Eczema

WHAT IS ECZEMA? Eczema Overview

Eczema may be triggered by:

• Allergies- to a certain food, poison ivy, or even nuts
• Cold and dehydrated weather conditions
• Eating disorders
• Overload of toxins circulating in the human body
• Imperfect body mechanism ( E.g. Thyroid malfunction)
• Sensitive skin
• Varicose veins
• Stress

Symptoms of Eczema

Eczema rashes are usually red at first and worsen with increased scratching. They might even deepen to a thick brown color.

Other Eczema Symptoms and Visible Signs of Eczema Are:

• Inflamed & cracking skin
• Raised dots filled with fluid and puss
• Swollen lips
• Crusts on skin
• Blisters
• Extreme itchiness
• Tingly skin that is extra-sensitive to harsh chemicals or weather
• Dry skin
• Red and scaly patches of skin
• Weeping, inflamed areas of skin
• Mild Itchiness

Eczema and Eating Habits

Some common troublesome foods would include soy, wheat, eggs, yeast, nuts, fish, and milk products. You could simply cut out all these foods. Alternatively, you could track your eating patterns to investigate which one is the culprit. That way you can fight your eczema AND indulge your taste buds in the foods you enjoy. While tracking your food habits you could note down what you ate and the time that you ate it.

Making conscious changes in your eating style and maintain a food diary will soon help you cure your eczema for good.

Treating Eczema with Herbal Remedies

• Rub aloe vera gel over the inflamed area
• Drink chamomile tea or place the leaves over the affected area to soothe the itching.
• Add a tablespoon of turmeric powder to an equal quantity of bitter mint leaf with some warm water and use it as an exfoliant to speed up the healing process.
• Apply spearmint leaf juice to the rash.
• Crush almond leaves with water and apply. When the leaves have turned dark, cool the mixture and strain it out. Store the oil in a jar and massage over rash 2-3 times a day. This is a very effective procedure.
• Rub coconut oil on the damaged area gently to soften the skin.
• Brew fresh mint leaves in boiled mustard oil.
• Take supplements of Omega 3, like fish oil tablets.
• Relax with a calming mudpack. It does wonders for the eczema!

Alternative Treatments for Eczema

Doctors mainly aim to cure 3 things through medication: itchiness, swelling, and dryness. They may prescribe a topical lotion, topical steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines or even UV light treatment in extreme cases.

General tips you can put into effect immediately include:

• DO NOT itch! It’s just going to make it worse and possibly cause infection. You don’t want that, do you?
• When showering, do so with luke warm water. Hot water may cause your eczema to become irritated and inflamed.
• Wear cotton clothing. They are unlikely to aggravate your skin condition.
• Stay in cool and soothing weather conditions. Avoid intense heat.
• Avoid harsh chemicals, like cleaning liquids, bug sprays, or detergents.
• Use a petroleum jelly, like Vaseline, as a moisturizer to avoid dehydration of your skin.
• De-stress

Ongoing research into autoimmune drugs to fight eczema is also in process.