Herbalism For Eczema

Eczema has completely shaped the life that I've lived and person who I have become and continue to develop.  When I was 5 years old and my family was staying with a family friend in LA on our way to Disneyland.  We had arrived at the dead of night after driving 6 hours from the Bay Area and the family friend had given me and my mom one of the dogs' blankets to sleep in.  It was so dark, we didn't notice at first that the blanket was a flea magnet and a few hours later, my mom and I woke up to the sight and pain of being bitten by what seemed like hundreds of fleas at the time.

The stress of seeing how badly my mom freaked out over the situation plus me being born with a sensitive constitution paved the way for what has become an ongoing life-lesson on how to heal my skin from the rashes and itchiness experienced from various factors such as food allergies, certain fabrics that lead to contact dermatitis, environment, and of course, stress.  

I used to scratch my body and face for hours when triggered by one of the above factors and then some more at night when I was too relaxed to control my hands.  I often wokeup in a bloody mess, stuck to my sheets, pillow cases and clothing through my blood.  I looked like a burn victim.  Since the age of 5.  Every day.

The state of my skin looking so damaged made me feel very depressed in grammar school, ugly in high school, and worsened in college after experiencing a death in the family that nearly had me feeling suicidal.  I just wanted the daily pain to end.

BUT, 27 years later, I am here, alive and well and virtually rash-free.  And I owe that miracle to Dr. Jiang Yu, an acupuncturist and dermatologist in San Francisco who used Chinese herbs to heal me from within through tea steeped from her specific herbal formulas and topically through the herb-infused ointments she handmade, customized just for my specific type of eczema.  (I speak more on that in my Youtube video attached.)

I went from seeing her once a week to once a year over the course of 6 years and now it has been 7 years since my last appointment with her with no signs of going back.  Goes to show the power of detoxing with herbs!

In 2012, this experience inspired me to create a Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/terryalabata) that I'm developing to one day be a potential resource for people with eczema looking for alternative answers to healing and other, hopeful ways of coping with their eczema in the meantime.  

And a new blog to offer a hopeful view of healing/dealing with eczema and encourage positive skin-image regardless of perfection:

http://www.terryconquerseczema.com

As well as turning my makeup and hair business to be 100% eco-friendly and cruelty-free geared specifically for people with sensitive skin:

www.terryalabata.com



Having lived with this skin condition for nearly three decades, I have learned to avoid steroidal creams and ointments like the plague, to embrace herbal medicine and green beauty products, the benefits of a vegan diet and vegan cosmetics (although, I am only a part-time vegan at best at this time), and the power of the mind-body connection.  

It is my dream and desire to help others with eczema heal through the power of herbs customized for their specific condition.  Because not all eczema is the same, shows up the same, or heals in the same way for the same person.  If you have it, you know that what works for one person, may or may not work for you and then you just wonder if you'll ever find something that works.

I want to be a part of the solution because there are many possible solutions and I am proof of it.   I no longer see any doctors of any sort and am 100% self-managing my eczema.  It no longer controls my life and I want to share that freedom with other sufferers. 

I plan to use the knowledge that I will learn at Ancestral Apothecary (http://www.ancestralapothecary.com/) 
to be able to treat eczema both internally and externally like my old acupunturist-dermatologist did.  I am committed to researching more about herbalism' connection to healing eczema and to see if there are any patterns that I can use to create consistent, effective, customizable formulas for my clients and future clients.  I'm obsessed with finding a cure and/or a method to this madness of the fluctuating progressions and regressions of eczema outbreaks.


I am about half-way through saving up for the tuition of $4,000 which is due on Saturday, February 4th, 2017!  If you help me save up the final $2,000, I promise that I will complete this program and use my education to improve the understanding and healing of eczema through safer methods that do not create dependencies or fleeting bandaid solutions like steroids.


And just so you have a little extra assurance, I was on the honor roll all 4 years of high school and 4.5 years of college.  I graduated from high school with a GPA of 3.87 and college with a GPA of 3.95.  To sum up, I enjoy learning.

I hope this information has inspired and encouraged you to contribute to this cause and thank you very much for your time and reading this long entry! :)


Happy 2017!  To a Healthier Future!
 
Share this story
Facebook
TwitterEmail
BE THE FIRST TO DONATEDo you think this fundraiser contains prohibited content?Let us know.