FebruaryMasterclass:

ECZEMA & PSORIASIS

 Introduction
These frustrating conditions can hit us at any age and are super stubborn. What works for one
person may not work for another, which makes it hard to create a standard treatment or
medication that will help.

This is why many sufferers look for help in the alternative health world and I’m happy to say,
many with great success :).

I’m going to give you a few different avenues to go down because the underlying cause can be
unique to each person. Learning your triggers and causes can prevent your next outbreak…or
lessen it dramatically.

My first personal experience with eczema happened just over 10 years ago. I was moving (a big
stressor for me) and one of my fingers developed this annoying itchy rash.

Diet and lifestyle play HUGE roles in these conditions, which is great news! That’s something you
can do :). Yay!

This Masterclass is in 2 Parts:

Part 1 – Eczema and Psoriasis Explained (including common triggers)

Part 2 – Healing Eczema and Psoriasis (including long-term and immediate relief

Let’s dive in!

 Part 1 - Eczema & Psoriasis Explained
These red, itchy rashes are often mistaken for each other and sometimes it can be hard to tell
them apart. They have very similar triggers but are unique in their own way.

Eczema –

Eczema is an inflammatory condition that’s also called “atopic dermatitis”. This technical work
simply means inflammation on the skin caused by an allergy.

Atopic = allergy, derma = skin, -itis = inflammation

This allergy can come from the outside (I get a breakout my histamine is high and if my skin
touches anything made from nickel). Or, from the inside like a food sensitivity or high histamine
levels…more on that soon.

Eczema can start quietly but can quickly turn into a chronic condition, that itchy, flakey skin just
won’t go away. It can even crack and bleed with the gentlest touch. Arg!!

This can start as a baby or you can develop it anytime, and it can run in families. It’s also pretty
darn common in this world, so if you’re suffering from eczema, you’re definitely not alone. It’s a
sign of an internal imbalance and that’s what we’re going to tackle in this masterclass.

Psoriasis –

Some call it an inflammatory skin disease and others say it’s an autoimmune disease, but like
eczema, it stems from an over-stimulated immune system. But, it has less of an allergy component
to it.
In psoriasis, your skin overproduces skin cells, which creates the thick, crusty, plaque-like rashes.
It can also be very stubborn and often lasts a lifetime, whereas sometimes eczema only lasts one
flare up.

Skin normally turns over about once a month, but with psoriasis, skin turns over much faster and
builds up on the skin, creating the unique psoriasis rash.

And, sometimes, psoriasis can result in psoriatic arthritis, which is a painful joint condition (which
can be hard to get diagnosed properly…).

Symptoms of psoriasis are more varied than eczema, they include:

plaques of red skin, sometimes also covered with a crust of scales that tend to be silver or
white
loose skin or lesions that can be sensitive, itchy, and painful
dandruff on the scalp
cracked, discolored skin that easily bleeds and bruises
discoloration in the finger and toenails or growth of toenail fungus
nails that detach from the nail beds and can be painful or bloody

Psoriasis is most common on the elbows, legs, and lower back, with the scalp being the #1 spot.
50% of psoriasis patients have some psoriasis on their scalp

Please note -
These skin conditions have many similar triggers and for the most part, I’m going to lump them
together. But, if something is unique for eczema or psoriasis, I’ll be sure to let you know :)

And, for the sake of simplicity (and because both eczema and psoriasis are a finger twister to
type), I’m going to call them E&P throughout this masterclass.

Seriously…try typing eczema and psoriasis. Is it just me or is it hard on the fingers???

What are some causes of Eczema and Psoriasis (E&P)?

Underneath both of these conditions is an overstimulated and overwhelmed immune system.

Click here to pop over to last month’s masterclass to learn more about an overwhelmed immune
system.

https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-45-part-1

And, there are a few factors that point this overwhelmed immune system at the skin, and we’re
going to talk about just that in this section :). One of the reasons it affects the skin may be due to
“leaky skin”.

What is “Leaky Skin”?

Leaky skin is a way of describing broken spots in the skin barrier, like we use the term “leaky gut”
to talk about broken spots in the intestinal barrier.

The skin is your largest organ and protects your body from outside assaults. And…there are some
chemicals in our day to day life that can break down this important very important barrier.
Allergens, pollutants, and microbes can enter your body if your skin’s barrier isn’t intact.

The outermost layer of our skin (the epidermis) is made up of 4 layers to protect us. There’s the
basal layer, the spinous layer, the grandular layer, and the stratum corneum. These layers are held
together by tight junctions, just like in the intestines.

Research is beginning to show that damage to the epidermis increases your risk of eczema and
psoriasis. There’s also evidence that having a leaky gut increases your risk too.
What triggers Eczema and Psoriasis? (E&P)

Your skin may be susceptible to a flare up due to those irritants, but you need something to
trigger a flare up. In my experience I’ve noticed that E&P have a few common triggers (you may
have one or a few of these):

Food sensitivities (you’re eating something that triggers inflammation in you)

Inflammatory foods, like sugar (foods that trigger inflammation in everyone)
Irritation of the skin, like an irritating detergent, cream, or metal (like nickel)
High histamine in the body
Stress

I’ve noticed that stress is the most common addition to an eczema response. I’ve had clients who
could eat anything they want on vacation and had no eczema issues, but then they come home
and back to their stressful jobs & non-allergen diet and their eczema will flare up. Stress is a key
factor for many…and be kind to yourself because it’s often something we can’t control.

It can take some trial and error to find your triggers, so some patience is needed. We’ll also look
at topical helpers that can reduce the itching, cracking, and bleeding.

Lifestyle Triggers

Sometimes we unintentionally irritate our skin throughout our daily life. Here are a few things
that can irritate the skin and make it more prone to a flare up.

Dry skin

Eczema sufferers also tend to have very dry skin. This is a sign the natural oil barrier on your skin
is weak and that allows the skin to be much more sensitive to irritation. You may have noticed this
yourself, your skin is more prone to an eczema breakout when it gets very dry. Keeping it happily
hydrated can make a but difference :)

Handwashing, Hot Showers, and Hot Tubs

Three years inside a global pandemic has really taught us one thing – wash your hands a lot! But,
that’s particularly tricky if you have eczema on your hands. Hot showers and hot tubs can also dry
out your skin and make it worse.

Antibacterial soaps and soap with SLS will exacerbate the problem, so as much as you can, avoid
those. It’s partially the chlorine in your shower and hot tub that dries out your skin, so getting a
chlorine filter for your shower is really helpful (I got a water softener/chlorine filter on Amazon
for about $35). Rinsing off after a dip in your hot tub can also help and take shorter, cooler
showers.

About 10 years ago I lived in a condo building that had a hot tub that was open year-round. I
LOVED hopping in it on a cold day and even ran for it after a few polar bear swims (it was also
lakefront, so it was a short run).

I noticed that every time I enjoyed myself in the hot tub my finger would develop a super itchy
spot of eczema. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. My solution at the time was to bathe in the glorious hot
tub, but I kept my hand out (which was a tad difficult). I wish I had thought of just having a quick
shower afterward, I bet it would have helped a lot :)

Scented Laundry Detergent and other strong fragrances

I really REALLY dislike scented laundry detergent, it’s pretty much my biggest pet peeve. The
chemically laden scent sticks to clothes and I come home smelling of it when visiting friends.
Ugggg. That (annoying to me) scent is a major skin irritant and it sticks to the skin for hours/days.
Unscented or naturally scented (using essential oils) laundry detergents can make a big
difference for your skin and they’re easy to find. I’ve been having a love affair with laundry strips
while living in the RV (no space for a big bottle), but every type of option is available (liquid,
powder, strips).

How do you know if something is scented with essential oils vs a chemically created scent? Easy
– chemically-created scents stick around for a very long time, but essential oils don’t. If your
lotion or detergent continues to waft scent after a few hours, then it’s definitely a scent to avoid.

Sleep

Your skin cells regenerate the most while you’re sleeping, so prioritizing sleep when you’re in
the midst of a flare up can really help. Check out our Sleep masterclass if you need some help
catching some Zzzzzzs.

https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-4-intro

Stress…yes, stress affects your skin a lot

As I’ve already mentioned, I’ve seen this with my own eyes. Stress increases symptoms.

And, the research agrees. Stress increases inflammation and it can also make the itchiness worse
(like that’s what we need when stressed, more itch!).

But, it’s not the only trigger. I’ve noticed that it makes things worse but doesn’t create
symptoms on its own. Once you know your trigger, then your stress reaction won’t affect your
skin as much :)
What about topical corticosteroids and other conventional treatments?

There are a few people on TikTok who are sharing their journey of recovery from chronic topical
steroid treatment. They’re worth checking out if you’re on TikTok, their experience is intense.

Topical corticosteroids work by suppressing the immune response that triggered eczema. They
do this through our stress response – corticosteroids and cortisol are similar (cortisol’s inactive
form is actually cortisone). This will give you relief and can be helpful at times. For some, it
breaks the outbreak cycle and you can get relief for months or even years.

And, they weaken your skin’s barrier, making it more susceptible to future flare ups…which
when treated with corticosteroids can prolong the cycle of flare ups.

Think of them as a treatment, not a cure. Use them when you feel they’re necessary while being
aware of the potential side effects. Sometimes, they’re worth their weight in gold when a flare up
is extra irritating. I’ve used them myself in this regard, while also looking at natural ways to stop
the cycle from the inside :)

Now that you know a bit more about E&P, let’s look at how to heal it :)

Part 2 - Healing Eczema & Psoriasis

In this part, I’m going to take you through some of the ways to find your unique triggers so you
can know your body better and get a better handle on E&P.

If you’re in the midst of a terrible flare up, you might want to scroll down to the “immediate
relief” section first and once you’re feeling better you can go through the trigger section :)
Look for Triggers

This will take some trial and error and I’m going to put the different things to try into a general
order of easiest -> hardest. But, you don’t need to follow this order, feel free to try the one that
feels easiest to you.

1. Remove external irritants –

Are there things in your life that are triggering your symptoms? Like creams, soaps, or is your
skin super duper dry? There are more ideas in the lifestyle section :)

My two main triggers are dry skin (especially on my hands) and nickel. I keep a thick, luxurious
lotion on hand throughout the winter and it makes a huge difference. This winter has been
particularly dry and my mother-in-law made an amazing body butter that has helped a ton!

For my nickel sensitivity, this only happens when my histamine is high…but it causes an
incredible amount of itching. Most of my jewelry is now nickel-free and I put clear nail polish on
nickel that’s hard to avoid (backs of watches, rivets in jeans, etc).

Look for things in your life that might be triggering a flare up and see if there’s an easy switch.
There are more ideas below in the lifestyle section. I can help if you’re struggling to find an
alternative, just post it on our Private Facebook Page :)

2. Lower Histamine (impt for eczema)

I believe high histamine is one of the most potent causes of eczema, and research backs this up.
Research has directly connected high histamine with increased symptoms
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19197542/).
This is actually good news – lowering histamine isn’t overly difficult and we have a whole
masterclass on it :)

Click here to learn more about high histamine, the other symptoms that can go along with it, plus
a guide to reduce your histamine levels. You may notice a difference in the itchiness of your skin
after just a few days on a low histamine diet.

https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-44-intro

3. Follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet (impt for psoriasis)

Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition and following an anti-inflammatory diet can be really

helpful. And, happily, we have a whole masterclass on this topic :)

https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-25-intro

4. Elimination Diet to look for food sensitivities (consider esp. for psoriasis)

There are times, due to leaky gut, that your digestion doesn’t fully break down the protein you
eat. This undigested protein can slip through any broken spots in your intestinal lining and it’s
greeted by the immune system.

80% of your immune system lives around the gut and is watching for any invaders trying to
sneak through the gut lining. The problem is, that undigested protein looks just like a virus or
bacteria to your immune system…so it launches a full-scale attack.

But, it’s not a virus, it’s a bit of undigested gluten. And tomorrow you might eat a bit more, so the
immune system is always on high alert. This can be why your immune system is
overactive/overstimulated. It has been constantly triggered by a mild food sensitivity in your
diet.
There are a few ways to find your food sensitivity:
You can get an IgG blood test through a naturopathic doctor to find the foods you have
antibodies to. WARNING – these tests can be helpful but they’re overwhelming, and you still
need to find out which food on your list is triggering your symptoms.
Elimination diet – this can feel more difficult than just getting a blood test, but it will tell you
exactly what food is causing your symptoms. I recommend starting with an elimination diet
and seeking out a blood test only if you can’t find your offending food.

If you’d like to try an elimination diet, here’s your guide (from the inflammation masterclass):
https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-25-part-4

Get Some Immediate Help

If you’re in the midst of a nasty flare up, here are things that can help you today :)

Topical Helpers:

Aloe Vera –
You can get this as a gel or cream from a health food store or keep an aloe plant on hand. Apply
as much as needed, at least 2 – 3 x per day.

Natural Eczema creams –

Thick, natural body butter is full of healthy fats help soothe the skin and speed up healing. Often,
they also calm down the itchiness.

Here are a few options:

Body Butter by Joyous Health

Joy of Joyous Health is an eczema sufferer herself and it looks like this body butter was
formulated for dry eczema-prone skin : https://shopjoyoushealth.com/body-butter/
Goodbye Eczema Cream by Back to Earth
I’ve tried this one and it works really well. It’s helpful just for super, mega dry skin.
https://getbacktoearth.com/collections/canadian-kisolite-clay/products/goodbye-eczema-
cream

Moisturize CONSTANTLY

If you get E&P on your hands, be sure to moisturize your hands as often as possible. Keep some
lotion by your sinks so you can reapply every time you wash your hands.

Skin Healing foods:

WATER!
Yes, just regular H2O is really important for your skin. Dry skin is a potent sign that your body is
dehydrated. And dry skin can trigger a P&E flare up.

Every day your water needs may change because it’s affected by the water in the food you eat,
the amount you’re talking, and how humid the air is. Always look to your urine to see if you’re
hydrated. If it’s pale yellow or clear = you’re hydrated! If it’s dark yellow = drink more! If it’s
crazy bright yellow = you just had some B vitamins, check back later.

Bone Broth-
This glorious and traditional food is a great gut healer, and for the same reason, it’s a great skin
healer. The type of cell that lines the gut is the same as your skin (epithelial cells), so it makes
sense that gut healers also help your skin :)

Bone broth is very high in gelatin which is the healer. To get a broth with a lot of gelatin, you
need to simmer it for a long time (24 – 72 hours). But, it’s very easy to make. Here’s a recipe
https://lisakilgour.com/articles/2017/2/13/recipe-bone-broth
The cruciferous family of veggies, esp. Broccoli and Broccoli Sprouts
The whole cruciferous family is wildly healthy (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, etc). These
foods are really high in sulforaphane, which the body uses for many things, including
detoxification and healing the skin.

Broccoli sprouts are extra high in sulforaphane, 50x higher in fact! They can be found in some
grocery stores or you can grow them yourself :)

Apples
I love a crunchy gala apple, it’s my favourite afternoon snack. Apples are extra high in the natural
antihistamine quercetin. It’s also high in pectin fibre which is wonderful for the gut.

But, some with high histamine get an allergic reaction to all raw fruit. If this is you, just skip this
one (and head to the histamine masterclass to help reduce your symptoms).

Hemp seeds and Hemp Oil

These foods are high in antioxidants and essential fats. Hemp oil has a glorious green colour and
I’ve used it topically to reduce my eczema symptoms (and it worked SO WELL!).

When we eat these foods we help increase the essential fats in our body, especially GLA, which is
wonderful for the skin.

A small tip – if you can find hempseed butter, it’s pretty glorious. Or, at least I really like it :). But
it’s hard to find these days L.

Pumpkin Seeds
They’re super high in zinc which is great for the skin. Zinc is highly concentrated in the skin and
can help reduce redness in the skin and helps the skin heal faster. Zinc also protects our
important lipid (fat) layer in the skin, which helps strengthen your skin’s barrier.
Lifestyle Helpers –

Digestive Habits
Man, if I had a nickel for the # of times my first recommendation to solve a health condition is
good digestive habits, I’d be rich.

Good digestive habits are extra important for E&P. When we eat quickly, chew poorly, and rush
through a meal, we don’t digest the proteins in our meal properly…and it’s undigested protein
that’s at the heart of a food sensitivity.

So, for the sake of your skin – be relaxed while eating, eat slowly, chew your food well, and limit
liquids with meals. These are really hard habits, but they make a world of difference!

Use a Humidifier
As you may have noticed, I’m spending the winter in an RV and humidity is an RV killer. The walls
are so thin that they get really cold and condensation builds…and that can grow nasty mold.

So, to borrow the best description I’ve ever heard from a fellow RVer – it’s drier than a popcorn
fart in my place right now. And my skin is SUFFERING!

For those of you living in a proper house, condo, or apartment, a humidifier can make a huge
difference (I can’t wait to pull out my humidifier again). Indoor humidity around 50% is much
kinder to your skin, but, if you live somewhere moldy, it’s best to keep it under 40% (which feels
very dry).

Hang out with some trees –

Nature is wonderful for your microbiome and trees give off negative ions and essential oils (like
terpenes) that calm your nervous system and put you into a relaxed state. So, go play with some
trees and get dirty :)
Sunlight (esp for Psoriasis)
The sun is a wonderful source of Vitamin D and UV therapy is a potent natural treatment for
psoriasis. Get about 15 mins of mid-day sun on as much skin as possible. You can get upwards of
15,000IU in just one 15 min sunbath :)

Take short and preferably lukewarm showers (and get a chlorine filter if possible)
Those hot showers may feel wonderful at the moment but they wreak havoc on your skin.
Shorten your showers to 5 mins or so and cool them down a bit…it really helps.

If you can add a chlorine filter on your shower as well, your skin will be so much happier :).

Supplements

These supplements can be helpful to both heal and prevent a flare up :)

Borage Oil – 3000mg per day

Borage oil contains GLA, which is an essential fat that’s particularly good at helping the skin. Fish
oil is also great and can be taken instead or with borage oil (they each contain different essential
fats).

Low levels of these essential fats can make it harder for your immune system to clean up your
inflammatory response and they help your body create the natural oil barrier on your skin. This
helps to reduce the effect of outside irritants. Borage oil also helps to hydrate the skin and helps
bring out a natural glow :).

Vitamin D – 2000 – 5000IU per day

Vitamin D is essential for the immune system to stay in balance and keep inflammation in check.
Your skin makes Vitamin D when exposed to the sun and Vitamin D helps to strengthen the
barriers of your skin.
The connection between low Vitamin D status and eczema has been found in research. Low
Vitamin D levels in pregnant women have shown to be connected to higher rates of eczema in
their babies.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27145360/

Quercetin - 1000mg - 3000mg per day

This is a natural antihistamine and makes a world of difference if your flare ups are connected to
histamine. There’s more on it in the histamine masterclass, and I take it every day to keep my
histamine levels down.

Turmeric – 2500mg per day (or ½ tsp of turmeric powder

Turmeric is on many supplement lists I create for good reason. It’s a very potent anti-
inflammatory and antioxidant, and both properties are good for E&P.

If you’re tired of taking pills, a delicious mug of turmeric golden milk each day can be a very
absorbable way to get your dose of turmeric. Here’s a recipe:
https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-vegan-golden-milk/

Chaga and/or Reishi mushroom

Medicinal mushrooms are potent immune balancers, and chaga is especially good at helping the
skin and gut heal. Reishi is particularly good at calming down auto-immune conditions and is a
good choice if you’re dealing with psoriasis.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the world of medicinal mushrooms, check out our masterclass:
https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-40-intro
 Long-term Solution – Rebalance Microbiome

We don’t often think about the microbiome on our skin. Most body bacteria conversations
center around the gut bacteria, but our skin houses about 1 billion bacteria per square
centimeter! (for our US friends, that’s less than ½ inch square).

We have bacteria all over our skin (and even on our eyeballs) and they love to hang out in warm
spots, like the bend of your knee, skin folds, and groin.

Every time we wash our body (incl our hands) we remove some of that bacteria and change the
ecosystem. This is one of the reasons there’s a bit of an anti-shower movement going on
(something my husband kinda joined during the lockdowns :).

Playing in the dirt, kissing, and petting an animal are ways to rebuild your ecosystem. Time in
nature is particularly helpful. Our ecosystems originally developed surrounded by nature, this
city life many live is a very new concept.

Also, an imbalance in your body’s microbiome (including the gut) can increase inflammation,
which can trigger symptoms.

Once you’ve found your triggers and reduced your symptoms, head over to the microbiome
rebuilding masterclass to rebuild your gut and your skin’s microbiome.

https://www.yourbeautifullife.ca/masterclasses-all/month-38-intro

Please note – this masterclass is all about the gut, but the gut bacteria influence the skin, so
you’re doing double duty. Get outside into nature to speed that process up :)
 In Conclusion

Finding your triggers and healers for your skin can be an individual journey and I hope this
masterclass has given you some guidance and helps you on your way.

You don’t need to follow all of the advice laid out here either, just pick a few that seem
interesting to you and let your intuition guide you. If you’re struggling and you don’t know where
to start, send me a message or post it on our private facebook group, I’m happy to help :)

And I send hope for many itch-free days ahead! ❤️