FAQs about The Eczema Diet & Detox
Q: When I can move onto Stage 2 of The Eczema Diet?
A: When you have experienced a good run of consistently clear skin, you can then begin introducing 1 new food every 3 days and gauge for reactions. If you do react, you will need to remove this food and wait until the flare has settled before trying the next new food.
Keep in mind this can be different for everyone. You may find it can take one month or up to 6 months or more for your skin to clear up. Be patient and try not to introduce new foods too quickly. It's not a race! Wait until your skin feels ready.
Q: How does The Eczema Detox differ from The Eczema Diet?
A: The Eczema Diet contains the scientific research which explains the diet principles in great detail and it includes recipes for clear skin.
On the other hand, the new book The Eczema Detox, contains the THREE new and updated programs that Karen Fischer has used over the past 10 years to treat eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, hives, rosacea and red skin syndrome. The new book contains less scientific stuff (so it's an easy read), more 'problem-solving' to help difficult cases, and more new mouth-watering recipes with images to make it enjoyable and easy to follow. It caters to personal eating preferences so it includes many vegan and gluten free recipes as well as options for those who eat meat. It's also a beautifully bound hardcover cookbook that can be used alongside The Eczema Diet or on its own.
Q: Can I substitute this eczema safe ingredient for a non-safe one?
A: Please keep in mind the diet is a specific process for a reason. Over a decade of research has gone into the new Eczema Detox to give you the tools to diagnose chemical and food sensitivities so that you can identify your triggers. But if there is a specific food that you want to put back into your diet, the best way to do this is wait until you are consistently clear. Once clear, reintroduce only that food. If you don’t have a reaction within 3-7 days, you can safely reintroduce it to your diet. If you do have a reaction then you are not yet ready to include it and can test again after a good few weeks.
Q: I don’t have white potato in my country. What potato can I have?
A: With potatoes we mean any white potato, not the cream/yellowish coloured ones.
Q: What are allergies v sensitivities?
A: If you have already done food allergy testing, that is a good start.
We find the skin prick test combined with a patch test (where you check the delayed responses) to be the most accurate combination. This can be helpful to diagnose true allergies which are contributing to your eczema.
However, allergy testing does not diagnose chemical intolerances or food sensitivities, and many food sensitivity tests can be inaccurate as they often show the foods you eat the most, not the ones you are intolerant to.
The Eczema Detox (FID Program) is an effective way to work out if food sensitivities and chemical intolerances are triggering/contributing to flare ups.
NOTE: We also recommend avoiding any true allergies when following the Eczema Diet.
Q: Should I do the FID or detox program?
A: The Food Intolerance Diagnosis program is designed to identify food sensitivities within a 4-6 week period. It is much stricter than the Detox program but it helps you quickly isolate ingested trigger foods and drinks.
If you have a less severe case of eczema, or simply cannot be so rigorous over this time frame, the Detox program may be more appropriate for you. Both are found in this book here.
If you are going through TSW and have Red Skin Syndrome, I recommend beginning on the Detox program in the Eczema Detox book, as it is less strict and has a wider variety of foods. Then if you need additional help, move on to the FID Program.
Q: Do you have any new recipes?
A: Our blog is full of recipes as well as the book, The Eczema Detox, and Karen’s two Instagram pages karenfischer.health and eczema.life. If you invent a great recipe, feel free to share it with us.
Q: Can I eat this product during FID/Stage 1?
A: During FID, you can eat any food on the FID shopping list, as long as all the ingredients in the food are listed on page 5 of the shopping guides which are available to purchase on our website. Pages 5-8 are acceptable during Stage 1, or page 78 of The Eczema Detox book outlines the foods allowed on the FID.
We recommend purchasing the PDF shopping guide as it can be downloaded onto any device and it is an easy way to access which foods are allowed on the FID program. The shopping guide is available in an Australian, Canadian, USA or International (all other countries) version. These shopping guides are updated frequently and you will be automatically sent the updated version when they are uploaded.
Q: I am so healthy, why can’t I eat XYZ whilst on the detox/FID?
A: We find that a lot of foods which are healthy, are not necessarily good for skin inflammation. For example, coconut and olive oil have a salicylate content which can hamper your skin recovery if you are sensitive to chemicals. Whilst following the diet, it is best to remove any foods recommended for a period of time. Then introduce a new food one at a time. If there is a reaction within 3-7 days, you are not yet ready to include this food in the diet and you can test again in another few weeks. If there is no reaction, you can reintroduce this food back into your diet. You may also find this blog post a good read.
Q: I am trying a few different things for my eczema, such as herbal and homeopathic remedies, but I want to also try the diet... can I do both at once?
A: That’s great that you are actively looking into how to treat your eczema naturally, we do suggest however that you try just one program at a time.
As the eczema diet/detox programs and supplements are low in food chemicals like salicylates, many herbal remedies (which are high in these chemicals), can hinder or prevent an accurate diagnosis. If and when you decide to follow the program we recommend you commit fully so you are able to uncover any hidden sensitivities that may be creating skin flares. Combining treatments can be confusing if you are still taking other products that contain salicylates and food chemicals.
Please know we are not recommending you stop any medication or supplements prescribed by your doctor, so please check with your doctor before changing your diet, medical or supplement routine.
Q: The book mentions there is a list of food additives we should avoid if we have eczema. Where can we find these?
A: Here is the list of food additives to avoid.
Q: I have severe eczema that won't improve even though I have done food testing through several expensive specialists. Nothing has helped me in the past. I have just ordered your products. Will they help with severe eczema?
A: That is good you have spoken with specialists, as seeing a dermatologist is a good place to begin as they can formally diagnose your eczema. We do not claim to cure any skin diseases - this is against TGA regulations - but our products are designed specifically to support skin health and we have received a lot of positive feedback from our customers over the years (I have been prescribing Skin Friend AM to people with eczema since 2008). I also recommend my new book: The Eczema Detox. As everyone is different, you can try our programs and products for yourself to see if they are right for you. They are much more affordable than seeing expensive specialists (like me) and we offer free support via Facebook and Instagram (see previous FAQ). We offer natural alternatives, we care and we are here to help.
Karen x
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