Mach said:

I absolutely despise the org bug.



Anyways, thanks Mach. I will seriously look into this now as I need to find SOMETHING that works.

Imago said:

This stuff works.

Nothing 'cures' eczema forever in most patients, when the cause isn't completely known. But neem oil's got a fantastic reputation nonetheless.

Do you have asthma, Dan? Lung and skin conditions (eczema, dishydrosis) very commonly go hand-in-hand, unfortunately.

The dermatologist asked me if I had asthma or sinus problems. I looked at him like he was insane cause I don't have asthma and only got the skin rash this January.



But then I thought about it.

In 1995, I had post nasal drip, and it hurt my throaght so bad, I had to get anti-biotics to cure it.

In 2002, I had Sinusitus so bad, I had to do a 5 day water fast to cure it.

I think these are related to my condition, and I think my condition is related to the chemicals I surround myself with.


Seriously.

What do you wash your clothes with? Have you considered alternatives for that? I used to break out as a child and was allergic to most laundry deteregents and fabric softeners. I've outgrown it for the most part, thank goodness, but I would get bumps and rashes all the time as a child until my mother figured out which ones we could safely use.

Your dermis is one large organ...

Imago said:

In a way, it TOTALLY makes sense when you think about it.

Your dermis is one large organ wrapping your body. Surface/air irritants are pissing it off.

When you inhale, that air and those same particles are being introduced to the inside of your body via the LUNGS. Your lungs are made of cellular tissue as well. Our throats, lungs, nasal passages are obviously going to react the same way our skin does.

If you haven't already, I recommend joining a Yahoo! or Google group for your skin disorder. I have hand dishydrosis, and because of the input of the other members, I've been able to expand my options as to why my skin gets so fucked up.

Ideas on allergy tests, home remedies, meds to push for and to stay away from, questions to ask your dermatologist, nickel and other metallic allergies and foods which are high in those metals, proper anti-allergen cookware, specific meat processing, pesticides, skin and HAIR PRODUCTS all play major parts in our fight for decent skin.

Biggest factors: stress, beauty, cooking, and cleaning products, and DIET are huge as you probably already know. I'm switching to organic and switching jobs. Seriously.

Lastly, your kidneys, spleen, and liver might be toxic. Those are also directly linked to skin dryness and eczema.

INSATIABLE said:

I swear I'm not trying to smut up this thread, but that made me laugh...

ok, I'll leave now....

CarrieMpls said:

I started getting my rashes around the time I swapped to a high energy soaps. I cut that out and went with no-fragrance soaps, which didn't help.


Next, I'm going to use 7th generation non-phosphorous soap to see if that does the trick.


Also, my washer does a second and third rinse if I set it to that. And I do.

I'm also starting to suspect hair products :suicide:

Next, I'm going to use 7th generation non-phosphorous soap to see if that does the trick.


Also, my washer does a second and third rinse if I set it to that. And I do.

Imago said:

Could it be your water?

I'm itching just thinking about all this shit.

INSATIABLE said:

roodboi's last two posts suck ass.

Imago said:

I prefer them over the ones with text.

CarrieMpls said:

Yes, it could be.

The water here has alot of sulfur and chlorine in it. I mean, ALOT.
I'v installed a chlorine shower filter 5 months ago thinking there was a link.
So far, not real improvement, although overall, since the beginning of the year, the eczema is getting a bit better.


I've gone so far as to suspect it has something to do with my weight gain this last year and a half and what it might be doing to my immune system? That's being addressed right now, and I'm totally reaching in that theory, but I'm looking at all possibilities.

It could also be related to my sisters cats? Though I actually started my first skin rash reactions in December, previous to their moving in.

Imago said:

I'm sorry, Dan. A year of eczema would drive me batty.

OK, some of you may know that since January of this year, I discovered I have eczema, which is a condition in which my immune system freaks out over allergens. Where most people sneeze or get puffy eyes, I don't actually suffer from those symptoms. Rather, my skin on my arms break out in rashes instead.

It brought me on along journey of reading, studying, and pursuing solutions that help me minimize the irritants in my environment--namely, household chemicals.

People, I'm not just being some kind of hippy pussy when I say this--household cleaners are ExTREMELY TOXIC and poisoning you. THEY SHOULD NOT BE USED IN A HOUSE.

Here in America, makers of cleaning products are not required to list the ingredients in their products, as they've lobbied congress so they can "protect intellectual property" and not giveaway their competitive secrets. Instead of getting ingredients, we get warning labels that tell us to flush our eyes out for 15 minutes, call poison control, or pray if swallowed.

Here are some solutions I've been using in the last month that are amazing, and I can't believe I never did them before--they simply work as well and better than the commercial products.

NOTE: The initial dollar investment in doing this cost a bit more, but the sustainable financial impact reduced your costs significantly.

THINGS TO USE:

1. Essential Oils (they cost about 4 to 6 dollars for a bottle), which you can get at any health food store, like GNC or a Natural grocer. Don't be fooled by the oil fragrances that are sold near incense in the grocery store--those are petroleum based and stuffed with chemicals.

2. Vinegar - NOTHING beats vinegar for cleaning. For between 1 and 2 dollars you can get more than a gallon's worth of distilled vinegar at the store.

3. Baking Soda - 88 cents per box, you can stock up on these very cheaply.

5. Table Salt & Lemons

6. Olive Oil (make sure it's first cold pressed, which is chemical free). Many grocery stores now carry the cold pressed olive oils you used to only find in health food and organic groceries due to the increased demand. Though not cheap, they are more economical for use (as I'll show below) than the chemical alternatives.




THINGS I USE THEM FOR:

Furniture Polish:

I mix 3 tablespoons Olive oil, and a teaspon (or half a lemon) of lemon juice. I add about 3 drops of orange essential oil, and 2 drops of jasmine essential oil (the essential oil is optional, but adds a terrific soothing fragrance). The only essential piece of this formula is the olive oil. The rest are added for fragrance. (the solution is still cheaper than buying pledge, and it is COMPLETELY chemical free). You'll be amazed at the wonderful aroma the combination above gives off though.

FLOOR MOPPING:

1 Gallon warm water, 1 Cup Vinegar, 5 drops orange essential oil, 5 drops Eucalyptus essential oil. If you have non toxic natural dish washing soap (like 7th Generation or other non phosphorus soap), add a teaspoon. The Eucalyptus adds a "clean" smell, the vinegar does the cleaning, and the orange sweetens the smell. The only essential product here is Vinegar to the water, but the essential oils mask the smell of the vinegar which some people don't like. Again, this is completely non toxic and chemical free, and works as well as any commercial solution.

tile cleaner:

3 lemons squeezed, a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of salt. Rub on your tile and let it sit there for 30 minutes (or more if you have the patience). Come back and scrub the tile and rinse. This is not as effective as comet, I admit, but it is completely chemical free, and non toxic--well, other than if you swallow al that salt.

CARPET DEODORIZER

This solution surprised me the most the first time I used it. It makes your carpet and room smell great. Take one small box of baking soda, and empty it into a small plastic container (a Rubbermaid container works fine). Add 20 drops of orange essential oil, 12 to 15 drops of Jasmine essential oil, and 5 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil. Let it sit for about 4 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle on your carpet, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Vacuum, and you'll be amazed at the pleasant smell. Far nicer than the petroleum based fragrances that are poisoning your air.



Don't be put off on the initial investment, as bottles of essential oils can run 5 to 6 bucks (or more dependng the fragrance). The benefit here is that the essential oil bottles last forever cause you only use tiny drops at a time. I started a month ago doing this, and I reckon I have at least 5 to 6 months left with the same bottles before I run out.



In the long run, not only will you be chemical free, and free of toxins with these solutions, you'll end up saving alot of money.



I love this shit.

Anyways, back to the subject of great cleaning solutions!

Cleaner for Electronics

1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of nutmeg
1 pack of menthol Halls cough drops(lemon or cherry only)
A sprinkle of sugar
And 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

Bring water to a boil. Add cough drops, nutmeg and butter.
Stir for about 5 mins then let it sit.
After about 5 mins, sprinkle in sugar.








Im lying
Just wanted to fit in and try to feel smart

Imago said:

1. Bathrooms. What about sinks, toilets, linoleum, and shower stalls? Vinegar there as well?

2. The floor cleaner you mentioned--do you think it's safe for hardwood, or just linoleum?

3. What is GSE? I can always Google it later tonight, but ???

4. I can't wait to use your carpet cleaner on mine!

GSE Grapefruit Seed Extract

and you can use it for many many different things

INSATIABLE said:

GSE Grapefruit Seed Extract

and you can use it for many many different things

Mach said:

I would be careful with linoleum, oils could stain or remove its color.
Or even melt it.

horatio said:

yes they can - I do not have any linoleum in my home
hardwoods and tile

Mach said:

lucky you. in my previous home it was all hardwood and tile.
im not ready to rip up the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors or rip out the floors to the floor joists in the foryer/kitchen area and replace it with actual tile....yet, unless i do linoleum again ... its supposedly a natural product.