Lifestyles for Natural Eczema Treatment Page 2

Drink Water for Eczema Relief

Do your skin a favor and drink lots of water. Increasing your water intake increases the moisture in your skin. Drink at least 12 eight-ounce glasses (3 liters) of water per day! Considerably more is needed if one is working outside, playing a sport, or doing something else physically taxing. And since heat relates to flushing and skin redness in most people, they need even more. Those with eczema should consume between 12 and 16 glasses (3-4 liters depending on body size and physical activity and dry or cold climates with low humidity) of icy water per day to cool the face and the body and to assist the body in proper excretion of oil, waste, and toxins. The water must be icy cold to help prevent flushing and to reduce it once it has occurred. How hot coffee, hot soup, and many other hot foods can make your eczema symptoms increase; however, by contrast, ice water curbs the flushing reaction by cooling the blood flowing to the brain’s temperature center, which controls flushing. Water also moistens the skin, greatly reducing clogged pores. Most importantly, water helps relieve stress during the day and relaxes the body for sleep. We cannot stress enough how important it is to drink water. The hypothalamus is the body's thermostat, regulating temperature, but it cannot achieve this objective without adequate water. The body is approximately 70% water while the eye is 96% water. Water is needed for skin tissue repair as well as nearly everybody process including efficient digestion, absorption, circulation, and secretion. Water carries nutrients to the skin cell and all body cells and removes waste from the cell. Urine should be white or a very light straw yellow. A humidifier for a room or 2,000 sq. ft. home can be purchased at below $127.00 at Sears. A camel can go without water by allowing its body temperature to rise without sweating, and by tolerating extreme dehydration. Humans aren't camels; we can't survive such treatment. A human needs, on average, twelve glasses of water daily in addition to other fluids (unless you're part camel). The eczema sufferer benefits from more: 12 to 16 glasses of ice water help keep the eczema condition under control.

Reduce Irritation with Moisture

Moisturizers can be helpful in protecting the skin from dryness. We suggest 100% pure Jojoba oil with no preservatives, which normally can be found at GNC stores in the United States and Canada and can be purchased in most health stores throughout the world.

The importance of Jojoba oil derives from its similarity to the natural restorative oil produced by the sebaceous glands in the dermal layers of the skin. Jojoba oil is non-allergenic and will not clog the pores.

Jojoba is completely mixable with the natural sebum of the skin, and when used on the skin, forms a very thin, non-greasy lipoid layer. This layer is partially porous and provides exceptional trans-epidermal respiration and moisture control. Unlike greasy occlusive materials such as petrolatum, mineral oils, and some lanolin products, Jojoba oil provides an absolutely non-tacky, non-oily, and non-greasy, dry softening to the skin.

Jojoba is an extremely functional ingredient in hair and scalp preparations and many scalp related problems are caused by a hardened build-up of sebum that clogs the hair follicles and may cause some types of scaling. If this hardened build-up is not removed, it can eventually obstruct the hair follicle's ability to function properly, which can lead to a loss of the hair shaft, and ultimately, death of the follicle. Jojoba rapidly penetrates down to the scalp and hair shaft, and readily loosens and dissolves this hardened build-up. The scalp and hair follicles are left clean and free to continue their normal function. It is also an excellent soil-dissolving agent, which can remove sticky build-up on the hair from many modern hair preparations as well as airborne particulates. Jojoba will leave the hair clean and supple. Jojoba exhibits a matchless keratoplastic effect that leaves the hair shimmering and brings out the hair's natural color overtones and brilliance, and a periodic treatment with Jojoba oil being massaged into the scalp and hair, and then left to do its work, can make a vast difference to the quality of your hair as well as the health of your scalp.

Since Jojoba oil has an affinity to the skin, and the normal skin lubrication found in the skin (sebum), it is used with great effect in a variety of skin care applications, ranging from anti-acne to anti-aging products. It has a great effect on fighting wrinkles, as well as having an anti-bacterial effect on the skin.

Although people see Jojoba as oil, it is really a wax ester, and is non-oily or greasy and contains high levels of tocopherols, which have an antioxidant effect on the skin.

Skin absorption studies at the University of Michigan demonstrated that Jojoba is quickly absorbed into the skin, which is apparently via the transappendegeal mechanism and occurs through the pores and hair follicles – but because it is so rapidly absorbed, the pores and hair follicles remain open and thus maintain their proper functioning ability.

It is an excellent moisturizer and softens the skin by a dual action – firstly by forming a non-greasy lipid layer, which is partially occlusive (thereby preventing water-loss through the skin) and by the diffusion of Jojoba into the intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum to soften this tissue.

Reduce Stimulants for Eczema Relief

Stimulants such as coffee, tea, cigarettes, and excessive sugar from sweets and soda should be avoided. Sodas (soft drinks, pop) containing aspartame and or NutraSweet cause central nervous system stimulation and irritation of the skin and should be avoided. Anything that affects the entire body, brain, and nervous system to awaken it in the morning or stimulate it during the day can easily stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more oil that has to leave the body via the pores. Stimulants also create stress.

Steroids: A Curse or an Eczema Cure?

Steroids cannot solve the eczema problem; however, they help temporarily while the skin becomes addicted to the steroids and cortisones. Topical creams or ointments that contain corticosteroids are frequently prescribed to help control itching. It is best to limit the use of these products to a two-week period or less. Overuse of corticosteroids (also called steroids) can cause increased redness, thinning of the skin or further damage that may aggravate an existing condition or cause another condition which may prove more difficult to treat such as steroid-induced eczema redness and flares. Your doctor might also recommend medications you take internally, such as oral corticosteroids. Cortisone (steroid) creams applied directly to the affected area have been a mainstay of eczema therapy. However, overuse of highly potent steroids can be damaging. Cortisone pills or shots are sometimes used, but they are not safe for long-term use. Researchers are seeking new and safer drugs to control the itch and inflammation.

Alcohol Can Aggravate Eczema

Many people think of alcohol as a way to relax and relieve stress, but it may usually worsen eczema. Alcohol is a diuretic; that is, it pushes water out of body cells, causing increased urine production resulting in dehydration. Dehydration causes the skin's pores to shrink, making them more prone to clogging. Also, alcohol inhibits sleep, causing more fatigue and stress, which lead to more psoriasis and eczema symptoms. An eczema sufferer who drinks alcohol should follow it with much water to hydrate the body and prevent eczema flare-ups.

Food Allergies May Be Causing Your Eczema

Allergens are more subtle trigger factors. An allergen does not irritate, but may trigger an eczema flare-up in those who have become allergic to it from prior exposure. Allergens are usually animal or vegetable proteins from foods, pollens, or pets.

In our experience, many patients with eczema have other symptoms that suggest the diagnosis of food allergy. Often, it is the symptoms of food allergy that motivate people to start diet revision and an improvement in their eczema condition is noted along with improvement in other symptoms such a gastrointentestinal disturbances, migraine headache, sinusitis, and fatigue.

There are different types of flushing caused by the intake of various foods and beverages. A very interesting note is that not everything affects everybody. Everyone is different! While you will find 50 foods below that are known to cause problems to some, the average supermarkets has thousands of foods available that can provide nutrition as well as energy. Many of the trouble foods can be subdivided into the various categories as follows:

Sugar Spiking: Eczema redness or vascular dilation is partially caused by high calorie carbohydrates (pastas, breads) and sugar spiking from all sweet foods. Just remember kids having a sugar high and bouncing off the walls due to energy available. So think of things that give you a high burn rate, high energy, or foods that would most likely add fat to your body, and you would be identifying the worst culprits. Therefore, reducing food consumption reduces the heat/calories burned causing the body to be much cooler which helps to control facial redness. As there is less heat by calories burned, there is less redness or dilation. Therefore, three small meals with breakfast being the most important and grazing in between meals is better for limiting this kind of flushing; however, it is important to keep the daily calorie intake within one's calorie budget to maintain your ideal weight.
Blood Vessel Dilators: Quite different are the foods that are blood vessel dilators such as vinegars, hot spices and various other spicy seasonings, hot sauces, peppers (including black pepper) and meat marinades. Also, tomatoes and many citrus fruits and related juices, bananas, red plums, raisin, figs, pasta, cheese, and chocolates are some of the worst offenders to many. Other very common known flushing foods are liver, yogurt, sour cream, vanilla, soy sauce, yeast extract eggplant, avocados, spinach, broad-leaf beans and pods, including lima, navy, or peas. Also, allergies to malt and yeast beverages, and fermented alcohols would fall into the allergy category.
Stimulants: Coffees, teas, soft drinks with caffeine, alcohol beverages and chocolates stimulate the system resulting in more skin redness or dilation.
Thermally Hot Foods: Hot foods and drinks even cause flushing in many people with normal skin conditions. Avoid all hot foods and drinks until they have cooled to body temperature or better yet cooled well below body temperature as the best way to drink a small amount of coffee, tea, or soft drink is refrigerator cold.
Food Allergies: Food allergies are common in causing nasal membrane mucous resulting in reddening or facial flushing for many. This condition gets a similar response (but for very different reasons) as the common cold or influenza, which often causes facial flushing due to a bacterial and virus infection.
Sugar Substitutes: Another category would be aspartame and NutraSweet in soft drinks, jell-o, and other foods. Aspartame and NutraSweet as a sugar replacement causes noticeable skin irritations in many suffering from eczema with a delayed reaction of sometimes 40 to 60 days.

Exercise for Eczema Relief

Exercise for stress reduction! It is best to exercise in moderate temperatures: in the early morning during the summer, and during the heat of the day in winter (if outside). To prevent the body from getting "stressed," the three basketball coaches with the most wins in the world (from UCLA, Duke University, and UNC at Chapel Hill) taught the players to drink 18 to 20 glasses of water per day (they are huge as you know) and to drink exceedingly heavily six hours prior to the game. I think the coaches have known how to prevent the body from being "stressed" or fatigued before a big exercise event! Body stress and fatigue has much to do with eczema flares. Don't work out 'heavy' when you are already stressed; just take a positive walk for 15 minutes, or complete a relaxing exercise that is positive and mentally uplifting that can be considered an easy exercise to get the mental wrinkles out. You may have watched many working out in various health spas who alternate between working with weights, a cooling shower, a swim in the pool and back to the weights, back in the shower, back in the pool, etc.

The most ideal exercise is swimming in a properly treated indoor chlorinated pool (bromide treated pools are too harsh on the skin). Chlorine kills fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can worsen eczema as well as acne and seborrheic dermatitis. The swimming pool water is usually 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well below normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees. Thus, it cools the entire body, including the eczema-affected areas, while providing excellent exercise to reduce mental stress and physical tension. Other kinds of exercise can be good in moderation, for short periods of time. The eczema sufferer has to keep a positive attitude! Remember that you cannot control everything, but 'you can control your own attitude'!

Try the following:

Moderate the intensity of the exercise.
Break up the exercise into smaller chunks, not a 1-hour workout, but two half hour sessions or four 15-minute sessions. Or, just 15 minutes daily.
Exercise in the cool - early or late in the day.
Ideally 12 to 16 glasses of water daily for average size person, and much more for the larger or heavy laborers or those enjoying much exercise.

Proper Bathing for Eczema Relief

Take short baths or showers with warm water. Hot water can make you itch more. Ask your doctor about the use of oatmeal soaking products in your bath to help control the itching.

Neutrogena (the transparent facial bar) "dry skin formula - fragrance free" is very good, just as the Dove "normal white bar" that has been known for years for use on sensitive skin.

After bathing, don't rub your skin dry with a rough towel. That just irritates your skin more. Gently pat it dry to get the water off. Then put on some moisturizing lotion to help keep your skin from getting too dry. You can spread the lotion on several times a day.

Astringent soaps and any astringent agents that shrink the skin pores such as witch hazel, alum, very cold water, and rubbing alcohol should be avoided, as they can be more drying to the skin.

When it comes to treating your eczema, you may not always be able to control the factors that trigger or aggravate your eczema, but you control your approach toward tackling those triggers. The management of eczema is not simple. No one treatment works for everyone, since the areas involved and the degree of itching affects different people in different ways. At best we try to alleviate the intense itching, which, in essence, is the disease. Interrupt and stop this fierce symptom and we break the itch-scratch reflex, which is wholly responsible for the clinical manifestation - the rash.

Natural Eczema Treatments

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