ECZEMA

ECZEMA, OR ATOPIC DERMATITIS, is a chronic, itchy skin disease that usually appears on the inside of the elbows and knees and on the face and the wrists. Infants are the most common sufferers of eczema, and most will be free of the disease by the time they’re eighteen months old. But children as well as adults can develop it at any age.

Eczema is an allergic disease; it’s more common in people who have other allergies, particularly asthma and hay fever. As you might guess, the best approach for controlling eczema is similar to that of controlling other allergies. The first step is to try to identify allergenic foods. I have seen patients improve dramatically when they eliminate allergenic foods from their diet: Eggs, milk, dairy products, chocolate, peanut, soy, potatoes, and the glutens found in wheat, oats, rye, and barley are common offenders. An allergen-free diet should be followed for four to six weeks in order to allow improvement. In infants, cow’s milk is the most common allergen, so it’s important to breast-feed babies as long as possible. In addition, if the parents of a child are allergic to certain foods, the baby may carry that allergy as well, and those foods should be avoided. It’s not uncommon for babies with eczema to develop chronic ear infections.

One recent well-controlled study found that the food additive tartrazinc can provoke eczema in some people, though the reaction is not common (sometimes it’s difficult to make a connection between eczema and a particular cause because the symptoms can vary from one day to the next). It was reported that of the twelve children studied, one showed severe eczema symptoms after the ingestion of tartrazine. Tarrrazine, or FD&C Yellow Dye No. 5 is found in many foods. For a complete list, see the section on food colorings in Hives.

There’s a great deal of evidence that people with eczema have a problem with their digestion of essential fatty acids. Over half of eczema sufferers improve when they take evening primrose oil-as a supplement as well as topically. Evening primrose oil can relieve the symptoms of eczema and help to normalize the digestion of essential fatty acids.

Fatty fishes, a natural source of the oils that help relieve the improper fatty acid digestion, are a great aid to people with eczema. MaxEPA is a form of fish oil supplement that I recommend. I also tell my patients to have fatty fish like herring, salmon, or mackerel at/east twice a week.

Vitamin C and bioflavonoids are extremely useful in controlling this condition.

Vitamin A is very important to the health of the skin and can be very useful in the treatment of eczema.

Zinc is especially helpful for people with eczema. Many eczema sufferers have been found to be deficient in zinc, and, in fact, zinc is an important mineral in the fatty acid metabolism.

In addition to supplements, there are some practical measures that you can take to relieve the symptoms of eczema, outlined below.

NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR ECZEMA

• Identify food allergies and eliminate the offending foods from your diet. Eggs, milk, cheese, chocolate, peanuts, soy, potatoes, and the glutens in wheat are common allergenic foods. It will take four to six weeks for the results of an allergen-free diet to be observed, so be patient,
• Breast-feed infants for as long as possible if there is any sign of eczema. While breast-feeding, the mother should avoid any foods to which she has had an allergic reaction.
• Investigate the possibility of the food additive tartrazine contributing to the eczema, and if it does, eliminate it from the diet.
• Eat fatty fish tike salmon, herring, and mackerel at least twice a week

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DAILY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE:

• Evening primrose oil: 1,000 mg. three times daily, and then reduce the dose to 500 mg. daily.
• Evening primrose: topically to the affected skin twice a day.
• MaxEPA fish oils: 1,000 mg. three times daily.
• Vitamin C and bioflavonoids: 1,000 mg. Of both daily,
• Vitamin A: 10,000 I.U. daily
• Zinc: 50 mg. daily.

SOME STEPS TO RELIEVE SYMPTOMS:

• DO not use hot water for bathing and showering. Use warm water.
• Use bath oil to soften skin. Use a nondrying soap substitute instead of soap.
• Do not use over-the-counter ointments that contain benzocaine or antibiotics.
• Avoid lanolin in skin lotions, cosmetics, cleansers, and the like.
  Try to avoid temperature extremes and any activity that will involve excessive sweating.
• Aerobic exercise is beneficial to eczema and other skin ailments, Just be sure to take a warm shower after exercise to wash away sweat.
• Avoid any oily or greasy ointment that prevents skin from breathing.
• Try to wear cotton and other natural fibers next to your skin with the exception of wool, which you should avoid.
• As stress can exacerbate eczema, practice stress reduction techniques.