Eczema is a skin condition, which in it's milder form causes dry itchy patches on your skin, and in more severe cases forms large red, blistery areas of extremely itchy skin. There is no cure for eczema, but it can be controlled quite well.
I've had eczema since I was 12 years old. The medication prescribed did clear my skin up, because it contained a topical steroid, which suppressed the skin eruption. But the problem kept coming back. For years, when my eczema reared it's ugly head, I was prescribed a topical steroid cream, and it would clear up for sometimes as long as a year at a time, but would always come back in the winter. I also found that as I got older, it reoccurred more often. New products such as Elidel didn't make sense to me because you're supposed to avoid the sun, the one thing that helped clear my skin.
In recent years, I became more concerned about the long-term use of steroid creams, as it thins the skin, and anything you put on your skin eventually enters your blood stream. I started looking for a more natural treatment. I've tried many topical alternatives, but nothing worked as well as plain old apple cider vinegar mixed with baking soda. I mixed the two into a thick paste, applied it to the affected areas and let it dry. If my breakout was severe, I would rinse off the dried paste and reapply it again a second time. The itching would stop almost immediately, and within a day or two the area started to heal…until the next breakout.
But diet is key in order to stop the eczema breakouts in the first place. I've learned that the problem isn't caused from the skin at all. People with eczema tend to be deficient in vitamin D and not have enough of the good bacteria in their digestive tract needed to prevent an overgrowth of yeast, which is what causes the breakout. So you need to get your digestive tract healthy again. Probiotics, naturally found in meat, work well to balance your digestive tract, as well as plain yogurt. Fatty acid supplements (balanced Omega 3-6-9) also help, along with vitamin D supplements. My eczema always cleared up in warm weather when I was out in the sunshine, and this is common for people with eczema because your body naturally makes vitamin D when you're in the sun. It also explains why my eczema always returned in the winter, because I live in the Northern part of the US. I use a supplement that contains calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc, as all are helpful for eczema.
Some foods can trigger an eczema breakout. Common trigger foods are: wheat, eggs, aged cheeses, yeast, and chocolate. If I avoid wheat, yeast, eggs, aged cheese and processed orange juice, I can avoid breakouts. We like to frequent our friend's bar/pizza parlor on Saturdays, and I've found that I can still have pizza and beer (both containing yeast) as long as I don't have it too often, and I take my supplements.
If you suffer from eczema, I hope you find this information helpful.
