Tuesday, July 14, 2009

All about eczema and natural eczema treatment

The skin is the largest human organ and it has various functions: it’s our physical boundary that
separates and still connects us to the outside world, and it also brings us in contact with our
environment.
Skin is a reflective surface of all our internal organs. Every disturbance of those organs is
projected onto the skin.
The energetic view of the skin is connected to the lungs.
Lungs dominate water passages which are responsible for moisture reaching the surface of the
body.
Most important functions of the skin are :

  1. Separation and protection
  2. Touch and contact
  3. Expression and representation
  4. Sexuality
  5. Respiration
  6. Excretion
  7. Temperature regulation.

Eczema is an inflammation of the skin usually characterized by redness, swelling, blister
formation, and oozing and almost always by itching. The term eczema, which formerly
referred to the blistered, oozing state of inflamed skin, has by common usage come to have
the same meaning as dermatitis .

Causes and symptoms


Eczema is a non-contagious, inflammatory skin disease .
Errors in diet, and systemic poisoning associated with a disturbance of the balance of the
tissue salts in the body, are the most likely causes of eczema .
Eczema in its early stage can be recognized by the appearance on any part of the body of
small vesicles which mature, rupture, and discharge a serum, which as it dries forms dry
scales or small crusts.
Some forms of eczema are dry, and others continually ooze or weep
under the crusts. The skin between the vesicles is inflamed, red, and itching (or burning
sensation).
Pus formation and discharge occurs only from a secondary infection and through
neglect of proper measures.

Suggestions


Care must be taken to keep the skin clean, yet soap may have to be avoided because it aggravates the condition in many cases.
A bland, non-irritating ointment applied to the parts will reduce inflammation and Itching.
The diet must be carefully studied for the purpose of eliminating the foods which cause aggravations. The kidney functions can be promoted by drinking an abundance of water.
Eczema is a generic term for inflammatory conditions of the skin. Conditions may present as
erythematous, edematous, papular, vesicular, or crusting. The conditions may progress to
lichenification, and scaling. They may be categorized according to endogenous and exogenous
causes with the latter further divided into light reactive and non-light reactive.

  • atopic dermatitis is a chronic, itching, superficial inflammation of the skin, which often occurs in people who have a history of allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever

Different types of eczema include: Asteototic eczema, Atopic eczema, contact eczema, Eczema papulosum, pustulosum, rubrum, sclerosum, siccum, varicosum, infant eczema

Etiology


  • varied; stress, fatigue, and nutrient deficiency all play a role in allowing endogenous or exogenous irritants to cause uncomfortable skin conditions; herpes simplex or vaccination sequelae may lead to grave complications; when acute, the patient should not be vaccinated or exposed to people who have active herpes or have recently been vaccinated

Signs and symptoms


  • itching
  • redness
  • papules or pustules
  • dry, cracked skin
  • patches of dry or desquamated skin
  • high serum levels of IgE antibodies
  • eosinophilia
  • lesions typically affect flexor surfaces, neck, face and hands

Prognosis


  • variable according to etiology; episodes are usually stronger and longer-lasting in the first 5 years of life; later episodes may occur throughout life; medications used in attempt to find relief often cause allergic dermatitis; scratching may lead to infection; scratching may cause wheal which exacerbates pruritus; clinical observation suggests that extended use of suppressive anti-inflammatory medications may result in development of asthma



Homeopathics(Natural eczema treatment)


Agaricus muscarius

  • burning, biting, extreme itching, prickling as from needles, electric-like stitches in the skin
  • small nodules in the skin, < in winter

Alumina

  • dry, very irritable with constipation

Antimonium crudum

  • thick, hard honey-colored scales, itching when warm
  • burning,
  • < night
  • gastric problems
  • sensitive to cold bathing

Arsenicum album

  • itching, burning, swelling, < cold and scratching
  • dry, rough, scaly skin
  • between fingers and cracks on tips of fingers
  • scaly eruptions on scalp and face with acrid, fetid discharge
  • intense burning and itching

Bovista

  • on back of hands
  • moist in bends of knees, appearing during full moon

Calcarea carbonica

  • violent itching at all times, < towards morning in bed
  • sensation as if wearing cold damp socks

Calcarea sulphurica

  • dry eczema in kids
  • yellow purulent crusts and scales
  • pimples on the hair which bleed when scratched
  • when pus has found a vent, discharges, suppuration

Chrysarobinum

  • behind ears
  • violent itching
  • filthy, scabby condition with tendency to form thick crust

Cicuta virosa

  • on hairy parts
  • pustules run together, suppuration dries in hard crusts

Clematis erecta

  • vesicular and crusting with purulent or watery secretion followed by scales and crusts
  • rough and firmly adhering crusts to scalp with excoriating yellowish discharge

Graphites

  • weeping, sticky honey-like fluid
  • on hands, face, lips, behind ears
  • < warmth and at night
  • use low potency
  • deformed nails
  • recurrent herpes

Hepar sulphur

  • moist in folds of skin with itching on bends of joints
  • suppurates easily and pimples form;sensitive to touch, < dry, cold wind > damp and warmth

Kali sulphuricum

  • vesicles with thin, yellow pus
  • inside of hands and fingers
  • lips cracked, < sweets

Lyc

  • skin is dry and hot
  • scaly eruptions
  • skin excoriated between buttocks
  • weals look as if struck

Manganum

  • Rough, cracked (flexures)
  • bluish. Suppuration of skin around joints
  • Red elevated spots
  • Chronic eczema, with amenorrhoea, worse menses or menopause
  • Dry hard ulcers
  • Pruritus of diabetes
  • Chronic eruptions, inveterate like psoriasis.

Medorrhinum

  • eczema in conjunction with asthma
  • eczema since birth
  • history of nappy rash
  • scratch until it bleeds
  • < night
  • worse perspiration
  • worse undressing

Mezereum

  • intolerable itching < in bed and from touch
  • copious, serous exudate
  • head is covered with thick leather-like crusts which collect white pus
  • hair matted together
  • itching eruptions like flea bites
  • brownish miliary rash (like millet seed)
  • vesicles (chicken pox)
  • sensation of cold air in eyes
  • pain in bones
  • < at night
  • desires fat

Nat mur

  • margins of hair
  • oozing, scabby eruptions

Oleander

  • worse for oranges and citrus fruits
  • Stool passed w/ least amount of flatus.
  • Seborrhea, psoriasis (desquamation) or scalp, especially occiput, margin of hair.
  • Large white scales (dandruff).
  • < Oranges (generally).
  • Emptiness not > eating.
  • Skin easily chaffed, chaped.
  • Headache > looking sideways.

Petroleum

  • yellowish, green thick crusts on face and neck with profuse discharge
  • bloody cracks with no discharge
  • dry, scaly or moist
  • > in summer
  • < cold or winter
  • on hands or behind ears

Psorinum

  • dry, scaly on scalp and face
  • crusts over the scalp
  • hair falls out, oozing lifts the crusts and exposes new vesicles
  • < night from warmth of bed
  • patient low-spirited, unhopeful
  • nauseating sickening odor from oozing fluid
  • is the opposite of general symptoms which are < by cold

Rhus toxicodendron

  • dry with redness, swelling,
  • intolerable itching < by warmth
  • on scalp in infants
  • vesicles suppurate thin watery dark-colored secretion

Staphysagria

  • yellow, acrid fluid oozes from under crusts
  • humid itching, fetid eruptions on head and behind ears
  • scratching changes place of itching but increases oozing

Sulphur

  • for all kinds of eczema
  • intense burning, itching
  • < washing or scratching
  • rough, coarse, dry, scaly skin
  • redness around orifices
  • hot
  • hot feet at night
  • skin becomes indurated
  • sluggishness of vascular system, skin repairs badly
  • also sluggish mentally
  • worse for heat, worse for warmth of bed
  • heat on vertex and cold feet
  • sinking hungry sensation at 11 pm
  • desires sweets and alcohol, but agg
  • > cold and open air

Tellurium

  • itching of hands and feet
  • ring-shaped lesions with offensive discharge
  • barbers itch
  • stinging skin
  • on back of ears and occiput
  • offensive foot sweat

Thuja occidentalis

  • after suppression of gonorrhea or after vaccination
  • dirty brown skin covered with itching vesicles

Frickers’ treatment


For dermatitis resulting from antibiotic allergy, they prescribed Sulf & Nux Vomica
12C twice a day in alternation for 2 weeks.
For Neuro dermatitis (eczema on cheeks, neck & hand) always prescribed
Tuberculinum (200C, then 1M, then 10M doses) & sometimes Carcinosin.

Treatment with the Biochemic Remedies (Schussler's Cell Salts):


  • In the first stage for the inflammation , redness, heat and swelling of the skin: Ferrum-Phos
  • Small, white dry scales on the skin, white-coated tongue: Kali-mur
  • Scabs with offensive, irritating secretions, causing soreness and rawness of the parts. Eczema in nervous persons: Kali-Phos
  • Discharges from eruption of thin, yellow matter; Eruption suddenly suppressed, with dry skin: Kali-Sulph
  • Watery eruption, small vesicles with intense itching. Skin dry and cracked. Eruption on flexor surfaces of elbows and knees: Natrum-Mur
  • Eczema with excessive acid conditions . Creamy, honey-colored discharges, golden-yellow crusts: Natrum-Phos
  • Vesicular eruptions with contents like white of egg, associated with anemia: Calcarea Phos
  • Skin thickened and cracked. Eczema about the anus with intense itching: Calcarea Fluor

Dose: Four tablets every hour in acute condition, three or four times daily in chronic eczema.



Other naturopathic treatments


Topical applications to lessen itching (beware of suppression!)


Stellaria medea (chickweed) creams have been known to soothe where others fail



Nutritional and supplements


Foods


  • high fiber diet
  • vegan diet
  • hypoallergenic/rotation diet
  • correct low stomach acid

Eat:

  • foods rich in Vitamins A, B-complex
  • increase omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids

avoid:

  • food intolerances
  • dairy, meat, alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty foods, rich foods, salty foods, stimulating foods, coffee, caffeine



Physical therapy for itching


Peroxide bath


  1. run bath at about 100° F
  2. dissolve one tablespoon of potassium permanganate in 1 quart of boiling water, and pour into
  3. bath
  4. stir in 1.5 tablespoons of sulfuric acid
  5. add 16 oz. hydrogen peroxide, causing effervescence
  6. patient sits still in bath, and will experience a mild prickling sensation
  7. maintain water temperature
  8. stay in bath 20 min., then go to bed

Oatmeal bath


  1. place one pound of uncooked oatmeal into gauze and tie around spigot
  2. turn on hot water to fill bath as water runs over oatmeal
  3. once bath is full, put bag of oatmeal in bath water
alternatively:
use one cup of oatmeal ground right in bath

Neutral bath


  1. fill bath with water between 94-98° F; should feel neither warm nor cold
  2. water at this temperature is absolutely non-irritating
  3. time of bath can vary from 10 min. to several hours (can actually last for days, though patient
  4. needs to be taken from bath every 3 hr. and have lanolin applied to skin
  5. terminate bath with cold mitten friction, if going to work
  6. terminate bath by drying skin with soft cloth if going to bed

Contraindications:

  • eczema, or any skin condition aggravated by water
  • great cardiac weakness

Mahonia aquifolium


  • use as topical application



Other alternative treatments


Dead Sea treatment


The Dead Sea region is recognized worldwide for its efficacy in the
treatment of dermatological diseases, particularly Psoriasis, Atopic
Dermatitis, Vitiligo, and Mycosis Fungoides.
The following Dead Sea treatments have proved effective

Heliotherapy

Treatment which exploits the biological effects of the sun's radiation as distinct from
Phototherapy which is an overall term for treatment by light rays from any source, natural or
artificial).

Thalassotherapy

Treatment which exploits bathing in dead sea water.

Balneotherapy

Treatment which exploits mineral mud which is black at the Dead Sea.

Psychological factor

Promoting relaxation, reducing stress...
That the treatment is effective is now beyond doubt.
A recent study planned and carried out by a Swiss Association compared
effectiveness and cost of Dead Sea therapy with a comparable course of
conventional therapy performed in Switzerland. It turned out that therapeutic successes were
similar in both groups (83% reduction of lesions at termination of therapy and close to 50%
reduction of lesions after six months). However, the cost of treatment (all expenses
included) were 31 to 55% less in the Dead Sea protocol.
I hope you find the complete information about eczema and natural eczema treatment. still if you are expecting some other valuable information visit Eczema Free Forever.

No comments:

Post a Comment