Wheat Belly and Exfoliative Keratolysis

[Rosie_P]

Hi Folks,

I'm not much of a blogger or a poster, but had to put this out there for others to receive help as well. I have an autoimmune condition called exfoliative keratolysis that effects my hands and feet. There is no cure (Air filled blisters form then my fingers and palms peel off, exposing tender skin, very painful) I read the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, cardiologist. I got off of all wheat products and in one month I lost 2 inches off my waist line, my inflamed joints subsided, and my hand/skin condition has completely cleared up! I've had this for 30+ years!! My pre-diabetic/High BP husband lost 18lb so far!! I highly recommend this book! NOTE- if you are diabetic and insulin-dependent, you will need to be monitored by a physician because losing wheat will drastically reduce your need for insulin. Have a great day all

[puncturedbicycle]

Wow, thanks for this post. Have never heard of exfoliative keratolysis but it sounded like what my partner gets so I googled it and sure enough, looks just like it. He will try a wheat-free diet and see how he gets on. His gp has been calling it eczema.

I thought it might be dyshidrosis/nickel allergy and was going to try (ie compel him to try) a nickel-free diet. Wheat-free would be so much easier to try first. Nickel-free is kind of a random list of foods but you know where you are w wheat.

[Rosie_P in reply to puncturedbicycle]

puncturedbicycle Yes, it has been a miracle for me. If he can get through the first week, he's got it made I have lost all the cravings for those carbs. Not sure if belly fat is an issue, but it will melt all that away as well! And BTW many dermatologists over the years labeled it as eczema, contact dermatitis and things like that. No cure, no help! The only thing that they can offer you is steroids to douse the flames of inflammation . Well unbeknownst to them, in my case the inflammation came from wheat. It's certainly worth a try. What have you got to lose? thanks for posting!!

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Rosie_P]

I was totally gf for a year (my belly fat didn't shift lol) and he saw how doable that was so I think that helped him accept that it is nbd. I make most of our food from scratch and I have no probs with it. He's been less interested in the nickel-free diet as that is more involved. So I think he'll try wheat-free to start and see how he gets on.

He deffo has some issues as he was able to get over a very severe case of dermatitis (dx: eczema) on his back with acupuncture/physio massage, quitting coffee and reducing dairy. This is a man who couldn't sleep through the night without scratching until he bled. He had scars on his back where it looks like he had been burned.

He loves gardening and when his hands perspire the peeling and cracking get worse. Chopping onions seems to make it worse, thus my amateur dx of dyshidrosis/nickel. Do you notice anything like that, some odd thing that seems to make it flare?

It seems such a shame to suffer with it when I feel confident a few lifestyle tweaks could really help.

Thanks again for your helpful post.

[Rosie_P in reply to puncturedbicycle]

puncturedbicycle I have several things that trigger the outbreaks, (or did! bleach, antibacterial soaps, cleaners, Equine fly spray, alcohol. And who knows what else! It even got deep into my nailbeds so it looked like I had a nail fungus. All of that is clearing up now good luck with your GF diet!

[Dean-o]

I have had EK for about 10 years tried accupuncture for over a year and all the herbal treatments with no success. It actually is getting worse , did you buy the book for a healthier way to live or for your EK? I'm going to try a gluten free diet to see if that's the cause as I've seen others cut out gluten and have had success with their hands clearing up .