Eczema

15 million Americans suffer with itching, burning and oozing skin, from atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common type of eczema.  And the conventional treatments available can cause more harm than good. Atopic dermatitis often begins in childhood, usually during infancy.  Adults can develop atopic dermatitis too. The National Eczema Foundation says the symptoms are: dry, itchy, scaly skin, cracks behind the ears and rashes on the cheeks, arms and legs. Some types of eczema include baby eczema, nummular eczema, dyshidrotic eczema, infant eczema, discoid eczema, seborrheic eczema and happens to babies, toddlers, children and adults. Eczema can occur on the scalp, face, ears, eyelids, lip, hands, feet, penis and other parts of the body.

Don't Use Cortisone Creams for Eczema! Asthma Can Develop!

The most conventional eczema treatment, the corticosteroids, works by suppressing the skin's natural reactions.  They can cause thinning of the skin, infections, stunted growth in children, stretch marks, and even more serious problems. The skin,  when detoxing drives the corticosteroids into a deeper layer and that next layer is the lungs.  Because of this many people treated with cortisone cream develop asthma a few years later.  75% of children with atopic dermatitis or eczema will develop asthma or hay fever.

Instead of suppressing the immune system, you want to build it up.  First try to identify the cause of the eczema or atopic dermatitis. Look for an environmental or nutritional trigger. Our gut  makes up about 60% of our immune system. The immune system creates an inflammatory response when we take in food that we don't digest or assimilate properly. For people predisposed to atopic dermatitis, the inflammatory response will show up in the skin.  The most common food causes are: eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat and soy. Allergies to these can be the cause of eczema. Environmental triggers include harsh laundry detergents and cleaning products.

Try Coconut Oil for Eczema!

You'll want to treat the eczema or dermatitis condition not suppress it.  Home remedies and altrenative treatments are best for eczema. You can try gentle topical treatments like washes or water-based creams that contain calendula or yarrow,  These herbs relieve itching and don't suppress the immune system.  Oatmeal baths can also soothe any outbreaks.  My favorite treatment is organic virgin coconut oil.  It heals faster than anything I've seen or used over many years of experience.  Make sure to get the kind that is not refined, bleached and processed.

Make sure to improve your nutrition by changing your diet to predominately fruits and vegetables.  Cut out all acidic foods.  Acidic foods are anything that is cooked, canned or processed in any way.  Make sure not to eat any fried foods, soda pop, junk food or any food with preservatives or additives.  Add omega-3's DHA and EPA found in cod liver oil and other fish oils to reduce inflammation.  Take probiotics to balance your flora and improve your digestion-- probiotics crowd out the bad bacteria hanging around in your intestines.  Always get the refrigerated kind with high concentrations of both acidophilus and lactobacillus.

To further boost the immune system if you are into herbs, the ones most commonly used are astragalus to modulate the immune system are: meadowsweet and poppy to combat inflammation, California poppy to calm the nervous system and rosemary to move the blood.  Get advice from your health professional before using any herbs.  They also may interfere with any medicines or medications you may be taking.

In adults, atopic dermatitis or eczema can develop from exposure to make-up.  It can also signal the liver's inability to eliminate toxins. The herbs used most often to support the liver are burdock, yellow dock, red root, poke root, figwort and greater celendine. 

Sometimes skin breakouts that are thought to be eczema are actually a condition called dermatitis herpetiformis.  Gluten intolerance is the culprit (wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut etc.) Take the celiac panel blood test of four tests.  However if you get a negative result it won't mean you don't have it-- the test is unreliable.

In any event, working with alternative, natural remedies and treatments for eczema or atopic dermatitis will be your best bet for curing your eczema.