for visiting!
Funny you should mention Vitamin D. I just had blood work done that came back as my being deficient. I have suffered these blooming blisters for about 7 years now & was told I needed to take a corticosteroid to which I told my doctor "when hell freezes over" because I gain weight at the sniff of food. I've just started taking 2,000IU of vitamin D so I haven't seen any results, but do have a lovely set of blister patches all over the bottom of one foot. I'm hearing that apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide compresses are helpful in drying out the little buggers, so I will be coupling that with my vitamin D & also probiotics as they tend to just have an allover healing effect on the body.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, the specialist I saw for what I thought was allergies is the one who told me that what I'm having is an overzealous histamine reaction to what turned out to be massive & chronic sinus infections, not allergies, like I had been told by other doctors for nearly 20 years. It is infection related, but he could provide no good remedy other than the corticosteroid once the 6 months of antibiotics failed to fully cure the sinus infections. I have an appt. with my new doctor (it's been 3 years since the specialist) in October to see about my vitamin D levels. If those come up & the blisters disappear, that will be a telling response.
Joan in TX
Any update on this? Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI hope to write a follow-up post soon. Things have just been so crazy busy around here the last few months that I haven't had much time for my personal projects. But the short answer is: yes, it has been almost like a miracle. :)
ReplyDeleteJust found this and glad I did. I just came from the doctor last week. He did bloodwork and said I was VERY Vitamin D deficient. I spend hours in the sun! I will definitely start the 2000 IU of Vitamin D immediately. I have terrible scars from these darn little blisters!!!
ReplyDeleteRachael,
ReplyDeleteHow are you doing? Please follow up! I have started taking Vitamin D three days ago. I have had a constant breakout for about five months now. I was put on steroid creams by three different derms with limited results - I ditched those and trying to ride it out with apple cider vinegar soaks. I am also sure I am lacking Vitamin D - I am extremely pale and always avoided ANY sun exposure.
Kate in NYC
I am red haired and fair skinned. I would call myself a day walker though. I can get a semblance of a tan and my freckles will eventually grow together. I work in an office environment 50 hrs a week for the last 10 years for a company too cheap to put windows in their buildings. I am also a fairly large individual.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I had a sudden onset of Dishydrotic Eczema, the blisters, pain, cracking skin. It started going into autumn one year and just got worse through the winter. The blisters seemed to stop but the flaking skin, splitting skin, etc just continued to get worse.
I tried all kinds of lotions, and the doctor prescribed a steroid cream. They would help but never made it go away.
Then my girlfriend and I went to St. Thomas island for a week for a friend's destination wedding. After that week the eczema disappeared almost completly. She said one of her friends used tanning beds to combat her bouts of eczema.
A lightbulb went off. So, based upon some basic research I started supplementing with 1,000 I/U's a day in addition to any in my multivitamin, slowly ramping up over a month to 10,000 I/U's a day to test for any adverse affects.
Within a month almost all of my issues on my hands and fingers disappeared and continue to stay away. I plan on having my levels check in a couple of months to see for sure what my levels are but anecdotally it has been a miracle cure for me.
blood work indicated i have almost no vitamin d; I too sprouted blisters on my
ReplyDeleteheel and soles of my hands; dr gave me a scrip for steroidal creme no help whatsoever; got some liquid D3 vitamin d took 5000iu or 1 dropper full also rubbed some on the blisters on my hand; that was last night and I can see that the herd of blisters on my one hand is thinning with no new outcrops;will do so again tonight; so far so good; what a nice surprise since these blisters have been here for 7 months;
Hello..my 5 year daughter got also this outbreak in her feet 6 months ago.. with the help of probiotic, constant exposure to sunlight every morning, plus taking vitamin D every day..with Virgin coconut oil for topical surface application to the affected area... RESULT after a month...NO MORE BLISTERS, NO MORE RECURRENT etchiness...CLEAR BABY SKIN AGAIN...TO DATE: JAN 1 2016
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post and the follow up, I started on 5,000 IUs of D3. Within 24 hours I had noticeable relief. Now on day 5 and my hands are about 80% healed. Even if I don't get to 100%, I am elated with the results. Thank you!
ReplyDelete