34 Diet Wise
Case no. 4: Eczema
This case concerns Mr. Exley, a 41-year-old man with severe eczema, an
unpleasant peeling, weeping and cracking condition of the skin. His face
was like a mask, and the eczema extended all over his body, worse in some
parts than others. He was an architect, and meeting clients caused him
intense embarrassment, so much so that he felt like apologizing for himself.
At its worst the rash was so bad that he had to be wrapped in bandages
soaked in cold water to overcome the intense irritation. It had first started
about four years before he came to me, and within the first twelve months
he had been in trouble: he had then needed to be kept in the hospital for
three weeks on steroid medication.
These drugs appear wonderful at producing a rapid cure, but there
is always a sting in the tail: once you start them you can’t easily stop them,
or the condition will flare up again. You see, they never cure, only mask
symptoms. That’s exactly what happened to Mr. Exley. Three weeks after
he was sent home, the rash was worse than ever. He did not succeed in
abandoning the steroid creams altogether, but managed to cope with his
condition, very wretchedly, for over three more years.
Finally, in desperation, he came to see if I could help. In his case
there were few corroborating symptoms to suggest the cause of the rash,
but I regard eczema as always being an ecological-based disease. If anyone
needs convincing, take note of the important clue he gave me: each summer
when he goes for a long holiday in the sun it clears up completely. (Rest and
sunshine is not the reason, as you will read in a later chapter, but a change
of diet). This proved that, intrinsically, there was nothing wrong with him
or his body – not a thing.
This leads to a second Scott-Mumby rule I developed over the
years. As I have always said to patients: if you can be well on one day, you can be
well every day! Think about it.
All we had to do was locate what substances were causing such
unpleasant skin reactions. I thought it highly probable that food was to
blame, and I told him so. I explained the plan to him and assured him
that though it was tough at first it represented his best road forward. He
considered he had nothing to lose by trying and so agreed. He started the
diet stage immediately.
This time there was no dramatic improvement on the elimination
step. During the withdrawal phase (which you will read about) his skin at
times hung off like shreds of tattered wallpaper; but after three weeks,
although his skin was somewhat better, I knew we hadn’t succeeded fully.
Either he was not allergic to the omitted foods or something he was being