Do you have Eczema or Dermatitis?

Copyright 2005 Michael Brooks

Although many people believe that eczema and dermatitis are separate conditions, they are actually one and the same. The most common form of this skin condition is atopic eczema. Depending on what study you read, there are between 18 and 34 million people that exhibit symptoms of eczema. Atopic eczema is often genetic and can be associated with a family history of environmental sensitivities and allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever.

What are the symptoms?

One of the most common symptoms associated with eczema is extreme itchiness. Speaking from experience, once you start scratching it is hard to stop. You can rub your skin raw trying to get rid of the unbearable itch. Other common symptoms include:


Rash on the legs, arms, hands and neck (most common but other areas can be involved)
General dry skin even when eczema is not active
Blisters with oozing and scabbing
Redness and inflammation around the blisters
What causes eczema?

There tends to be a general consensus that eczema is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. If a person has atopic eczema there will usually be another family member with an atopic condition, such as eczema, asthma or hay fever. Many environmental factors are associated with a flare-up and may include the following:

Wool clothing that scratches and rubs against the skin

Taking long hot showers or frequent baths

Activities that involve dust and soil contact

Extremes in temperature (both hot and cold)

Contact with chemicals such as bug spray, paint thinner, air fresheners and even certain scented toilet paper

Scented soaps, detergents and perfume

In addition to the above-mentioned factors, stress and diet can play a role in activating an eczema flare up.

Stress

Staying calm and keeping a positive mental attitude can be an excellent way to keep eczema flare-ups to a minimum. Personal and work related stresses are potent triggers for eczema. Feelings of anger and frustration can also increase the chances of a flare-up. My personal battles with eczema have been at there worst during periods of increased stress at work.


Diet
Certain foods have been known to provoke the onset of eczema. Foods on this list include peanuts, milk and milk products, soy, fish, eggs and wheat. Its not a bad idea to keep a journal of what you eat and write down the effects it has on your body. The journal will help you identify and avoid foods that provoke an eczema attack.

Is there a cure for Eczema?

There is no complete cure for eczema. However, there are a variety of natural treatments and routines that can be followed to help reduce eczema flare-ups. Treatments are very individual and work better on some people than others. If these tips dont offer some relief then it is best to consult your healthcare professional. Various natural healing experts recommend the following for controlling eczema:

GLA - Evening primrose oil is a great source of the essential fatty acid known as GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). GLA is hard to come by in the diet so it is best to get thru supplementation. Typical dosage is between 3 and 6 grams daily, taken with food. Studies for Primrose oil have been mixed but some patients do claim that the oil has helped to reduce symptoms of eczema.

Herbs There are a variety of herbs that have had some success in treating eczema. These include burdock root, red clover, goldenrod, roman chamomile, German chamomile and yarrow. A great recipe that can be applied to the affected area (2x a day) is the following:


German chamomile 12 drops

Goldenrod 6 drops

Tagetes 6 drops

Dilute this solution in the following:

Almond oil 2 tablespoons

Jojoba oil 25 drops

Evening primrose oil 10 drops

This natural remedy has offered excellent results for numerous people with eczema. For your first application, treat a small area to insure that your skin is not overly sensitive to the oils.

Ice- placing an ice pack on the aggravated areas can offer a natural way to relieve itching. A good ice pack can be made from a solution of 50% water and 50% rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will prevent the solution from hardening and allows you to mold the pack to the contours of your body.

Moisturize It is very important to moisturize every day with a hypoallergenic moisturizer free of perfume. I have found sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil to be excellent moisturizers. Make sure to apply immediately after every bath or shower. When drying, make sure to pat your skin dry and do not rub.

Relax As I have already mentioned, stress has been shown to have an active role in many an eczema flare-up. It is important to involve yourself in regular stress reducing activities. This can include daily meditation, yoga, walking or a few minutes of deep breathing exercises. Pick an activity you will enjoy and that you can do consistently.

Conclusion

Remember that eczema is a chronic condition that is most likely the result of your inherited genetics. Learning your flare up triggers and making the appropriate lifestyle changes is of prime importance in controlling eczema. Keeping a regular journal will go a long way in helping to identify your trigger foods and activities. I would encourage you to learn as much as possible about your condition. This will give you a sense of control and empowerment while helping you in your self-management of this chronic condition. Successful management of eczema can be achieved provided you commit yourself to the process. I wish you well!


Mike Brooks has been a life long follower and proponent of the fitness lifestyle. Through his avid research, Mr. Brooks has come to the realization that being healthy is a choice and encompasses not only proper diet but also a fitness regimen that includes the mind, body and soul. Mike Brooks is the publisher and editor-in-chief for the health information site http://www.Ultimatehealthreport.com


Learn How To Quit Smoking.Colin WilliamsCopyright 2005 Colin Williams

What do I mean by LEARN, shouldnt I be telling you to go buy some nicotine gum or some quit smoking NRT products. Hey! Its not that hard for anyone to stop smoking and NO you dont really need a pill, potion, patch or gum. As a matter of fact I believe you only need one thing to help you quit smoking and thats Knowledge, because knowledge is power.

Some historians claim that tobacco has been apart of our history since around 6000BC, however a little closer to our end of the time line in the pre-Columbian Americas the native Americans cultivated tobacco for ceremonial pipe smoking. Explorers like Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Raleigh and Frances Jean Nicot after whom nicotine was named began to popularize the use of tobacco as the new fashion throughout Europe. The process of smoking was learnt back in the early 16th century and its still learnt the same way today. In the US every day 3000 new non-smoker kids become smokers! Each and every person has had to learn how to smoke.

You LEARNT how to become a smoker in the first place. You practised the draw-back and various smoking techniques over and over, including all those body image traits until you finally achieved that great `smoker status' . You convinced yourself how good and cool it was - right! You just taught yourself how to be a smoker even when the first few cigarettes nearly made you vomit.

You may be asking yourself right now, how can I learn how to stop smoking. The answer is easy, if you want to become a non-smoker, then you need to learn how to THINK as non-smoker. The reality is that gums, patches or NRTs wont change your smoker mindsets, knowledge and understanding is the key!

Listen ...'If you think the way you always thought, you'll have what you always had.'

Answer this... Who talks to you the most? Your partner? your boss?
your neighbour? your friends? your dog or cat?
No Way......YOU TALK TO YOU THE MOST!!!

Nicotine Addiction is approximately 20% physiological and 80% psychological. Think about it, the chemical affect of the drug doesnt have to work very hard to keep you addicted because you will reinforce your perceived satisfaction with just about every cigarette through your thoughts and words.

The bottom line is this the nicotine addiction IS NOT your friend or buddy, it's a lying parasite that basically wants to kill you. Have you ever wanted to quit smoking? Imagine the freedom of waking up every morning and thinking Im a non-smoker now thats cool!

Colin Williams is a Quit Smoking Personal Coach, Seminar Presenter and the author of Quit SmokingNOW - It's Easier Than You Think! Colin is passionate about helping people to stop smoking and teaches a powerful quit smoking principle that cant fail. Please visit http://www.quitsmoking-4-life.com

Essential fatty acids for eczema and other skin disorders

Many people suffer from eczema and various skin disorders that they dont understand. The names for these skin disorders are numerous eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, hives, allergies, scales, and so on. Most standard medical treatments fail to cure or give lasting relief to some of these disorders. This makes it so frustrating for those with these diseases since even dermatologist and doctors find it difficult to find a cure for them.

Finding a treatment for these skin disorders is difficult since every person requires a different treatment. The treatment required depends on the persons nutritional deficiencies and emotional make. Some people will respond to a specific treatment and using this same treatment on another person can have no effect.

Here is a natural remedy that has a 50% chance of working for you. In a clinical study where this nutritional program was used, 50% of the people involved show skin improvement. So if you are suffering from some sort of skin disease that seems to hang on, consider trying this remedy that requires using a combination of 3 groups of nutrients

Eczema remedy nutrient one

Take 1- 4 tablespoons of flaxseed oil. This oil contains the essential oil omega-3, which the body converts to EPA and DHA oils. These oils are then convert to specific prostaglandin through the direction of the omega-3 oil.

The actual amount of flaxseed oil to use is something you need to experiment with. First start out with a small amount, tablespoon or more, if its some thing you dont normally use. Then after a week increases it to 1-2 tablespoons, then a week later go to 2-3 tablespoons. You need to find the trigger point where it starts to give you results in decreasing your skin inflammation.

The secret to what I am telling you here is that you need to be consistent in using flaxseed oil every day. And another thing, you may have to use for 2-3 months to see some results. For some people it can take longer, maybe up to a year. Yet, for other people results can be seen within a week.

Eczema remedy nutrient two

Heres how you can make flaxseed oil more effective. Taking B vitamins boost the effects of flaxseed oil in your body by helping to create prostaglandins. Remember prostaglandins help to reduce inflammation. Start with a daily supplement of the 50 B-vitamins and later move up to the 100 B-vitamins. Always look to see which dose helps your condition to determine the dose you need.

Eczema remedy nutrients three

One additional set of nutrients is needed in the use of flaxseed oil for eczema and other skin disorders. You must take antioxidant supplements, which include vitamin A, C, E, and selenium to protect the flaxseed oil from deteriorating and becoming rancid in the body. The body automatically used the stores of antioxidants that you have, to protect the flaxseed oil, so it will depleted these antioxidants unless your restore them by supplementation.

Here are additional items to know:

One tablespoon of flaxseed oil contains 100 calories
If you start to see side effects or allergies using flaxseed oil, stop using it.
Use flaxseed oil in divided doses. Use it in salad, soups, and orange juice
Never cook or heat flaxseed oil
Always keep flaxseed oil in the refrigerator when it is not in use.

In addition to taking the above three eczema remedy supplements, you can use flaxseed oil on your affected skin area. In some people it has helped their condition. Start by applying the oil to a small area to make sure there is no adverse reaction.

Remember the secret to getting results is to be consistent in your used of these supplements and to test to see what quantity of these supplements gives you results.

About the author:
Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid ebooks. He also writes a newsletter called natural-remedies-thatwork.com For more information on the essential fatty acids go to: http://www.fatty-acid-remedies.for--you.info


Essential fatty acids (efa's)Rudy SilvaEssential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you can find, in certain amounts, in all oils that you can purchase in most the health food and regular grocery stores. These fatty acids are called essential because you cannot create them in your body and your cells use them every day.

If you do not eat enough of these oils guess what youre going to get sick. What kind of sick? The list is quite extensive and it depends on your deficiency.

* Acne
* ADD/ADHD
* Alzheimers disease
* Arthritis
* Asthma
* Cancer
* Diabetes
* Eczema
* Eye diseases
* Growth retardation
* Hair loss
* Heart disease
* High blood pressure
* Immune dysfunction
* Kidney deterioration
* Kidney deterioration
* Memory loss
* Psoriasis
* Schizophrenia

Its a good idea not to be short on these fatty acids, because this list is still not complete.

80% of the American people will come down with serious illness because of nutritional deficiencies

It is not enough to eat essential fatty acid randomly. They need to be eaten in balance. You will need to balance the Omega-3 with the Omega-6. Most people are eating around 15 tablespoons of Omega-6 to 1 tablespoon of Omega-3. If you are one of these persons then expect to be harboring or creating one of the diseases listed above

What are Essential Fatty Acids?

There are four important types of Essential Fatty Acids:

* Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) or Omega-3 Oil
* Linoleic Acid (LA) or Omega-6 Oil
* Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
* Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are found in everyday oils that you use for cooking, baking, and eating.

* Flax seed oil contains four times more omega-3 than omega-6
* Perilla seed oil contains three-four more omega-3 than omega-6
* Hemp oil contain the ideal ratio of 4:1, four times more omega-6 to omega-3.
* Pumpkin oil contains 3 times more omega-6 than omega-3
* Walnut oil contain ten times more omega-6 than omega-3
* Safflower has no omega-3 and 75% of its oil is omega-6
* Sunflower has no omega-3 and 65% of its oil is omega-6
* Wheat germ oil slight amount of omega-3 but mostly omega-6
* Olive oil no omega-3 and 8% of its oil is omega-6
* Corn oil contains mostly omega- 6

You can see that most oils have very little omega-3. This is why you hear a lot about flax seeds and flax seed oil because they are high in omega-3.

In recent years, a new source of omega-3 was found in the seeds of the Perilla frutescens plant. Perilla oil was found not to cause digestive upset when used in large quantities. This oil is similar to flax seed oil in content except that 19% of it oil is saturated compared to 7% for flax seed oil.

Its cheaper to buy perilla it in liquid form, since one tablespoon contains 7700 mg of omega-3 and one capsule contains 550 mg.


It is best to alternate between oils, using one bottle at a time of flax, perilla, and hemp oil. In this way you will get the benefits that the different oils have to give.

When buying your oils, try to buy them in dark bottles. This prevents oxidation from occurring and assures that you get active and fresh oils that contain strong levels of omega oils.

Other sources of omega-3 oil are,

* Flax seeds
* Chia seeds
* Pumpkin seeds
* Walnuts
* Dark greens
* Soy products

Limit your use of soy products. These products use up your bodys minerals and have been associated various body diseases. They cause fibrin to settles in your tissues and organs. Fibrin tends to clog up your organs and causes arteries to close off when youre short on systemic enzymes.

Fish are also high in omega-3 oil. Include these in your diet by eating them at least once a week. The fish to eat are,

* Salmon
* Sardines
* Halibut
* Trout
* Albacore tuna
* Mackerel

Add the essential fatty acids to your eating habits everyday and gain the benefit of a better life.

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He writes a newsletter call Natural Remedies Thatwork. For more information the on the essential fatty acids, visit his web site at
http://www.fatty-acid-remedies.for--you.info

Eczema Treatment Not Difficult to be Done

Skin is exposed to many pathogens and harmful climatic changes; therefore this vital part of the body often suffers from diseases. Eczema is a common skin disease which affects people irrespective of race, caste, creed and nationality. The skin affected by Eczema becomes red; there is persistent itching and dryness over it. In severity of the disease flaking, bleeding, blistering, crusting and cracking of skin can be there. Generally, after healing eczema does not leave any scar on skin.

eczema is a kind of dermatitis whose classification till yet is not done accurately. Nevertheless, there are various types of Eczema namely atopic eczema, contact dermatitis, Xerotic eczema, Sebohrrheic dermatitis, dyhidrosis, discoid eczema, venous eczema, dermatis herptiformis, and neurodermatis. There are various reasons for which a particular type of eczema appears on the skin. Generally, pathogens, parasites, allergy, and many physio-psycho factors like hypertension, depression can also cause eczema.

Usually no biopsy is required for the diagnosis of eczema; doctor starts his treatment on the basis of appearance of the skin, intensity of itching and delicacy of eczema affected part of the body. Before starting eczema treatment, a good dermatologist always wants to get knowledge about dietary habits and sensitiveness to allergies of the patient. Any history of eczema in the family is also given proper consideration. This provides him a good insight to reach at a particular diagnosis. However, whenever it becomes difficult to diagnose root cause of the disease, biopsy is done by cutting a small part of affected skin and observing it in laboratory.

Treatment of eczema follows a general pattern. The eczema affected skin becomes dry, so maximum efforts are diverted towards providing it moisture. The regular use of non-scented creams or lotions provides moisture to the skin and reduces itching effect of eczema. This also provides necessary moisture to cells and tissues of the skin to recover from the disease. These creams could also constitute non prescription creams. The basic thing which should be followed in eczema treatment is don?t let the skin to dry up. Substances which dry up the skin should be strictly avoided. Soaps, shampoos, and detergent come under this category. Putting eczema affected skin under shower of fresh and clean water also helps. While taking bath adding emollient bath oils also provide moisture to the skin. After taking shower, apply moisturizer on the affected area, this can help in retention of moisture for a long duration. Thick coat of moisturizer should be applied so that skin may not dry up again.

To reduce itching dermatologist generally prescribes antihistamine medication. For treatment of eczema in severe state, skin specialist recommends corticosteroid based ointments. Some topical and oral antibiotic can also be prescribed. Prevention is always better than cure so avoid synthetic detergent based bathing bars or liquids. Use fragrance free moisturizer. Avoid taking bath in hot water, however warm water can be used.

Adam Frazer writes on beauty and health. He has been working in the same field and writes informative articles for OnlineSkinCareTips. To learn more about Skin Care tips, natural skin care tips, eczema treatment, treatment of Acne, Sunburn Treatment, Anti aging effort visit http://www.onlineskincaretips.com.

How To Prevent Eczema From Bacterial Infections

Eczema symptoms are characterised by inflammed, red and blotchy skin. If you have eczema, it is likely that you will want to scratch youself in the affected parts due to the intense itch. There is also no cure for eczema.

Eczema is not contagious or infectious. What can worsen eczema is the possibility of getting a secondary infection from bacteria. Dry skin can cause eczema symptoms to become worse and increased permeability of the skin means that it is easy for it to be invaded by a viral or bacterial infection. Itching and scratching yourself also increased the chances of you getting a bacterial infection.

Herpes simplex, viral molluscum, and warts are a few of the secondary infections that eczema sufferers may get, as well as bacterial infections like staphylococcal and streptococcal infections. There are other skin problems that can develop from eczema worsening, including crusting or scaling of the skin, cheilitis (inflammation around the lip area), papules (small, raised, rough bumps on the skin), and darkened eyelids.

Keeping your skin moisturized is one of the easiest ways to prevent skin infections from eczema. This is to stop yourself from scratching your scaly skin. Some gentle moisturizers that I recommend are Lubriderm, Moisturel, Aquaphor, Alpha Keri, Eucerin, Curel, or even Vaseline at least two to three times. Check with your health practitioner to see what he or she recommends as well.

It is important that you do not allow your skin to become dry or to the point of feeling dry and scaly. If that happens, moisturise more times than what you are currently doing. It is also important to hydrate yourself inside by drinking six to eight glasses of water a day. This helps to guard against infections by flushing out your organs.

If you have broken or cracked skin, then you have an open door for bacteria to come into your body through your skin. The way to prevent this is to try to keep from scratching. You may need to use extra moisturizer or hydrocortisone cream to assist control the itching.

Cutting your fingernails to a short length will also help, because you this will prevent you from causing much damage. If you find that you scratch at night while you sleep, then you may want to find a pair of thin gloves and wear them while you sleep so that you cannot damage your skin.

If, despite all your efforts, you still have cracks or breaks in your skin, then you need to apply an antibiotic cream to the area and bandage it until it starts medical.

There are other ways to assist prevent eczema related infections, too. An air purification system in your home or office can filter out many of the allergens that can cause a flare-up of your eczema. A humidifier can add moisture to the air and keep your skin moist, too.

Adding fatty fish, like sardines and salmon, can also assist, as well as adding flax seed in powder or oil form. These foods have omega-3 acids in them, which assist remove swelling in the skin. Avoid hydrogenated oils as much as possible because they can cause a flare-up of your eczema

Learning more about your eczema will help you to learn to live with it and help prevent infections.

Evelyn Lim tests and rates natural eczema treatment methods and products through her online journal. To read on her quest to find an eczema treatment, click here http://www.eczemaskintreatment.com .

How To Prevent Eczema Through Stress Management

Stress can lead to an eczema outbreak. There is an increased tendency to itch whenever you feel pressurized or unable to cope with the situation at hand. Over a period of time, you can find that your eczema becomes increasingly uncontrollable as you cannot stop the itch. Thus, you can prevent eczema through stress management.

Yet, it will be impractical for me to advise you to avoid stress and hence prevent eczema from happening altogether. We cannot escape stress from our environment today. All of us face stress in one situation or another, almost every other day. Stress is not all the bad. There is good stress, which motivates you. Bad stress is those that cause an overload to your body systems and give rise to a host of health problems. Here is what stress can lead to: mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.

It is obvious that if you can learn how to manage stress and cope better, you can prevent eczema. Here are some easy ways for you to take action:

- Consider what are the factors that trigger stress for you? Is it work related? Exam related? Are you feeling overwhelmed because you feel that you have too much to do? Then, it is important that you prioritize. Break your tasks into smaller manageable ones. Work out a schedule to reach your goals.

- Have a good laugh. Watch a comedy, read a funny book, listen or tell a joke or describe a hilarious moment to a family member or friend. Laughter is not only a good outlet for stress but it also has a number of health benefits. Laughter activates the immune system, it lower blood pressure, and it triggers the release of the natural painkillers, endorphins, in your body. Laughter also reduces stress hormones, helps reduce pain, allows muscles to relax and is very helpful for the breathing process as frequent bouts of laughter empties air from the lungs.

- Take time out to relax and put your worries aside. It may be getting together with friends, watching a movie or playing a game of tennis. You can also distract yourself with artistic pursuits such as painting, pottery or writing poetry. Finding ways to de-stress can help decrease your flare-ups tremendously, not to mention also improving your quality of life.

- Learn relaxation techniques such as meditation or breathing exercises. This helps you to feel calm and peaceful and not over react unnecessarily to external events. Practice these techniques in the mornings or at night every day.

It is important that you learn how to make peace with stress and keep things in perspective, since you cannot completely escape stress. Prevent eczema by getting less tense. When you feel less tense, you are less likely to have a body reaction including an uncontrollable urge to scratch yourself.

Evelyn Lim tests and rates natural eczema treatment methods and products through her online journal. To read on her quest to find an eczema treatment, click here http://www.eczemaskintreatment.com .

Eczema Triggers from Your Home

Eczema is often triggered by irritants in the immediate environment, including your home. These irritants include dust mites, household items and cosmetic products. A rash develops usually, causing your skin to itch.

Dust mite is the number one eczema trigger. About ten percent of the general population develops an allergy due to dust mites. An allergic reaction to dust mites is characterized by eyes that are itchy and watery, sneezing, a runny nose, nasal congestion, ears that are blocked, chronic respiratory problems such as head colds and post nasal drip and asthma. The most common form of eczema, atopic dermatitis, develops next.

Dust mites are not visible to the human naked eye. When viewed under a microscope, they are extremely small. Dust mites are shaped like an oval, have eight legs and are cream in color. Dust mites have sticky pads on their feet that enable them to burrow into almost any kind of fiber in your home. They are most often found living and breathing in your furniture and carpeting. It is only the particles of dead dust mites that can efficiently be cleaned up with a vacuum cleaner.

Dust mites thrive on consuming the shed skin of people as well as human fingernails as hair. They also eat animal fur, bacteria, fungi and pollen. Dust mites thrive in environments where the humidity is anywhere in the area of seventy to eighty percent. They also require temperatures anywhere between seventy-five and eighty degrees. A humidity level of below forty will not allow dust mites to live or thrive for very long. Thus, if you stay in fairly humid environments, you should keep dust mites out of your home as much as possible to avoid eczema flare-ups. As such, it is best to avoid having carpets in your home.

There are a variety of other triggers that can cause eczema to become even more intense. For instance, harsh laundry detergents, household cleaners, disinfectants, air sprays and other common household substances can cause you to sneeze, itch excessively, develop a stuffy nose and a sore throat. Always rinse your clothes twice with cool water when you wash them. If you are prone to eczema, it is best to buy mild natural or organic cleaners for your home.

Avoid chlorine, solvents (such as paint thinners or turpentine), mineral oil as well as sand (for instance, sandbox that your children play in) and dust particles. Cigarette smoke bothers a lot of eczema patients; so make sure that you have a smoke-free environment!

Wool is a very scratchy fiber that can irritate your skin intensely. Choose cotton as an alternative instead as it absorbs sweat well and is a breathable fabric.

Many cosmetic, skincare and beauty products contain a scent of some form or another as well as alcohol (such as skin astringents). Avoid the use of these types of products on your skin. Buy mild soaps, body cleansers and moisturizers that soothe and comfort skin and not aggravate it. Forget about bubble baths, which is very drying to the skin, and instead reach for an emollient oil or a colloidal oatmeal bath to make your skin feel soft, supple and normal.

Make your home a safe place to live in. This is the only environment that you can effectively control and have a say in the hygiene, cleanliness and the products that you use.

Evelyn Lim tests and rates natural eczema treatment methods and products through her online journal. To read on her quest to find an eczema treatment, click here http://www.eczemaskintreatment.com .

Eczema Treatment

What is Eczema? Eczema is a skin condition commonly known as dermatitis which can result in dry flaky skin which can be itchy and feel hot. This sensation often leads to vigorous itching which in turn can damage the skin. The word Eczema comes from the Greek words that mean "to boil over". The word Dermatitis comes from the Greek word for skin. Both words refer to the same condition though. There are four types of eczema, (atopic, varicose, discoid and contact/dermatitis). Atopic Eczema is the most common form of Eczema. It is linked to hay fever and asthma. There is a tendency for it to be inherited, but there are also environmental factors which are important as well. Atopic means extra sensitivity to certain substances (allergens) e.g. dust mites, cat and dog fur etc. It affects 15-20% of young children in the UK, however, in about 70% of these cases, it clears up. If it doesn't clear up, then it is likely that the condition will get worse as the patient gets older. For some reason, the number of cases of Atopic eczema have increased in recent times. Varicose Eczema affects the lower legs of patients. It is associated with varicose veins and is often a pre-cursor to varicose vein problems. It is also associated with poor circulation. Unlike Atopic eczema, it tends to affect the middle aged and the elderly. Contact/Dermatitis Eczema can be either an acute or chronic skin reaction where there is a sensitivity to a particular material. This reaction may be an allergic or non-allergic reaction. This condition is caused when the bodies immune system reacts with a particular substance. Discoid Eczema can occur at any point in a persons life, however, it tends to appear at a later stage in life. It tends to affect the lower legs and feet and shows itself as a distinct round patch of eczema.

What are the symptoms of Eczema? Atopic This type of Eczemas symptoms normally include red, dry, itchy skin. There may also be some small water blisters which can weep on the hands and feet. Scaly areas will develop as well where the skin has been continually scratched. Varicose The symptoms for Varicose Eczema start with a mild itchiness just above the ankle. This will then become speckled and inflamed as well as becoming itchy. On occasion, ulcers can form. Contact/Dermatitis This type of Eczema usually starts out with a rash in the area where the trigger substance has come into contact with the skin. Once the eczema has been triggered, then the eczema can spread through the body. Discoid Normally, one or a number of round patches of red skin appear. They may be itchy and become blistered. It is also quite common for these patches to be infected with bacteria.

What is the treatment for Eczema? As with all conditions and diseases, it is usually best to talk to your doctor before embarking upon any course of treatment. The information below is purely for information purposes only and I always recommend that you read the information below and then go and talk to a medical professional. There doesn't appear to be a cure for eczema, however, there are a number of treatments which can control the symptoms of this very uncomfortable condition. There are a number of over the counter creams which will help to soothe your eczema of which there are two types. These are emollients which are moisturisers which will soothe and hydrate the skin. A good time to apply these creams is straight after a bath while your skin is still slightly moist. There are also mild steroid creams. These creams can calm flare ups of eczema by suppressing your bodys inflammatory response. Even though these creams are available to anybody, it is wise to ask the pharmacists advice before using either emollients or mild steroid creams. Your doctor may prescribe some prescription medicine if the emollients and mild steroid creams don't work. Your doctor may advise you to take anti-histamine drugs which will help you to sleep although they won't directly relieve your eczema. If your eczema is severe enough, it is possible you could have to go to hospital where the staff there will be able to keep you away from any trigger allergens and also to ensure that you take the medicine prescribed for you.

If you are interested in learning more about Eczema, then please feel free to visit my site Eczema Treatment where you will hopefully find lots of useful information.