I've hoped it'd go away, but this is really starting to bother me!

[sherahtaylor]

This is really bothering me, it's the only side effect of going raw that is completely and uttering annoying, and I have not found anything to cure it. Very dry skin on my hands (palms) and feet. I haven't really noticed it anywhere else, although my face is a little more dry than normal.

My palms are almost to the point of cracking where my fingers bend, they are so dry - and my nails are definitely not healthy, crack often and peel. All this I wouldn't mind so much, but it's the fingertips that really bother me. They're like sandpaper, and the dry skin catches on things. They're so rough they've lost some of their feeling - I can't feel the silky smooth skin of my baby anymore and that bothers me. I can't even tell if my own skin is soft or not from being raw.

This happened several days after I became 100% raw in August of 2006, and has never gone away. Through a 3-month pregnancy & miscarriage, a master cleanse for 38 days, through long stretches (3 months one time) of being 100% exclusively raw. Never changed. I've been pretty faithful at taking 1-3 T. of Udo's every day, as well as at least 1 T. of coconut butter, raw of course - sometimes more. I've tried putting coconut butter on my hands several times a day for 2-3 days in a row, but it just seems more like an internal thing than external.

Any thoughts? It kind of worries me a bit.

I wonder why this is happening? At first I chalked it up to detox, but seriously, 7 months? That seems a bit extreme to me. It'd be so nice if it was just ONE thing I need to do differently, and poof it's back to nice, smooth, silky hands & feet that can actually FEEL something.

[Solace]

Wow sounds yukky ! I have had very little detox symtoms but I am also NOT doing the MC for more than a day at a time. Also I am making sure I eat an avocado and or flax oil everyday. Maybe you still have a lot of stress factors in your life ? I highly recommend books by David Wolfe
Good fat helps you lose Bad fat !!!!http://static.flickr.com/63/208175706_6fbaf7a5a0_o.gif

[sherahtaylor]

I suppose having five kids ages 7 & under could be considered "stressful". :D And actually, I've been pregnant six times in the last 7 years so my body is probably pretty ragged as far as trying to recover from that. I totally get the detox thing, but 7 months just seems like quite a long time, especially since it's just gotten worse.

I eat at least half of an avo every day too - mango & avo salads are one of my favorites.

[Tomato]

Hi Sherah...

My initial feeling without knowing exactly what you're eating, for what it's worth is that your diet may be too high in fat. People think that fats in the diet is what makes your skin healthy, but actually, excess fat clogs up your bloodstream, making the delivery of nutrient and oxygen supply to your cells more difficult.

I would try cutting out the Udo and the coconut butter, and limit your avocado, nut and seed intake to a minimal amount for a month or two and see what happens.

You might try logging your food intake (if you aren't already) in a website like nutridiary or sparkpeople for a few days and seeing how much fat you're actually consuming on a daily basis. Try to stay around 10% or less.

Good luck :)

[Rawkinlocs]

Sweetie,

You HAVE to realize and acknowledge the fact that, sometimes detox or should we just say, internal bodily cleansing and repairing, does not happen in a given amount of time. People sometimes say, "Detox should only last ______" but how does anyone know for sure how long it will or "should" last especially knowing that each individual is different and their prior lifestyle and dietary choices were different? I know 7 months seems like a long time, but compare it to how long you ate cooked food (I won't assume it was SAD) prior to going raw.Was it months or years? I personally believe that we are CONSTANTLY detoxing...maybe not continually I mean, there are sure to be breaks (whether long or short) but because we do not live in a perfect world/environment, then we can only expect that we are always coming in contact with things that our bodies will at some point need to cleanse and rid itself of.

Also, diet is not the only factor, it could be environmental issues...something you're using on your skin or something that you're coming in contact with daily or maybe not as frequently as daily, but regularly, it could be that you need more hydration from water...have you EVER in life worked with chemicals that your body could be retracing/detoxing? What are you washing your laundry in?

I would even try NOT putting coconut oil on your hands and feet. I've heard some folks say that it works great for them, but then I've heard others say that it actually makes their skin DRIER! So, try eliminating that for a while and see.

Some say that you shouldn't use products (even natural ones) on the skin. I haven't quite gotten to that point yet but I do try to go without as much as possible and when I do use something, most times it's shea butter or cocoa butter. Maybe those would work better. But sometimes in trying to mask the symptoms (i.e. applying external products) we actually end up prolonging whatever process is going on and making things worse.

Just some thoughts...

[Lunar*Fey]

sherahtaylor,
I have the exact same problem!!! It started to happen before raw actually. I don't think mine is quite as extreme as yours but some of my toes have also gotten so hard on the tips that they lost feeling! I understand its awful. Lately I have been eating a little more fat and it has helped a bit (avocados!). Maybe we can work together and see what similarities we encounter/do/eat to try and figure out if there is something we can do about it?

[finallyfree]

One of the signs of food intolerance is dry, flaking skin...is there anything that you suspect in your diet that your body may not be tolerating well?

[sherahtaylor]

Sigh...yes, I did think of that, perhaps this is just prolonged detox. I know with raw it could miraculously clear up one day out of the blue. And yes, I was one who ate primarily SAD all of my life prior to July of '06 when I went on a Master Cleanse for 30 days and followed it with eating raw.

The laundry soap I use is always a different brand, whatever is on sale. No, never worked with chemicals.

I have noticed that my stomach doesn't like eating so many nuts - cashews primarily, and also macadamias. But that's mostly when I eat too much (1 cup or more at a time
) of them, not a few here & there.

I've upped my greens ALOT in the past couple of weeks and I've been hoping to see a difference, but nothing.

[RawNnyc]

One of the signs of food intolerance is dry, flaking skin...is there anything that you suspect in your diet that your body may not be tolerating well?

I just have a question about this. I'm confused because isn't raw supposed to get rid of food sensitivities and allergies? I want to be able to eat freely on raw but everytime I get a symptom (detox or......?) I think, is it an allergy to something. And then I go back to where I was before raw. Frustrated because I feel like I'll never know what I can and can't eat. (I've tried elimination diets before, they don't help me)....

[finallyfree]

Rawnyc,

Yes, raw is supposed to get rid of your food intolerances/allergies, however, there may be some foods that are raw that a person can be allergic to.

Example: I find that all raw nuts and nut butters - including young coconut meat - make the back of my throat feel like it is burning (not lots, but somewhat)...I also instantly notice that I have post-nasal drip after I eat raw nuts. As well, I find that soy bothers me - even in the forms of Braggs (or Nama Shoyu or Soy sauce) and miso. I also cannot have wheat - right now it bothers me. If I have corn in any form other than raw corn, I have problems, so I cannot have any dehydrated corn tortillas etc...all protein powders give me that scratchy, burny feeling in my throat - including raw hemp powder. All of these things can be part of a raw food diet but I am not able to have them currently.

For me, symptoms of food allergies are: dry mouth/throat, post-nasal drip, stuffiness, food cravings, achiness, incredible fatigue, dry/itchy eyes, abdominal discomfort. These things pretty much go away when I stay away from the things mentioned above.

In order for a person to heal from their food allergies, sometimes they need to stay away from the foods that bother them (even if the foods fall under the raw category) for a while until their body heals. Once the body has healed from an allergy (ususally one month to sometimes a year depending on the severity of the particular substance on the body) - a person can start to add small quantities back to their diet to test for reactions.

For a great understanding of food allergies/intolerances, I suggest the book The False Fat Diet by Dr. Elson Haas.

finallyfree

[Rawkinlocs]

Sigh...yes, I did think of that, perhaps this is just prolonged detox. I know with raw it could miraculously clear up one day out of the blue. And yes, I was one who ate primarily SAD all of my life prior to July of '06 when I went on a Master Cleanse for 30 days and followed it with eating raw.

The laundry soap I use is always a different brand, whatever is on sale. No, never worked with chemicals.

I have noticed that my stomach doesn't like eating so many nuts - cashews primarily, and also macadamias. But that's mostly when I eat too much (1 cup or more at a time
) of them, not a few here & there.

I've upped my greens ALOT in the past couple of weeks and I've been hoping to see a difference, but nothing.


So it could actually be any number of things - continued cleansing, the external products, etc.

But the only thing IS to try and rule out things such as applying coconut oil to the skin, maybe even try cutting back on the fats, etc. and just SEE what happens.

=======
RawNnyc,

You'll hear varying opinions on the whole "food intolerance" thing. I personally believe from experiences of some of my household family members and others I've met that when you are raw, most if not all "allergies" and "intolerances" will eventually go away. Many of us experience or have experienced varying symptoms in varying degrees of severity but when it's happened to me, I've NEVER said or thought it was something I ate that caused it and it always ends up going away eventually.

[Dj 247]

Hey, I had the dry skin on my fingertips also. I wondered what the heck. I was already eating much better, but I was not raw yet. It cleared up on its own. Your post just reminded me of it. :confused:

[RawNnyc]

Rawnyc,

Yes, raw is supposed to get rid of your food intolerances/allergies, however, there may be some foods that are raw that a person can be allergic to.

Example: I find that all raw nuts and nut butters - including young coconut meat - make the back of my throat feel like it is burning (not lots, but somewhat)...I also instantly notice that I have post-nasal drip after I eat raw nuts. As well, I find that soy bothers me - even in the forms of Braggs (or Nama Shoyu or Soy sauce) and miso. I also cannot have wheat - right now it bothers me. If I have corn in any form other than raw corn, I have problems, so I cannot have any dehydrated corn tortillas etc...all protein powders give me that scratchy, burny feeling in my throat - including raw hemp powder. All of these things can be part of a raw food diet but I am not able to have them currently.

For me, symptoms of food allergies are: dry mouth/throat, post-nasal drip, stuffiness, food cravings, achiness, incredible fatigue, dry/itchy eyes, abdominal discomfort. These things pretty much go away when I stay away from the things mentioned above.

In order for a person to heal from their food allergies, sometimes they need to stay away from the foods that bother them (even if the foods fall under the raw category) for a while until their body heals. Once the body has healed from an allergy (ususally one month to sometimes a year depending on the severity of the particular substance on the body) - a person can start to add small quantities back to their diet to test for reactions.

For a great understanding of food allergies/intolerances, I suggest the book The False Fat Diet by Dr. Elson Haas.

finallyfree

I know all of this, I guess I'm just trying to say, if you have a sensitivity to something, and you still eat it (because you don't know you are sensitive), and you continue to heal with RAW, won't those little sensitivities go away? I just hate that fact that I might have to do an elimination diet again.......

[finallyfree]

Rawnyc,

I guess they probably would - to me it may have to do with the severity the intolerance - how your body tolerates or does not tolerate the particular food. I just have a very sensitive body...so I know what is best for me to stay away from for a while.

I would just keep eating raw as a whole, but be aware of any sypmtoms you might be experience that may be able to be traced back to an intolerance of some kind.

I do definitely believe that raw is healing and once you are raw for an extended period of time - you will definitely feel different/better.

Only from my experience and my opinion...

finallyfree

[Donnatah]

I agree with ...someone above... who said it might be food allergies. My mother-in-law had dry skin and we did energy testing on all of her foods (energy testing is explained in a book by Donna Edens). We found that she was allergic to tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. She had NO idea because her only symptom was dry skin.

Donna.

[Fuzzypeach]

thanks for the info!

[Sharon in Colorado]

Hi Sherah -

Seeing that you've been doing this for 7 months straight, I highly suggest getting a consultation with an expert in the field.

There may be something you are doing too much of, not getting enough of or missing, and if you have someone go over everything from how much sleep you are getting, to how much activity, if you are getting enough sun, air, water, or if you should be eating raw a little differently or what may be going on in your home environment, maybe they'll find the missing link.

I just hope you keep going, but try and tweak something here and there, switching your diet and lifestyle up a bit so you find something that works for you.

[chilove]

Hello there,

I agree with Tomato...too much fat in the diet actually causes dry skin. It seems weird but it''s true. The only time I get dry skin is when I eat too much fat. Cut out the fats for awhile and see if that helps.

Wishing you all the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Sunshine9]

My first thought-- what kind of water do you drink? How much, how often?

I second the possibility of a fungal or viral infection.

Our nails are a sign of our health... I have found that my nails have improved immensely by increasing minerals. Faithfully drinking green juice, taking a little zinc, a little MSM, getting really hydrated, taking Vitamineral green a few days a week, eating less of the "leaching" foods (things that are really unbalanced and pull minerals from the body), choosing things high in silicon (horsetail tea, peppers, cucumber w/ skin, radishes..)

Just my thoughts :)

Feel better!

[sherahtaylor]

I drink normal tap water - it's city water, and I've never had a problem with it. But never been raw before, either. I've always been a big water drinker, always been pretty thirsty to the point of wondering if I'm diabetic or something like that to make me like water so much. Since becoming raw and drinking smoothies with about 25oz. of water in each one, I don't drink as much straight water. But I'd say I still drink about 3-4 32 oz. bottles a day.

Too much fat? Oh gosh, it can get so confusing. I read the singing wonders of coconut butter, especially. Take at least 3T. a day and you'll be...well, miracles will happen! I'm perfectly willing to experiment with cutting out the fats. The thing that confuses me though is that I just went through 38 days of the Master Cleanse - obviously NO fats in that. So that's a good long time, and if fats was the problem, why didn't it help?

Someone else suggested Candida. I would love to seek professional help from someone who knows about raw and it's benefits but there is no-one in my area that I know of. And I've definitely tried. I went to my naturopathic chiropractor who I LOVE and he shot down the raw diet so fast. I left there in tears thinking okay so now what? If raw is wrong, unhealthy, etc - then why do I read about so many people thriving on it?

:confused:

[Sharon in Colorado]

Sherah there are many doctors and coaches available online that would do phone consultations with you. You can e-mail me, I will give you a few names.

[sherahtaylor]

Thanks everyone - Sharon, I'll let you know definitely, if/when I'm ready to consult online. For now I'm going to try the 80/10/10 for 30 days and see if that clears it up even a little. I'll keep you posted!