The most common form of eczema is called atopic eczema. Generally it is found in all ages but most prominently amongst infants. The disease does not spread through infection. Well defined cures for this type of ailment are not present but there are several remedies for eczema that aim to reduce the irritation caused by the inflammation of the skin.
A medical treatment can be initiated only after the illness is detected. Diagnosis is thus very important to prescribe the type and process of remedial measures to be taken. The skin turning red and excessive itching sensations are a few of the common symptoms that surface among patients infected with eczema. The symptoms generally are found on the head, neck, arms and legs. Different natural remedies for eczema can be used to treat different aspects of eczema.
Depending on the nature of your symptoms, you may only need one of the natural remedies for eczema mentioned below for your symptoms to recede. You may also find that using a combination of treatments that address for example hydration and inflammation, to bring better results. In the end it’s up to you to try out different treatments and see what works for you.
Proper Hydration
Everyone with eczema suffers from dry skin. The hydration of your skin plays an important role in controlling your other symptoms.
Regular use of moisturizing creams, ointments, lotions and soaps help to retain the hydration factor of the skin. Well hydrated skin creates a barrier that prevents the unwanted penetration of allergic elements, and thereby reduces itching, scratching and inflammation to a great extent.
Reduce Inflammation
The medical profession tackles severe inflammation in eczema with the use of corticosteroids. Corticosteroids do an excellent job at tacking inflammation and bring visible results after just 2-3 days of use.
However, they also come with a barrage of different side-effects including the thinning of your skin, bruising, hypertension, osteoporosis (thinning of your bones)… the list goes on. For this reason your doctor will not prescribe you more than 10 days of steroids at any one time.
But what if your symptoms go on longer than that? Thankfully there a number of different natural side effect-free alternatives you can use to tackle inflammation. One particularly powerful natural remedy is slippery elm bark, which has been used for many generations to treat inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Applied on your skin, it leaves a mucous layer that not only traps and retains moisture, but also quickly reduces inflammation.
Stop/Prevent Infection
If your symptoms are particularly severe, you can get a skin infection, which is usually caused by a bug called Staphylococcus aureus. If you do have an infection, then this is best treated with antibiotics. The key to preventing infection however, is to keep your symptoms always under control using good natural remedies for eczema.
To keep the skin in a good condition that is unlikely to become infected, I strongly suggest the use of emolients/lotions containing blueberry leaf extract. Blueberry leaves contain special chemicals that not only reduce inflammation, but also accelerate the healing of the skin.
Reduce Itching
A skin rash without itching is never considered to be eczema. This means that everyone suffering from eczema will have some degree of itching. Itching in itself is a pain in the backside, but the main problem with this symptom is that it leads to a vicious cycle. Itching leads to scratching, and scratching increases bloodflow in the area, which leads to inflammation. Inflammation leads to more itching and the cycle continues.
Tackle the itching and you will tackle your eczema.
Good natural remedies for eczema that help with itching, include chamomile, witch hazel, and licorice gels and creams.
Control Your Immune System
Eczema occurs as a result of your immune system overreacting to normal substances in your body, which leads to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
There are many substances in the food you eat that the immune system can and does overreact to. This overreaction is usually prevented to good bacteria that are always present in your gut. Many people suffer from eczema because they lack sufficient quantities of these good bacteria.
Studies have shown that increasing the number of good bacteria in your gut by taking probiotics, can help to significantly reduce the symptoms of eczema. Probiotics can either be taken in the form of tablets, or in the form of natural unpasteurized yogurts containing live bacteria.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of different approaches for treating eczema. In this article I have presented just a handful of the many different options available to you. Which approach works best for you depends on your own unique set of symptoms.
A number of different factors come into play here – how long you have had your eczema for, how severe your symptoms are, where on your body you are experiencing symptoms, what type of symptoms you have etc. To get a full understanding of home remedies for eczema that will work for YOU, click here to visit Eczema Free Forever.
