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Esther is one of the first members of the Eczema Bootcamps - 3-month eczema management programs we used to run on a cohort basis.
I still vividly remember the first time I met Esther, she was wearing long sleeved athletic apparel even though it was a hot and humid summer in Hong Kong. She gave me an overall impression that she was rather ‘low-key’ and timid.
She told me she had stopped using steroids for just a few months and she is currently going through one of the most troubling times of that journey - the topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) - and she had joined the Bootcamp to seek hope as she sought a long-term strategy to manage her eczema.
As a health coach, having met other eczema patients like Esther with a rather severe profile, aside from simply giving clear and practical health suggestions, it was also important that we partnered together in the identity of a peer as fellow eczema patients with first-hand experience.
As I also had eczema growing up, having gone through a painful journey with this disease, it really helped our conversations as we discussed things like what to eat and drink on a daily basis. Esther had also introduced me to new brands of gluten-free foods and snacks which I had learned and could share to other eczema warriors.
Through the 3 months of coaching, we had brought up the WeDerm in-house integrated food list and began a relatively strict dietary program for one month, on top of regular at-home exercises. Later on in the food reintroduction phase, i.e. a period of time where it is appropriate to bring back food groups that were previously restricted, Esther had learned that she was indeed sensitive to gluten, milk, and several types of seats and nuts. Esther had learned from these insights and changed how she ate going forward. Esther's eczema had gradually and slowly recovered.
I met her towards the end of our coaching program again in-person, I noticed she wore a dark-shaded skirt, starkly contrasted against when I first met her – this time she was radiating with confidence and not shy of displaying her fashion sense. In case you didn't know, being able to wear dark colored clothes is actually a challenge for eczema patients given how easily dead skin cells can easily be seen.
Overall Esther's skin had significantly improved since the TSW journey and till date she continues to maintain her diet rules of avoiding allergens and also maintaining four to five times of exercise each week.
Through a year of persistence and hard work, Esther was able to trade back better skin and health. I’m very happy that we can guide her into a restorative journey as a peer, as a coach, and demonstrate to new eczema patients the power of integrated care.
We hope patients reading this article become inspired and start their own unique recovery journey whether through us or elsewhere.
*All photos have been taken and shared with consent.
