Hey ,

Rashes like eczema can have multiple causes. Sometimes a rash can be caused by your immune system reacting to irritants or allergens, sometimes there can be a genetic component, and sometimes there can be triggers in the environment like exposure to smoke, air pollutants, and skin products like for example harsh soaps. And yes, there can be even emotional triggers!

You mentioned the rash appeared during a mold detox. It would be interesting to share how you discovered your mold exposure, what tests you did and what interventions (supplements, foods, etc) you used to approach mold. Do you know if you were colonized by mold? Or was it mold by the environment? Did you retest and confirm the mold was gone?

Herx Reaction
With mold detoxes, we can experience so-called Herx reactions. The pathogens die and spill their toxic content all over the place. This can lead to flu-like symptoms, headaches, but also rashes. During a detox, this can happen. My advice during a detox is usually to slow down the detox process and add in binders (like apple pectin, activated charcoal, chlorella and probiotics). The binders will bind to toxins in the gut so they are harder to absorb in the gut. Binders can also reduce mycotoxins. Can you tell me if you used binders when you were detoxing from mold?

Chronic Inflammation.
Unfortunately absorbed toxins need a different approach. If mycotoxins enter the body, they aren’t always broken down. We can help the break down of toxins with supplements like  NAC, R-Alpha lipoic acid, Glutathione and methylated B vitamins. Sulfur-containing foods like cruciferous vegetables and vegetables from the allium family are important as well since sulfur is needed for one of the detox pathways in the liver.

With detoxification, we don’t want the mistake to rush it! Detox supplements can free up toxins elsewhere in the body, causing temporarily more free toxins, causing reactions in the body as well.

Food Sensitivities (caused by Enhanced intestinal permeability aka leaky gut)
A leaky gut can lead to food sensitivities. Undigested parts of foods passing the gut lining because the lining has been damaged can prime the immune system. Food sensitivities can lead to all kinds of complaints, including rashes, and itchy and wet ears.

Here you can find an excellent document on food sensitivities in the B Better library. Perhaps you might notice some other complaints. Doing a food sensitivity test can help. I recommend often the KBMO food sensitivity test if you like to explore testing options. When you don’t like testing, you could remove the most common food sensitivities like gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, shellfish and corn. An elimination diet is still the most trustworthy way to test if you are intolerant to a food. How to do this, you can find here.
 
Removing food sensitivities can cause relief, but a leaky gut as I said is often causing food sensitivities. Here you can find a video on how to heal leaky gut.

Immune system support
Giving your immune system support can help as well. Having enough vitamin D, A, C and zinc is important. We need magnesium to activate vitamin D so make sure you have got enough magnesium into your diet as well.

Histamine related?
If the rash is itchy, it is probably partly histamine-mediated. Supplements like quercetin can help. I usually advise my clients to use 500-1000 mg twice daily. Quercetin has been shown to heal a leaky gut as well

With rash, there are several root causes. On B Better we have a rash-related handout you could read as well. Just click here.

I hope these answers can help you!

 Daniel provided some great insights. What stands out for me is the fact that it disappears when your immune system is compromised/working over time (high viral load) which tells me it’s immune mediated.

As rapid relief, have you tried DAO enzymes before to see if that helps the rash disappear (i.e. possibly histamine related)?

 correct, DAO is the enzyme that helps with the breakdown of histamines. I like Seeking Health’s Histamine Digest product but it is derived from porcine: https://us.fullscript.com/o/catalog/products/U3ByZWU6OlByb2R1Y3QtODE4MDA=/U3ByZWU6OlZhcmlhbnQtMTA3NzY5/

You can also take a look at their Histamine Probiotic “ProBiota HistaminX” as a nice complement which is suitable for vegetarians.

https://us.fullscript.com/o/catalog/products/U3ByZWU6OlByb2R1Y3QtODU0OTU=/U3ByZWU6OlZhcmlhbnQtMTAyMDY3/

For systemic use to manage histamine levels and not just before histamine rich foods, it’s to be taken on an empty stomach 1-3 x per day.

Unfortunately, there are no DAO products on the market derived from a vegetarian source. You can however look at food therapy options like sprouting pea seedlings: https://healinghistamine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Pea-seedlings-as-a-supplement.pdf

 yes, there is a test to check the total histamine degradation capacity. Here’s a sample report: https://dnalifevms.com/ProductPDF/Histamine.DAO.19.10_STR_1748.pdf

The cost is $199 plus shipping and takes approx 21 days +/- 5 days.

Let us know if you need access to that test. Just email support@bernadetteabraham.com with your full name, date of birth, email address, shipping/billing address (if different), phone number.

And no, I would not advise starting a detox protocol until you’re done breastfeeding as it will come out in breast milk.