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| Check out some of the books I've found most helpful. This page includes affiliate links! Click here for more info!
Health from the Inside Out
For me, dyshidrotic eczema is my body telling me it really, really doesn't like something I'm ingesting, coming in contact with or enduring. From eliminating gluten to balancing raging perimenopause hormones, I've managed to find a lifestyle that works for me.
A word of warning: There are several Amazon e-books available with dyshidrotic eczema in the title. I have not found one yet that is worth purchasing. Several are cut-and-paste texts of information available on the web -- not all relating to dyshidrotic eczema! Now, I haven't read every single one and perhaps since this writing someone has put together a definitive guide. Great! Just make sure to download samples before purchasing any of these books, so you can get a feel for the usefulness and validity of the content. In my quest to better understand my body and mind, I've read dozens and dozens of books. The following volumes have been invaluable in helping me not only manage dyshidrotic eczema but also improve my overall health and well being. Perhaps they will be of some assistance to you, or point you in a good direction for figuring out the puzzle of your own, unique life: Remember: always check with your health care provider before adopting a new diet, lifestyle or supplement change! Never, ever stop medications without medical advice, and do not assume you have DE if you have not been properly diagnosed. (Find an affordable board certified telemedicine doctor right here if you need one.)
Natural Solutions |
If you add no other books to your health library, add these. James, Robin and Phyllis Balch have given us the ultimate reference guides to drug-free, natural remedies using vitamins, minerals, herbs, food supplements, nutrition and other holistic methods. I've owned a copy of Prescription for Nutritional Healing for at least 15 years. The Prescription for Natural Cures expands on the original. I can't recommend these highly enough. Buy them and put them next to your first aid kit.
Eating like our ancestors...
Intrigued by the Paleo diet but don't want to give up dairy products? In my quest for eliminating the foods that trigger DE and other skin and autoimmune problems, I found a modified version of Mark Sisson's Primal Nutritional Plan to be the most helpful. (I've eliminated nightshade plants, which is not specific to his plan.) Even if you don't have skin or autoimmune issues, I believe this diet is an excellent way to improve your health by eliminating many of the inflammatory foods that may contribute to disease. (Mark is wonderfully relatable, too!)
The autoimmune connection:
The Autoimmune Solution takes Paleo and Primal ways of eating a step further by eliminating nightshade plants, eggs, and other known allergens. This book transformed my health by showing me that I was extremely sensitive to nightshade plants. (That's potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. And yes, it's a bummer to give them up.) Since many of us with DE also have other allergies and autoimmune conditions, I believe this book helps to address underlying issues many of us seem to share.
Fix your mitochondria with Dr. Terry Wahls:
If you have any of the more serious autoimmune conditions, I highly recommend watching this remarkable Ted Talk by Dr. Terry Wahls, MD. She reversed her late stage MS by following the protocol outlined in the above book.
Learn about the Wahls Protocol in this video
Oh this is too much... just tell me what I should eat!
Paleo? Vegan? Low Carb? Who cares?!? It's hard to figure out what to eat when you're healthy, much less when you're feeling bad or suffering from a chronic condition. Dr. Mark Hyman is one of my favorite sources of down-to-earth, easy-to-follow nutritional advice. This book is makes today's dietary choices seem far less confusing. I started with Dr. Hyman's approach in my quest to clean up my diet.
Is there a specific diet for Eczema? Yes!
The Eczema Diet is a very interesting nutritional take on the causes of all kinds of eczema. Everyone with DE should read this book, in my opinion. I not only suffered from DE but from various other types of eczema, which seems to be the case with many DE sufferers. This book outlines specific foods to avoid, as well as recipes, skin care and other non-nutritional advice. Karen Fischer believes the key to beating eczema is a healthy liver. Her book might help you figure out your own DE triggers. You can read a sample for free at the bottom of this page. See her describe a bit about her program in this TV news story:
Could hormones be to blame?
Wait, we're talking about dyshidrotic eczema, not menopause... aren't we? Bear with me, this recommendation is for my girlfriends out there of a certain age. I found that my DE roared back into blistery fervor after almost a decade when perimenopausal hormones started making themselves known. Susan Weed is a legend in the alternative women's health circles, and her guide to natural, alternative hormone balance was a godsend for me to help balance those hormones. I'm still working my way toward menopause, but the road is much smoother now after adding some of the herbs and supplements suggested in Susun's book. Even if this means nothing for your DE, it will invariably help you with this rather frustrating time of life.
Let's talk Mind-Body Healing...
I had the opportunity to attend a conference to hear Dr. Lissa Rankin speak about the power of mind medicine, and the resulting "aha!" changed my view of health and healing. We are led to believe by doctors that when we get sick, it's because of our genetics, and that doctors alone hold the keys to our recovery. Dr. Rankin is here to challenge that ideology, and her book is a revolutionary call for patients to recognize their own power to heal. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's loaded with science to soothe your inner skeptic, and inspiration to fuel your own inner healer. DE made me feel powerless. This book made me feel like I could figure out how to get better.
Affirmations and more from Louise Hay:
At the same conference I mentioned above, I also heard the late, great Louise Hay speak. If you don't know Louise, please get to know her work. Her key message is simple: "If you are prepared to do the mental work, you can heal anything." Thousands of testimonials back up her statement. It was easy to get discouraged with my constant dyshidrotic eczema outbreaks, but reading about far more serious conditions (like cancer) going into miraculous remission made my quest seem all the more possible. Don't dismiss Louise for being too woo-woo without giving her ideas your attention.
Check out the trailer for the 2012 film about Louise B. Hay's work
Expect Miracles with Dr. Weil:
It's hard to go wrong with Dr. Andrew Weil. This book is my favorite for learning that even the most hopeless of medical conditions can go into remission or just disappear. Dr. Weil explains a little about mind-body healing below:
Ayurvedic wisdom for the modern age:
Continuing in the mind-body healing tradition is Dr. Deepak Chopra's book Perfect Health. This was the first truly practical guide to harnessing the healing power of the mind. It is based on Ayurvedic medicine, and it describes how breakthroughs in physics and medicine underscore this 5,000 year old practice. I was transformed by this book not just in addressing my DE, but in understanding my health in general.
On magic, mind-body miracles and more...
Ready to take mind power to the next level? I highly recommend the above books as your leap into a new world. Dr. Dean Radin has spent decades studying psychic phenomenon in the lab, with rigorous scientific controlled conditions. To Dr. Radin, magic is just a part of science we haven't wholly identified. I found Real Magic to be fascinating and empowering.
Dr. Bruce Lipton's research has yielded stunning new discoveries about the interaction between your mind and body, specifically related to how cells receive information. His conclusion? Genes and DNA do not control biology. Instead, our DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including messages from our thoughts. The implications for healing are huge, and I believe everyone is better off reading Dr. Lipton's theories on the new science of Epigenetics.
Maybe it's the gluten...
Okay, okay, I'm back out of the ethers and down to earth. For me, DE was first tamed (and kept in check for a decade) by giving up gluten. And DE was just the tip of the iceberg -- going gluten-free improved my health more than any other approach I had tried previously. I never would have thought wheat could cause so many problems for me. If you are taking the plunge to go gluten-free, definitely make this book your top resource guide.
Read a sample of The Excema Diet for free:
Get a copy of The Eczema Diet
I am an Amazon Affiliate which means that if you purchase a book by clicking on any of the above links, I will receive a small commission of the sale -- with no additional cost to you.
