Incorporating nutrient dense real foods on a regular basis with a focus on increasing dietary fats especially animal fats and extra virgin cod liver oil, and reducing sugars appears to have a positive influence.

Supplementing with Astaxanthinwhich is thought to help prevent sunburn from the inside out.

Natural health can mean different things to different people. I tend to see it as an active process where we seek to understand the benefits in supporting our bodies own natural healing inclination, and in that process often become more empowered towards taking responsibility for our own wellness by incorporating simple and consistent practices. While it's often derogatorily referred to as "woo", I see natural health as actually rather reasonable when you consider it seeks to move beyond symptom management into understanding why certain symptoms are showing up. It seeks to investigate the factors that contribute to our wellness and understands our mind and body work as one, looking towards natural wisdom for support - however like everything there is a continuum. While some people hold rigid philosophies and others less so, natural healing holds an objective basis in itself and it's important we navigate mindfully through a decision making process especially with rather bold claims being made by both natural and conventional based businesses. If you're new to natural health principles, some discussions may feel confronting, confusing and/or contradictory to what you've heard elsewhere. I often encourage members of my Healing Tribe to take a break if the discussions begin to create undue anxiety, stress or feelings of righteousness. The idea is to work towards making decisions out of confidence and information, rather than fear but this isn't made any easier when we don't all agree on what legitimate sources of information are, as well as the sheer amount of variables to consider.

No refined sugars or syrups. No refined grains. No pasteurised, homogenized or low-fat milk. No proteins powders or synthetic vitamins. No additives, preservatives, colourings or flavourings. No refined ingredients. No seed oils. Eggs (free range). Raw milk and cream from healthy animals. Animals, nourished and raised ethically and eaten nose to tail. Activated seeds, nuts and grains. Fish and shellfish. Lacto-fermented vegetables (i.e. sauerkraut). Local and seasonal produce.

When it comes to hydration, water obviously plays a key role but are we always getting the hydration where we need it - in our cells? One way you can help this along especially in the mornings after the night's sleep is by adding trace minerals in the form of himalayan or celtic salt - a pinch will do. A splash of Apple Cider Vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice is another amazing addition to help support our delicate electrolyte balance and of course 'clean' water is important. I am a big fan of herbal teas and I do drink coffee, but I also don't touch alcohol, soft drinks or fruit juice. One of my favourite coffee substitutes is Dandy Blend - it's as easy to make as instant coffee but delicious and good for us!

"We got the shower head filter attachment from iherb that Maryana recommended, it's made a big difference re skin dryness. No more chlorine smell in the water too." Buy here.

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Apply a natural emollient to form a skin barrier such as shea butter.

Get 10% off your standard mat at www.shaktimat.co.nz with the code Maryana.

I didn't do it 'perfectly' but my daughter did pretty amazing anyway and all the things I learned, I wanted to share. I guess the biggest question I had for myself at the beginning was this. "Will it be worth all the effort?" And I can look back now and say,

. Every second.

In a nutshell: * I have a daughter who was diagnosed with eczema, failure to thrive and multiple food allergies as an infant. The second she is born my previous hard-earned career in marketing and management stops having any appeal whatsoever (2011). * After reading solidly for six weeks, I decide to use real food and natural health principles to help support her body to resolve them. Not everybody sees this as the action of a normal and sane person because, science. * I create a Facebook group to share as it appeared to be working. I spend an embarrassingly large amount of hours in them trying to help others. I get a reputation as an efficient but slightly scary admin. However my approach is no longer considered quite so insane, and in fact, it seems far more logical than just putting more creams on top and it begins to grow (2012-now) * I studied Holistic Health Coaching to be able to help even more people (2013).

When my 5 month old daughter was diagnosed with allergies and eczema in 2011, I began a massive journey. I really had no idea it would change our lives in the way that it has.

need and demand out there for the type of information I have to offer, I helped thousands of total strangers for nothing in return. I've received countless notes of gratitude and thanks and and it's been my honour. It has also even been a part of my investment into my own education, but even though there was no exchange of money for a very long time, there has always been a cost.

, Back to Life Wellness in North Auckland. His work has been our main source of income while I contributed pretty much nothing financially, despite "working" several hours a day for many years. He started his clinic from scratch which small business owners will understand the sheer amount of work involved. While we weren't on the poverty line thanks to his very long hours and amazing skills, we didn't have a lot to spare for anything other than the basics. Most of our furniture is still hand me downs from older family members and while it's not a priority for us to have the latest and most modern vehicle, technology or furnishings,

I've worked hard for my knowledge. After my daughter received her allergy diagnosis around six months of age, every time she slept, I sat on the computer and spent every second reading and researching and learning, and making food. I haven't watched TV since that time in any real way so I'm pretty much still stuck in the popular culture of 2012 - it's almost like the outside world has stood still for me, while I've been immersed in this one. I was dedicated to the cause, to figuring out what I would do and how I would do it. Trying things. Making errors. Trying again. Throwing meals away. Crying when something worked. Crying when it didn't. Shaking my fist at a world that felt upside down and back to front. Most people seemed totally oblivious to questioning what was happening, they still just wanted to know what magic pill or cream to take. I felt intuitively like I was on the right path, but I also felt quite alone.

Around one year after our gut healing journey commenced, my daughter got her second RASTresults back and they were good. Really good in a way that apparently doesn't happen very often. However a curious thing happened. Some of the people I had assumed would be cheering us on - other mums of children with allergies especially - weren't and instead they were strangely distant. Perhaps my enthusiasm for our good news was not what they needed to hear although I suspect it was more a case of one person stirring - but it still stung. Back then I was a member of a (now defunct) allergy support group run by Allergy NZ but any talk of gut healing felt censored due to being 'irresponsible', so I decided to start my own space where it could be discussed and embraced. The Healing Tribe was born. The idea was to share information and education with each other to provide hope and support to collectively grow this new movement from the ground up. And I led by sharing our story. Very early on, I knew it wasn't 'just another' Facebook group, it was a movement and like most of my best ideas, it started with a flash of inspiration which just felt right and almost begged not to be questioned too deeply.

As the group progressed, I was genuinely surprised at the positive comments our story got. In real life, I got more curious looks and "poor you" comments than anything else but online, people were congratulating me, and asking me more and more questions about our story and for my input into theirs. And I gave up pretty much every single evening to answer them. My profile grew because people trusted what I said - perhaps because I had no visible interest in taking anything from them in return. I stayed up until 1am some mornings answering, reading, creating long detailed responses. My daughter would go to sleep quite

early in those days and my husband worked long hours. I'd do the dishes, put the broth on and then start my work until around 11pm when my daughter would first wake for the night and then I'd furiously type on my phone while feeding her back to sleep. I was freely sharing my knowledge, my advice and my time. Not everyone liked what I had to say, but issues were pretty rare. More and more people were becoming interested and the questions were coming thick and fast. People were beginning to repeat my words in their responses to others. I created a pinned post to try direct members to the most helpful basics without having to repeat myself over and over. I decided to study holistic health coaching so that I could help people on a more intensive level, and when I completed my study I softly launched my business and convinced myself it wasn't about the money. And it wasn't. It still isn't.

I barely promoted it. The clients that booked me approached me directly every single time.

At first it wasn't many. I still probably don't see as many clients as other coaches because the communities still take up so much time. I also really like the advocacy and blogging side as well - I have a passion for writing it seems. If I think long and hard enough, I always have. I just didn't think I could do anything with it as I'd never gotten that formal qualification and now I know that doesn't necessarily matter because we all can connect to hearing real stories from real people. In 2015, I decided to start a second community. Real Food in New Zealand was all about growing the real food segment from the ground up, collectively. I'd always wanted a job working with food (as every foodie does of course), and now indirectly I have created this and it's awesome and still in development.

Outliers - The Story of Success'

In 2012, I started my first Facebook community because my daughter was thriving, healthy, eczema free with rapidly reducing allergy antibodies and I wanted to share that with others, to create the space I wish I had had.

Given that the term allergy is often bandied about, it's important to note a "true" allergy (also known as an IgE mediated allergy) is when after coming into contact with an antigen, the immune system has previously identified it as a foreign invader and creates IgE antibodies against it, which bind to the antigen and then histamine release is triggered by mast cells. This is a highly inflammatory process and symptoms range from person to person, from quite mild through to potentially life threatening. Hhistamine acts as a messenger, traveling to the site of irritation to activate a particular response (such as inflammation or increased mucous production) to try and expel it from the body. The allergic reaction generally depends on the amount of histamine released and reactions can be immediate or delayed. Symptoms of a IgE mediated allergy often involve those places where mast cells are most abundant; the surface of the skin, the nose, the eyes, the lungs and the GI tract so symptoms such as hives, welts, scratching, sneezing, wheezing, eczema, coughing and digestive distress are common, with the most serious being anaphylaxis (a rare severe reaction that has catastrophic consequences if adrenaline is not injected into the bloodstream fast enough). What we see as allergic reactions can also be seen as attempts by the immune system to clear the antigen from the body as fast as possible using the nose, sinus, lungs/airways, eyes, ears, skin and/or the gastrointestinal tract. Why does our immune system misfire at food proteins, and allow allergies to occur? Well, that's a topic for a whole other article or ten, but we do know allergies require at least one exposure for antibody development to occur. This process is known as sensitisation and can happen at any time and at any age. Generally when I see the types of symptoms outlined, I will suggest allergy testing as at least a place to start because it's vital to remove known allergens for a period of time to allow the gut healing process to occur in a more efficient manner.

An intolerance can sometimes look quite similar to an allergy but with two key differences - IgE antibodies are not created and anaphylaxis does not occur. Sometimes IgG ones are, however these aren't always considered so it's unlikely this will be raised at your doctors appointment if the traditional allergy testing is clear. IgG antibodies are more aligned to white blood cells, and reactions are typically delayed (up to four days) rather than immediate but there is still a highly inflammatory process taking place deep within the body. While intolerances are considered far less serious than their IgE mediated cousins, they are likely far more common. There are several types of intolerances, including:IgG-mediated Intolerance - as briefly outlined above, often digestive disturbances are involved.Digestive Intolerance

If you think you might be dealing with an allergy, to get a formal diagnosis you'll need to see your doctor or an immunologist. They will take a history, do a physical check and then can order either or both of the below tests. Unfortunately some doctors do not believe in the link between certain symptoms (such as eczema and asthma) and allergies and may be very resistant. If they continue, my suggestion is to find another one who will work with you - even if just to confirm there are no allergies present. Allergies are diagnosed via two methods (outside of a supervised food challenge). It's important to note that all tests have significant rates of false results and thus can't be considered definitive , but I do recommend them especially alongside certain symptoms. For allergies to be tested, there must have been at least one single previous exposure HOWEVER we are exposed to a lot of things daily without our direct knowledge and can become sensitised without realising - often via breastmilk or formula, food ingredients, ingredients in pharmaceuticals etc. There are three types of allergies: food, chemical and environmental.

The reason testing is so important, is that an immune system or body dealing with chronic inflammation is not able to do the rest of its job (that innate or non-specific role as mentioned at the beginning) as efficiently - meaning many who are still being exposed to their allergens or triggers are often in poorer health without realising. The best way to prevent symptoms and reactions (and for those interested in gut healing, the ability to start healing the gut) is obviously to avoid what triggers the reaction or inflammation. It is important we become very aware of when symptoms develop and take steps to avoid and eliminate. Identifying those triggers is not always simple but the process is often helpful.

She got her first hive to a (her last) bottle of Neocate. On her forehead, immediately after the bottle and not having started solids yet or had any other changes externally, it was obvious what triggered it. And that triggered what I really had been looking for - a valid reason to cease the Neocate and embark on a journey to try to heal her body from the inside out. My breastmilk supply had been decreased somewhat so I replaced the Neocate bottles with mineral-rich organic free range chicken bone broth for her to sip on while also nursing as much as possible to try and increase my supply (which never really happened) - back then it must have looked pretty interesting when I gave her a bottle out with friends! So at 7.5 months, we started solids - with a gut healing focus.

* At four years of age, she was just thriving with beautiful skin and sparkly eyes. The best news is that she had now also resolved all of her allergies - still dairy free (other than butter which she loves), gluten free, mostly grain free (other than white rice occasionally), junk free (as in no additives/preservatives/colours/flavours/HFCS), inspiring my #raisedonrealfood philosophy. She is eating butter, cashews, salmon and peanuts and eggs, so eating out is easier especially as the types of wholefood places we like to eat often use cashews so we didn't have to avoid. Her favourite foods include sauerkraut, kombucha, organic chicken, avocado, and fruit. She loves her treats, enjoying pretty much anything chocolate and things like Proper Crisps. Deprived she is not. She knows she eats differently but doesn't seem to mind, as long as when the other children are having something special, she gets an alternative. Our friends are amazing and are inclusive as much as possible. * At five, she is a happy wee spark who appears super healthy and loves good food, family, frien

In 2013, I studied and graduated as a Holistic Health Coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition b

If you're interested in working with me, please know I really want to help. I've been where you are. My daughter's diagnosis took me on an incredible journey. I wasn't happy with the lack of clear direction or support from conventional medicine in addressing the root causes, instead the focus seemed merely on symptom management. I wanted more for her and us, and through that journey I was driven to help my daughter find freedom and healing through discovering the importance of certain wellness principles and now I share those with others! The concept of gut healing is becoming more well known which is fantastic however the path isn’t always straight forward and there are few guarantees or magic bullets, so seeking and accepting support, guidance and inspiration to find hope on that journey can be very powerful towards getting results - especially when it comes from someone who has been there, done that, who has come out the other side and gets it all.

You don't even have to live in New Zealand - I work exclusively on SKYPE and email, offering full consults and a monthly email coaching support program. More tools and resources are in the works as well. I empower clients to take control of their sense of wellness through their day to day choices and help identify meaningful and sustainable changes that can be incorporated to find freedom from eczema, allergies and beyond. This removes some of the guesswork, allowing you to better focus your energy, budget and time. Inspired by my journey, my mission is to help you resolve or reduce any feelings of frustration, fear, guilt, stress, lowered immunity, poor digestion and others, and help to replace them with a sense of confidence, empowerment and action. While dealing with some of these issues can feel very overwhelming at times, I can also help you understand these are also incredible opportunities to live healthier and happier lives as we found.

Thank you for reading our story, and please know that if you're in that scared, hopeless and overwhelmed place right now - there are things you can do. You don't have to watch your child itch all the time, and you don't have to listen to them when they tell you the only thing you can do is put cream on it. But it takes that first step, and that my dear, is up to you. Love xx

Disclaimer: I support truth in advertising. I received a free Gluten Free bag and am sharing my review because I genuinely liked what I tried, their philosophy fits into mine into making good food more accessible and in the interest of growing the real food segment overall. I also really enjoy sharing my thoughts through the process of writing, so I hope you enjoy reading xx Maryana Lishman www.empoweredkitchen.co.nz

A true allergy is one where the body creates IgE antibodies in response to an external antigen - this is a highly inflammatory process involving mast cells and the release of histamine. An intolerance often looks similar other than it does involve a potential anaphylactic response nor are IgE antibodies created. This is why I often ask my eczema clients to first start with testing for triggers including the RAST test to see what foods may be creating antibody production in the body.