Rashes

What's a rash, how do you get it, how do you get rid of it?  Find out what I just experienced recently and what I did.  Can a rash go away during the day and come back at night...yep!  I'll discuss what I found and what helped me.

Music composed and performed by V. Karaitis

Transcript

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Hey!  Thanks for listening!  I’m Chris Wagenti, and this is Who Gets It, Naturally.  Music was composed and performed by V. Karaitis.  I’m not selling anything, diagnosing anything; offering any cures or replacing your doctor.  I’m just sharing my passion for natural products.  If you’re pregnant, please consult your doctor before trying anything new.  Everyone is different so you may need to tweak the recipes a bit to work for you.  Always start with the least amount of essential oils…you can always add, you can’t take away.  Remember, these remedies don’t last forever, you need to reapply as needed.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I use, please substitute for something you’re not allergic to.  Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it.

I was going to make this episode about Firs and Pines, but I have to share what recently happened to me.  I’ll discuss Firs and Pines next time.

Like a lot of people, I’m lactose intolerant.  I’ve been drinking almond milk for years.  Recently, I was thinking about trying Lactaid Milk.  I usually go grocery shopping on Saturdays, then maybe stop on my way home from working in the office if need be.  So, this Saturday I buy a 52-ounce carton of Lactaid.  Monday morning I make my smoothie with a cup of the Lactaid.  I was waiting for my stomach to start hurting…nothing.  Tuesday morning I make my smoothie with a cup of Lactaid.  Nothing.  I had a big lunch, so for dinner, I made some cream of wheat, with the Lactaid.  Didn’t wake up in the middle of the night with a horrible stomach ache like I was expecting.  Wednesday morning I make my smoothie again.  Still no issues, so on my way home from the office, I stop at the grocery store and pick up 2 ½ gallon cartons.  They also had something called “cotton candy grapes”.  I’ve never seen cotton candy grapes, so I also bought a bunch of those.  As I’m cooking dinner, I snack on some of the grapes.  They’re actually really good…there’s a hint of sweetness in the after taste, kind of like cotton candy.  I finished dinner, cleaned up, and relaxed on the couch with my iPad and started playing a game.  My ankles got itchy, so I lightly rubbed them with the soles of my shoes.  Thinking I got bit by a mosquito or two, I look down and see red, welt-like blobs on both ankles, and up my shins.  So now I go to the mirror to look at my body…I’ve got red blotches all over, but none of them were consistent.  My right thigh was covered, some areas were raised, the whole red area was hot.  My left thigh had what looked like an ameba ink spot all over it.  My whole back was really red, like it was sunburned.  My stomach was covered and warm to the touch, and it looked like swirls.  Even my upper arms had blotches all over them, in no consistent pattern.  I kinda freaked.  I took a picture in the mirror of my right thigh and sent it to my sisters.   The only thing I could think of was that I haven’t had any grapes in a long time, and never heard of “cotton candy grapes”, so thought that was it.  Or maybe I didn’t wash them off well enough before eating them.  The only time I can think of going to an Urgent Care recently was a few years ago when I was in a bad car accident.  I left the scene feeling sore, but ok, so I didn’t go to the hospital, then woke up the next day with a lot of pain in my shoulder.  Luckily nothing was broken.  Anyway, I was like, should I go to an Urgent Care (it was like 8:00pm or so here, both of my sisters are in the Eastern Time Zone).  Annie was like, they’ll probably just give you Benadryl.  I said, I can’t take Benadryl.  She was like, oh, yeah, then there’s probably nothing they can do for you.  Janet thought they might just give me a topical, like Neosporin.  I’m allergic to that, too.  She said, if it would make me feel better it would be worth it, but to weigh it out.  The more I thought about it, I was like, I’m stupid, I should just spray some Turn Two all over.  My bottle was in my car, so I found an empty 8-ounce Boston Round and got a trigger sprayer.  I tweaked the recipe just a bit…I used Witch Hazel, 20 drops each of Frankincense, Oregano and Peppermint, and 10 drops of Clary Sage.  More than I would normally use in an 8 ounce bottle.  Why?  And why add Clary Sage?  The rash was literally all over my body, came out of nowhere, I had no idea what caused it & figured a stronger concentration wouldn’t hurt.  I added Clary Sage because it is great for the skin…just an added kick. I spray it all over.  Within 15 minutes the itching stopped and my ankles and shins looked a lot lighter.  Within 30 minutes the hot spots were much cooler, and a lot of the rash was disappearing, so I sprayed more all over my body.  About an hour later I check my body again…most of the red spots were gone.  I sprayed myself again, and went to bed.  I woke up in the middle of the night and my ankles were itchy again, and had red welts again.  I sprayed my ankles and went back to bed.  Did this several times during the night.  

I woke up Thursday morning still thinking the grapes had something to do with it, and didn’t eat any.  I didn’t even look at them.  I made my morning smoothie, got on-line to work and told my co-workers about what happened.  I went all day with no issues.  Thursday night while I’m winding down and getting ready for bed, my ankles start to itch again, and the rash is back on my ankles, shins, thighs and a little on my back.  Ok, so, it’s not the grapes.  As I’m spraying my body, again, I was trying to figure out what could possibly have triggered this.  Then I remembered the Lactaid.  I texted my sisters and updated them.  At this point, I still hadn’t researched rashes because I didn’t want to feel or see phantom symptoms.  Ya know, read a list of possible side affects and end up experiencing half of them just because you expected to.  Now that I have done research…my whole body is itching as I’m creating this episode.

The tweaked Turn Two got rid of the rash completely before I went to bed.  Again, I woke up in the middle of the night with itchy ankles and a rash all over both ankles.  Again, spent more time spraying my ankles than sleeping.  
 Friday morning I did not make a smoothie.  There was no sign of rash anywhere.  Friday night, I’m in bed, almost asleep, and the ankles start itching again.  I was like, seriously?  Sprayed my ankles several times again Friday night.  Saturday I decided to do some research on rashes, in general, and a rash that only shows up at night.  Turns out, this is a thing.  

So, rashes can be caused by just about anything.  They can be cleared up easily with over-the-counter ointments and the rash should go away in about 2 weeks.  Ok, the over-the-counter stuff is either Benadryl or contains neomycin, both of which I’m allergic to.  And, my stuff cleared it up in 2 days, not 2 weeks.  

If the rash is accompanied by other symptoms like a fever, nausea, vomiting, and so on, it could be something more serious, and you should go to a doctor – your primary care, dermatologist or allergist.  

Skin rashes are an inflammatory reaction to an allergen.  It’s also a common reaction to medications.  Since I don’t take any medication, we can scratch that off.  Rashes are common with people who have skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.  Ok, I’ve got eczema and contact dermatitis.  I know what my triggers are, well, at least most of my triggers, and I do my best to stay away from them.  Food allergies can trigger rashes, and since I never used Lactaid before, it could very well have been the trigger.  Needless to say, I returned the 2 ½ gallon cartons of the Lactaid to the grocery store…and they refunded me no problem!

According to the Cleveland Clinic, in an article that can be found at my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24338-itchy-skin-at-night, QUOTE:

“Itchy skin at night is common and has several possible causes, which means it can happen to anyone at any age. You may be more at risk of developing itchy skin at night if you:

• Are 65 years or older.
• Have allergies.
• Bathe frequently.
• Have a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis.
• Are pregnant or experiencing hormonal changes.
• Have diabetes, certain types of cancers or kidney failure.
• Have your heater on in the winter.”

END QUOTE

My luck, I fall under a few of the “more at risk” factors. 

The article lists several possible causes of dry itchy skin at night that include:

• An autoimmune response: Your body’s immune cells may attack healthy cells, mistaking them for a foreign invader, which causes inflammation (swelling) and itching.
• Body temperature: If you have a high body temperature at night, you could have itchy skin.
• Dry skin: Your body loses moisture at night, which can make your skin itchy.
• Hormonal changes: At night, your body doesn’t produce as many hormones as it does during the day and certain hormones reduce inflammation (swelling). As you have fewer hormones at night, your skin could be itchy.
• Higher temperatures with low humidity, such as the environment produced by home heating in the winter.

I do experience some of these.

The article also lists possible underlying conditions that can contribute to itchy skin at night:

• Anxiety, depression or stress.
• Diabetes.
• Pregnancy.
• Kidney or liver disease.
• Thyroid disease.
• Skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema or psoriasis.
• Anemia.
• Cancer (leukemia or lymphoma).
• Allergies.
• Infections.
• Drug reactions.
• Neurological disorders.

Ok, I know I’ve got a few of these, and there’s a few that do run in my family.  Yay. 

So, now what?  Process of elimination.  I know I have allergies, dermatitis, eczema and I’m going through hormonal changes.  Maybe I’m not moisturizing enough.  I’ll moisturize more often and see if that helps.  For various reasons, I haven’t been putting Frankincense in my water as often as I used, so I started doing that again, too.  I’ll keep track of what I’m feeling & what helps or doesn’t help relieve the itchiness.  If it doesn’t go away in 2 weeks, I’ll make an appointment with my primary care physician to discuss further options.  I may need to have some tests done to rule out other possible underlying conditions.  

I shared this story to show you what I mean by knowing your body, and the importance of researching the issues, causes and options for relief and healing.  Knowing what to look for, how to rule out certain things, and to really be logical about it saves a lot of time and gives the doctor more of what he needs to properly diagnose the issue.  Rashes are very common, and a lot of my research suggested the same thing, use over-the-counter anti-itch creams and/or Benadryl.  If the rash persists for more than 2 weeks, gets worse or is accompanied by fever, nausea, vomiting, etc, to go to your doctor.  

You should try to not scratch a rash.  You could end up opening up the skin which is basically a welcome mat for infections. 

Another thing I want to point out, there are many different types of rashes.  There are sites that show pictures of the different types of rashes, and gives guidelines for each type.  Fair Warning…some of the photos are gross, but they may help identify the type of rash you have.

Do your research, keep track of what you use and the results, and find what works best for you! 

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me at vobyjypsee@usa.com, or send a text from the podcast… You can follow me on X and Instagram … @vobyjypsee; or LinkedIn…search either Chris Wagenti, Who Gets It, Naturally or Voice Overs by Jypsee.  Please download this episode, and make Who Gets It, Naturally a favorite on your preferred channel so you don’t miss an episode.

You can buy me a coffee or get a membership at www.buymeacoffee.com/vobyjypsee4,   or click on the link in the episode description.  Thanks for your support and for listening!  The next episode will be published on Thursday, August 1st.