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