To go on a fruit and vegetable-only diet?

[HelloKlitty]

Because according to DH I am "being ridiculous"

I have very senstive skin (and I'm a bit overweight) nd last year I got this weird rash on my face which the dermotologist thought was all kinds....anyway...he has now said its a rare thing which is hard to treat but could improve with topical steroids or laser....I have an appointment with him on Monday next week to get some sort of treatment. The rash is only small but as I am so pale it really stands out and I hate it...its hard to cover even with scar cover makeup.

Last night I read on a forum about a woman with a related condition (but less rare) who after thirty years, went on an elimination diet and found massive improvemnet....she was basically allergic to three foods.

I suspect I'm allergic to dairy....maybe other things...the only way to check atm is to eliminate all possibilities for a week....and see what happens...I could wait and ask the doc to refer me for testing but I bet he wont...he's old school...he'll want to zap me with chemicals and light.

DH thinks I am being irresponisble as I will be a nightmare with no coffee or proper food...I plan to eat only raw fruit and veg for three days and then introduce rice....and carry on like that if the rice has no affect...today I have begun the day with coffee with a splash of milk...as a gently way of getting into it....tomorrow I will have no caffeine or milk at all....and continue on.

He thinks this is a recurrence of my anorexia (it's not) I just want clear skin.

I know that Nerf but the thing is that it's more likely to be dairy or wheat as theyre most common...if there's no improvement then I will just reintroduce the foods and see a specialist...IfI have to pay I will find the money somehow.

BIWI It's not "serious" it's just chronic. It won't spread all over or anything...it restricts itself to the area it appears on within the first year. There are no other effects.

And yes...he has confirmed it.

The very fact that it can suddenly resolve itself makes me think there is something to do with outside influences....it's not been well researched ye.t....they are still trying treatments out....imuno suppresents have shoed some success which is what made me think that allergies could play a part...allergies mess with your immunity and Granuloma is down the the skin attacking itself....which is t do with immunity.

I should tell you aswell that my rash is not nearly as bad as the pis on Google...

Why don't you want to consider the laser treatment?

You can take 'a holistic approach' whilst using medical treatment.

A holistic approach will do alot for emotional and physical wellbeing.

You need to have a honest talk with your GP, some conditions, need medication, i take tablets alongside other therapies, that is why they are called 'complimentary'.

You can buy non dairy products from any supermarket, so that you are having a wide range of food groups in your diet.

I don't think that you should make drastic changes without advice.

Because it can scar BIWI.....it doesn't always work....it just made sense to me to attempt to fix thngs from the inside out....Western Medicine is always treating the symptoms and not looking at the cause.

Well, yes, I have some sympathy for that - but in this instance, food/diet is not implicated in any way as far as I can see.

I'm more concerned that you're using this as a covert way to start dieting though. And restricting your body of key nutrients can't be a good way to deal with a condition related to your immune system.

The thing is, I think you are going to be very hungry. I had loads of fruit and veg in last week and thought I would be good and just eat that all day. I had loads - punnet of grapes, 3 apples, big salad for lunch but by about 4 o' clock I was really hungry and searching my kitchen for something more to eat. I would worry that as a former anorexic the hunger pangs might give you feelings of control etc, you might welcome them, and it might be a slippery slope from there.

A fruit and veg only diet will leave you with a very sore arse.
Don't be ridiculous.

Thanks everyone. I'll try to be sensible.

What does that mean?!

There is a cure for everything in nature but sometimes we have developed drugs that do it quicker and they don't always cause side effects.
Detoxing and using herbal remedies also cause the skin to release toxins or react, so can do the same 'damage' as short term steriod use.

Acupuncture is excellent for balance, what are you thinking about doing?

Are there any courses starting in your area in September in crystal healling, medication etc?

There is a cure for everything in nature

Hocus pocus bollocks. Wanna cure my cancer do you?
Fuck me I hate this crystal dangling crap.

That should have read 'meditation'.

I am a recovering anorectic, I will always be a recovering anorectic.

What you are considering doing is crazy and will set your illness off without a doubt, but somewhere in the back of your mind I guess you already know that.

Look, if you cut out all foods but fruit and veg looking for a supposed allergy then

a) what if it is caused by a particular fruit of veg variety?

b) when introducing each new food, seasoning, spice, additive, you will have to add just that into your diet for a minimum of three days to see if it has an effect before you can move onto the next, your little experiment is going to take you years.

Your immune system is probably shot to shit from the anorexia, goes with the territory, you need to be eating in a way that will carefully support that system, eat only fruit and veg and it will probably go into meltdown. Plus eating a diet with no protein is bad for your heart, which is probably quite buggered as well.

Please go with your GP suggestions and look after yourself.

Does "being sensible" mean you're going to go see a dietitician to get some proper advice and support?

lubberlitch we copy products from nature and make synetic copies.

Marie Curie use the dafodil because what it contails has been found to be useful in the treatment of cancer.

I didn't say reject medication, there is no need for your reaction. I would be dead if it were not for drugs.

The OP is interested in holistic healing, she has food issues, there are more appropriate treatments rather than taking tablets. She is an adult and entitled to automony, posters shouldn't be telling her what to do but offering advice about what is sensible.

YABU given your history of ED

You say it's about finding the trigger for the rash but then you talk about losing weight

You can eliminate certain food groups and eat substitutes instead, that is the way to do it. You need complex carbs, fat and protein in your diet which fruit and veg alone cannot provide.

The weight is a symptom of my over eating and lack of activity...which is a symptom of my general lack of energy and that in turn is a symptom of something else.

I will cut out dairy only....does that sound better? More useful? I ould talk to the dermo on Monday to seek his advice re. testing me for allergies...he may be up for it...or not...if I get some soy milk today and don'thave butter, cheese etc...at least that's ONE food group which I can monitor better.

I do appreciate all of your advice so much. It's certainly hard for me to hear some of it....anorexia makes me think in odd ways...I ratinalise things which are basically bullshit.

Dh is too close to me to help really. It is very hard to reaslise that the damage I caused myself in my teens and twenties may be partly responsible for my skin condition now.

It's interestin what WTWTA said about my heart being in bad condition....in facial mapping, the area where my rash is, corresponds to the heart.

If you think it's dairy then just cut out cow's milk products. Swap them for goat's products instead. It seems really overboard to cut out such huge food groups when you suspect it's dairy related.

My daughter had terrible, terrible eczema as a baby/toddler, it began about 12 months when I weaned her onto cow's milk. She'd bleed, it'd get infected and it just looked awful but my doc simply insisted on prescribing seriously strong steroid creams and every single time I filled the script the pharamcist would ask me if I was sure this was for such a young child. I suggested a dairy intolerance but he's very old skool and looked at me like I was suggesting aliens from Zog were abducting her and causing it. Point blank refused to have her tested. So I paid to have her tested and sure enough she reacted strongly to anything cow-related. Swapped it all for goat's instead and within two days it had amost completely cleared up. Dairy intolerance is known to cause skin problems. By replacing it for something equally nutritious you're not about to cut out major food groups and give yourself other side effects.

Anyhoo, take a look at a glass of cow's milk in comparison to a glass of goat's milk. You think cow's milk is white? it's not, it looks practically yellow in comparison and I dunno, it just seemed to be purer.