Your Stories - Exercise

Bikram style yoga, Ayurveda and Natural Living - Cristal, NJ, USA

Oddly, I was diagnosed with eczema at age 13 - looking back, honestly, I do not believe it was really eczema but rather an internal problem that was surfacing on my skin.

For years I suppressed my eczema and my immune system with strong topicals. On the surface my skin looked great but I did not connect that this strong topical was being absorbed by my body and bearing internal side effects that I could not see.

After traveling abroad, my skin got worse. My suppressed immune system could not handle outside bacteria and my skin was reflecting the reaction. Over a period of 10 months, I watched, as topicals could not control my flare-ups that over time were spreading to consume my entire body - from scalp to toes. In the meantime, I contracted a lethal infection of which I showed no symptoms, only very thick, red, leathery skin.

After a month of antibiotics, my skin calmed. However, a few weeks later things got even worse than before. I suffered more intense skin, digestive and immune system problems.

Frustrated with Western medicine, I went to an Ayurvedic doctor. He quickly identified a large buildup of toxins in my body creating an imbalance in my doshas leading to dryness and inflammation.

Six months of regimented diet and yoga have shed layers of skin, calmed internal inflammation and built up my immune system.

Bikram yoga was particularly beneficial for me because the heat and sweat would moisturize the dryness. For the first month of practicing Bikram yoga daily, I did not drop a sweat. This was because my inflammation and thickened skin was so deep that the sweat/toxins could not release. Time and patience allowed the toxins to release and soften my skin.

Eczema is a skin related disease - however, the skin is not a superficial stand-alone piece of our bodies. The skin is the immune system's first line of defense. Rather than masking the problem with topicals and tablets, it is very important to identify the source of the problem.

For me, yoga and diet have freed me from my topicals. I recommend those with eczema at least entertain the idea of a natural alternative. (May 2004)

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Page updated: 4/5/2004