Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Detox Symptom?

1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

I posted a topic about 8 or 9 days ago about some tiny itchy red bumps that had formed on and around the perimeter of my mouth. I went to a pharmacist who directed me to some hydrocortisone cream. She thought it was contact dermatitis, perhaps from a moisturizer or a cosmetic. The cream seemed to be working, but now the bumps are back and the itch has extended to other places as well (behind my ears, backs of my hands, sometimes my cheeks and the side rib area halfway between my waist and armpits). The other areas don’t have the bumps. They’re just itchy. I’m fearing that this is an allergic reaction to something I’m eating, but it’s odd that there’s no irritation or itch inside my mouth. I read on a website link provided in the Newbie sticky post in New To Raw that allergies from earlier in life and rashes can pop up during the detox phase.

Has anyone experienced anything like I’m describing and was it an allergy to a food or something you put on your skin, or was it a symptom of detox? For the record, the bumps around my mouth are neither acne nor cold sores. They’re the size of tiny goose bumps. I normally have exceptionally clear skin. I only get a few zits per year. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • ladydaventryladydaventry Raw Newbie

    I have something very similar… I posted about it last week thinking it was cold sores. None developed but the rash spread. I still wear make up over it but it goes very dry and when I take my make up off it is still uniform red bumps. I bought some Cortisone cream from CVS so I am hoping that will help it somewhat. I have also been on high lysine food just incase it is some kind of cold sore. Coeliacs often get a similar rash on their face – it could always be impetigo or candida. So many possibilities!!

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    I would try some grapefruit seed extract (GSE), which you can buy in most health food stores. Dilute 24 drops in a cup of water and apply to the area twice daily. Do not strengthen the mixture as GSE is a very strong anti-microbal and if not properly diluted can irritate your skin.

    If the rash gets worse after 3 days or does not go away after regular use for 10 days then whatever you have the GSE is not taking care of.

    I recommend GSE to so many people because of my experience with it. I don’t ever recall someone having an issue that it didn’t get rid of or help, although I am sure those cases exist. It safely kills over 600 bacteria, viruses, and fungi. If your issue is any of those you should be okay and what is thought to be contact dermatitis may not be an allergic reaction.

    I am allergic to raw mangoes, which are my favorite fruit. I can’t eat them without taking a benadryl first. If I eat them without benadryl, I get what I call monkey-mouth, which is a fast spreading rash that starts around my mouth, moves onto my face, and then causes my eyes to swell shut within two days. Everyone is different and if you are indeed having an allergic reaction the GSE won’t work so it will help you figure out which it is.

    However, candida, like all illnesses, expresses itself in people differently. I haven’t had a yeast infection in years because I regularly take GSE internally and it works. When I used to get them, they too would start with small itchy bumps inside and around the corners of my mouth. If you want to treat yourself with GSE for candida and see what happens, you can do that by taking 10-15 drops in water (its very bitter) or a juice twice daily. If it is candida and you do this for 5 days, you will see a noticeable decrease in your symptoms and by 10 days they will be gone. Even though it is an anti-microbal, GSE will not kill your beneficial bacteria like pharmaceutical antibiotics will.

    Good luck.

  • Everyone has some good advice, I get something similar when I eat gluten products. Even beer apparently. Hope you find the problem!

  • I started breaking out in hives which itched intensly. I went to my doc and told him I had tried hydrocortisone cream, tea tree oil, canpho phenic and nothing helped at all. He told me to not use hydrocortisone cream because it would thicken and damage my skin but to use over the counter Aveeno Colloidial Oatmeal hand cream. I was very sceptical but suffering so I got some and after two applications the rashes would go away and stopped itching right away. I still am breaking out off and on and I think I have it narrowed down to either walnuts or blueberries. It is going to be a bummer if it is walnuts because I have 3 trees and that was going to be a big part of my winter nut supply!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Try taking Epsom Salt baths… try to stay away from the hydrocortisone cream, but use if “have to”.

    Much healing to you.

  • To Meditating: about the raw mangoes, I’ve heard that the resin from the mangoes can cause the break outs around your lips. Meaning if you don’t touch the skin, you should be able to eat it; try getting someone else to peel it for you. The reaction has to do with the oleoresin.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Thanks everyone! I’ll pick up some GSE today. I think I’ll take the online candida test too, so I know if I should use the GSE internally as well use it on the rash. I am really unhappy with the hydrocortisone cream. It made the skin on my lips feel strange. As rosehebrew suggested, I think the skin felt thicker. It has also really dried out the skin, so I’m looking a bit crusty, which is nasty. I’ve been hoping it’s just a detox symptom. I am mildy concerned that it might be a sensitivity to pesticides. I can’t buy all organic produce. It simply isn’t available where I live. Years ago, I got hives after eating half a dozen McIntosh apples. I thought I was allergic to apples, but allergy tests confirmed that I am not. The determination was that it must have been a reaction to whatever the apple was waxed and sprayed with. I avoided apples for years, but now that I’m raw, they’re nearly daily features in my fall diet. I try to buy organic apples, but sometimes they’re in bad shape or the only kind available are red delicious, which I don’t like. I give in and buy some of the many varieties that are available in the regular produce section. I try to wash them well, but I’m sure I’m eating residues of pesticides.

    I have a similar, though less extreme reaction to mangoes, Meditating. My lips sting a bit and my tongue and throat get irritated. It’s definitely the resins. As much as I love the sweet flavour of mangoes, I don’t eat them often. It happens for me with kiwifruit as well. If I eat a banana and some of the resin on the tip of the skin gets on my hands and somehow finds its way to my mouth, I get the same lip tingling sensation.

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    SWETA Thanks for that info. I thought it was something in the raw fruit because I can eat any pasteurized mango and I’m fine, but then I am not coming into contact with the peel.

    Oh my, what an awesome possibility. Thanks again. :)

    1SWEET PEA Let us know if the GSE works. If it a an allergic reaction, I don’t think it will help you at all. You can take GSE internally at 5 drops daily in liquid on occasion just to keep bacteria, viruses, fungi in check too.

    I often take it a week and then stop. Last week in the evening I was sure I was coming down with a cold. I felt tired and a little warm and achy and my nose was running constantly so I started taking GSE twice daily and 3 drops zeolite. The next day, I woke up feeling much better and didn’t take anything but by noon I had a very runny nose and some hacking.

    I started with GSE and zeolite twice daily and no symptoms after the next day and it was over. I could tell by the type of runny nose, sneezy, warm yet watery eyes with coughing that this was definitely a cold. I have never taken GSE or zeolite for these type of symptoms before. Whether it was one, the other, of the synergy of both, I never came down with a cold. I thought that was impressive.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    I just bought some zeolite. How interesting that you used it that way. I looked for GSE in the health section of a regular supermarket and came up empty. They had grapefruit essential oils, but the two brands indicated that the extract was from the peels, so I didn’t bother. This afternoon, I’ll head over to a store that sells herbal health items. Hopefully they’ll have it. The bumps look a little better today, but I’m still itchy behind the ears, on the backs of my hands and around my ribcage. I’ll try the GSE internally. I took an online Candida test and my questions put in the upper range of possibly having Candida, meaning basically on a scale of 1-10, I’m probably a 4 or a 5. I think the GSE sounds like a great way to get bacteria, etc. under control. Thanks again for the advice!

  • ladydaventryladydaventry Raw Newbie

    The cortisone cream may have helped but I have also cut out yeast and arginine rich foods for the past couple of weeks and it seems like the rash is dying down. I just put it down to stress but I am staying somewhere temporarily and my room is full of visible damp, all over the walls etc… This may also be a cause.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I get this and for me it is definitely detox. I get it on my feet when I excercise after not doing anything for ages. I think it is toxins coming out of my deep tissues out through my skin. It is really itchy and uncomfortable. I find that skin brushing or using those exfoliating gloves works wonders, you can still do that on your face. Maybe go for a facial to clear all the toxins out from your skin, or a facial massage. The pampering of it would be nice even if it doesn’t work ;)

  • I’ll give the GSE a try. I have eczema. These days it affects my ankles and tops of my feet. I keep giving in and putting the steroid cream on it, which I HATE, but when your feet are so swollen, they barely fit into your shoes and its hard to walk, you give in.

    But these past years, I have started to get little red bumps on my legs around the hair follicles. It used to happen after waxing or using an epilator. Sometimes they would turn into cysts. I went back to shaving. Since going raw, these bumps are appearing when I just shave and on my thighs for no reason. It’s very frustrating.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Hmmm. I wonder if the GSE will do anything for my BF’s psoriasis. He hates the steroid creams too, but he has to give in and use them. The psoriasis is getting worse, not better. He’s now going for acupuncture but there’s been no improvement in the 6 months that he’s been going. He’s not raw and won’t consider it, but aside from drinking alcohol, he’s pretty healthy otherwise. I should know. I do virtually all of the cooking. Maybe I’ll post a new thread on the topic of psoriasis, to see what others suggest he try.

    Pandorra, are those bumps simply ingrown hairs or are they some kind of skin irritation? I have some bumps on my legs right in the spot on the outsides of my calves. I think it’s from always crossing my legs when I’m sitting. I think I’ve forced some ingrown hairs in that area. It’s strange, but they’re not irritated in any way. They just never go away.

  • When I was doing the Epilator, I figured it was ingrown hair infections since my skin is so sensitive. But sometimes it would happen where the hair was already grown out. I actually have a couple scars now where they grew into big cysts. I started religiously and meticulously cleaning the Epilator after each use thinking bacteria was getting into the hair follicles after the hair was ripped out. It helped a bit, but not much.

    Earlier this year, I had what I thought was a gout episode on my elbow. But the docs said it was not gout but an infection from my eczema. Well I gave in and took the antibiotics but my elbow was scary, and all the bumps on my legs went away and I was able to epilate so nicely for about a month or two. Then it came back. So bacterial of some sort. Which is why I hope the GSE will help. Colloidal silver and coconut oil have not helped.

    And the eczema on my feet, forgettabouit. Stress contributes to that though.

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    There are many links out there that give info on GSE and its uses. You can google what you think you have and “grapefruit seed extract” and find it. Keep in mind, often what you think you have is not what you have though, GSE, unless not properly diluted, won’t hurt you anyway.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Meditating, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the following article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_seed_extract

    I've been using the GSE and was thinking of taking it along on my upcoming six-week vacation to India. I have a history of developing yeast infections when travelling in hotter climates (long sweaty bus and train rides don't help the issue). This year, rather than visit my doctor to get a prescription for Fluconazole (Diflucan), I thought a bottle of GSE would come in handy as an alternative. But, after reading the Wikipedia article, I'm concerned about what I'm taking. If it works, I still think it's a better option than a prescription drug, but if it's the synthetic preservatives that are providing the antimicrobial properties, I'm a bit concerned with what I'm ingesting, especially over the long term, even in low (maintenance) doses. If you have evidence that refutes the Wikipedia claims, I'd love to know about it. Thanks! BTW, I have the NutriBiotic brand, which is one of the two mentioned in the article.

  • Raw_OrleansRaw_Orleans Raw Newbie

    I know that Grapefruit_seed_extract is good to use as an anti-fungal for sprouting... Go to www.Iherb.com and look it up. then read the customer comments for a good idea of the effects it has on the body....

    If you decide to get some use My referal code DEW156 for $5.00 off your first purchase... Join the referal program to get you own referal code and get a 4% Commission when someone uses your code number...

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    For anyone who's interested, here's an update on my situation: The lip problem eventually subsided, though I've remained in this hyper-sensitive state in which nearly all foods (and maybe more than foods) seem to cause itchy bumps to form on my face (mostly jaw area). Sometimes, the itchies cover the neck and ears too. A week ago, my lips were quite chapped so I decided (on a whim) to try the Dr. Bronner's & Sun Dog's Magic Organic Lip Balm (Peppermint). BIG MISTAKE! Within an hour, my lips completely exfoliated all the chapped skin off and they felt like they were on fire. It was like red ants were coating my lips and the tissue surrounding them. Now, I'm stymied as to what caused the reaction. It could be pollen or propolis in the beeswax, or the beeswax itself. It could be peppermint oil or jojoba oil, but I don't think it's the hemp oil or avocado oil, since I've used both in salads, with no trouble. The confounding issue is that I'm finding that almost everything I eat is causing bumps to appear on my face that are itchy (no discolouration or whiteheads/pus). I could be completely clear, then eat an orange or an apple (organic) and the bumps are there within an hour. It can be a carrot, zucchini, arugula, anything. My point is: I'm not sure whether there is any specific allergy at play here or not. I seem to be sensitive to EVERYTHING. I've dropped back to about 50% raw, to try to settle things down, and am vegan, except for a little bit of fish here and there. I eat fairly cleanly, so it's not something non-raw that's causing this. Frankly, the higher raw I am, the worse the reaction. So, what to do? Someone suggested that I may have somehow triggered an out-of-control immune system response. This is interesting, but there was no suggestion as to how to deal with it. Another person suggested an intense 2-week course of probiotics. Maybe my 3 weeks of GSE use disturbed my gut flora and is causing this? I'm skeptical of this, since the bumps on the face were happening before I'd even heard about GSE. I'm getting very stressed about this, though, since I'm headed to India for 6 weeks and don't want to fear the food there. I'm excited to go and enjoy whatever vegetarian odyssey awaits. I fear that I'm going to have to bring loads of antihistamines for every major lip explosion or face-bump breakout and I desperately don't want to take antihistamines. I don't like the way they make me feel. I don't like medicines in general. I'm saddened that the cleaner my diet gets, the more sensitive I've become to everything. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow, but I don't expect him to have any answers on this topic. I will see a naturopath when I get back from India and perhaps undergo allergy testing, but until then, I'd like some sound advice, if anyone has any. ;-) For now, I'll do the 2-week course of probiotics, because, let's face it, it can't hurt. I'm so embarassed by my glowing monster lips. Right now, I look like a poor imitation of an Angelina Jolie wannabe. Laugh if you must, but it looks really weird. Actually, my lips look more like Renee Zellweger (seriously bee-stung). I could get over the lip issue, but this morning I woke up and my whole face was puffy with inflammation. I gave in and took an antihistamine. It's better now, but I'm still a bit puffy. HELP ... PLEASE!

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    i had some bumps like this, and my naturopath thought it was a b-vitamin deficiency. when i told her i was talking supplements, she was lost as to answers.

    i've now paid more attention to it and notice it comes to me when i eat a lot of pineapple. i have to moderate my pineapple consumption or just deal with the consequences. i've heard other people get this from pineapples.

    once i get it, the high acid in foods can trigger it to get worse. so i have to take a break from citrus fruit for awhile and stick to bananas, pears, etc.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    The lip inflammation seemed to trigger a rash and hives that took over my face, neck and behind my ears. I submitted to antihistamines, but they turned out to be useless. I woke up Sunday morning looking like a blowfish. I had to go to the emergency room at the hospital, where they gave me a 5-day course of Prednisone to shut my immune system down temporarily, since it seems to be way out of control. The medical profession believes that I had an allergic reaction to something in the lip balm, at which point my immune system went nuts and started attacking everything. I was reacting to a moisturizer that I use regularly, which probably made the facial breakout and inflammation worse. Interestingly, I went to see an acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine. She believes it to be a digestive problem, absorption problem and adrenal exhaustion. She thinks I may not have any specific allergies, but my immune system is acting up to compensate for many other organs and systems that are not functioning optimally. Certainly, in light of my history with eating disorders it is very possible that my body is not functioning well at all. It would certainly explain a whole lot. Anyway, the hives seem to pop out at any time, which is why I can't pin the reactions to specific foods or products. I will see an allergist when I return from 6 weeks in India, but until then, my medical doctor wants me to take a prescription antihistamine and carry Prednisone in case of major outbreaks and inflammation.

    Bitt, your comments have been very thought-provoking. I certainly seem to react to high acid foods too. I get cankers from pineapple unless it is sugary-sweet. It also makes my lips burn, as do kiwifruits. I was getting a reaction from clementines as well, though I don't believe I'm allergic to them. The same happens with apples. Perhaps it is the acid which is triggering the mild responses. I know when my lips are swollen, lemon or lime juice (or my beloved non-raw balsamic vinegar) make the situation worse.

    Funny how these crises really help to bring us back to basics. I'm now using Vaseline on my lips and virgin coconut oil as a moisturizer for hands and face. I'm gun-shy of all of my moisturizers and lip balms, even the organic, more natural ones. I've been avoiding most fruits the last week or two, but it's led me back to more cooked food than I want, so I'm going to start easing the fruits back in one by one. It will be a challenge staying healthy in India, I suspect, in light of the extreme sensitivity of my system. My fingers are crossed though that I won't have too many problems and can enjoy what should be a fabulous adventure. On the Chinese doctor's advice, I will do a parasite cleanse when I return (she thinks I have parasites right now) and begin treatment with her to regulate my body systems.

    Thanks again, for all the advice and suggestions, everyone! They are much appreciated!

Sign In or Register to comment.