What Foods Are Good For Eczema

Diet is most certainly an important element of managing your eczema. The guidelines in this article will provide you with the basic outlines to form a diet plan that will benefit you greatly. But before we discuss the foods that may help your eczema, I would like to make certain points clear. This article is written for the guidance purpose only. It is always better to take help of your dietitian to finalize your diet plan.

The second point is the applicability of the concepts presented in this article. Basically there are three types of eczema patients. The intensity of pain can be classified in three groups: Low, Medium, and High. The concepts may or may not be effective depending upon the severity of the problem and the level that you stick to your modified diet. How much food intake will help and to what extent is a subject, only the professionals can address.

1] Probiotic addition to foods: Why do babies suffer from the eczema?

Often it depends upon the number of beneficial bacteria present in the babies gut. There are beneficial bacteria present in the guts of normal babies. These beneficial bacteria are present in mother’s milk. Thus babies getting breast feeding can get it naturally. For this, it is necessary that the mother takes supplements of probiotcs during the pregnancy period and continues taking it in the breast feeding days. These feeds are also available for babies as a food additive. These bacteria work with chemicals and the white blood cells to build the immunity system of the person. Lactobacillus rhamnosus is the bacteria used in the probiotic supplements. Then there are prebiotics supplements also. These are digestible food components, generally of a natural food type. For example, Chicory root is a herb. From this a prebiotic called fructose oligosaccharide is extracted. The prebiotic substance helps nature to produce more of the beneficial bacteria.

The probiotic and prebiotic supplements have good results in some cases. The concept of either increasing the beneficial bacteria or increasing their production in natural ways is very sound in itself. In nature, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh are the foods which contain these good bacteria.

2] Foods containing essential fatty acids.

Some fatty acids are essential for the body?s development. These fatty acids are not naturally present in the body. The body can not produce these fatty acids itself so these essential fatty acids must be provided through diet only. There are saturated fatty acids present in meat and dairy products. But please note that these two are TOTALLY different groups of chemicals. They should not confused at all.

Omega3 and Omega 6 are the essential fatty acids. They are naturally present in the mother?s milk. So if you are breast feeding your baby, he will get the supply of essential fatty acids automatically. But in this case, the mother must take a diet rich in essential fatty acid. In the case of adults, an essential fatty acids rich diet has seen some good results.

The list of food items that contain Omega-3 essential fatty acid is as follows, flaxseeds, dried beans, soy beans and oily fish. In case of oily fish the list will include, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines and herring. It will be advisable to ask the doctor to get detail information about oily fish, available in your local area. It’s a good idea to look for fish that are fresh, as all the good work may be undone where fish has been chemically processed to have a longer shelf life.

The list of food items containing Omega -6 essential fatty acid is as follows: Whole grains, meats, dried beans, avocado. In thecase of list of oils, it will contain, safflower, sunflower, and corn oil.

Linoleic acid is an omega-6 type acid. It is converted in to gamma linoleic acid. This in turn helps build the immunity system. Unfortunately in the case of eczema patients this GLA or gammalinoleic acid is not produced. Mothers should take food rich in this GLA. Spirulina, evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil do contain this GLA.

3] Zinc Rich Foods

It has been proved that zinc plays a very significant role in GLA reactions. In other words zinc deficiency in children can be a cause of eczema. In such case providing foods rich in zinc content is the solution to your problem. You can find fruits or other zinc [or other mineral] rich foods from other sources

There is one more point to be noted. Food allergy can be a trigger for eczema. Thus you will have to eliminate any helpful food if you are allergic to it. This makes the topic of helpful food very complicated because foods that are beneficial to one eczema sufferer may cause a reaction in another. Whether eczema is low risk, medium risk or high risk will be another determining factor. Though conceptually it is clear that above three types of foods can be helpful in fighting eczema, the specific food item and its amount to be consumed by an adult, or mothers, or children is a specialist’s subject.

An eczema sufferer should do everything they can to find out the causes of eczema. Basically, eczema is genetic disease. If you so not suffer from Eczema, it certainly does not mean that your child will not inherit it from your spouse. Your other near and dears may have to face this condition in future.

Being armed with knowledge is always better, than facing eczema unprepared. As in all sorts of genetics, it is bit difficult to say with certainty whether a person will inherit the eczema or not. But we can make a guess based on statistical data. Most people do not like to be told that there is a 20% chance of him inheriting eczema. This means in a group of 5 people of your type of genetic composition, one person may inherit the eczema.

If you have atopic genes then you will have eczema. If you do not have atopic genes you will not have any eczema. The severity of eczema will depend upon two points:

• Firstly, what types of atopic genes you have?
• Second, what is the total amount of atopic genes present?

What is eczema really? There are irritants in the atmosphere which react with your atopic genes and the itching sensations start. Eczema sufferers should note that just because you have atopic genes does not mean eczema pain starts immediately. It will start only if you allow those irritants to come in contact with your sensitive skin, so in one sense the cause of eczema is YOU, yourself!

You are allowing your skin to come in contact with the allergens and then wondering “Why the hell do I have this curse of eczema?”

Let us dig a bit deeper and investigate what is the cause of the inflammation?

There are cells called T-lymphocytes which cause inflammation. The greater the activity of these T cells, the greater the inflammation. Your atopic gene cells are stimulating these T cells. Our body has an epidermis layer in the skin which is our protection from outside antigens. In a person without eczema this protective layer works efficiently, forcing the antigens and irritants to remain outside the skin. In case of eczema patients they penetrate the epidermis.

This description is put in very simplified terms. In reality there will be chain of chemical reactions. We need not understand each and every step or the tongue twisting names of the chemicals. The simple conclusion is the cause of eczema is YOU yourself. If you know that your skin is sensitive, has low immunity barriers, then you need to do everything possible to keep it out of contact with irritants. Protect your skin and get rid of eczema pain! With eczema, the immunity of your skin is very inadequate. Do everything and anything that may enhance your immunity system. Remember, if your body is the cause of eczema, ONLY you can provide the solution. You need to be 100% dedicated to getting eczema out of your life.

A healthy person can not understand the level of irritation caused by the itch of an eczema patient. The urge to scratch is too intense and doing so in public is very embracing. The eczema sufferer gets extremely irritated because a normal healthy person feels it is not a deadly disease and they are just complaining. For an eczema sufferer removing eczema itch is the number one problem in their life.

The solution is obvious; remove the factors responsible for aggravating the eczema itch. The first and foremost factor is the dry skin of the eczema sufferer. So how do you avoid the dryness of the skin? By keeping it wet. You must keep your skin hydrated and moist. In this condition it will not flare up and that irresistible urge to scratch the itch will not be there.

What then are the solutions available? There are many different creams and moisturizers available in the market. Consult a medical professional and get the best possible cream or moisturizer to keep your skin moist. Use gentle and mild products and use emollients regularly. The emollients are available in different forms and formulas. There are creams, oils, ointment and lotions varieties available. You will need to chose the one that suits you best.

Seasonal changes can bring urges to scratch the itch so how is it possible to remove the eczema itch associated with seasonal changes? In winter creams are recommended as they will keep your skin from drying out for a longer time. In summer times lotions are more useful.

The colloidal oatmeal bath is an effective solution for removing eczema itch. Many patients take an oatmeal bath. Aveeno makes a great oatmeal bath. The dry skin of the eczema sufferer feels a soothing sensation when it comes in contact of the colloidal oatmeal bath. Aveeno also has a very good shower gel which has completely removed the syptoms of eczema for some sufferers.

It is possible to make your own oatmeal mix. Go to your grocer and buy rolled oats. Take a bath first. Prepare a lotion using cocoa butter and colloidal oatmeal. Apply this on your skin. Then apply a little shea butterball. These emollients together will soothe your itching skin.

Emu oil is another emollient available in the market. This oil is extremely beneficial to the skin of the eczema sufferer. This oil contains antibacterial properties so it can help to prevent bacterial infection. Due to the anti-bacterial properties the Emu oil is often an effective solution to use during more serious flare ups

Taking care of your nails is also a very important activity. Firstly nails always contain lots of bacteria, thus for avoiding bacterial infections you must trim your nails regularly.

Generally speaking your diet or intake of food does affect your health to a great extent. If you stick to a proper diet, as per instructions of a professional such as a naturopath, you will be removing eczema itch and other symptoms.

There are a lot of herbal medicines available in the market. As a matter of fact removing eczema itch has become a really huge industry. They advertise that these lotions/creams are useful for everybody. Some people may find them suitable. It is really difficult to predict one formula for everybody’s problem as eczema is different from person to person.

When an eczema sufferer sleeps, he is told to use cotton. Removing eczema itch while you are sleeping is a business now. People have researched new types of yarns that are even better than the cotton. This type of micro fabric will provide maximum comfort to the patient. This helps to break the itch-scratch cycle. These are carbon fiber woven fabrics which are anti-static. Any cream adhering to this fabric can be washed out completely and thoroughly. There is no retention of perspiration or heat and absolutely no skin irritation. These are extremely light weight fabrics. These sort of special sleep suits are sold as a medical device.

Is eczema really curable? The scientific answer, unfortunately, is NO! But do not lose heart. You can minimize all the pain associated with adult eczema. In diabetes also you can not eliminate diabetes, but you can definitely control it. The same is the case with adult eczema. You can not get rid of it totally. But you can definitely control it to the point it does not dominate your life. You need to understand that as an eczema sufferer you will always be atopic(disposed to get eczema), but you can make changes to your lifestyle that will mean you can live a life without being bothered by eczema

One method of curing eczema in adults will depend on two factors.

• 1] what is the type of eczema
• 2] what is the severity of eczema?

Another method will depend upon what previous treatment was given to the patient. There are two types of medications popular in eczema sufferers.

a] Steroids Hydrocortisone Cream is a famous tropical steroid cream which is mild in nature. This is useful as an initial curing method. If the symptoms are not severe this steroid will cure the eczema. The patient will get lot of relief. Hydrocortisone cream can be used on the face also.

When the eczema is more severe it will require higher grade steroids for the curing treatment. Cutivate or Dermatop are strong steroids. These are very strong cures. They are invariably accompanied by side effects. There can be skin thinning or stretch marks on the skin. This is more likely if used at one place for a long time.

b] Steroid free topical medications. These are also called as Immunomodulators and are mild in nature. These can be applied to the face or any part of the body. The time needed for curing adult eczema with these type of medication can be quite long. It may take anything between four to six weeks to show some results. In these days of every thing being ‘instant’ this type of medication may not become very popular.

Antihistamines such as benadryl are also used for curing adult eczema. But the use of antihistamine will be supplemental in nature. As the eczema is related with our immunity system, in extreme severely case, immunity suppressant medication can be also used.

It is not possible to cure adult eczema by using one medication only. There are always combinations of different strategies to combat eczema. Keeping skin moist is the most important strategy to cure adult eczema.

Many methods can be used to keep skin moist. There are special bath oils and shower gels available in the market. But what exactly do they do? They are just providing a coat of oil on the skin. This oil layer prevents skin drying. As the eczema is caused because of dry skin, avoiding dry skin minimizes the pain and discomfort associated with eczema. Your skin is extremely sensitive. You will have to consult a doctor to take this type of medication. He will guide you in which type of oil or cream or ointment is suitable for your skin. If some steroid is used in these creams or oils, it will help recover faster.

If your eczema is associated with allergens, then avoiding them will also form a part of medication strategy to curing adult eczema. This will include using a vacuum cleaner to keep your carpets, upholstered furniture, and pets free from allergens.

The answer in one word is YES, it does affect eczema. Eczema is a lack of immunity, or let us say if there is a deficiency in the immune system then you may have eczema. From this we can conclude that anything in your diet that helps to build the immunity will be welcome. Any thing that may cause problems for your immunity system should be avoided in your diet.

In adults there are beneficial bacteria present in their guts. These beneficial bacteria help to build your immunity system. The pain of eczema is associated with the deficiency in the immunity system. Your diet can have items of foods that will help you in your eczema.

There are three major types of food that can be beneficial.

The first group contains both probiotic and prebiotic foods. Probiotic foods means introducing beneficial bacteria from outside in to your body. This can be in supplement form. This can mean taking food items which contain probiotic items. These types of probiotic foods can be either natural type or synthetic type. Prebiotic food means the chemicals that can increase the efficiency of your immune system. These types of prebiotic substances are present in many natural food items. You can either extract it or can have the food containing this substance.

The second group is essential fatty acids. These essential fatty acids are never produced by the body itself thus it is extremely important for you to provide your body these essential fatty acids in your diet. The eczema patient must have a diet rich in essential fatty acids. You can get these essential fatty acids as food supplements. You can use food items that contain these omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.

The third group of food items is minerals. It is found that eczema patients have zinc deficiency in them. The zinc is an essential part of a complex chain of reactions. The minerals are useful for your immunity system working properly. Thus your diet should contain either zinc supplement or food items that are rich in the zinc mineral.

Allergic foods:

The eczema itch is produced because of inflammation. There is some trigger which starts this chain reaction. The outside agents who are responsible for starting these itching sensations come in many different types. It is possible that the food you take might be the trigger that is causing your reaction. This is known as food allergy. If your eczema worsens after consuming certain foods, you will have to avoid these in your diet.

How to find out allergic food can only be touched on in this article. There are many methods available. Consult an expert to find out the food allergy specific to your eczema and be prepared to make some big changes to your diet to eliminate that trigger food. So in finding the diet right for you to control eczema, you need to consider two different lists. One is types of food helpful to you as an eczema patient. Another is a list of food items that you must avoid as an eczema patient. The diet that you settle on must be the delicate balance of these two lists. The diet you intake, DOES affect your eczema so you must be knowledgeable about your body requirements.

Eczema is really a skin disorder. Your skin is hypersensitive. Your immune system is not working properly. It causes itching. The rash on the skin can produce an urge to scratch. Then you scratch unconsciously. Now a cycle of itching and scratching starts. Thus the more you scratch, the more itching is produced. It is better to relieve your eczema itch at the starting point of the cycle.

With adults it is easy to help them understand how to relieve their eczema itch. You can explain to them the causes and relief methods. But in case of babies, it is difficult to control the itch as communicating with babies is not possible. Let’s go through some methods to relieve eczema itch in babies.

In human beings, your immune system works better with the assistance of certain beneficial bacteria. They are present on adult person’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the case of babies these beneficial bacteria are not present in their GI tract. So babies have to take these from environment. These bacteria have certain interactions with our cells and white blood cells. The immune system working depends on this bacterial reaction.

Breast feeding, is the best natural means of providing babies with this immune system efficiency builder, good friendly bacteria. Nowadays pro-biotic supplements are available for mothers. If a mother takes these probiotic supplements before and after the child birth, the chances of developing eczema are reduced to 50 % of normal. If you are not able to breastfeed the baby, then these probiotic supplements are available for infants also. They generally contain a mixture of bifid bacteria and L. rhamnosus. If this supplement is used you will find relief in babies eczema itch in two months time. The baby gets an unlimited and continuous supply of these beneficial bacteria from the environment. As the babies grow you can have food which contains these bacteria. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh are the foods which contain these good bacteria.

In adult life your diet becomes very important if you are eczema sufferer. The body needs certain fatty acids, which it can not produce itself. As these fatty acids are essential for the body’s good health they are called essential fatty acids. These are a group of omega acids. Now we will have to understand a series of chemical reactions. Linoleic acid is an important acid from omega-6 group of essential acids.. This acid is converted in our body into another chemical known as gamma linoleic acid. In normal person’s body metabolism, this conversion takes place easily. Gamma linoleic acid supply is abundant in the case of a normal person’s body. This is not the case with an eczema sufferer’s body. In case of an eczema patient’s body, this gammalinoelic acid is simply not produced.

Why is this gamma linoleic acid so important? It produces certain chemicals which develops our immune system. In a normal person, certain chemicals are produced, which calm down any inflammation naturally. So the deficiency of gamma linoelic acid in a person is the cause of the eczema.

In infant formula this GLA is absent. So infants are dependent on their mother’s milk only. Foods rich in GLA are spirulina, evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil. Of course, how much amount of these should be consumed, will change from person to person. Get a professional consultation for the dosages. But this method is useful for relieving your eczema itch.

The enzyme reactions are complex in nature. Many times more than two chemicals are required to produce the final product. The GLA needs the help of another chemical to get the final product. Such helpful chemicals are zinc and magnesium. If you have a deficiency of these two chemicals, GLA alone will not work properly. Thus you will require additional supplements of zinc and magnesium as well.

As a responsible parent, you have to learn so many new things after the birth of a baby, that any addition to the “should know” list, is itself a fearsome thought. When a baby shows some rash on its delicate skin, you will plead “don’t let it be ECZEMA please.”

Well, it’s better to understand baby eczema beforehand. The first question that will come to your mind is “what is the cause of this baby eczema and why did my baby get it?”

Well, frankly, nobody knows! But it is a well established fact is that it is often inherited. So if there is any family history of having allergies, asthma or eczema in your family, you should be prepared to understand baby eczema. Contrary to popular belief, baby eczema is not an allergic reaction to a substance but it can be provoked by allergens. Allergens in the environment or in food can provoke baby eczema and heat can aggravate it.

Any irritant that may come in contact with the babies tender skin can aggravate the baby eczema. Soap, talcum powder, scents, perfumes, wool or other cloths, may contain these types of irritants. If you are breast feeding, then any allergen in your food/diet can aggravate the baby eczema.

If there is some itchy rash on the skin of a baby, it can be baby eczema. These red patches generally appear in the first year of a baby’s life. It shows up on the forehead, cheeks, and scalp. It can spread to the arms, legs, chest and other body parts.

It may appear as dry thickened, scaly skin. Sometimes it will have small red bumps. These bumps can blister, or ooze. If they are scratched they will spread the infection. But baby eczema in itself is not contagious. It is intensely itchy.

Generally 65% patients show these symptoms in the first year. Nearly 90% of the total patients show symptoms by the fifth year. In many cases conditions will improve by the age of 2. In about 60% of cases it may remain until adulthood.

Apart from taking medical advice, what other precautions can you take?

Do not allow the baby’s skin to become too dry. Give regular baths as per medical advice. Use water which is warm but not too hot. Use mild soaps and shampoos. Within a few minutes of baths, apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to the baby’s skin. Do not rub the skin while using toweling the baby dry. Allow the baby’s skin to breath freely. For this purpose use natural fabrics. Avoid fabrics like wool. Changes in temperature will worsen the eczema. Avoid temperature changes. Too hot or too cold temperature should be avoided completely. Getting rid of carpets and upholstered furniture will automatically get rid of the allergens in them, otherwise vacuum cleaning them regularly is necessary. Use soft sheets in the baby’s crib and keep finger nails short. You should also use socks if the baby can tolerate it. If there is a flare up apply cool compresses on affected area, followed by a moisturizer.

The eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis. There are many websites providing you more answers to more specific problems and feel free to use the question/answer feature to understand more about specific baby eczema problem.