There's more to eczema than a random, unexplainable skin condition. There's a root cause, and sometimes it's food related.
I receive many questions about Eczema. I sought out a certified holistic health coach to give me her input on the causes of inflammation and it's relation to eczema and acne. She put together 10 tips that may help you deal with the plaguing eczema in your family:
Understand Inflammation: eczema flare-ups and acne break outs are immune system responses.
Inflammation is a reaction to something you are ingesting or applying topically to your skin. Eczema flare-ups and acne breakouts are immune system responses.
Topical anti-inflammatory prescription creams may help but won't solve the problem.
Steroid creams, which are anti-inflammatory, act to suppress the response and give temporary relief to the reaction. Unfortunately, they don’t prevent the flare-up or fix the problem.
Use anti-inflammatory food ingredients on your skin.
Not only should you eat anti-inflammatory foods like coconut oil, cinnamon and honey, you can apply them topically to your skin.
Use topically:
Yogurt
cucumbers
avocados
baking soda
apple cider vinegar
Be extremely gentle when cleansing and exfoliating.
You can use grapes or strawberries to naturally exfoliate your face.
(NasCia’s Berries and Oxygen Face Polish works wonders and is gentle)
Digestive issues can affect your skin and immune system.
Psoriasis is an auto immune condition that appears externally on our skin, but has its root internally, in our immune system. Probiotics can help to improve your digestive health, which will improve the appearance of your skin.
2. Get more sleep and manage your stress
Add something to your lifestyle that will help you reduce your stress levels. One area of stress we all face is the stress of driving to and from a destination. Buy an essential oil diffuser for your car and let the scent of lavender relax you as you drive.
3, Food allergies can cause inflammation
Common causes: dairy and gluten
Pay attention to other allergies (asthma, digestive tract issues, etc.) Have a blood panel done to test for allergies.
4. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
Avoid highly processed foods and refined sugar. Replace with whole foods (seeds, legumes, leafy green vegetables, fruits).
5. Your eczema might be fungal
Try an anti-fungal remedy. Investigate the cause of the fungal break-out. Anti-Fungal Essential oil suggestions: Abstract From Pub Med
The essential oils of aegle, ageratum, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa, patchouli and peppermint, were tested for antibacterial activity against 22 bacteria, including Gram-positive cocci and rods and Gram-negative rods, and twelve fungi (3 yeast-like and 9 filamentous) by the disc diffusion method. Lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint and orange oils were effective against all the 22 bacterial strains. Aegle and palmarosa oils inhibited 21 bacteria; patchouli and ageratum oils inhibited 20 bacteria and citronella and geranium oils were inhibitory to 15 and 12 bacterial strains, respectively. All twelve fungi were inhibited by seven oils (aegle, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa and patchouli). Eucalyptus and peppermint oils were effective against eleven fungi. Ageratum oil was inhibitory to only four fungi tested. The MIC of eucalyptus, lemongrass, palmarosa and peppermint oils ranged from 0.16 to > 20 microliters ml-1 for eighteen bacteria and from 0.25 to 10 microliters ml-1 for twelve fungi.
10. Your acne may be bacterial (that’s how acne got its name… it’s the name of the bacteria that causes it)
Avoid harsh, anti-bacterial soaps that will kill off the good bacteria. Instead, use natural anti-bacterial ingredients like coconut oil, tea tree oil or charcoal.