Mum says she cured painful eczema after ditching steroid creams she’d relied on for 25 years
AS she was left in agony, crying on her bathroom floor after attempting a bath, Catherine Provenҫal thought she would never be cured of her eczema. She’d been using steroid creams for twenty five years but it had left her eczema-ravaged skin in so much pain she was having to avoid showering. And things took […]
AS she was left in agony, crying on her bathroom floor after attempting a bath, Catherine Provenҫal thought she would never be cured of her eczema.
She’d been using steroid creams for twenty five years but it had left her eczema-ravaged skin in so much pain she was having to avoid showering.
And things took a turn for the worse following a trip to Australia when she started experiencing intense itching, stinging and burning – and the cream she had been prescribed began making her skin bleed.
Catherine soon discovered was suffering from topical steroid addiction (TSA) and topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) – which is when the skin reacts badly after long-term use of topical steroid creams is stopped.
Determined to do something about her condition, the acupuncturist decided to ditch her steroid creams and treat her eczema naturally – using the Medical Medium information founded by Anthony William.
She adopted a plant-based diet which is raw and low fat and while at first her skin reacted adversely, she has since seen her eczema miraculously clear up.
Speaking about her ordeal, Catherine, from California, said: “Finding out I had TSA and TSW, I felt defeated, devastated and relieved, all at the same time.
“I will never forget our two-hour phone conversation where my friend informed me that going through TSW could take me anywhere from one to four years. This was very frustrating to hear.
“I felt relieved to know that I was not alone going through TSW and that I finally knew why my rashes were spreading and only getting worse and worse.
“This was before I found out about the Medical Medium and the truth behind the causes of eczema in the first place.
“I started to experience withdrawal side effects within the first week, basically as soon as I stopped using the steroids creams, my skin rebelled and reacted strongly.
“Topical steroids suppress the immune system, affects the adrenal glands and narrow the blood vessels in the skin so when you cease treatment, it is revenge time.
“Rashes that are red, itchy and burning come out in full force. Everything that people take for granted is non-existing while recovering.
“It can be summarised as a couple of years of intense and uncontrollable itching, oozing, bleeding, chills, dry flaking skin, swelling and deep bone burning pain sensations.
“Everything feels uncomfortable, painful, moving is very hard and nothing really provides relief. You just don’t want to be in your skin anymore.
Everything feels uncomfortable, painful, moving is very hard and nothing really provides relief. You just don’t want to be in your skin anymore
Catherine Provenҫal
“A lot of crying happened at the beginning and I will never forget one morning during the first months of this healing crisis, collapsing on the bathroom floor after taking a bath, screaming and crying in pain, begging for help.
“Giving up definitively crossed my mind for a minute, that is for sure.
“Although I was still itching a lot every day and not sleeping straight through the night, I was fully dedicated and healing with the Medical Medium information because I knew this was the truth and the right path for me to follow.
“This is when I started sharing my journey on Instagram, which was empowering because one, I felt part of a community and two, it was important for me to bring awareness around the overuse and over prescriptions of topical steroids for skin conditions.”
Now Catherine’s skin is the best it has ever been, but her healing journey still isn’t over.
She added: “My skin feels great at the moment. The best it’s felt in a long, long time.
“I don’t even use any moisturisers on my body and it feels naturally smooth and soft.
“If I have to use some cream, it is the most natural moisturiser with natural, non-medicated and non-chemical ingredients.
What is eczema?
Eczema is a condition that causes the skin to become itchy, red, dry and cracked.
Atopic eczema (the most common form of the condition) is more common in children, often developing before their first birthday.
However, it may also develop for the first time in adults.
It’s usually a long-term condition, although it can improve significantly, or even clear completely, in some children as they get older.
The exact cause of eczema is not known.
Symptoms:
Some people only have small patches of dry skin, but others may experience widespread red, inflamed skin all over the body.
It can affect any part of the body but it most often affects the hands, insides of the elbows, backs of the knees and the face and scalp in children.
There are many different treatments to help control eczema, including:
- self-care techniques, such as reducing scratching and avoiding triggers (babies and small children may need to wear mittens to avoid scratching)
- moisturising on a daily basis
- topical corticosteroids to reduce swelling, redness and itching during flare-ups
“I am currently two years and four months into this journey.
“I would say that months one to three of TSW were really painful, then again months eight to 10 and 14 to 20. That is my experience and it is different for everyone.
“Physically the most difficult thing was getting dressed in the morning.
“I was so uncomfortable, and my skin was so painful in the mornings that it took everything out of me to remove my pyjamas, cloth wash myself and get dressed.
“I used to always have a huge itch fest as soon as I got out of bed which was such a painful and depressing way to start the day.
“Then, when you scratch, all of your skin is found everywhere so you have to vacuum daily and wash the sheets that you have slept in because blood and ooze were on them.
“I healed my skin by finding the true causes of eczema with the Medical Medium information.
“Taking baby steps, I completely changed my diet and lifestyle to incorporate only healing foods and supplements. I went from eating a “Paleo” diet for years and years to eating only healing fruits and vegetables, going plant based, high raw and low fat.
“In fact, I completely cut overt fats for almost seven months which was a pivot point in the recovery of my skin.
“Cutting fats was a complete game changer. Within 16 days of not eating overt fats, all the scabs and oozing disappeared on my face.
“Changing my lifestyle and diet with the Medical Medium information along with getting acupuncture treatments every two to three weeks and being followed by a homeopathic Doctor truly allowed my body’s ability to self-heal naturally.”
Catherine is now urging fellow eczema sufferers to try natural remedies.
“I am not 100 per cent recovered yet, I still have some healing to do but I am definitely out of survival mode and it feels wonderful because I know I am on the right path. I am already thriving and am so excited for what the future will bring,” she said.
More on eczema
“My message is to always trust your body’s ability to heal itself and come back to homeostasis with proper nourishment, gentle cleanses, compassion and faith.
“Look up healing stories and reach out to people who have successfully healed naturally but don’t compare your healing story to others because comparison is never fulfilling.
“Instead trust the healing process you are in and surrender that it is exactly where you are supposed to be in the moment.”
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