National Eczema Week September 14th - 22nd

National Eczema Week

National Eczema Week 2013 is being held between 14th and 22nd September and is designed to raise awareness and understanding of this complaint and ways of dealing with the distressing symptoms. Although eczema is not contagious it can undermine self-confidence and leave people feeling different and isolated. Natures Healthbox would like to play a part in this event with this short article and some suggestions of products that might prove useful.

Eczema (coming from the Greek word meaning “to boil over”) is the name given to a range of persistent skin conditions for which there is no reliable cure – you may also see it referred to as dermatitis. The impact of these conditions is often overlooked especially by those who have never suffered from it or don’t understand the problem. The exact causes are unknown for the most part but it is presumed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It is estimated that around 5 million people are affected – about 1 in 5 children and 1 in 12 adults). The persistence of long-standing eczema means that many people turn to alternative therapies and although there are few evidence-based controlled trials carried out patients regularly report encouraging results especially when using 100% natural, pure products.

Eczema is an inflammation of the skin with the main symptoms being dryness, redness, itching, and in the worst cases blistering, weeping and infection. The condition varies tremendously from person to person ranging from a few dry patches to a very severe condition which really affects day to day living and quality of life.  Most people report that they experience “flare ups” when the condition becomes much worse and it is thought the frequency of these may be related to factors such as stress, outside temperature, pollution or diet.

The main traditional treatments consist of avoidance of known irritants such as detergents, chemicals etc, regular use of emollients (moisturisers), and topical steroids in cream or ointment form. There is no doubt that steroids do produce favourable results but long term regular use is not good practice and the aim would be to use only during severe flare ups. Long term steroid use can lead to thinning and discolouration of the skin, worsening of other skin conditions and in children can affect their rate of growth.

It appears that the oily barrier of skin is reduced in eczema sufferers giving rise to an increase in water loss and a greater tendency to dry skin. Many people report improvement when taking such supplements as Fish Oils, Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil, and Flaxseed which are also believed to boost the immune system and reduce the likelihood of allergic reactions. It is also suggested that Vitamins B,C,D & E can be beneficial as can antioxidants such as beta carotene, bromelain, sea kelp and quercetin which also have anti-inflammatory properties  as does Echinacea. There are many emollients on the market and you need to find one that suits your skin type and you find agreeable to use. We suggest such things as coconut, calendula, tea tree, olive and almond oils or creams containing aloe vera, shea butter, honey, witch hazel, chamomile, cocoa butter. There is also a wide range of products aimed at general skin conditions that may help with the itching but due to individual differences and variation in the presentation of the condition it is very much a question of finding the product that suits you and one that you have faith in.

There is substantial evidence that food intolerances are linked with eczema – there is a higher incidence amongst Coeliac patients (gluten intolerance) and some people report improvement when giving up certain categories of food such as dairy, wheat, soy etc. It is suggested that these are excluded from the diet for a while and then reintroduced one at a time over a period  to try and identify a culprit.  Because of this possible link it is also suggested that you try to keep your gastric tract healthy with use of Probiotics, Aloe Vera Juice, L -Glutamine or Liquorice.

Unfortunately eczema is one of many skin conditions that the medical profession find hard to treat and what works for one may not work for another. If you read about a product you would like to try that is not on our site let us know and we will  try to source it so that others may benefit and gain some relief from this very miserable condition.