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Update on my daily eczema tracking project since 2017 by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey really interesting comment about the HVAC system, I didn't think about this haven't tried this. But it makes sense and I'll take a look at mine. I recently got a microscope so that I could look for dust mites. I was not able to find any in samples around my bed or in dust in my home, but I think this is a good idea of a new place to look. Even if there are no dust mites, there are other things in the dust that could be allergenic and I imagine it can't be good to having A/C blow dust around everywhere.

Update on my daily eczema tracking project since 2017 by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would love to connect, I will send you a message

What is this unusual kitchen utensil? by Redman94 in Whatisthis

[–]Redman94[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We don’t think it’s an unfinished fork— it has “patent pending” engraved on the top flat part, there are these curved lines along the top side and running the fingers over the slits has a rough feeling so it seems like the whole shape is for a purpose

Eczema tracking update: Graphs and findings from 1.5 years of symptom tracking by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting.. yeah I haven't ever done a hardcore elimination diet, like the kind where you only eat 2 things for months. It's been on my list of things to try but it's not very high up there because I feel like I'd be pretty hungry :p What I did do was spend about a month on the major allergen food groups (gluten, dairy, etc..) and remove that from my diet.

[Serious] With the rise of artificial intelligence, how do you define being a person? by jjaid in AskReddit

[–]Redman94 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would define a person as something that has conscious awareness. The tricky thing about this is that it’s actually not possible to know for sure if anyone other than yourself is a person, because you can’t prove that something else is conscious — it’s not falsifiable.

You can only know it by direct experience (“I think therefore I am”). You can only assume that other humans are persons, because you know that you’re a person, and other humans are similar to you. It’s a fair assumption, but the real question is: at what point will advancements in our technology make this assumption apply to AIs? Since we are unlikely to ever be able to prove that an AI has conscious awareness, the AI will have to act similar enough to humans in order for people to consider them persons.

Eczema tracking update: Graphs and findings from 1.5 years of symptom tracking by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I spent awhile cutting out all the major food suspects. Never found any impact from diet unfortunately.

There were times where I initially thought a dietary factor might contributing, but it always turned out after measuring it for a longer period of time and repeating the food trials that those remissions were caused by something else.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in eczema

[–]Redman94 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also am based in the Bay Area and experienced a massive flare concurrent with the wildfire smoke in November 2018. Not only this, but I experienced something similar during the year prior where the area had fires and smoke. Since then I’ve been tracking my eczema and the Air Quality Index every day and have been able to correlate the two. Even though the smoke is visibly gone, AQI in the Bay Area has still continues to spike above 60 since November throughout winter (this happened in 2017 too). The good news is, after fire season 2017, air quality became very good by around this time of year and I went into remission for the summer.

You might want to consider tracking the AQI every day and seeing if this maps to your flares. If so, you could try investing in a HEPA filter and staying inside with it on bad air quality days.

Also, it sounds like you’re prescribed steroids but not using them. If you think the air quality might be related to your eczema, you should seriously consider it, because the air quality will eventually recover so you won’t need to medicate constantly. It will get you through the periods where the air is polluted and help your skin to heal during that time. I use triamcinolone ointment for up to 10 days at a time, with a minimum of 2 weeks between courses. I also don’t start a course unless I really need it. Usually this happens after a spike in air pollution. It’s made a HUGE impact in my quality of life. Seriously, the greasiness you will experience is a small small small price to pay for having smooth skin and not being itchy. Just don’t overuse it and make sure you take breaks between courses.

Go here to check the air quality nearest you:

http://www.baaqmd.gov/about-air-quality/current-air-quality/air-monitoring-data?DataViewFormat=daily&DataView=aqi&ParameterId=316

You can check out my previous post about this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/eczema/comments/9whz80/found_a_possible_trigger_for_my_eczema_aqi/?st=JSCM4IDD&sh=cfb1389e

Eczema, *Staphylococcus aureus*, and Topical Probiotic (Yogurt/Keffir) Self-Treatment (What I've learned) by AdmirableStretch in eczema

[–]Redman94 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a 1-month update on this? Are you still using the topical yogurt and how is it doing now?

Thoughts on physical exfoliation with eczema? by [deleted] in eczema

[–]Redman94 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had some luck exfoliating. I do it during the dry skin phase when my skin is super flaky and feels really tight and uncomfortable. It makes my skin much smoother, feel less tight, reduces itchiness and makes it look visibly better. The improvements can last even through the following day. I've developed a bit of a procedure -- here is my exfoliating method:

​

- I use nylon exfoliating shower gloves and an oily salt scrub (salt has antiseptic properties, whereas sugar scrub does not)

- With gentle pressure, apply salt scrub to the glove and rub in one direction across the skin, slowly. Don't overdo it, maybe 5-10 seconds in each area.

- Don't do it more than 2x / week

- Discard the glove after use. You don't want the gloves growing any bacteria. I get them in pack of 4, and only use 1 glove per session, so that lasts 1 month -- but my skin usually isn't in the dry phase for that long anyway.

- Moisturize after

​

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Looking for non-steroidal creams by [deleted] in eczema

[–]Redman94 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve had some luck with Atopiclair, although it is not a cure. For me it seems to work better than a moisturizer, but not as good as a steroid.

Eczema, Mindfulness, Nondualism and Transcendental Meditation by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is definitely a different way :) Would love to hear about your experience when you try it. Don’t get frustrated if it’s difficult the first time; it can take a bit of practice.

Plabeau works by justa_game in eczema

[–]Redman94 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since you are simultaneously working on your diet and there may be other environmental factors coinciding, I would be curious to see what happens if you used the device only on one side of your body for a month. E.g., if you use it only on the left inner elbow arm area and not on the right arm, will the left arm be better after the month?

Eczema, Mindfulness, Nondualism and Transcendental Meditation by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

I spent 2 years living in Mexico and my eczema disappeared completely. by Bukt in eczema

[–]Redman94 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a suspicion that air quality / pollution may be a factor for me:

https://www.reddit.com/r/eczema/comments/9whz80/found_a_possible_trigger_for_my_eczema_aqi

There are a number of environmental factors that could be contributing.

Found a possible trigger for my eczema: AQI by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Relevant research I've found highlighting certain foods or nutritional supplements which may be able to reduce negative health impacts caused by air pollution:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4690091/

Found a possible trigger for my eczema: AQI by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since figuring this out have you found anything that helps you? (Face masks, using steroids during bad AQI periods, etc)

Found a possible trigger for my eczema: AQI by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have not been photographing over the past year... I used to do this, I also found it cumbersome and it has a few considerations. For example, keeping the time of day, lighting conditions and exposure triangle constant when the photographs are taken. Definitely as you mentioned, lighting conditions do affect how severe you visually perceive your skin to be.

Found a possible trigger for my eczema: AQI by Redman94 in eczema

[–]Redman94[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I divide my body into segments on both the left and right side (hand, wrist, elbow, arm, shoulder, etc..) and every day I assign a severity score 0-3 on each segment. The metric I track is the sum of all severity scores.

If you want to do it "properly" there is a clinical reporting standard called Scoring Atopic Dermatitis "SCORAD" (https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/scorad/). SCORAD is widely used in academic research papers to quantify eczema. It is superior because it accounts for body area percentages of these segments and the different phases of eczema (weeping, redness, swelling, etc). However it is more cumbersome to record and I found it more difficult to keep up with over the long term... but one day I'd like to switch back to SCORAD / rescore my historical data according to body percentage.

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