Eczema & Fasting: Quick Fix or Long-Term Mistake? – Medical Doctor Explains Research

fasting for eczema does it help and is it sustainable in the long term that’s the question I’ll be diving into today we’ll be discussing different fasting methods like water fast intermittent fasting and one meal a day approach along with the pros and cons of reaching [Music] ketosis hi I’m Dr Tan ooser a surgeon Who special izes in reversing complex inflammation naturally using the Mind gut immunity method we have refined our methodology over the past 12 years and have helped thousands of patients recover we look at conditions such as eczema and solve the root cause and as you know by now from the hundreds of research papers on the topic the gut microbiome plays a significant role in modulating the immune response in eczema if you want to see how we fix these issues schedule a discovery call with me and I’ll provide you with some helpful tips to get started here are a few studies that describe fasting in the setting of eczema here’s a 2023 study on the effects of intermittent fasting on eczema here’s a 2013 study that analyzes the clinical outcomes of fasting and fluid therapy on eczema I’m going to break down these studies that explore fasting in relation to eczema but also share personal insights into how fasting affects this condition in the long run to start it’s important to understand that 80% of your immune system resides in your gut this is known as the mucosa Associated lymphatic tissue or malal Mt contains trillions of immune cells that react to what’s in your intestines so what’s in there mainly food and microbes so we’re talking bacteria funguses and viruses these microbes help break down food and produce secondary and tertiary metabolites which can sometimes trigger an immune response this makes it critical not only to focus on the right kinds of foods but also ensure that your microbiome is balanced to address eczema effectively take a look at my other video entitled ideal diet for eczema and I’ll link to it in the description below in that video I discuss the four criteria I use to evaluate whether a diet works or doesn’t as you know I’m a strong proponent of the phytonutrient diet or phyto Diet which we use extensively in our Clinic with great results when combined with Precision microbiome recalibration we often see a majority of symptoms improve rapidly sometimes within a few weeks so be sure to check out that video to learn more about why phytonutrients are so important now here are the four criteria I use to determine if a dietary approach works and this applies to fasting as well number one is phytonutrient density and diversity number two is macronutrient requirements number three is microbiome specificity and number four is food sensitivity if you’re curious about why these matter check out the ideal diet for eczema video it’s linked in the description below but I’ll also give you a quick recap here to make things e easier phytonutrient density and diversity phytonutrients are powerful micronutrients that help reduce inflammation in the body numerous Studies have highlighted the role of phytonutrients in managing eczema here’s a 2021 study on the relationship between the gut microbiome probiotics and their interactions in the treatment of eczema this 2023 study analyzed the use of polyphenols as neutral for treating dermatologic conditions such as eczema and here’s one from 2020 discussing of course in and its bioactive effects on inflammation oxidative stress and wound healing in eczema phytonutrients are molecular compounds found mainly in plants and fungi that have a profound positive effect on human health these include superfoods micronutrients and antioxidants research consistently shows that supplementing your diet with polyphenols can help alleviate eczema symptoms phytonutrients can be categorized into several groups tpin phenols chlorophylls th cyanates phyto enzymes phyto oils prebiotics and alkaloids while there are smaller groups like betal Lanes from beets and herone for mushrooms focusing on these eight categories will cover most of your phytonutrient needs deficiencies in these nutrients can disrupt the critical MAA immune connection making it harder to manage inflammatory conditions such as eczema the goal should be to maximize and optimize your intake of phytonutrients from everyday foods and by maximize and optimize I mean increasing both the variety and the concentration of phytonutrients in your diet which is essential for maintaining Health a diet low in phytonutrients makes it much harder to overcome inflammatory conditions such as eczema when it comes to fasting we naturally consume fewer phyto chemicals or sometimes none at all you may be feeling better temporarily with an empty digestive system because there’s less food to digest and the lack of phytonutrients means that your immune system isn’t being properly regulated as of a result your eczema symptoms May return as soon as you stop fasting one suggestion I have is to incorporate herbal teas if you’re considering a water fast for several days or intermittent fasting with a 6 or 8 Hour window herbal teas are excellent sources of phytonutrients like polyphenols and tpes which can help manage inflammation without adding calories next macro requirements macro is short for macronutrients these are carbohydrates fats and proteins all of which the the body requires to function properly I have a tool on my website called the macronutrient calculator that helps you determine your body’s maintenance requirements based on factors like your height weight age gender and activity level it’s important to understand that these macronutrient estimates are based on ideal physiologic conditions when you’re fasting though you won’t be getting these nutrients in the long term or at the very least you’ll be getting them in reduced amounts so this brings me to the various types of fasting you can have water fast which can be 24 48 or 72 hours or even up to 5 to 14 days if you’re trying to fix eczema you can have total caloric restriction which means consuming less than 800 to 1,000 calories a day you can have intermittent fasting for eczema which means eating in a 6 hour 8 hour 10 hour or 12-h hour window and you can also have one meal a day omad for short which means consuming all of your calories in a single meal whichever fasting method you choose the underlying benefit is ketosis in ketosis the body stops using carbohydrates for energy and instead relies on stored fat and muscle Advocates of this method also highlight autophagy a process in which the body breaks down old or damaged cells helping to clear out debris this process has anti-inflammatory effects but here’s the issue while fasting might alleviate eczema symptoms temporarily these symptoms often return so what happens the second time or third time or long term if you keep fasting to manage your eczema when the symptoms come back eating can be more challenging you may feel bloated lethargic or low energy after meals these symptoms can also make you hesitant to eat adequately leading to a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break especially if you’re underweight a body mass index BMI of 18 or lower can be particularly concerning for individuals with eczema and you can easily calculate your BMI using the BMI calculator on our Clinic’s website by entering your height and your weight if if your BMI is below 18 and you have eczema you’re at serious risk I’ve treated patients with BMI as low as 13 which is extremely severe when someone with eczema has a low BMI it means that their body is in a catabolic State breaking down muscle and skin rather than building it up which can hinder healing many of these patients can’t tolerate food well and need careful coaching to reintroduce it into their diets the reason I emphasize this is because the solution to a dysfunctional gut microbiome should not be to stop eating or avoid food even if the fasting feels good in the short term and the skin clears up believe me I used to fast as well so I know how tempting it can be but instead of avoiding foods you should focus on reducing inflammation first and then resuming a normal eating pattern once I started doing this and once my patient started doing it I saw Real Recovery sadly many people have given up on finding the right diet for eczema and may end up avoiding food altogether here’s a recent study that shows how intermittent fasting over long periods of time can actually increase the risk of cardiac death furthermore if you have caloric restriction for long periods of time and we’re talking about several days weeks and months of intermittent fasting various issues can arise first you’ll have fat loss and muscle wasting second you can have thyroid dysfunction you can also have cortisol and sympathetic endocrine dysfunction you can have sleep disturbances you can have protein calorie Mal nutrition which impedes wound healing and inflammation control you can develop nausea reflux and a feeling of fullness and decreased appetite and finally you have severe intermittent fatigue and the reason I emphasize this is that the solution to a dysfunctional gut microbiome should never be to stop eating or avoiding food entirely instead the focus should be on reducing inflammation first and then transitioning back to normal eating patterns unfortunately many people struggling with eczema have given up on trying to find what the ideal diet is and may end up avoiding food altogether which only worsens a situation if you’re trying to determine the ideal macronutrient balance for managing eczema you need to focus on fats carbs and protein to reduce inflammation I recommend that approximately 50% of your daily calories come from fats with carbohydrates and proteins making up about 25% a piece the reason carbohydrates should be a smaller portion of your diet at first is that harmful gut bacteria in candida love sugar and they thrive on carbohydrates and if you have a dysfunctional microbiome feeding at Sugar can make eczema worse so basically you have bad bacteria and fungus in the presence of sugars carbs and fiber which leads to inflammation in the skin simple sugars like glucose and fructose can stimulate the growth of both harmful bacteria and fungi similarly simple starches such as those found in processed flour can lead to bacterial and fungal overgrowth this suggestion comes from my extensive experience working with thousands of patients rather than any specific scientific studies if your goal is to lose weight you might need to reduce your overall intake of carbs and fats even further while increasing ing protein and lowering your total calories on the other hand if you’re trying to gain weight it’s important to increase your total calorie intake and find a more balanced ratio between carbohydrates and fats tracking these macronutrients can help you reach your health goals it requires effort but it’s worth it and this approach can significantly improve your diet balance and contribute to long-term health so just to recap the criteria I use to judge whether a diet will work for reversing the inflammation long term and patients with eczema are the following phytonutrient focused meeting nutritional requirements microbiome specificity and avoiding food sensitivity and as I mentioned earlier feel free to check out some of my other videos or refer to the description below for additional resources I’ve included a link to a body mass calculator as well as a guide to the different types of phytonutrients needed to help reverse eczema you’ll also find a macronutrient calculator to determine your daily carbs fats and protein needs along with a fiber and starch guide to help you avoid the carbohydrates that can worsen gut microbiome dysfunction and as mentioned I help my clients formulate their diets based on these principles and they tend to do quite well the severity of their symptoms often decreases significantly in a short period of time and many of them are able to reduce or completely stop their medications and live healthy lives I’m a strong advocate of the phyto diet for eczema and I use it routinely with my Eczema clients it’s a diet that works particularly well for recalibrating the gut microbiome dysfunction and and addressing phytonutrient deficiencies seen in eczema this diet also helps avoid food sensitivities while meeting long-term nutritional needs so for those who are undereating this typically means eating more specifically eating more of the foods that not only help you gain healthy weight but also heal inflammation in the process the right way this approach helps avoid the long-term consequence of undereating reversing the effects of fasting can be hard work but with the right guidance it can absolutely be done okay one last thing I would like to hear your thoughts down below comment on the types of foods that exacerbate your eczema inflammation and what you have done to avoid them and finally if you like this video please like And subscribe and be sure to share this video with someone that you think it can help this is Dr Cho daer with the mind go immunity clinic and I’ll see you next time [Music]