Eczema treatment by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Natural treatment for Eczema

Eczema is a skin disorder with inflammation of the upper layers of the skin that results in rashes, dryness, itching, flaking, even blistering and bleeding.. Eczema, a rash-like inflammation that causes itchy, red skin, can also be treated with antihistamines, oral and topical steroids and over-the-counter products along with natural herbs and supplements. Boys who have eczema in their first two years of life are more likely to develop asthma later on, but there does not appear to be a strong association between early eczema and asthma in girls

Eczema development in child and mother's diet
What a woman eats during pregnancy may influence the odds that her child will develop an allergy. Dr. Joachim Heinrich, of GSF-Institute of Epidemiology, Neuherberg, Germany evaluated the associations between maternal diet during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and allergy and eczema in offspring at age 2 years. They analyzed data from 2,641 children. Overall, 17 percent of all children had doctor-diagnosed eczema at age 2. Positive associations were observed between high maternal intakes of margarine and vegetable oils during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and eczema during the first 2 years in the offspring. On the other hand, eating a lot of fish late in pregnancy seemed to offer some protection against eczema in offspring.

Maternal diet during pregnancy in relation to eczema and allergic sensitization in the offspring at 2 y of age.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Feb;85(2):530-7. GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Neuherberg, Germany and Faculty of Medicine, Environmental Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Maternal diet during pregnancy might be one of the factors that influences fetal immune responses associated with childhood allergy. We analyzed the association between maternal diet during the last 4 wk of pregnancy and allergic sensitization and eczema in the offspring at 2 y of age.  We suggest that the intake of allergenic foods and foods rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy may increase and foods rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may decrease the risk of allergic diseases in the offspring.

Eczema and Breastmilk
Infants who consume breast milk for four months or longer after birth have a reduced risk of being plagued by the dry skin or itchy rash characteristic of eczema by the time they are 4 years old. Various researchers have reported positive benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, including its association with a reduced asthma risk. Breast-feeding should be recommended as one possible way to reduce the risk of onset of eczema and asthma. For many reasons breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed the child with human milk. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, September 2005.

Eczema and Prebiotics

Infant formula containing a mixture of prebiotic oligosaccharides -- compounds that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines -- may protect against the development of eczema or dermatitis in babies at high risk for allergic skin conditions. The research was conducted by Dr. Guenther Boehm from Numico Research Germany, Friedrichsdorf. Human breast milk contains natural prebiotics that promote the development of a healthy immune system, which can help prevent allergies. Boehm's team developed an infant formula based on the prebiotic content of human breast milk and tested its ability to reduce the incidence of eczema or skin allergy in a group of newborns whose mothers were unable to start or continue breastfeeding. These infants were at high risk for skin allergy because they had a parent with the condition. A total of 102 infants were fed a prebiotic -enriched infant formula and 104 were fed a normal formula. The children were seen on a monthly basis until the age of 6 months. Only 10 infants fed the prebiotic formula had signs of eczema after six months, compared with 24 infants fed the normal formula. Tests on stool samples from 98 infants showed that the prebiotic group had significantly higher levels of the beneficial gut microbes bifidobacteria compared to the other group. Prebiotics can favorably affect development of the immune system of infants by altering the bacteria in the bowel and in so doing reduce the chances of eczema developing in at-risk infants. Archives of Disease in Childhood July 2006.

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, May 2007: Oral supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri to the mother during pregnancy and to the infant after birth may help reduce the development of eczema and allergy associated with immunoglobulin E, a key protein involved in the allergic response. Dr. Thomas R. Abrahamsson of Linkoping University Hospital enrolled families with a history of allergic disease. Expectant mothers were randomly assigned to receive Lactobacillus reuteri in an oil suspension or a placebo treatment, each day from week 36 until delivery. Their babies continued with the same formulation from birth until 12 months of age and were followed up for another year. A total of 188 completed the study. At 2 years, the incidence of eczema was 36 percent in the active treatment group and 34 percent in the placebo group. However, during the second year, only 8 percent of the Lactobacillus reuteri group had IgE-associated eczema compared with 20 percent of the placebo group.

Chinese herbs for eczema treatment
Doctors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong recruited 85 children suffering from eczema; 42 of them were given capsules containing extracts of five herbs twice daily for 12 weeks, while the remaining 43 children were given placebos. By the end of three months, the conditions of the children who were given the herbs improved and their use of corticosteroid creams and ointments was reduced by one third. The five herbs used in the eczema treatment were Flos lonicerae (Jinyinhua), Herba menthae (Bohe), Cortex moutan (Danpi), Rhizoma atractylodis (Cangzhu) and Cortex phellodendri (Huangbai).

Reducing Eczema Severity
Apply lotion immediately after getting out of the shower to keep your skin well-moisturized.
Don't take very long baths or showers, and avoid using very hot water since it can dry skin and increase itchiness.
Avoid using harsh soaps or detergents that can irritate the skin.
Try to avoid becoming overheated or very sweaty.
Keep skin well covered during winter.
Try not to wear itchy fabrics made of wool or some synthetic fibers.

Eczema symptoms
Here are common symptoms of eczema, although other skin diseases can show similar symptoms:
Skin rash with excessive itching.
Blisters that are red, inflamed and oozing.
Skin that is dry and leathery.
Skin that is raw from excessive scratching.

Atopic excema cause
Atopic eczema or dermatitis can result from a number of factors, or combination of factors, including immunologic background, genetics, skin barrier dysfunction, IgE receptors, and triggers (including allergens, microorganisms, and autoantigens).
   An outbreak of eczema can be triggered by weather, stress or use of certain products, including detergents. It is possible that maternal diet in the years before pregnancy may influence the occurrence of eczema in the child.

Divorce and stress make eczema worse
Young children whose parents are divorced may be more likely than other children to develop eczema. The stress of divorce may affect children's immune system in a way that promotes atopic eczema, in which an abnormal immune reaction periodically causes patches of skin to become inflamed, red and intensely itchy.

Treatment for Atopic excema
Treatment modalities with topical treatment (emollients, topical corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, wet wrap therapy, and topical antimicrobial therapy), systemic management (antimicrobials, systemic corticosteroids, cyclosporine A, azathioprine, antihistamines), and phototherapy.

Drugs used for Eczema
The eczema cream Elidel, made by Novartis, cleared the skin condition from the faces of patients allergic to or intolerant of steroids, the conventional treatment. According to a statement issued by Novartis, 46 percent of patients treated with Elidel after six weeks were clear or almost clear of facial eczema compared to 16 percent of the group treated with an inactive placebo. However, see the caution regarding Elidel.

Eczema Cream Side Effects
The European Medicines Agency said in March, 2006 that two prescription creams used to treat eczema could still be used but "with greater caution." Apparently there has been some reports that these eczema creams may increase skin cancer and lymphoma risks. The eczema creams are Novartis AG's Elidel and Astellas Pharma Inc's Protopic.

Eczema biochemical understanding
New experimental results on the role of T cells and keratinocytes have led to a better understanding of eczematous inflammation and can help explain both the clinical and histological pictures of eczema. Besides activated endothelial cells and adhesion molecules, a complex interaction of numerous chemokines controls the recruitment of T cells from the blood vessels and their migration into the dermis and epidermis. Activated T cells damage the epidermis by pro-inflammatory cytokines and can induce apoptosis of individual keratinocytes through "killer molecules". Cleavage of adhesion molecules on keratinocytes leads to spongiotic changes. Keratinocytes then activate repair mechanisms, which cause acanthosis and parakeratosis in chronic eczema.

some misspell eczema as exema or ecxema