Eczema Questions
Eczema Questions That Are Often Asked are...
1) How important is diet?
Experienced sufferers know to avoid the food allergens that effect them. Until these allergens are found and avoided, controlling eczema is highly unlikely.
Try to remember the foods that may have caused the outbreaks and refrain from eating them again. Taking Omega-3 and alpha-linolenic acid capsules can boost your immune system. Both of these substances are known to help in skin repair.
For a more in depth article and website on how to use an elimination diet to find hidden food allergies you might find the website beyond-food-allergies.com a helpful resource.
Often finding and eliminating the root cause of one condition will relieve other symptoms an individual is suffering from.
2) Can clothing contribute to outbreaks?
Most certainly, some people are bothered by wool, nylon, polyester, and other fibers. Cotton seems to be non-irritating and should be used where possible.
Pay attention to the detergents used in laundering your clothes since some of the ingredients found in laundry soaps and fabric softeners have dyes that can irritate the skin.
We highly recommend a product free of fillers, optical brighteners, phosphates, and formaldehyde forming compounds such as Quaternium 15
3) What methods should be used in cleaning the skin?
Keeping the skin clean and bacteria free as possible is advisable to all people, but is very important to dermatitis sufferers. Conventional commercial soaps may be too harsh for the sensitive skin and should be shunned.
Our Tea tree oil based soaps, skin cleansers, and shampoos are gentle and will not dry out the skin when bathing. In fact, the skin is left feeling soft and moist even after the bath. A post-bath application of our liquefied lanolin and tea tree oil product along with our lotion made from pure exotic Malaysian glycerin (palm and coconut based, no animal fats!) will help keep the skin hydrated.
4) What can be done about the terrible itching?
This is the most common of all eczema questions.
There is a danger of infection if the hands are not kept clean and bacteria buildup occurs under the nails. Our topical products should ease the itching, thus reducing the chances of further skin damage. Some patients keep a small bottle of our lotion or bath oil with them during the day.
Gut Health
Increasingly, research is showing that there may be a close connection between gut health and eczema. Adding more probiotics to your diet may help relieve the itching, and may help your body to restore it's immune function.
There's a fantastic book on the subject of gut health, and the link to mood and behavior disorders, as well as the increase of issues and concerns like autism, aspergers syndrome, ADD and ADHA, among others.
It's called Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia that covers the changes to make to help.The Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain has been said to help quite a few folks. You can get this one naturally but building a sufficient supply in your gut can take time, and you need to stay faithful to a daily regimen of eating fresh sauerkraut. Not the pasteurized stuff in most stores, but either one that is active, like "Bubbies" or one that you make yourself at home.
Enemas
Because some eczema may be gut related, there are reports of people finding immediate relief from the terrible itching with an enema once a day. Since the itching seems worse at night, many prefer to have an enema before heading off to bed.
A plain warm water enema will help to empty the bowel quickly. It should be noted that many folks that suffer from eczema also have problems with constipation, and the associated hemorrhoids. Doing a daily enema for a short period of time may bring relief for all three problems at once.
As always, check with a health care professional to treat or diagnose any health issues.
5) Can diet supplements work for eczema?
There is some evidence that Vitamin E will give some additional therapy since it helps with skin healing. However, more evidence points to or bath oil and lotion combination as being very effective in skin repair and should not be overlooked.
Gel caps containing Omega 3's are available and should be considered in your treatment plan. A good oil capsule contains Omega-3, Omega-6, and linolenic acids. It is believed that eczema is a symptom of Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency.