When I was an infant, I had
what was then commonly known as "Infantile
Eczema". I remember hearing this phrase from my mother
many times throughout my childhood, as my brother also had
it; the itchy rashes that commonly show up in the folds of
the elbows and knees, and the back of the neck.
Managing eczema for most is
typically a laborious process. It never disappears forever,
merely for short periods of time, but it always comes back.
A myriad of prescriptions often follows each breakout, but
none are effective for very long. I remember one summer as
an adult I had a particularly heinous breakout all over my
body. My entire body...from neck to toes was covered in this
enormous, itchy rash. The doctor prescribed a different
cream than the usual...couldn't tell you what it was called,
all I remember is that is had menthol in it. Can you say,
"NOT the answer?"
I coated my body in this
substance after exiting the familiar oatmeal bath, and what
ensued afterward can only be described as "purgatory". My
entire body felt like it had been dipped in a freezing cold
flame...a Vapo Rub bath. The head to toe, cold tingly
sensation was worse than the itchy rash itself!
Then there's the steroid
cream treatments, but these aren't without their issues.
Steroid creams have been touted as being virtually harmless,
but given the fact that 60% of what we put on our skin ends
up in our blood stream, a more natural approach would
probably be better. Steroid creams also cause thinning of
the skin with extended use. Also, on infant skin, where
babies tend to get the
Eczema rash on the wrists and arms,
the infant tendency to put these parts in the mouth, makes a
steroid cream treatment unwise.
I've since discovered some
ways to ward off the dreaded eczema outbreaks, and haven't
had one that I couldn't manage in about 10 years.
Here are some tips to
managing your
Eczema outbreaks, and treating them naturally
when they do happen;
1. Wash your hands often.
Eczema can spread to different parts of the body simply by
scratching an itch in one area, then transferring it to
another part of the body. Be sure to wash your hands
regularly.
2. Keep skin well moisturized with natural ingredients.
Products containing Avocado Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil,
Calendula Oil and/or Cocoa Butter work well in soothing the
itchy effects of
Eczema, AND getting rid of the rash.
3. I know that I said to wash your hands often, but chronic
moisture is bad for
Eczema. So be sure that when you wash
your hands, you dry them properly, then moisturize with
natural ingredients (see above).
4. Any type of topical 'treatment' that contains menthol
(the stuff they put in Vicks Vapo Rub), actually makes the
rash FEEL worse. It's not soothing, there's no relief, just
a different kind of torture.
5. Summer sun has a tendency to make
Eczema worse. Use a
good natural/organic sunscreen when spending time in the sun
(you should do that anyway). If you can find a natural
sunscreen, one without all the heavy fragrances and
additives, formulated with natural oils and butters, you'll
be well ahead of the game. Remember, the higher the SPF of
your sunscreen, the more chemicals it has, and those
chemicals could cause a breakout.
I hope this has been
helpful.
