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Eczema Symptoms
Your symptoms may also include redness, swelling, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Bleeding is often a result of scratching or abrading by washing too hard or rubbing dry rather than patting.
Causes of Eczema
The causes of eczema are various. It is a broad term used to describe a number of different conditions. Some of which arise from underlying health problems, such as lymphoma. If it's not winter and you have not been exposed to an allergen or irritant, then you probably have "atopic eczema".
Traditional Chinese practitioners have been able to successfully and permanently resolve the condition by treating it as a symptom of underlying ill health. Many natural health experts feel that the cause of eczema and other allergic reactions is poor nutrient intake, which would of course result in underlying ill health.
Below, you will see recommended "self-help" tips for cleansing, eating, supplementing and moisturizing. These combined with avoiding irritating clothing made from rough or unnatural fibers should help you remove eczema and get rid of itchy skin for good.
Cleansing
In order to heal and remove eczema, you must not use detergents. In fact, you should only use a cleanser when water alone is not enough to wash away the dirt. Over cleansing is the most common cause of itchy skin, especially in Western cultures, where people often shower two or three times a day. Don't buy any cleanser that contains sodium lauryl sulfate or irritating petrochemicals. Super-fatted goat milk soap is the best choice.
Eating
Recent studies indicate that food allergies may be a factor, but testing for food allergies is difficult. People with eczema respond to practically all allergens in a patch test. It may be possible for you to remove eczema, without subjection yourself to patch testing by keeping a food diary and identifying triggers. Some common triggers that tend to cause itchy skin and other conditions include eggs, nuts, and wheat, sweet corn, coffee and dairy products.
One way to see if any of these foods are giving you trouble is to eliminate all of them from your diet. Then wait 1-2 weeks while your system clears out any "residue" from these foods. Then re-introduce one food at a time for at 1 week; watch how you respond. Get going until one rears its ugly head. This will take patience but it could be an inexpensive way to find out what is bothering you.
Supplementing
Trying to identify food triggers necessitates the use of supplements to prevent nutrient deficits. Some studies indicate that an omega 3 supplement is particularly beneficial to help remove eczema and calm itchy skin.
Allergic reactions are basically caused by an overactive immune system. Specific nutrients are beneficial for modulating inflammation, the immune system response responsible for eczema and other types of dermatitis. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, have anti-inflammatory activity. The brand with the most anti-inflammatory activity, according to scientific analysis, is Omega 3/DHA Fish oil. I mention on my website, listed below, where I get the one I use daily.
Moisturizing
There is no doubt that an effective moisturizer is absolutely essential for itchy skin, but most of the so-called moisturizers on the market do not actually contain moisturizing ingredients. Avoid products that contain petrolatum or mineral oil. Look for a body lotion that contains a variety of natural plant-based oils, including jojoba, grape seed and olive oil.
Manuka honey is another good ingredient. It has proven benefits for conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis.
I use an Age Defense Body Lotion that is particular beneficial for people that want to remove eczema. Using it could be the most important step of all.
