I’m sure there’s a word for why we as humans love to know things about ourselves. There’s a hilarious bit by Jim Gaffigan about “myyyysseeelf” on his Mr. Universe special. “I’m gonna look at myself, while I work on myself, and read my Self magazine.”

We love to know about “Thy Self”! So in the quest for a better understanding of myself, I decided to invest in some self care and purchased two tests through the currently popular and much advertised Everlywell company. I purchased their Food Sensitivity Test and Indoor & Outdoor Allergy Test. I think I justified said purchase through the Mother’s day route this year.

I wanted to be wowed. I wanted a quick and easy, definitive answer to why I suffer from eczema. I’ve had issues with it since I was 14. I’ve been teased about it by family, questioned about it by friends (i.e. is that contagious??) and pitied about it by my husband and son. The itch can be maddening and the embarrassment of flare ups, of flaky, red skin, can be intense. 

I did the test, I “milked” my fingertip for blood as instructed (yuck!), prepped my test for mailing. It was all easy, including the wait. So, all as promised. I basically got back that the only high sensitivity I had was to yogurt, which I hardly ever eat and my only notable allergy was to 2 types of grass. 

I’m sorry to say, I didn’t get the answers I wanted from Everlywell. To be fair, they’re doing what they say but, I would rather spend my hard earned dollars making an appointment with an allergist, a dermatologist, a holistic medicine specialist, an aesthetician, etc.

My eczema continues to be horrible this year. I’ve considered many things- maybe it is dairy and I’m currently trying to cut it out, maybe it’s pollen, I do basically live in a forest now, maybe it’s any number of other things including just the increased base line of stress that everyone on the planet is living with in 2020. 

One good thing is that my factory settings for stress have been re-calibrated this year. From here on out, even a mildly successful or calm year will be considered a victory, thus lowering my overall stress levels. Victory!

My verdict? Save thy self some money and skip Everlywell.