Atopic Dermatitis

Another skin disorder is atopic dermatitis, commonly called eczema. It creates areas of skin that itch and become rough like leather.
Eczema is most common in babies. At least half of those cases clear up within a few years. But, in adults, this painful condition generally never goes away completely.
People with eczema often also suffer from allergic conditions like asthma and seasonal hay fever. Like psoriasis, there is no cure for eczema. But there are treatments with steroid drugs and also some newly developed kinds without steroids.
Environmental conditions can also play a part. That is why doctors often advise people with eczema not to use cleaners that contain soap, which can make skin dry. Even water can cause dry skin, which can make eczema worse. So can temperature changes and stress.

Using Homopathy To Treat Eczema

A six-year study at Bristol Homeopathic Hospital shows over 70% of patients with chronic diseases reported positive health changes after treatment.
More than 6,500 patients took part in the study with problems ranging from eczema to menopause and arthritis.
The biggest improvements were seen in children - 89% of under 16s with asthma reported improvement.
Of the group, 75% felt 'better' or 'much better', as did 68% of eczema patients under 16.
The results come just months after a study in The Lancet concluded that using homeopathy was no better than taking dummy drugs.
These results clearly demonstrate the value of homeopathy in the NHS.
The Swiss-UK review of 110 trials found no convincing evidence the treatment worked any better than a placebo.
The row over homeopathy has been raging for years.
The therapy is based on the principle of treating like with like.
For instance, someone with an allergy, for example, who was using homeopathic medicines would attempt to beat it with an ultra-diluted dose of an agent that would cause the same symptoms.
Dr David Spence, Clinical Director and Consultant Physician at Bristol Homeopathic Hospital and Chairman of the British Homeopathic Association, a co-author of the new study, said: "These results clearly demonstrate the value of homeopathy in the NHS."
All the patients were referred by their GP or hospital specialist and many had tried conventional treatment first without success.
Professor Matthias Egger, of the University of Berne, who worked on The Lancet study said the study was weakened by the lack of a comparison group.
He also questioned the validity of the way the study recorded improvements in patients' conditions.
"Patients were simply asked by their homeopathic doctor whether they felt better, and it is well known that in this situation many patients will come up with the answer the doctor wants to hear."

Cold Weather Makes Eczema Worse

Cold, dry weather can lead to dry, itchy skin for a lot of us.
Doctors describe eczema hypersensitive or allergic skin. It seems to be related to the immune system; it can be mild or very severe, but it's not contagious.
Dr. Steve Feldman, a dermatologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center says, "There are a number of things that make it worse: bathing too much, using strong, harsh soaps, cold dry winter weather makes it worse, but again for the most part it's probably an inherited disease."It's mostly a problem doctors see in children, and many of them grow out of it."Eczema is really very easy to treat. Really mild to medium strength cortisone medicines will clear it pretty well, and we provide them in a moisturizing vehicle so when people put them on the skin it takes care of moisturizing as well as reducing the inflammation in the skin."
Eczema is a chronic problem, so unlike poison ivy rashes, rashes won't quickly disappear.

Eczema Cold Weather Tips

AS the cold weather draws in, those of us who suffer with eczema will be dreading the drying effects of central heating that can make symptoms so much worse.
If you are prone the eczema, often called the winter itch, you are likely to be almost 25% more itchy in the winter than in the summer, according to the experts. And the extent of your eczema could increase by anything up to 65% as the temperature drops.
Luckily, we have five great tips for reducing the likelihood of a flare-up this winter:

Avoid wool: it may be the warmest natural material around, but it can also irritate the skin, starting off the scratch-itch cycle. Cotton is much better, as it is smooth and also allows the skin to breathe, unlike synthetic materials

Avoid hot water: we're not saying you shouldn't wash, but try to avoid long soaks, as hot water dissolve natural oils. Luke warm water will be less damaging, and if you can handle cold water you'll find it's a great way to anaesthetise any itching

Use the right moisturiser: moisturising is essential but artificial fragrances and perfumes can cause a flare up. Creamy moisturisers should also be avoided, as they contain more irritating preservatives. You could try a gel, like the Skin Shop's Cardiospermum Gel (£14.99 for 100ml from www.skinshop.co.uk), which contains a unique natural plant extract

Turn down central heating: central heating might make you feel toasty but it also dries out the air, which is bad for eczema sufferers. Alternatively, use humidifiers to put the moisture back into the air

Use Oats: Porridge makes an excellent winter breakfast but it's also great for soothing irritated skin. Just pour two cups of colloidal oatmeal (colloidal just means finely ground so that it will disperse through water) into your lukewarm bath and soak

THE ECZEMA MIND-SKIN CONNECTION

Some claim when a person has an emotional conflict like being depressed or anxious, it often spills over to their skin. So they say, when it comes to sick skin, if traditional treatments aren't working, you simply need to put your mind to it.

Dr. Rick Fried says it's no secret the mind and skin are linked."Stress directly creates negative changes in the skin, that can make the skin do things you don't want it to do", says Fried.

Negative changes that Dr. Fried says can cause many common breakouts, like psoriasis, acne, eczema, rosacea and even warts. Psychodermatologists treat the skin with traditional medication and the psychological factors with non-traditional therapy.

Think it's a mind game? The field is actually gaining ground in the medical community. Some medical schools have courses or programs, and research has proven the mind-skin connection.

Vitamins For Treatment of Eczema

We all have some sort of skin ‘issue’... I don’t know anyone who doesn’t. But what do you do about it? We all know that vitamins are helpful for most problems, but ‘good for the skin’ isn’t very descriptive, or helpful. So, I will try and relate a comprehensive list of vitamins and minerals that are good for the skin... and why, and what, specifically, they are good for.

Vitamin A (aka Retinoids) : Helps to prevent dry, flaky skin; reduces lines and wrinkles; anti-aging properties, helps reduce stretchmarks; helps to treat acne. It can be used topically, as a supplement, or gotten from your diet. It can be found in your diet in such things as eggs, organ meats, whole milk dairy, carrots and broccoli. Unless you suffer from a deficiency, topical use is best when treating the skin, as megadoses are not wise.

B-complex : The B vitamins as a whole help prevent dermatitis and hair loss, treat stress and depression, as well as helping with acne, eczema, and psoriasis. They are absolutely necessary for proper skin (and hair) nutrition, as they form the basis of skin, hair, and nail cells. They can be used topically, taken as supplements, or found in your diet. In the diet, they can be found in such things as bananas, eggs, oatmeal, and rice. Unless you suffer from a deficiency, supplements shouldn’t be necessary, but are not likely to be harmful.

B-1 (aka Thiamine) : Helps to rid the body of toxins. It also has antioxidant properties. Recommended dose if taken internally is around 100 mg 3 times daily.

B-3 (aka Niacin) : Helps with moisture retention in the skin and exfoliation, as well as helping to treat acne. Recommended dose if taken internally is around 200 mg 3 times daily.

B-5 (aka Pantothenic acid) : Helps with moisture retention in the skin and exfoliation; good for sensitive skin. Recommended dose if taken internally is around 100 mg 3 times daily.

B-6 (aka Pyridoxine) : Important for proper function of the immune system and antibody production. Recommended dose if taken internally is around 100 mg 3 times daily.

B-12 (aka Cyancobalamine) : Necessary for rapidly dividing cells (like the skin). This is a must for vegetarians, but not usually necessary for non-vegetarians, as it is mostly found in meat.

Vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) : Needed for the production of collagen; protects from, and helps repair, sun damage; may reduce under-eye circles; aids in healing; inhibits the buildup of melanin (which can cause discolored ‘spots’); helps with eczema and psoriasis. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which works well both topically and internally, as well as being found in the diet. In the diet, it can be found in such things as citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and leafy greens. If taken as a supplement, the recommended dose varies everywhere from 500 mg daily, to 1600 mg 3 times daily; the ‘average’ seems to be 1000-1500 daily.

Vitamin D : This is a powerful antioxidant and anticarcinogen. However, because the main source of this vitamin naturally is exposure to sunlight, the anticarcinogen properties can get lost amid the other carcinogenic properties of being in the sunlight for long periods of time. You can supplement this topically, but avoid megadoses.

Vitamin E (aka Alpha tocopherol) : Helps to rehydrate the skin; prevents inflammation; protects from sun damage; reduces dry, rough skin; and perhaps most notably, significantly increases the healing rate. Like Vitamin C, this is a powerful antioxidant. It seems to work equally well for general skin care when used topically or taken as a supplement; and, to some extent, can also be found in the diet, in such things as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, and asparagus. Avoid megadoses though; while unlikely to do direct damage, it is possible to develop an allergy.

Vitamin K : Helps repair under-eye circles and heal bruises. Best used topically when and where needed.

Alpha-lipoic acid : A powerful antioxidant, that unlike most can penetrate both water and oil, making it more effective for treating skin. It can also greatly increase the efficacy of other supplements, particularly other antioxidants. It can be used topically or taken as a supplement.

Hyaluronic acid : Strong anti-aging and moisturizing properties; keeps the skin looking smoother and younger. It helps to ‘lubricate’ the joints for freer movement in addition to its skin-helping properties.

Essential Fatty Acids (esp. Omega-3 and Omega-5) : Helps reduce the production of irritating skin-oil; also helps treat acne, eczema and psoriasis. These can be taken as supplements or found in the diet. In the diet, they can be found in such things as vegetable oils, fish (such as salmon and tuna), and nuts. Fish oil capsules and Evening Primrose capsules are also good sources.

Chromium : Helps to fight acne and reduce infections. Recommended dose when taken internally is around 150 mcg daily.

Zinc : Helps to promote healing; reduces scarring and acne, as well as treating eczema and psoriasis. Also an antioxidant. Recommended dose when taken as a supplement is around 25-30 mg daily.

Jennie Kiger
BellaOnline's Body Care Editor

Natural Eczema Treatments

Sunday, Nov 6, 2005
Gannett News Service

Your first inclination might be to head for the medicine chest when confronted with one of life's everyday ouches.

But check out the kitchen instead, and you'll find it's stuffed with the sorts of cure-alls that saved the day long before anyone had heard of antacid or liquid bandages.

Try one of these home remedies when life throws a minor ouch your way:

Milk: To ease skin irritated by razor burn or a minor rash, soak a cloth in cold milk and apply it to the affected area.

Honey: Natural antibacterial properties make honey even sweeter. Apply to minor cuts and scrapes to help them heal faster and reduce the risk of infection and scarring.

Potatoes: Talk about comfort food: Try a warm poultice, or compress, made of mashed potatoes to ease swelling and inflammation caused by eczema or arthritis.

Clinical Trials Begin For Eczema Treatment Avrina

The multi-center phase I/II clinical study will evaluate Avrina, Corgentech's NF-kappaB decoy drug candidate for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (eczema). This is the first of two planned phase I/II trials to finalize patient numbers. Enrollment is ongoing in a second trial in Australia and Switzerland to randomize approximately 120 patients.

The multi-center, placebo-controlled, trial is evaluating the safety and feasibility of repeated application of three concentrations of Avrina to the skin of adult patients with mild-to-moderate eczema.

Avrina is a highly selective and potent inhibitor of the transcription factor, NF-kappaB, which is implicated in inflammatory diseases such as eczema, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)."While we have a pending proposed merger agreement with AlgoRx Pharmaceuticals that will significantly enhance our product portfolio with three pain management products, we remain committed to and excited about the future potential of Avrina for the treatment of eczema," said Daniel Gennevois, vice president of medical affairs at Corgentech.

According to Corgentech, approximately 15 million adults in the US are afflicted with eczema.