Please Help Me Figure This Out

[metabolizm]

For years I've had a problem with dry, irritated skin around my scalp and on my face. Sometimes it gets incredibly itchy and is very uncomfortable.

I was sure that this was caused by gluten, but I've basically cut gluten to zero over the last couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to be helping.

I typically eat eggs, meat, fish, seafood, potatoes, rice, some veg, fruit, some dark chocolate, coffee, tea, cheese, butter, ice cream, OJ, milk (in my tea and coffee). They are the staples of my diet.

Other than gluten, which foods would be likely to cause this irritation? I thought maybe sulphites, and that's something I'll have to experiment with, but it's not something that really occurs in many of the foods I usually eat.

Thank you for listening!

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Drop the potatoes for a week.
If issue persists, next week drop both rice and potatoes and all veggies.
Drop milk for a week

How's your gut / digestion?

 

[Summer]

Are any other areas of your body dry and irritated? You could be dehydrated.

 

[Homo Consumericus]

For years I've had a problem with dry, irritated skin around my scalp and on my face. Sometimes it gets incredibly itchy and is very uncomfortable.

I was sure that this was caused by gluten, but I've basically cut gluten to zero over the last couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to be helping.

I typically eat eggs, meat, fish, seafood, potatoes, rice, some veg, fruit, some dark chocolate, coffee, tea, cheese, butter, ice cream, OJ, milk (in my tea and coffee). They are the staples of my diet.

Other than gluten, which foods would be likely to cause this irritation? I thought maybe sulphites, and that's something I'll have to experiment with, but it's not something that really occurs in many of the foods I usually eat.

Thank you for listening!

Hey metabolizm, good skin requires riboflavin and fat soluable vitamins.

Dark chocolate may be mineral dense and full of desirable saturated fats, but it's also loaded with anti-nutrients such as oxalate and potentially with heavy metals such as lead. Additionally, the many strong stimulants in dark chocolate such as theobromine are not handled well by all bodies (although theobromine is a vasodillating xanthine and may therefore be preferable for some to a vasoconstricting xanthine like caffeine).

Speaking of xanthines, you mention having considered sulphites as a potential problem. To convert sulphite to sulphate, you need sulphite oxidase. Incidentally, to convert xanthines such as the theobromine in dark chocolate and theophylline in tea to uric acid requires xanthine oxidase. To make enough of these oxidase enzymes you need sufficient molybdenum. Not sure how much you drink but aldehyde oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase required to deal with alcohol's metabolites need molybdenum as well.

Tea, if it is from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is full of fluoride and heavy metals such as aluminium.

Good luck.

 

[Runenight201]

dehydration plausible. Try hydrating that body with some water from the cucumba!

 

[metabolizm]

Drop the potatoes for a week.
If issue persists, next week drop both rice and potatoes and all veggies.
Drop milk for a week

How's your gut / digestion?

I may try dropping those things too, but I’ll keep up with the gluten-free for now. Gut/digestion is okay, but easily irritated.

 

[metabolizm]

@Summer @Runenight201

I don’t think it’s dehydration, but I’ll make sure I’m well hydrated for now and see if it makes any difference.

 

[metabolizm]

Hey metabolizm, good skin requires riboflavin and fat soluable vitamins.

Dark chocolate may be mineral dense and full of desirable saturated fats, but it's also loaded with anti-nutrients such as oxalate and potentially with heavy metals such as lead. Additionally, the many strong stimulants in dark chocolate such as theobromine are not handled well by all bodies (although theobromine is a vasodillating xanthine and may therefore be preferable for some to a vasoconstricting xanthine like caffeine).

Speaking of xanthines, you mention having considered sulphites as a potential problem. To convert sulphite to sulphate, you need sulphite oxidase. Incidentally, to convert xanthines such as the theobromine in dark chocolate and theophylline in tea to uric acid requires xanthine oxidase. To make enough of these oxidase enzymes you need sufficient molybdenum. Not sure how much you drink but aldehyde oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase required to deal with alcohol's metabolites need molybdenum as well.

Tea, if it is from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is full of fluoride and heavy metals such as aluminium.

Good luck.

I’m going to drop the dark chocolate and tea for a while, and see if that changes anything. Thanks for the input.