A few other tips- drink lots of flouride-free purified water (add the juice of 1 lemon at least once/day to cleanse liver), take an Omega supplement (flax oil or fish), vitamin D3, glutein (to repair any possible damage to your gut), probiotics, digestive enzymes and try to get as much sleep as possible. I hope this helps someone. And to the girl who asked if things get better before they get worse- sometimes. I had a yeast overgrowth (Candida) in my intestine that I battled during all this and while I did my cleanse (melaluca, oregano and lemon oil in capsules) it got worse. I got white puss-filled pockets on my legs (where my eczema is). After that, I began my new way of eating (I hate to say diet) and it cleared fast! Itching was the first to go! :)
Multiple Remedies
Raw African Shea butter, olive oil infused with plantain, menthol mixed with carrier, Dme direct micro expelled organic virgin coconut oil. AcV soaks, kelp powder soaks. Quality probiotic!! Lysine seems to help at certain times. Stress relief ~ evening primrose oil~ zen-thianine & holy basil work great for stress (1 major trigger for eczema)
Eating greens is huge, watermelon fresh lemon smoothie, wheatgrass, kale, these are especially helpful! AVOID: chocolate, (high nickel foods) coffee!! Sugar, processed & ingredients that you don't know or can barely read!! Proper hours of sleep! Along with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE 100%! Avoid
~Here's my new find, I found out about the actions of myrrh on weeping eczema, I got really bad weeping suddenly, so I ran to the medicine cabinet & used the raw African Shea butter, myrrh , and for the antibacterial & fungal abilities of st johns wort oil I added a few drops along with calendula oil whipped it up quick~ instant relief!! I can put the gloves back on and not sticking! So I can sleep in peace tonight! :) hope this helps!
Homemade Cream
Vinegar Soaks
★★★★★
Long story short, I stopped my athlete's foot with a half and half mixture of white vinegar and water and soaked my feet for 30 minutes, once a day, every day for a week and a half. I started doing this after I noticed an outbreak on my hands occurring and after just a few days the treatment stopped the dyshidrotic eczema dead in its tracks and a week after the small but not developed outbreak was dried up and gone. Even though my feet are still a bit red and tender from years of having athletes foot it has drastically improved and the eczema on my hands have never returned.
In the end, I have associated my breakouts of dyshidrosis to the initial fungal infection from the athlete's foot. I am not a skin specialist, just going by what worked for me. If you are suffering from this condition my best advice would be to find a root cause to the break outs. I've heard that leaky-gut syndrome can be a cause but there is so much speculation out there which is what makes dealing with any kind of eczema so frustrating!! I hope this helps....
Apples, ACV, Dietary Changes
Ayurveda
Cattails
★★★★★
Ayurveda
★★★★★
Castor Oil
★★★★☆
the next day I applied it to my neck when I woke up and when it dried up. I had to sleep with a towel on my pillow otherwise my pillow would soak up the oil. it worked within 2 days. my skin got softer (when my eczema was bad it would be hard), more moist, and it healed, but not completely.
the biggest setback was when I would scratch in my sleep without knowing and find blood on my pjs and hands. I found that the dead skin on my bed probably didnt help so I moved to sleep on the floor. this helped alot.
hoped this helped
Apples, ACV, Dietary Changes
Ayurveda
Ayurveda
★★★★★
In ayurveda, the root of eczema is believed to be in the colon. I'm sure that most of you who are reading this are not surprised by this, because like me, you probably also have a known digestive disorder, weight problems, or slow/sluggish/incomplete digestion. It's not a surprise to me, reading through the posts on this site, that a lot of peoples' eczema responds positively to "cleansing" fasts. It is believed that when the body cannot handle digestion, toxins get released into the bloodstream, and these toxins are then eliminated through the skin, causing a variety of skin problems such as acne or eczema.
However, I see that some of the trouble that people are having is that they are not always using the correct remedies for their eczema "type". For example, one woman's son who has a kind of "vata" eczema (dry, scratchy, aggravated by cold and wind) was applying coconut oil (a cooling oil used to treat "pitta"/hot eczema) to it and not surprisingly, his condition was aggravated. But those who seem to suffer from "pitta"/hot eczema seem to have much success with coconut oil. I compiled this information for you in hopes that you will be able to correctly diagnose your eczema and use the correct Ayurvedic method for your eczema "type".
I have "pitta"/hot type eczema and can only give advice from my personal experience for people who suffer from that kind of eczema.
Ayurvedic approach to healing and treating eczema -
What is my Ayurvedic "type" of eczema? (Vicharchika)
Vata (cold, dry) type: The skin tends to be rough, dry, hard, itchy and scaly. There may be associated constipation, wind and distension, anxiety and insomnia. The skin is aggravated by cold, wind, dryness and stress and relieved by the application of oils, especially sesame.
Pitta (hot, burning) type: The skin is hot and inflamed; it is aggravated by heat and heating foods, exposure to the sun (heat rash) and application of most oils, reflecting a state of heat and toxicity in the body. There tends to be burning, redness, oozing, swelling and infection which can be associated with fever, irritability and feeling of heat. Pitta type eczema responds well to cooling oils, such as coconut oil.
Kapha (cold, moist) type: Kapha skin problems are often accompanied by mucous congestion, lethargy and sluggish metabolism. The skin tends to be cold, clammy, sticky, oozing, swollen and itchy, with a pale complexion. It is aggravated by cold, damp, application of oils and eating dairy products and sugar.
Eczema is more common with a Pitta imbalance as Pitta can overheat the blood (Rakta dhatu) and predispose to toxic conditions which are expressed through the skin. Factors causing such skin problems include poor digestion (low agni), toxins in the bowel (ama), incorrect diet, over use of sour, salty, or pungent tastes, heavy, sweet or oily foods, as well as over-use of cosmetics, perfumes, synthetic creams, etc.
______________________________________________________
OK, now I know my Ayurvedic eczema type. How do I treat it?
Vata type eczema: Follow a Vata reducing diet and lifestyle with sesame oil massage and castor oil laxative or enemas. Pungent, bitter and astringent tasting foods should be reduced, while sweet, sour and salty tastes are recommended. Nourishing and cleansing herbs for internal use include Triphala, Guggul, Shatavari, Bala, and Cardamom. Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Cardamom and Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa). Triphala powder mixed in warm water, or Triphala guggul capsules, can be given before bed.
Medicated ghee (Indian clarified butter, can be found in ethnic food stores) can be used internally and externally. Useful herbs for medicating the ghee include Triphala, Musta (Cyperus rotundus), Manjishta, Gokshura, Chitrak, Neem, Guduchi, Cardamom, Punarnava, and Vacha (Acorus calamus) root.
Pitta type eczema: Follow an anti-Pitta diet, avoiding possible allergens such as dairy produce, vegetables from the nightshade family, as well as oranges, peaches and strawberries. Sour, salty and hot spicy foods are best avoided, while sweet, bitter and astringent foods are recommended. Drinking coconut juice/water (or taking up to 1 tbsp coconut oil internally per day) is helpful, along with coriander leaf juice. Exposure to sun and heat is best avoided.
Recommended herbs for internal use include bitter cleansing herbs such as burdock root (Arcium lappa), Neem, Guduchi, Manjishta, and laxative herbs such as Dandelion root (Taraxacum off. ) and Triphala can be helpful. Also recommended are Gotu kola, Sandalwood, Kutki (Picrorrhiza kurroa), Musta, Chirata (Swertia chiretta), Aloe Vera juice, and Amalaki.
Helpful therapies for external application include cooling and soothing rose water, coconut oil, Aloe Vera gel, coriander leaf juice, Gotu kola oil, and Bringaraj oil. Sandalwood in oils, creams, or the powder made into a paste, has a cooling anti-inflammatory effect. I use a cream that contains Sandalwood, Neem and Turmeric which is effective. Baths with herbs of Musta, Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) and Triphala can be useful.
**My regimen for Pitta-type eczema**: If you have pitta-type (hot) eczema, the goal here is to cool down your body, improve your digestion and remove toxins from your blood. I recommend (and use) the pitta-reducing Blood Cleanse by Banyan Botanicals, which has manjista, neem, turmeric, guduchi, and burdock. I use in conjunction with Ayurcetics Triphala, 1 tablet right before bed helps elimination and cools and purifies the blood. When I have an eczema flareup, I apply Nutiva Coconut Oil (my favorite coconut oil on the market) to the inflamed areas, and I usually see a clearing up of my eczema within 30 minutes of application. I take 1 tbsp of coconut oil internally everyday, which helps prevent my eczema from recurring. I try to sleep in a cool room, and sometimes I will leave my hair wet, apply coconut oil or brahmi/amla oil to my hair and scalp (I use either the Nutiva oil or the Brami/Amla oil by Vadik herbs), wrap it in a towel, and sleep like that with my hair cold and damp. It keeps my head and body cool all through the night (no heat = no eczema flare up! ). I try to keep as little covers on me as possible as not to get overheated. I also drink aloe vera juice and coconut water, you can find both in Whole Foods or in Asian grocery stores. I prefer the sweetened kind of aloe vera juice (the big green bottles with chunks of aloe vera floating in it), because the non-sweetened kind tastes pretty nasty!! I also try to engage in cooling/calming activities such as yoga and meditation, and try to avoid aggravating "hot" emotions such as anger, resentment, or stress.
Kapha type eczema: A Kapha reducing diet and lifestyle is recommended by avoiding all heavy, greasy and oily food, particularly cheese and yogurt. Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods should be reduced, while pungent, bitter and astringent foods are recommended.
It is this: right after washing with mild cleanser and/or sodium bicarbonate, and before applying tea tree oil, I dabbed all effected areas with hydrogen peroxide. Let this dry, or pat it dry before applying the tea tree oil.
H2O2 bleaches everything it touches, so if you have dark hair, you might be concerned about that.
Fish Oil, Yogurt
★★★★★
Discoid Eczema Remedies
★★★★★
1. Wash with gentle soap and then gently with baking powder (sodium bicarbonate) Pat dry.
2. Apply thin coat of tea tree oil
3. Apply thin layer of coconut oil.
4. Paint effected area with thin coat of zinc paste. (I used one that also contained castor oil, was made for babies and had no added scent.
Cover effected areas to prevent touching anything. Is it contagious? Maybe. Clean everything In your household, using bleach when possible.
Those four steps are the heart of this treatment. I also took turmeric with pepper during treatment, but am not certain that is essential. (1 tsp w/ pepper 3x daily during active phase; tapered to 1 tsp / day during "99.9%" sure it is gone phase ( the extra week)
The first time I tried this, all blistering was gone in 10 days. Furthermore, at step 2 or 3 above, the itching stops, so you will be comfortable.
Good luck.
Lemon and Pineapple Juice
★★★★★
When looking up my lemon recipe book I came across this eczema remedy.. "50:50 lemon juice and pineapple juice, applied hourly until cured". Well I didn't have any lemons at the time but did have the pineapple so I squeezed a little juice and applied a couple of times during the day and again at night. The improvement was dramatic. I continued with just the pineapple juice as I thought the lemon might be a bit severe on my face. I kept the juice in the fridge for up to 3 days.. It didn't seem to reduce its effectiveness by not being really fresh. I used night and morning for a week and now have only a little dry area of normal coloured skin. Perhaps a strict compliance with the remedy using lemon as well as pineapple and using only fresh juice would be a much quicker remedy. Try it out.. it certainly is worth it, and entirely safe and painless.
Iodine
★★★★★
L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
There are a number of cures here on Earth Clinic, including a homemade mixture of organic coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and lecithin (emulsifier). You might want to add a few drops of lavender - it sounds like it is quite whiffy!
Here's the link:
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/keratosis_pilaris.html
Although you are taking quite a few oils, are you eating enough water-filled vegetables (like in green smoothies)? Supposedly that is the best way to get water into our cells.
A humidifier is a must here in Calgary. Exfoliate your skin very gently and rinse thoroughly before patting on a moisturizer (or coconut oil). Some people even put a 50/50 coconut oil and castor oil blend on their face at night (too heavy for the day).
Also, I believe there are a few forums on the Internet for people with facial keratosis pilaris but I think most of them opt for prescriptions and heavy-duty lotions filled with rather toxic ingredients.
Good luck Maggie! Cheers, Bess
L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
Also please note I did not take all these supplements until after a long time trying to experiment with things to try and get rid of this chicken skin/rosacea type condition. I would like to try just your supplement recommendations and stop all the others temporarily to see if it would clear up my condition - which to clarify is only on my face. I had actually come to the point of giving up trying to remedy my problem because I have worked so hard at it and never seen an improvement over the last few years other than they seem to be less prominent now then other times. I really could never figure out what it was that made them better or worse. I have been told I have candida; I was told by a dermatologist it was a hormone imbalance; so always a mass confusion and a constant process of experimentation.
I am 51 years old and have recently gone through menopause. Again, the symptom of these pustules, white bumps whatever you would call them have never actually left - even for a day. I have had times last summer where a couple picked off but none have come to the surface lately. I could never figure out what it was that happened at that time to cause the slight improvement at that time.
Niacinimade Powder, Vitamin E
Multiple Remedies
What finally worked, was having her include at least two (but the more, the better) small vanilla yogurts each day, without fail - one in the morning, and one in the evening.
This, along with two fish oil capsules at bedtime has significantly improved (dare I say, perhaps even 'cured') her eczema. The difference is truly astounding.
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
★☆☆☆☆
Anyways, for years and years and years I NEVER showed my legs or feet to anyone but my family. It wasn't because of my excema that I had no idea about until this doctor informed me of it at 22 (I'm 25 now), it was because of all of my blackheads and uneven skin tone, dry, cracked feet etc.
In 2010 I went to Barbados to a family reunion and of course, as it was hot as ever, decided to wear shorts, skirts and dresses. Most summers back home in Toronto, it didn't matter how hot it was - I wouldn't be caught dead doing this! For some reason when I came back home from that trip I continued to show off my skin and body. I've always been skinny and tall, people always would say you should model, blah blah and it's like... they have NO idea what my skin looks like! I could never be a model! Please.
I would say once summer ended that year in 2010, my eczema that was finally revealed to me from my doctor was acting a fool and flaring up like crazy. He prescribed me Elidel, Hydroval and Benovate in a period of two years (from 2010-2012). We all know how these things affect our skin! They all come in these tiny portions and it's like, sure I can put it on only the places where my skin is rough and flared, but my ENTIRE lower body itches so what do you do? And I had YET to find a cream and my doctor has as well, that will help relieve my itchy skin. Naturally I put these products on my entire lower half. What did the Elidel do? Weaken my skin where now it's like... An old lady who has wrinkly skin -- almost extra saggy layers of skin, plus it's naturally cracked, plus its dry, plus my skin is 20 different skin tones. It's just sad and embarrassing.
Last summer I went to England to visit my family for two months. Prior to this I had random flare ups. Omg, I went to England and it was the WORSE it's EVER been. I was in so much pain, itching my skin until to bled in PUBLIC and around my friends and family - totally embarrassing. And the worse part is no one there would prescribe me anything because they didn't know my history. I was forced to use these counter products like Eurcerin that at the time, made me itch even more. It was SO unbareable. During that time I got huge discoloration patches all over my knees and down.
No matter how much I try to stress to my doctor that I need a dermatologist, he just doesn't seem to get it. His response is more or less like, 'you'll have this forever, dermatologists are expensive. ' I just feel truly hopeless at this point.
I had quite a bit of acne on my face during my time in England as well which I think was unrelated to the excema. And after several months of over the counter acne medications, I decided to go natural on my face. Recently I decided to go natural on my body as well.
WHAT I'VE USED: I bought a jar of coconut oil and put that on my skin twice a day for two days straight and my skin has never felt so tight!! It was totally irritating. I was itching all over the place, it was crazy so I stopped using it, lol. But I will admit, in certain places, the eczema has cleared up and has somewhat dried up in a sense. I see people have talked about this working for them so I might continue you it tonight.
My doctor told me to buy a humidifier. In fact, two doctors have told me that. So fine -- I bought a humidifier for my room and honestly, it hasn't done much of anything. And it's even more irrelevant now that its spring in Canada and yet, here I am with excema outbreaks.
Late last year I started eating green Granny Smith apples once a day for a month straight JUST to be healthy. Funny enough, I see it on here as something that could help excema! BUT, during my time of eating the apples, I feel as though my acne flared up like crazy! So I stopped doing that. I tried again for two days straight this year, and the same thing so I've just stopped eating them altogether.
My doctor suggested grounded flax seeds, so last week I bought a whole bunch in bulk, grounded them up and have been putting it in my drink and food constantly. We'll see if this will help.
Before I bought the grounded flax seeds I was taking one flax seed oil pill a day and I don't know... The results are unknown. When I bought the flax seeds and finished the flax seed oil pills I decided to get Omega 3-6-9 instead, which I almost feel is making my excema worse, ugh. But then again, I never use things long enough to really tell.
MY QUESTION IS: After all of that, lol. When you use these remedies, does the eczema flare up initially and then start to become effective? Or is it meant to work instantly, so to speak? Because if it is meant to flare up, then I'll use some of these remedies longer then I have been.
People don't realize how debilitating having eczema is and I feel worse for the ones who have it shown visibly like on their face and neck, etc. Even going swimming is an issue and what kills me is, I actually have a nice body! And I'm so sick of hearing people tell me about it, little do they know. I'm 25 and I'm tired of living like this. I shouldn't be covering up, I want to show it off!
Help me, please!!!
★★★★★
I hope this can be of help to any of you who have suffered a long battle with this problem as I have.
Flax Seed Oil
★★★★★
2 weeks later since starting this treatment and it has almost all gone. I can finally leave the house!
Olive Oil
Cold Showers
★★★★★
You can rub almond, coconut or olive oil on afterwards for extra moisturizing.
L-Carnitine, Flax and Borage
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
After trying so many other things: coconut oil, shea butter, Eczema Free cream, Chia seeds, probiotics, fish oil, sea salt soap, among others, I went back to using the topical steroid. He was desperate, embarrassed by the stares, and so miserable. However, I still wanted to try to figure out the cause. There were a few posts about food allergy testing, so I thought we should try that. I had him tested and it turns out he is allergic to all dairy, wheat and eggs (very allergic and he ate them often). These foods are in almost everything! His naturopathic doctor is confident eczema is caused by a stomach issue, as several other posters have said. Based on her experience with other patients, she believes we need to heal his gut and his eczema will go away.
About 5 years ago, my son started gaining weight. He was always a thin child, but all of a sudden he went from Slim sizes to tight Regular sizes. From what I could tell, he was not eating too much and rarely drank sugary drinks/cokes. He has always been very active in lots of different team sports and participates in something athletic at least 5 days a week. He has always had problems with stomachaches. I have taken him to countless doctors over the years and all they have done is prescribe medicine. I hate medicine. Now, that we have changed his diet to remove the foods he is allergic/reactive to, he is doing so much better and has lost weight. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it is curing his eczema because this episode was mostly gone prior to changing his diet, due to the steroid cream. His naturopathic doctor thinks it will take about 2 months of avoiding the foods he is allergic to for his gut to heal.
ACV seems to help some people and is worth a try, but please consider food allergy testing. I am kicking myself now that I didn't do this sooner for my son. Also, none of the doctors at Children's Hospital that I have taken my son to in the past have recommended it. I just asked his top-rated, Harvard-educated dermatologist last month and he told me it wasn't necessary. I couldn't disagree more. This doctor also said they don't know what causes eczema. Well, I'm not a doctor, but if your body is allergic to something you are eating, then it is probable it is going to show up on your skin. Maybe they don't know the cause because it is different for different people like the people that don't respond to ACV. There are different types of food testing. We did IgG testing for 96 foods. I don't know if this is the best test available. We are still in the learning process. Hope this helps someone. Thanks to everyone that has posted their suggestions!
In no particular order:
- Paleo Diet (I do the raw version of it, but mainstream paleo diet is cooked or slightly cooked)
- Probiotics (from fermented vegetables with Real Himalayan Salt - free and effective, or probiotic capsules mixed with coconut water and a pinch of Real Himalayan Salt)
- 1-2 or 3 hours of sunbathing every day, if possible, for Vitamin D (best to get out of the sun once your skin is turning pink. This depends on your skin color)
- Uropathy
- Coffee enemas to detox liver
- Other healthy lifestyle habits (e. g. sleeping early - before 11pm (ideally before 10pm), minimizing stress, moderate exercise daily)
Goat Milk
★★★★★
