Eczema.. and the home remedies you`ve been itching for!

Atopic dermatitis is the most common of this skin rash and most often occurs with people who have a family history of allergies and asthma. Symptoms such as itchy, red skin usually begins by the age of 5 years old and then reappears during ones adult life.

Another type of eczema is called contact dermatitis and comes from contact with irritating agents such as detergent, cosmetics and various soaps including dish soap, laundry detergent, along with body and shampoo soaps.

Excessive scratching can damage skin over time and cause thick, scaly, bumpy skin that is susceptible to bacterial infections. Dermatological studies have shown that anxiety and stress can exacerbate skin conditions like eczema among others.

 Stress and stress related illness is soaring in modern society, so it would be well worth your while to learn stress relief techniques in addition to the food, herbal and other remedies offered here.

• To calm the flair up of eczema as well as to relax the mind and spirit try some essential oil therapy. Fill your bath with warm, (not hot), water and add 7 drops of chamomile essential oil to the water. Soak for ten to twelve minutes and enjoy the aroma.
  
  Then take a pre-mixture of 3oz of olive oil with 5 drops of chamomile, 7 drops of lavender and 3 drops of bergamot essential oils and gently massage this into the inflamed area of skin. Take the time to relax and really enjoy this treatment.

• As stress has shown to be a major contributor in this and many other illnesses, start your day with a daily meditation and deep breathing. This does not have to be something fancy and you don`t have to sit in the lotus position unless you want to.

  Sit in a comfortable, but straight back chair, sitting up straight. Place the palms of your hands on your lap facing up. Put your thumb and forefinger together allowing the energy of your body to flow continuously through out the whole body.
  
  As you breath in on a count of 4 ,(example: breath in 1,2,3,4), say in your mind.. I am alive and then breath out on the count of 4 and say in your mind... thank you. Breath in through your nose for the count of 4 saying "I am alive" and out through your mouth.." thank you". Do this seven times.

  Continue deep breathing in on the count of 4 through your nose and out on 4 through your mouth, but now try only to focus on your breath without any other thoughts. As other thoughts come into your mind don`t get frustrated just let those thoughts pass and refocus on your breath.
  
  With daily practice you will be able to focus only on your breath without intruding thoughts for longer and longer periods of time. You should do this exercise of meditation and deep breathing daily for 21 minutes. Try to find a Zen alarm clock that will sound a gentle chime sound and use this so that you don`t need to think about the time.

• Many herbalist feel that the root cause for eczema may not be in the skin, but in the body. Red clover tea is similar to licorice and is thought to be a blood cleanser. Many like red clover mixed with chamomile as a cleansing and relaxing tea. Drink this mixture three times a day for 30 days to cleanse the body of toxins which may help clear your eczema.

• Goldenseal root, oregon grape root and barberry root are all herbal roots containing berberine which has been shown to soothe flaring eczema.
  
  You can find prepared tinctures of these herbs in a well stocked herbal shop or online, but be sure to talk to your herbalist about the proper use of these as they are effective if used correctly, but these must be used for a time and then a break must be taken before you can resume taking them.
  
  To use add a half a teaspoon of the pre-made tincture to 3oz of olive oil and apply to the inflamed area in the morning and again in the evening.

• Hydrotherapy is a great way to help ease the itching associated with eczema. Fill your bath with water at body temperature, (96- 98 degrees), and add a cup of baking soda to the water. Do this twice daily.. once in the morning and again at night for as long as the flare up last. If you make this a meditative time by adding some aromatherapy to the bathroom, even better.

• Another hydrotherapy treatment is the use of colloidal oatmeal added to your bath. Go to a shop that sells organic rolled oats and place a cup full in your blender on high and blend well. Place this powder into your bath and soak for 10 - 12 minutes.

• It is essential that you increase your weekly consumption of cold, sea water fish such as mackerel, salmon and Alaskan tuna. These fish have omega-3 fatty acids that are proving to be very helpful in the improvement or elimination of numerous illnesses and diseases.
  
  In Japan it is common to eat fish several times a week, but in America where my husband is from, most people rarely eat fish unless it`s something like Long John Silvers, (which in my opinion is not very healthy), or maybe a special treat at Red Lobster.
  
  Omega- 3`s have proven in many studies to reduce inflammation and allergic reactions and therefore is very useful as a natural remedy for eczema.

• To increase your consumption of Omega-3 you should also add walnuts, avocados and ground flax seed or flax oil to your weekly diet as these are also rich in this essential fatty acid.

• As a vitamin and mineral therapy for eczema, increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin A and E and also you should increase your daily intake of Zinc and copper.
  
  If you are not getting enough of these vitamins and minerals please supplement with 10,000 IU of vitamin A, 400 IU of E, 30 milligrams of zinc and because zinc and copper interfere with each other you should take 1 - 2 milligrams of copper daily. Vitamin E can help ease itchy, dry skin. Vitamin A can reduce the length of time of the flare up and zinc helps your skin heal.
  
  While higher amounts of Vitamin A and other are sometimes recommended these higher amounts can come with some adverse affects so do so only with the advice of a health care provider.
  
  We often want to rush things but Mother Nature is rarely in a hurry. Take the time necessary to heal and the correct amounts and you will see much better results in the long run.

• Because of the stress related cause of flare up along with the herbalist belief that this may be internal, learning basic yoga can be very useful. Not only has yoga been proven to reduce stress, but the stretching and breathing techniques get the blood flowing better and that carries needed nutrients to all parts of the body.
  
  In the near future we will be adding some instructions on basic yoga exercises, so keep an eye out for that. Until then you can pick up a book, take a class at your local gym or look on the internet. You don`t need to learn the more difficult poses to benefit. The beginner poses will do just great.

• Try to find natural, gentle soaps and detergents as these are often the cause of break outs. When you was dishes wear rubber gloves over cotton gloves and give your clothes an extra rinse in the washing machine.

Remember that all illness is an imbalance somewhere with body, mind and/or spirit.

For a complete regimen for health eat more fruits, vegetables and cold sea water fish, exercise, do daily meditation and deep breathing, pray and find a spiritual practice of your choice to be actively involved in and watch your eczema and other ailments disappear.

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