Re: Tired of living like a hermit

Yes I have the exact same problem. It starts as a dark/bright red colour on the inferior part of the lip, then comes the cycle of drying/peeling. Besides my dermatitis/ Psoriasis I have noticed a tendancy to sneeze as though a sudden cold/flu developed after having certain foods.. but I've not been able to establish exactly what. I long ago cut out gluten (no change), dairy/meat (no change after 2 months). I get a blocked up sinus and a groggy (cold/flu) like feeling which accompanies the lip inflammation which does seem to point towards an autoimmune response ... Much like you I'm on a special diet - anti-inflammation diet.. My lips respond so unpredictably it's next to impossible to establish a pattern. For example this morning I worked out (weights - but did not drink any fluid for the 30-40mins) I did not feel thirsty or dehydrated or even sweat and the workout was relatively low intensity.. after finishing the session my lips were white with build up (as though I had just gotten out the shower). This is after having had the same fruit smoothie I've eaten for the past 2 months every morning with no observable effect on the lips...


Perhaps it's possible that the body is so chronically low in a vital nutrient it is pulling whatever reserves there are of it from the lips to help either the bodies autoimmune response OR deficiency/toxicity in one nutrient which is preventing the body from absorbing/metabolising other nutrients needed during exericse and in general health... If the body is responding in an autotuned way to seemingly non-threatening foods then the anti-inflammation/candida diet would surely see some postive changes.. perhaps chronically low d3 (from sunlight) in some of our cases is enough to block absorbtion of other vital nutrients - why wouldn't more people be suffering EC though ? Either way I'm betting it will take months to establish whether digestion issues lie at the heart of this but I'm certainly having a shot at it.

Using intuition and observation and so many years of trying to work it out I'm not convinced it's allergy/sensitivity.. because the lips seem to peel regardless, I can't be certain it's related to specific foods/food groups. We can talk about disease/virus as a potential culprit but I've had enough bloodtests for them to point at something.. the only thing that came back from my second to last blood test was high heamoglobin, I've yet to get the results of the latest one. So in answer to your question : I'm still not sure...

In trying to get to the route of the skin problems.. I have noticed a reduction (70-80%) in my facial/skalp dermatitis by increasing my zinc intake.. in my case (I'm vegan) sources are pumpking seeds, chia, flax seeds, mushrooms.. it's definately helped with that after only 2-3 days... but I'd expect months for dietary changes to have any longterm affect so I can only hope it stays like this. I've no trouble with routine so adding some foods high in zinc it's no issue for me. The trouble is if the increased zinc is only masking the real issue, or wheather I'm genuinely zinc deficient, or deficient in another nutrient dependant on zinc for absorbtion. Considering the stated RDA for zinc is over 10mg it's definately not a nutrient I've been managing to maintain intake at those levels at any point in my life... I have eaten meat (good zinc sources) generously in the past but perhaps not consistently enough to maintain healthy levels. Here is an interesting read : https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/ I hate suggestion things to people as it's just one disappointment after another trying new and sometimes bizzare things.. but can I suggest you up your zinc levels? No need for a supplement, you can find it in plentiful sources from whole foods.. in your case (I'm assuming your not vegan) oysters contain abundent amounts of zinc, if you can get your hands on them? Once you start though make sure to maintain the intake so that your body gets accustomed (gives the body chance to build up a reserve) - sorry I'm sure you already know all this. I could go on and on. Tweet