Topical Steroid Withdrawal warriors,
I see so many people are suffering from Topical Steroids Withdrawal (TSW) all over the world nowadays. Although patients are struggling to get it over, the majority of dermatologists prescribe Topical Steroids mainly for atopic dermatitis and other skin problems even now. I believe the time has come that the world should realize the medication cannot heal all but can be toxic for the skin.
See the pictures at the very bottom of this page if you are ready to know how horrible the side effects of Topical Steroids are. Since they are hard to see, viewer discretion advised, I placed them at the end on purpose for people who don’t want to see.
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Well, fellows who saw the pictures……I’m so sorry for showing these ugly pics of mine below but you saw the obvious improvement on the third one of pictures of my lower leg, didn’t you? It must be hard to believe but I didn’t use any topical products like ointments or creams to get cured. So I’d like to explain the best way in my life to get away from TSW hell for people who are suffering it. I fully understand how tough it is so really want to encourage you guys to help out!
I had been using the strongest Topical Steroids all the time due to severe atopic dermatitis for more than 50 years since I was 6 months old. I had never healed with them but wasn’t able to have ordinary life without them because they pull in inflammation barely, meaning, temporarily. However, the medication loses effectiveness gradually over time and had stopped working finally.
After I stopped using it, experienced horrible withdrawals/side effects as you saw below 4 times in the past 5 years. It developed all over my body actually and I looked like a monster losing hair twice, lost weight 27 lb, 12 kg, in one week due to fluid oozing from the surface of the skin, and so on…
Sometimes I looked completely red (Red Skin Syndrome) as if the entire body suffered extensive burns, then got crusts all over my body like fish then became red again with oozing fluid like a severe burn then got crusts again and then…..the symptom repeated over and over.
I had such bad side effects due to long-term use of Topical Steroids but most dermatologists still diagnose it as ‘atopic dermatitis’. Do you also think so to see my pictures?
No, it’s NOT atopic dermatitis.
We might not be doctors but even non-professionals can say, ‘It is abnormal!’ once seeing pictures below and anyone can tell the medication showed its fangs as a highly toxic substance. It is an obvious side effect. Topical Steroids should no longer be used for skin problems.
Downtown Tokyo with the tallest tower ‘Sky Tree’ in the middle
Even if you need to be hospitalized, there aren’t many hospitals to accept TSW in the world and the situation is the same in Japan too. Patients are like denied refugees looking for hospitals with severely diseased body and I also wasn’t able to find even one at the biggest downtown Tokyo in Japan. However, fortunately, I was introduced to a hospital by a famous Japanese dermatologist (Dr. Fujisawa) and was administered after the third attempt with acute aggravation of the skin at Hannan Chuo Hospital in Osaka, Japan.
And I finally found the best treatment in my life there…….that is,
‘No Steroidal and No Moisturizing Treatment (NMT) ’.
(This is different from Moisture Withdrawal (MW) but more than that.)
It must sound impossible to attempt ‘No moisturizing Treatment’ for people who have super dry skin like atopic dermatitis patients and I also thought the same but a miracle happened with the treatment. Although it didn’t work very well while I just stopped using Topical Steroids but once I stopped using any moisturizers and did more than Moisture Withdrawal at the same time, my symptom got well miraculously in a short period!!
The 1st pic of the first three (the left lower leg) was taken on Oct 29th, the 2nd one was on Nov 18th and the 3rd one was on Dec 17th in 2015.
Now, you are a witness. Even if the symptom is this bad, it is cured after approximate 2 months of treatment, in other words, with ‘No Treatment’.
I got this miraculous recovery with Dr. Kenji Sato‘s treatment at Osaka, Japan as an inpatient for 3 months. He is the leader against Topical Corticosteroids here in Japan.
Osaka, Japan
He doesn’t prescribe ‘Topical Steroids‘ or ‘Protopic‘ (Tacrolimus) or ‘Neoral‘ (Ciclosporin) definitely, almost no medications or no topical products while you are hospitalized actually. (Except sleeping pills in need, anti-itch medicine per inpatients’ request, and so on…)
Well then, what do you do there? Why it can be cured like this?
I’d like to tell you what we do and what we learn at Hannan chuo hospital.
****** If you wonder medications above would work, click below site! ******
The fact that you definitely have to know – For Fellows with TSW
At the hospital, inpatients just maintain a regular bedtime, sleep tight, eat well, and work out to increase in metabolism for generating healthy skin.
To sleep tight during the prime time of the skin, meaning, from 10:00 p.m. to 02:00 a.m., is really important. You should arrange your daily life to fall asleep at 09:30 p.m. every day. Don’t be a night owl.
(Growth hormone that accelerates metabolism is generated from 10 pm to 2 am. It makes new skin.) You’ll see a big difference if you can make it.
Carve out time for exercise.
To work out every day is necessary to boost your metabolism and it accelerates the regeneration of the skin.
If possible, take more than 1 hour for jogging or wogging or fast walking.
Doctors suggest doing it until getting sweat a little at least.
However, even if you weren’t able to make it, please don’t pick on yourself.
Although this is my own opinion, your state of mind affects your skin condition.
Keep being peaceful mentally and it is important to gain an early recovery. There is tomorrow!
Dr. Sato does not recommend taking a shower/bath very often.
It removes moisture (normal bacterial flora also) from your skin. The shower washes it away and it runs in the bathtub. While the symptom is very bad, you shouldn’t take it. I didn’t know it when I was at home and was taking a bath every day because of oozing liquid from the entire body. Sometimes crusts covered all over my body peeled off in the bathtub and water turned to be white in a short time. I was losing a lot of proteins then. It was very dangerous.
I wasn’t allowed to take a shower for a while, then got approval once 3 or 4 days in the hospital. It always should be done in a short time. If you can finish it within a few minutes, it will be good enough but for as short a time as possible anyway.
The main reason to take a bath/shower for us is to avoid infectious diseases diminishing bacteria on your skin.
The warm temperature brings on an intense itch so either way, you should finish it quickly.
Hot springs also can be moisturizers.
People tend to wash too much nowadays being swayed by prevailing trends with CM and advertisements but we don’t need to use soap or shampoo when you take a shower since dry skin is a little more difficult to get dirty than normal skin.
If you really want to use it, use soap bars but not liquid body soap. To make it liquid, they have to use a surface-active agent, which is a petrochemical product. It is obvious that is not good for your skin. Liquid soap remains ‘in’ your skin even if you believe you washed it away. Use a soap bar instead of shampoo if you really want to do it.
Once you stopped using Topical Steroids, Not to Moisturize at the same time is VERY important. You have to do it thoroughly.
Do not wear too many clothes. It also can be moisturizer. Even if you got disorders of thermoregulation like freezing cold sensation due to TSW, try to wear less clothing. I used to wear cotton loose-fitting T-shirts and thin cotton short pants that doctors recommend in the hospital.
Thick top covers/comforters also can be a moisturizer.
‘No skin cream or lotion or natural oils‘ to moisturize. You have to hydrate your skin with your natural ability, otherwise, you need to use them forever and your skin doesn’t work for that awaiting something to be applied from outside all the time.
(I didn’t put any topical products while I was in the hospital and even now also.)
When you scratched, I know it gets worse but just air-dry the part. ‘No need to put ointments or creams.‘
Skin recovers the fastest if you just dried it. (I didn’t know this amazing fact until I meet Dr. Sato.)
If you get oozing fluid from the surface of the skin too much, just apply a piece of clean gauze with the same size as the affected part. It should be washed and dried in advance with water to diminish the stimulation to the skin. It is applied instead of a scab on the part so should be 1 piece only but not 2 or more definitely. If it peeled off partially after a while, cut off the peeled part only and keep remaining the clinging part. When you take a shower, leave it as is and then dry as is. You can leave the same gauze for 1 week at the longest. Don’t remove it on purpose.
After you scratched the skin, ooze tends to seep out. It happens because you might have too much water. We had a strict restraint for drinking water in the hospital. 
I was allowed 1000 ml total amount of intaking water a day first then 2 months later, 1200 ml including fruits, jelly, yogurt, etc….(This is in my case.) It was very tough for me because a lot of oozes were seeping out so fast and rolling down from my raw skin all over my body. I was craving water as if a dying person in a desert….lol
As I explained above, I lost 12 kg (26.5 lb) in the first 7 days due to continuous running ooze (Ahem….it must be retained for the record at the hospital….lol) but the restriction stopped the ooze that runs from all over my body completely and diminished it coming out after scratch obviously. If I didn’t have this direction, I would put my life in danger because I was losing proteins from my body until reaching a critical limit due to hypoalbuminemia. The ooze contains a lot of proteins so letting it run one after another makes you lose the important nutrient factor out of your body. (Falling a lot of crusts also contain proteins!)
However, I believe this requires medical supervision. (For example, you can’t find hypernatremia, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and so on by yourself. Or they might have to prescribe laxative for constipation in case necessary, etc…etc…) Please keep in mind. Only medical professions can diagnose dangerous symptoms.
Even after discharge from the hospital, I try not to drink too much water.
***Dr. Sato’s water restriction method is a safe level for humans that has been carefully considered from a scientific perspective. Type ‘water restriction’ in the search bar and read everything before doing it. I highly recommend you watch my YouTube and read posts on NMT Education Group on Facebook too.
When you go outside, please don’t forget to wear a hat or use a sun umbrella to shield the skin from UV rays. Since you don’t put on sunscreen (sunblock/cream/lotion or SPF), always have to have one of them.
As for food, You can eat anything basically but do not take or eat or apply Liquorice (Licorice), Glycyrrhizin (Glycyrrhiza/Glycyrrhizae Radix) if you saw them in the ingredients. Names are different but they are the same one and it is included in food, Chinese medicines (TCM), cosmetics, bath additives, etc… Once you use/have it, your brain would misunderstand as if you began to use Topical Steroids again.
Oh, also, eating any food is ok but please try to avoid salty food. That makes you feel thirsty and you will have more water. I didn’t know it first and bought a soy sauce in the hospital but Dr. Sato found it at one glance. He asked me, ‘What is it?’…….I answered, ‘It is a decoration of my room.’ jokingly….lol
Needless to say, eating well-balanced meals is very important. Especially, since proteins generate your skin, try to have them consciously.
Well, this is all we do in the hospital and with this simple procedure for a few months, all of the inpatients can improve their symptoms very well. It was an amazing fact for me.
I had been applying Topical Steroids on affected parts always for more than 50 years for my atopic dermatitis and they had never cured my symptoms but without putting any ointments or creams, my skin improved SO much for the first time in my life. I fully realized that Topical Steroids are highly addictive and make atopic dermatitis or other skin problems obstinate.
However, the most intense and unrelenting itch known to man is still uncontrollable usually. When you have such a strong itch as if an attack starts, you scratch the part like mad and it is breath-stopping.
Yes, I know you feel like hollowing the part until reaching to the bones or internal organs and think you’d like to tear the body part off if possible during ‘the attack’. And even worse, after you scratched, you always feel regret and the part pains…….but it can’t be helped because no one can stop the itch. It is our big problem. I guess you try to use ice packs or take anti-itch medicines to diminish it and we do it in the hospital too but they don’t work perfectly as you know.
Dr. Sato says, “Don’t worry about scratching. It is ok to scratch because it is such an itchy sickness. Once doctors warned not to scratch it to patients, the relationship of mutual trust will be ruined at that moment. Itch is the major symptom of this sickness so it is ok. Scratch, and then dry it. And scratch, and then dry it. Repeating this same pattern, your skin is getting stronger little by little. However, please don’t forget that the last scratch should be tender.”
….I was moved so much to hear this and knew he was the real doctor. Everybody had been saying ‘Don’t scratch.’ to me kindly in my whole life history but I know it is an uncontrollable level for human beings. I can make a definitive statement that no human beings can stop this intense itch, but all of you must have been said, ‘Don’t scratch.’ by doctors, your family, friends, etc…in your life so I believe you also are encouraged by his lines above. It must be such a relief to hear for patients. It is ok to scratch. Please don’t feel bad about yourself.
I just followed Dr. Sato’s direction in an authentic way in the hospital. Actually, I couldn’t help repeating to scratch but dried my skin after that every time. In case I got fluid oozing a lot, applied a piece of gauze and dried it. As you see in the pictures below, I used to have brown thick crusts on both of my legs and scratched even such parts until all of them fall off……but just dried later in that case too. I repeated it over and over, again and again……then my skin was getting stronger little by little and finally, I got a miraculous recovery within 3 months.
The third picture below is the result. (The pictures show only for 2 months result though I was in the hospital for 3 months.) It was amazing because the treatment was as if ‘No Treatment’ after all.
Most of the inpatients also get very well with the treatment when they are discharged and they look like having healthy skins. Additionally, my scratched skin looks stronger obviously now.
I would like to declare that you also can get over TSW with ‘No Steroidal and No Moisturizing Treatment (NMT)’.
I knew that we didn’t need to apply Topical Steroids from the beginning.
Topical Steroids have a strong potential for addiction and make your skin problems be refractory. And the side effects and withdrawal are horrible. It is a sound choice you stopped using Topical Steroids for your skin problems!
I fully understand how tough Topical Steroid Withdrawal is because I’m the experiencer and if I may say so, I might have experienced one of the severest TSW symptoms in the world. I’m one of them who used the strongest Topical Steroids the longest globally or worldwide or space wide…..lol
So, I really would like to disseminate the worldwide misstep of Topical Steroids.
Steroids should be used only for life-threatening situations. Immunosuppressants shouldn’t be used for skin problems like Atopic Dermatitis.
I’m afraid to say this but, it is a long journey to get over TSW, however, once it happened on your body, ‘you’ have to get it over anyway and you are the only one to make it. You just need to understand that it takes time. I’m sure you know it but we tend to forget it.
If it is sure that you won’t get complete heal tomorrow, it’s better to enjoy today’s life finding blessings. There are grateful things here and there around you! Even if you cried over, or even if laughed a lot, the next day’s symptom is the same so it is a waste of time to spend your time feeling sad. Time is your life.
For the fastest recovery, I recommend the therapy above. As long as I know, all of the other patients who challenged the treatment won’t see doctors who prescribe Topical Steroids forever and will take the learned therapy ‘No Steroidal and No Moisturizing Treatment (NMT)’ in case they got flare again.
Trust your body’s natural healing ability! You will be ok without medications. I’m not scared anymore even if I got the same symptom again in the future because I learned the most effective way above.
Try to stay positive in any situation! Mental health status is very important for fast recovery.
It doesn’t need to be perfect. If you found 1 tiny good part, bless it!
When you say, ‘This finger is really bad….’ to someone else, you are missing something.
Bless other 9 fingers.
Smile first, then you can be happy. It brings you happiness. Smiling is not the thing to do after you became happy. The order is important to make your life wonderful.
You’ll be ok soon. Hang in there!
Hugs,
Tokuko
***I recommend you try the therapy with a doctor who you can rely on because sometimes you might get infections that spread, hypernatremia due to extreme water restriction, hypoproteinemia and hypoalbuminemia due to losing too much protein and some other sicknesses that might happen secondary. I used to see dermatologists often even while I was taking bed rest at home. It doesn’t matter if the derm can take care of TSW or not. Only medical professions can diagnose dangerous symptoms. ***
***Before you initiate NMT, please try to read other articles regarding TSW from the ‘POSTS IN ENGLISH’ tub. Don’t miss a thing to accomplish it and get the fastest results.
☟ Viewer discretion advised: Severe Dermatitis Pictures below
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☟ 閲覧注意（皮膚炎の写真があります）
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☟ Viewer discretion advised: Severe Dermatitis Pictures below
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☟ 閲覧注意（皮膚炎の写真があります）
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☟ Viewer discretion advised: Severe Dermatitis Pictures below
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☟ 閲覧注意（皮膚炎の写真があります）
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<<<My left lower leg >>>
From Oct 29 to Dec 17, 2015 at Hannan Chuo Hospital in Osaka, Japan
Oct 29, 2015 (Day 25)
Nov 18, 2015 (Day 43)
Dec 17, 2015 (Day 73)
<<<My left ring finger>>>
I did no treatment during the period below. Just dried even after I scratched.
Scratch and dry and scratch and dry and scratch….I didn’t put any topical products or bandages too. Even if it was bleeding, I just dried.
And finally…..see the last picture! The skin became way too strong! It is amazing!
********If you are brave and would like to see more pictures of my symptoms and improvements, go to another
page below. It is written in Japanese but pictures are at the very bottom of the page.
☟ Click here. ☟
The 4th Happy Anniversary after stopped using Topical Steroids － 脱ステ４年記念日に － ステロイドをやめて変わったこと
*******You can see kids’ improved pictures in a study below.
☟ Click here. ☟
You can manage Atopic Dermatits without Topical Corticosteroids!
Copyright © 2017 Tokuko Abfab All Rights Reserved.
Downtown Tokyo from the sky
Spanish Version
Cómo superar el rebote de esteroides tópicos lo antes posible
Arabic Version
خلص من أعراض الانسحاب من الاستوريد الموضعي (الكورتيزون الموضعي) بأسرع وقت ممكن
Dutch Version
Hoe je zo snel mogelijk geneest van TSW of Topical Steroid Withdrawal!
Chinese Version
Serbian Version
Kako što pre prevazići sindrom odvikavanja kože od topikalnih steroida (TSW)
Japanese Version
Getting the knowledge in the below articles is essential for NMT!
English Version
What can be Moisturizers? – For fellows launching ‘No Moisturizing Treatment (NMT)’
Russian Version
Please read all articles in the RECOMMENDED POSTS columns to accomplish NMT.
Make your personal notebook by yourself to learn everything. Your knowledge will help you!
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Bilingual readers,
A lot of readers all over the world are waiting for your support to translate this blog. Please let me know if you can help them with your ability!
Thank you!
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How To Learn NMT (No Moisturizing Treatment)
Currently, there are no NMT books except in Japanese. (Due to various social circumstances, it is extremely difficult to publish translated versions.) However, for TSW sufferers who don’t have any effective solution and have been struggling in agony all over the world, I started to share NMT protocol in English getting approval from Dr. Kenji Sato because it has been showing great results for more than 3 decades in Japan. He has been assisting me to not provide incorrect NMT info thinking about sufferers in the world.
This blog spread all over the world very rapidly and actually, a lot of sufferers learned NMT from this blog healed/improved very fast. Then they started to share it spontaneously through SNS, their own blogs, YouTube, etc…It is great to pay it forward, however, there are a lot of incorrect NMT info that prolongs your symptoms on SNS too. Unfortunately, due to this fast worldwide dissemination, I can’t catch up with everything to request correction. (Even the name, ‘No Moisturizing Treatment’, is incorrect very often.)
Since this is the medical information, it should be the correct/accurate for sufferers’ faster healing. Learn NMT from the source below first to not prolong your symptoms with incorrect info. Dr. Kenji Sato reviews them below as much as possible thinking about sufferers in the world so you can get correct information only from them. (All NMT doctors have been reading this blog!)
Again, getting the correct knowledge accurately is the key to your faster healing! Learn the protocol seriously making your personal note (Do not use others’ ones. None of the personal notes have been approved by Dr. Sato yet.) and revisit below info regularly because you don’t have NMT doctors there. Be a master of NMT!
<<< Non-Profit Organizations>>>
★Tokuko’s Room★ (YouTube)
(YouTube: To learn the NMT protocol. I add both Japanese/English subtitles as much as possible when I have time and the status is at the bottom of video in the explanation column. Many of them are translated into Spanish. There are web translations in other languages.)
NMT super pediatrician Dr. Mitsuko Satou‘s videos also are in this channel.
●Must-see: How to Get Over TSW ASAP! (YouTube version)
●Must-see: The Mix List of NMT Pediatrician Dr. Mitsuko Satou’s YouTube
●Must-see: Kids’ and Babies’ NMT Journeys
（JAPANESE）搔かせても大丈夫！
（ENGLISH）It’s Ok to Let Your Child or Baby Scratch Freely
（español）Está Bien Dejar Que Su Bebé O Niño Se Rasque Libremente
★Tokuko’s Room To Feel Uplifted★ (This blog)
(English Version: To learn NMT basic protocol. Read all articles in the ‘RECOMMENDED POSTS IN ENGLISH’ corner at least.)
http://tokuko.chu.jp/tokukonoheya/menu%e3%80%90posts-in-english%e3%80%91/
(There are Spanish version, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Serbian, Vietnamese, etc…for better understandings.)
★Tokuko’s 365 Days of Pep Talk for NMT★ (The other blog in English)
(Tokuko’s advice for sufferers to learn NMT.)
http://tokukospeptalk.blog.jp/
★NMT Education Group★ (Facebook)
(NMT official Group: This is designed for self-studying of NMT instead of NMT books)
*Please answer 3 questions to join. To protect group members, we need your agreement.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NMTeducationGP
★The NMT Healed Club★ (Facebook)
(NMT official Group: This is for encouragement and learning the healing process visually with before and after pictures.)
*Please answer 3 questions to join. We have to protect group members. Without your agreement, admins need to disapprove your request.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NMTHealedClub
★For Children/Babies★
Please don’t miss these articles below too.
Healing Happens to Kids and Babies with NMT
The Key Tips Of NMT For Babies And Children
☟These 2 videos below also are must-sees for parents!☟
The Mix List (Playlist) of Dr. Mitsuko Satou’s YouTube
It’s Ok To Let Your Child or Baby Scratch Freely!
★Tokuko’s Room To Feel Uplifted – Facebook★ (Facebook)
(Facebook ‘Read Only’ page including lecture meetings’ info)
https://www.facebook.com/TokukosRoom/?ref=page_internal
***Learn NMT from the source above first.
◆The Guidance◆
◆The Guidance for Parents◆
NOTICE to ALL Parents Who Try NMT for Children and Babies
For the awareness of TSW, please read my article on the online news from Australia.
Tokuko’s article on ‘NORTHERN COMMUNITY NEWS’ (Australia)
https://www.northerncommunitynews.com.au/topical-steroid-withdrawal-nmt-no-moisturising-treatment/
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IMPORTANT:
When you share the info of NMT, please use the correct name, ‘No Moisturizing Treatment’, so that sufferers can reach the source. (‘moisture‘, ‘moisturizer‘ ‘therapy‘, etc…are incorrect and sufferers in the world take a longer time to reach the source. It is a big problem currently.)
Also, when you share NMT knowledge, please clarify if it is your own experience if you add your experience too.
Since your own experience also tends to be regarded as NMT protocol, clarifying it is essential. We receive tons of questions from all over the world regarding things that NMT doctors or I have never said, and spending time to correct them prolongs the dissemination. NMT doctors and I really want to disseminate the correct NMT for your healing.
Thank you.
★Video Version of ’How to Get Over Topical Steroid Withdrawal ASAP! ★
#NMT #nomoisturizingtreatment #tokuko’sroomtofeeluplifted #atopicdermatitis #eczema #hannanchuohospital #kenjisato #mitsukosatou #shigekifujisawa #satokominaguchi #nmteducationgroup #thenmthealedclub