Back at Square One

I've just finished reading the FT Weekend Magazine - the feature article is titled the Retreat of Reason and considers how British universities increasingly offer scientific courses in alternative and complementary therapies which, according to irate scientists, is a bunch of gobbledygook and has very little scientific basis. Reading through the list of therapies, I could tick most of the boxes. As someone who has suffered with chronic atopic eczema my whole life, I've tried just about everything at some point. At times, I've been willing to suspend disbelief in the hope that something - anything - would provide me with a cure for eczema.

It was somewhat fortuitous to find the article today, as I met with Dr Cristopher Brigett this morning. Dr Bridgett is a psychiatrist who has worked alongside some very well-known and highly regarded dermatologists to develop a program of Habit Reversal for eczema sufferers.

I'll deal with Habit Reversal in more detail throughout this blog. At this stage, let me tell you that I started the Habit Reversal programme in October 2008 and have been proceeding very well with huge improvements in my eczema (again, this is a first post so more on that later). During a recent visit to Dr Staughton, I was advised to make an appointment to consult with Dr Bridgett because my skin has not healed as well as it should have and, in short, it seems that I still have certain habits to reverse.

Which led me to Dr Bridgett who wants to run the 6 week program with me from scratch (oh, pardon the pun). This left me feeling frustrated. Somewhat like being back at square one.

The more I thought about it during the day, the more I realised that I have already come so far with Habit Reversal already and that if I have to spend another 6 weeks working on it, then that hardly seems like the biggest sacrifice. And, it gives me an opportunity to record in more detail the experience of Habit Reversal.

So, 6 weeks to being eczema-free. Sounds good to me!

Please join me on the journey. I'd love to hear your thoughts and your experiences.

(A note on the pictures. The eczema on my hands has always been the worst and has made me most self-conscious. This picture was taken two weeks into the Habit Reversal programme. By this stage, my eczema was already so much improved. My hands felt much more comfortable and I did not have a single crack from eczema. This was pretty-much unheard of for me. I will try to findpictures of my hands before I started Habit Reversal although I usually hid them behind my back etc. Six months in, I am happy to say that I survived the harsh Winter with 2 tiny, insignificant cracks on my hands. My hands are much less swollen and red but I still have lichenification and am keen to spend the next 6 weeks getting even better ... The second picture is of my hands as of this morning. ).