Day 241 Dr Rapaport

I feel quite frustrated today. Not with my skin, which, as you can see from the photos is looking great, but from the attitude that many dermatologists seem to display about this condition.

It seems that dermatologists are indoctrinated with the idea that steroids are a cure-all, a magical panacea for inflamed skin disorders. Apply a little steroid and all your problems will go away....

Because doctors are highly educated people, many lack the humility to acknowledge the possibility that they could be wrong. When faced with the idea that steroid creams could be addictive, many just bury their heads in the sand and refuse to look at the facts. I have hears of cases where people have taken copies of Dr Rapaports papers in to their doctor, only to have the doctor ignore the papers, or throw them across the room, dismissing them as quackery before they have even read them.

Interestingly, even the good doctor himself, Dr Rapaport had problems convincing his fellow dermatologists about steroid cream addiction. Since he wrote his paper, he has only managed to convince 10 doctors in the last 10 years. Dr Fukaya also had the same problem. He was ridiculed by fellow dermatologists, so much so that for a time he discontinued his work treating steroid addicted patients.

A member of the itsan forum recently wrote to his dermatologist, explaining the science behind TSA and explaining that he felt that the creams were the cause, rather than the cure of his skin problem. She replied by saying that the reason his skin was flaring was because he needed the creams and his eczema was getting out of control without them. He replied by explaining that if this were simply a flare of eczema, his skin would be getting worse, but as things stood, his skin was actually improving since he ceased steroids. How could the dermatologist explain that? I would love her to take a look at my improvement photos on this blog and come up with some kind of explanation.

The truth is that the "red people" as Dr Rapaport calls us, are like salmon (red salmon!), swimming against the tide. Just remember, in the past, most people thought the earth was flat. Just because "most people" believe something to be the case does not make it so. I believe that the truth about the long term effects of steroid creams will come out eventually and derms will be forced to rethink their approach. Unfortunately, I think that time is a long way in the future and sadly, many kids and adults will have to suffer needlessly first.