I have been extremly plagued with the most painful, nerve racking itchy arms. They call it neuro dermatitis.

Hi Catherine,

I am 62 yrs young and have not been taking any HRT. However, in the past 3 years or so, I have been extremly plagued with the most painful, nerve racking itchy arms. There is not evidence of any skin condition such as a rash or dryness. I have been to Dermotologists and other Docs and no one has an answer. They call it neuro dermatitis which tells me nothing. After being on various meds such as Doxiepin, Neurontin and last of all Prozac, I am very discouraged.

I get up in the night and directly apply ice to the skin on both of my arms to hopefully break this tormenting cycle of itching and scratching. I often see the dawn of day with little sleep. I am now med free and going out of my mind. I recently had a discussion with my doc who is a forward thinking female and I requested that she write a prescription for compounded, natural hormones, derived from plant source. My doc was happy to do this for me and I will start my meds today. Do you feel that my problem is hormone related and am I at a high risk by taking these meds at my age? I have not had a a hysterectomy.

Thank you,

Rhoda-Ann

Dear Rhoda-Anne,

You poor thing. I bet you’re almost out of your mind with all this, and no answer in sight. My heart goes out to you.

Neuro dermatitis is believed by some authorities to be a psychogenic disorder - a condition of localized itchy skin [related to eczema] said to be mental or emotional rather than physiological in origin.

Neuro dermatitis tends to be associated with people who are nervous, tense and restless.

Now, my guess is that, in some cases, allergy symptoms such as hives, rashes, asthma or sinus congestion can be related to estrogen dominance. So too are depression, anxiety and agitation.

Sleep deprivation doesn’t help matters either!

I remember sleeping with a scrubbing brush next to my bed during my mid thirties - a period in my life I now associate with pronounced hormone imbalance. It left me sleep deprived most days and, as we say here in Australia, “climbing up the bloody wall”.

But I don’t have this problem anymore. In fact, since using progesterone, my skin looks soft and healthy.

Rhoda-Ann, I think it’s reasonable to review your hormone levels to ascertain what’s going on. And no I don’t believe you are at risk simply because you’re under the care of a GP who will, I’m sure, keep a watchful eye on your health.

Your GP might also include a Functional Liver Detoxification Profile (FLDP) to determine an efficient liver which is necessary for the processing and excretion of hormones, drugs, chemicals etc. Inefficient liver function can lead to “metabolic poisoning” which is a nondescript term referring to the build up within cells, tissues and organs of metabolites which have not been processed by the liver and excreted. Recently, function liver challenge tests have evolved which can allow routine assessment of the liver’s detoxification abilitites … at home!

Also, I’d recommend you lotion your body head to toe every day. I’m amazed by the number of women who don’t see the need to incorporate a body moisturisor each day to replenish natural oils and protect against dry, flaky skin.

Last point, devise ways to de-stress yourself, particularly given that high cortisol output is a major contributor to hormone imbalance.

And please keep in touch. I’m sure our subscribers would be keen to learn of your progress on bioidentical HRT.