dyshidrotic eczema and low cobalt/nickel diet

[AndtheStars]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but I thought I'd give it a go. This is about me, not my DS. I have been suffering for 7 months with dyshidrotic eczema. I searched the archives and found a few post by fellow sufferers but no real advice. I've been to a dermatologist who prescribed a cortisone cream but I haven't used it because the insert in the product and the pharmacy insert specifically said that it was not known if it passed through breastmilk and what the effects would be on a nursling. I specifically said to the dr. that I breastfed and she said the cream would be fine but....

So I've done some internet research and it seems like cobalt/nickel sensitivities can induce ezcema flares. I know that I am allergic to nickel topically so maybe I'm having a reaction from nickel internally too. There has been some research about low cobalt/nickel diets helping to calm it down. I haven't been able to find much online about an actual diet to follow. Does anyone have experience with a low cobalt/nickel diet? TIA for help/suggestions! Mods, I'm going to x-post this to health and healing also but if you think it should be moved elsewhere, great!

[mamafish9]

Don't know anything about a diet, but it looks like causes are not well known - suggests it could be immune, gut, or yeast related though.

If it were me, I'd do a hair test to see if I had an unusually high body load of nickel, and then I'd look to supplementing with things that would support my immune system and gut health - kefir, coconut oil, vitamins and minerals, CLO...

One very common source of nickel is in your stainless steel cooking pots & cutlery, particularly if you put acidic foods in them (e.g. tomatoes). You can do a quick magnet test - if the magnet sticks, no nickel, if it doesn't stick, nickel has been used as an alloy in the stainless steel. Test the inside of the pot, often the inside and outside are different. IKEA pots (at least the ones I have), pass the magnet test, and sometimes I prowl thrift stores magnet in hand!

[AndtheStars]

Great advice about the pots! I have been thinking about switching to cooking most things in iron pots anyway to add iron to DS's diet without supplements/fortified foods. I do a probiotic now and have kept a food diary for months now (started when DS was born to chart any allergies/sensitivities). I can't find any correlation between specific foods and my flare-ups. The cobalt/nickel thing jumped out because of my topical nickel sensitivity. Thanks for the reply!

[tanyalynn]

Cobalt's the central mineral in vitamin B12. I don't know anything about other dietary sources of cobalt. Hmm... but you really wouldn't want to be low in B12, that's bad for any number of reasons.

[jensb]

This may not be relevant to you, but mine cleared up with going gluten-free. And when I get "glutened" I get an outbreak on the back of my hand (it was always on my fingers before).