Wonder Cure Or Bigger Problem

Parents risk harming their children because of misinformation about the best treatments for eczema, experts said today.
While some parents turn to herbal lotions of unknown quality to treat their youngsters' skin, others are shunning prescribed steroid creams because of misconceptions about the side effects, a meeting of dermatologists was told.
Dr Sue Lewis-Jones, a specialist in paediatric dermatology from Dundee, said a network of nurses focusing on the management of childhood eczema and other skin problems was urgently needed.
She said that a lack of money and focus on the speciality was to blame for the small number of nurses working in this area.
"These nurses can help parents manage their children's condition, keep an eye on their progress and lead to fewer admissions to hospital. "But there is no money for it.
"It is an obvious thing to do and it would ultimately save the NHS money," Dr Lewis-Jones said.
The consultant dermatologist, speaking at the British Skin Foundation meeting in central London, also highlighted concerns about parents opting for herbal Chinese remedies to treat their children.
She said there were examples of companies springing up promising "wonder cures" for eczema and psoriasis.
"There are lots of reputable companies and there is no reason why some remedies shouldn't work because most medicines originally came from plants.
"But the problem is that we don't know what part of the plant is having the effect and there is less known about the side effects. "With modern medicines much more is known about the side effects.
"Some people out there just want to make money and will dishonestly promote small pots of cream that cost £30 each," Dr Lewis-Jones said. She said that these creams often contained hidden steroids which produced the desired effect and led patients to believe the treatments were working.
But this led to the danger that young children could be exposed to very strong steroids normally only given to adults.
Dr Lewis-Jones said she knew of a case where a parent had used a very strong steroid called Dermovate which was bought from Hong Kong to treat her 12-year-old's psoriasis.
Although the product was clearly labelled, the mother used the cream on her child for 18 months without knowing the dangers of such heavy steroid use.
The girl went on to develop Cushing's Syndrome which leads to weight gain, thinning of the bones and blood pressure problems and is caused by too many steroids.
The condition can cause patients to collapse and die and the child had spent three weeks in hospital while she was treated. But Dr Lewis-Jones said under-treatment was a much more serious concern for children with skin conditions.
She said research had shown that three-quarters of parents were worried about using steroid creams on their children and a quarter stopped using them all together.
They were apparently concerned about products would thinning the skin with some even believing they would lead to muscle development such as that seen in bodybuilders who abuse steroids. "The thing about eczema is that we can get it under control and are not going to have to use steroids for very long.
"There is also widespread ignorance of the public and health professionals about the use of steroids but they are a life-saver for people with eczema," Dr Lewis Jones said.
One in three-children under the age of three-and-a-half suffers from eczema. Psoriasis is also very common, affecting 1.2 million people in the UK.
Dr Colin Holden, trustee of the British Skin Foundation, said: "The number of people suffering from skin disease is increasing every day. "It's vital we keep investing money in life-changing research."