Cutaneous amyloid dietary contraindications

Identify the foods that you are intolerant of and that will aggravate itching/rashes, foods that are high in histamine and high risk of allergy, and foods that are high in sugar and oil and are pro-inflammatory.

To be honest, after so many years in dermatology clinics, the most common misunderstanding I have encountered is that you should avoid eating anything if you have this disease. Last week, I saw a 32-year-old girl who had been itching like moss on her calves for three years. She heard on the Internet that she should give up all "fat products", even pork and eggs. She lost 12 pounds in half a year, and her face was sallow and skinny. The rash did not go away at all, but the itching became more frequent. Later, I checked her food records for half a month and found that she only itched to the point of bleeding when eating mangoes and shelled crayfish. She had no reaction at all after eating other foods. She had suffered for half a year in vain.

Many patients will wonder why some doctors say there is no need to avoid it at all, while others say they can’t eat this or that. In fact, the judgment logic of different medical systems is different. The core logic of Western medicine is very clear: the essence of cutaneous amyloidosis is the abnormal deposition of amyloid protein in the superficial dermis. The disease is mainly related to genetic susceptibility, metabolic abnormalities, long-term friction and scratching, and chronic inflammatory stimulation. Diet does not directly cause protein deposition, so most Western medicine doctors will not give patients a strict list of taboos. At most, they will remind patients not to eat anything that is too irritating and aggravates itching. However, Chinese medicine generally classifies this disease into the category of "stubborn ringworm", and the syndrome differentiation also differentiates: If you have a damp-heat accumulation type, with a bright red rash, itching that makes it difficult to sit still, and a tendency to suffer from bitter mouth and bad breath, and yellow and greasy tongue coating, it is indeed recommended to avoid spicy, sweet, alcoholic and other foods that promote dampness and heat. ； If you have blood deficiency and wind-dryness type, the rash is dry and rough, feels like sandpaper, and you are usually prone to dry mouth and coldness. Instead, you don’t need to avoid cold foods excessively. You can even eat more nourishing and moisturizing foods such as white fungus and mulberry.

But that doesn’t mean you can just eat whatever you want. There are certain types of foods that have been observed to aggravate discomfort in many patients. You can make adjustments according to your own situation without being rigid. For example, foods with high histamine content, such as shelled seafood, mangoes, pineapples, fermented fermented fermented bean curd and natto, cheese that has been stored for a long time, and unripe bananas, are high in histamine content. The itching attack of this disease is originally related to the release of histamine in the skin. After eating, about 30% of patients will feel itchy to the point of being unable to sleep, and the rash will thicken even when scratched. But not everyone should avoid it. I have an old patient in Qingdao who has been eating sea crabs for 30 years. After getting this disease, he continued to eat it without any reaction. So there is no need to wrong yourself. ； If your skin rash turns red every time you eat crayfish the next day, don’t hesitate and stop eating for 3 months.

There are also foods high in sugar and oil. In fact, it is recommended to eat less of these regardless of whether you have skin diseases or not. Milk tea, fried chicken, cream cakes, and soft European buns heavy in sugar and oil will quickly increase the level of inflammatory factors in the body. The original inflammatory reaction of the skin will not disappear, which is equivalent to adding fuel to the fire. Especially for patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia, who have poor metabolism, eating these will not only aggravate itching, but may also cause amyloid deposition faster. This is supported by relevant research data and is not a casual request.

In fact, the most reliable taboos are those you try out yourself, not what others say. I have really seen too many patients who believed in the "food list" on the Internet and avoided chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep for more than half a year. In the end, the albumin level dropped below the normal value, and the rash did not heal at all. Instead, they often caught colds due to weakened immunity, and the rash worsened every time they caught a cold. It was completely outweighed by the gain. If you are not sure, just keep a simple food diary. What you eat every day, and the degree of itching that day, rate it from 1 to 10. After two weeks of recording, it will be clear at a glance. If you eat something, the score suddenly rises, that is what you should avoid. It is more accurate than asking 10 doctors.

Finally, I would like to say that diet is only a part of auxiliary conditioning, and you really don’t need to put too much psychological burden on yourself. I have an old patient who is greedy and eats spicy hot pot once a month. As long as he doesn't feel itchy after eating it, that's totally fine. Compared with dietary taboos, it is more important not to scald skin rashes with boiling water, not to scratch too hard, and to apply medicine and moisturize as directed by your doctor. If you do these three things, it will be much more effective than abstaining from meat for a year.