Natural Eczema Treatment

Iare one of the unlucky ones affected by eczema, there are many environmental factors that can trigger an attack.

Environmental triggers for eczema

• High chemical exposure, which can come from household cleaners, pest sprays, perfumes etc
• Illness
• Food intolerances and allergies
• Drugs like aspirin, which is a type of salicylate
• Dietary deficiencies (Omega-3, vitamin C, Vitamin B complex including biotin, zinc and magnesium are all needed for eczema-free skin)
• Eating excess saturated fats, which contributes to inflammation
• Eating too many processed vegetable oils, which can inhibit healthy cell function
• Ageing
• Simple carbohydrates like white bread, which cause a glucose rush that in turn inhibits vitamin C and prevents the body using essential fatty acids
• Chronic stress.

As a first step, an allergy test carried out by a doctor would be a good idea to identify whether you are allergic to a family pet, dust mites or something else in your daily environment.

Medical treatment often ends there, or with the prescription of a topical cortisone cream. But there’s much more you can do. Here is a list of foods that may be aggravating your eczema.

Foods that may trigger eczema

• Alcoholic drinks, especially red wine
• Dairy products
• Citrus fruits
• Chemical food additives
• Nitrates (in ham / bacon)
• Salicylates and Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Avocado
• Chocolate
• Dried fruits
• Grapes
• Kiwi fruit
• Stone fruits such as plum, apricot and peach
• Tomatoes
• Soy sauce / tamari
• Food spreads / vegemite
• Honey / jam
• Broccoli, spinach
• Mushrooms
• Prune juice.

The reason these foods cause problems is because they are either high in natural MSG, or salicylates, or both.

Consider following an elimination diet for two months, excluding all of these foods. After two months, assuming your eczema has cleared up, you can start reintroducing the foods, one at a time, noticing what happens with each food.

If your eczema flares up, add that food to the list of foods to avoid, discontinue it, and proceed to the next one on the list to reintroduce. This should give you a pretty good idea of which foods are triggering the eczema. You should continue to avoid artificial additives, margarine and preservatives for ever.

Eczema creams, ointments and lotions

All the eczema creams on the market can be put into one of two categories:

1. Conventional creams containing both synthetic and natural ingredients designed to coat the skin and trap moisture without irritating
2. More natural oil and herb-based products which provide nourishment and anti-inflammatory ingredients.

It is important to find the right treatment for your own eczema, so keep trying different products until you find the one that is right for you. Here are some helpful ingredients to look for. Click to find a list of products containing each ingredient:

•    Aloe vera
•    Calendula
•    German chamomile
•    For a milder alternative to german chamomile, try roman chamomile
•    Cocoa butter
•    Manuka honey – this can also be applied directly to wounds to soothe, heal and prevent infection.
•    Borage Oil
•    Extra-virgin coconut oil
•    Beeswax
•    Shea butter
•    Rosehip oil
•    Vitamin E
•    Rosemary
•    Zinc Oxide
•    Almond oil
•    Sweet Almond Oil
•    Evening primrose oil
•    Licorice root.

About cortisone creams/topical steroids for eczema

There are pros and cons to using medicated treatments. One the one hand, they can provide desperately-needed relief for severe eczema. With short-term use there shouldn’t be an long-term side effects.

But, with long-term use of topical steroids there can be damage to collagen, which means that the skin will lose tone and get thinner. Steroids can basically cause similar symptoms to premature ageing. They also cause the body to lose chromium and reduce the effects of vitamin C and D.

Limit your baths to fifteen minutes to prevent the loss of natural oils from the skin, keep the bath luke-warm rather than hot, and try to find a bath oil with any of these ingredients:

•    Sweet almond oil
•    Almond oil
•    Emu oil
•    Olive oil
•    Coconut oil
•    Apricot kernel oil
•    Jojoba oil
•    Vitamin E
•    Borage oil
•    Evening primrose oil.

Moisturizing bath recipe for eczema

Mix a teaspoon of oil (olive, coconut or almond) with a teaspoon of your favourite moisturiser and stir it into the bath.
Healing bath recipe for eczema

Add 1/2 cup of organic apple cider vinegar and 6 to 8 drops of rose oil to warm bath water. For some people this will help heal the inflammation and balance the pH of the skin. In others it may cause itching – if so, put 1/4 cup of baking soda in fresh bath water to relieve the itch.
Wet bandaging for eczema

Wet bandaging may be used in very severe cases of eczema where you or your child scratches until there is bleeding and skin legions. Talk to your doctor or go to the chemist to obtain sterile wet bandages.

To soothe eczema itches

We’ll leave you with some at-home first aid treatments for itching!

1. Fill a plastic bag with ice and hold it on the skin
2. Add 1/4 cup of bicarbonate of soda to a lukewarm bath and soak in it for 15 minutes