Treatment for eczema

I believe that something from nature is always better for us. The biggest problem with eczema is that our skin is itchy and red. Itching probably is the most annoying factor. There are a couple of naturally occurring plants which can provide relief. One of them is Yarrow (achillea Millefolium) used by native Americans and also by the ancient Greeks to calm irritated skin and for it's healing powers. Achilles was supposed to have used Yarrow for it's healing properties. You may know Yarrow by other names such as Old Man's Pepper, Soldier's Woundwort, Milfoil, knight's Milfoil, Herbe Militaris, Thousand weed, Bloodwort, Staunchweed or Carpenter's weed. Form the names you get the sense that this botanical has been used for wounds for many years.

The second is Jewelweed (impatiens capensis). This was also used by native Americans to sooth and calm the skin. Jewelweed often grows nears poison ivy. It is nature's cure for poison ivy and lives in the same area. It gets it's name because the leaves are water-repellent and when it rains the water beads on the leaves and looks like sparkling jewels. It is also one of the main ingredients in Preparation H - hmmm soothes and calms itching and irritated skin! I wouldn't recommend Preparation H for eczema though because of the petroleum base. Remember skin needs to breathe.

If you would like more information about where to find these particular botanicals in usable form for eczema, send me an email and I will give you the information.

Eczema

Just a word about eczema today. This is a condition that many people suffer from and usually get a prescription for steroids or triamcinolone which on a short term basis helps, but long term makes the condition worse.

In case you're not clear about what eczema is or what it looks like, it is a red scaly appearing rash, usually near a joint or over a joint area. I have seen some of the worse cases cover the entire lower leg. These cases are usually ones in which the patient was given triamcinolone as a prescription and while this takes the red and rash away initially, if used for more than a week to 10 days, makes the rash worse and it spreads.

The most important thing to do for eczema is to keep it moist with a good moisturizer. This in and of itself may not be enough. Oh, and when I say keep it moist, I mean apply the moisturizer at least 4 times a day. This is not an easy feat for most of us.

There are some other things that will help eczema which are naturally occuring in nature. I will write more about this tomorrow.

Skin and Soaps

The skin is fairly acidic in nature. Therefore, use care with soaps which tend to be alkaline in nature. These alkaline soaps can be drying to the skin. To test your soap you can use a simple litmus paper to see if it is more alkaline or neutral. Use special care when using soaps on the face. My recommendation is don't use your bath soap on your face because it can damage the skin by not being acidic enough.

Sun Allergies

Some of you may have actually sun allergies. This is when the exposed to the sun and the skin does burn, you have intense itching of the area that is burned. You make also see swelling of the burned areas. Do not use any cortisone creams on the area. Yes, it will relieve the itching, but it also dries the skin out even more and can lead to more itching.

You can use benadryl cream, but only for a short time, like a day or two. This will help stop the histamine release and decrease the itching. I would also use a good moisturizer as I mentioned before several times a day to keep the skin moist.

As you can see, I have been gone most of August. I just returned from a trip into the mountains. We had a rather overcast day which was warm enough for shorts and we were down by the lake for about 3 hours. Because the ambient air was cool, one doesn't think of sun screen, but there we were applying our sun screen. The people nearby us looked at us a bit skeptically until we pointed out they were getting a bit pink.

Just a word again about altitude. Use lots of sun screen and especially if you are around water. The refraction of the sun off of the water can give you a pretty severe burn in no time. So what if you get burned, what do you do?

First and foremost, do not put butter or oil onto the burned area. This keeps the heat in and the tissue will continue to burn. Aloe will help take the burning away, but you should also use a good moisturizer frequently on the skin. You actually lose moisture from the skin when it gets burned and you want to replace that and help it to heal.

Keeping Skin Moisturized - Good and Bad Oils

I mentioned previously that oils found in skin care products may not help the skin. One of the most common found in skin care products which actually block pores and can dry the skin out is mineral oil. It is inexpensive and makes the lotion go on smoothly, but it has a petrolatum base which blocks pores and does not allow the skin to breathe. If you see petrolatum or mineral oil in a product, this would not be the best thing for your skin.

When you read labels get familiar with the oils which are actually emollients which help the skin by increasing water levels and act as a natural barrier on the skin surface. Some of these emollients which come from nuts or plants are; Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii), Babassu oil (Orbignya Oleifera), Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Kukui Nut Oil (Aleurites Moluccana), and Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera Biennis). Again be reading those labels