The disease
Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is one of a group of atopic diseases that include asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), food and insect bite allergies. Atopic refers to the fact that these diseases are inherited. They are an over-reaction of the body’s immune system to allergens. On the first exposure the immune system is primed to recognise the allergen, from the second exposure onwards there is a swift over-reaction.
In the case of eczema, the skin becomes inflamed and itches, it may also crack and weep, and this in turn could become infected. For some, the extent of the discomfort is so great as to cause sleeplessness, and given our skin is what we present to the world, it can cause lowered self-esteem and even depression. The disease is most often seen in infants, and for many they grow out of it, but others go on to suffer long-term into adulthood.
Conventional treatment
Conventional medicine has no cure for eczema, but patients may be offered topical or oral cortico-steroids that can help manage and reduce symptoms in a flare-up. Long-term use of steroids can cause thinning of the skin, widening of blood vessels under the skin, and stretch marks, as well as adrenal suppression leading to fatigue, low mood, and weight loss. As people with eczema are also likely to be being treated with steroids for another atopic disease, this can have a cumulative effect. Most eczema sufferers are well aware of these potential side effects and use steroids sparingly[i].
In a small number of people, use and then discontinuation of steroids leads to topical steroid withdrawal syndrome, also known as red skin syndrome. Here, the skin becomes extremely red and inflamed, even to the point of being unable to tolerate clothes against the skin, causing distress, and potentially disability, as the person can no longer leave the house.
Self-help
Luckily there are many lifestyle changes that an eczema sufferer can make to help their own situation.
Increasing water intake improves hydration, and assists with elimination of toxins through the kidneys and bowel rather than through the skin
Increasing fresh fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the symptoms of eczema as they have natural anti-inflammatory qualities[ii]
Avoiding inflammatory response-inducing agents such as:
External pollutants of smoke, dust and mould
Personal-care products containing parabens and other preserving agents[iii]
Sugar, milk and gluten
Adding probiotics to the diet helps rebalance the microbiome in the gut which in turn denatures potential allergens, and regulates the immune response, reducing symptoms[iv][v].
Using petroleum-free emollient creams straight after bathing to protect the skin and retain more moisture, and potentially reducing itching. Consider one that includes Calendula, Stellaria, and Urtica Urens.
For pregnant women, where there is a genetic predisposition to allergic diseases from either the father or mother, it has been shown that in addition to the above steps, exposing yourself and your infant in its early years to hairy pets, and accessing a wide variety of environments including farms, can help build immunity by creating a diverse microbiome, which helps regulate the immune system. Having a natural birth and breastfeeding where possible, may also help reduce the infant’s susceptibility to developing eczema[vi][vii].
If you are just at the planning stage of pregnancy, be aware that babies born in spring and summer are less likely to suffer with allergies.
Improving eczema outcomes with homeopathy
Homeopathy can be a great long-term option for treating eczema and other atopic diseases. As an alternative to conventional medicine, that is used by over 200 million people worldwide, it works to strengthen and reprogram the immune system to work as it should.
A homeopath will consider not just the symptoms of the individual’s disease, but all of their characteristics to choose an appropriate course of treatment peculiar to them. It will take into consideration what originally caused the disease, and in what circumstances it is better or worse.
For example, someone may come from an atopic family but not have any symptoms until they suffer a grief, at which point the eczema develops. Thereafter they may notice that it goes away when they are at the seaside, but gets worse if they drink milk. The eczema may have started as small circular patches that are red rings with normal looking skin inside the ring, the rings then get bigger and join together.
A different patient may develop eczema as the winter draws in. Their eczema may be in larger patches and be intolerably itchy, with cracks in the skin that weep. They won’t be able to tolerate wool next to their skin and may find that every time they stop taking their steroids the eczema comes back worse than before. These people are likely to react badly to insect bites.
These two different pictures each have a group of remedies associated with them. A homeopath will ask their patient questions that further individualise their case to determine which remedy is right for them based on their mental, emotional, and physical picture as well as how they react to their environment and food. Treatment will usually last a couple of years, as the immune system takes time to heal, but some improvement is seen within the first couple of months and this then builds over time, with the need for review by the homeopath becoming less frequent.
Improving eczema outcomes with homeopathy may not be something you have considered before, but having read this, if you want to explore further, book an introductory appointment with me.
References
[i] Barta K, Fonacier LS, Hart M, Lio P, Tullos K, Sheary B, Winders TA. Corticosteroid exposure and cumulative effects in patients with eczema: Results from a patient survey. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Jan;130(1):93-99.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2022.09.031. Epub 2022 Sep 30. PMID: 36191848 [ii] Antonogeorgos G, Mandrapylia M, Liakou E, Koutsokera A, Drakontaeidis P, Thanasia M, Ellwood P, García-Marcos L, Sardeli O, Priftis KN, Panagiotakos D, Douros K. Hierarchical analysis of Mediterranean Dietary pattern on atopic diseases' prevalence in adolescence: The Greek Global Asthma Network study. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2022 Sep 1;50(5):114-120. doi: 10.15586/aei.v50i5.665. PMID: 36086971. [iii] Vindenes HK, Svanes C, Lygre SHL, Real FG, Ringel-Kulka T, Bertelsen RJ. Exposure to environmental phenols and parabens, and relation to body mass index, eczema and respiratory outcomes in the Norwegian RHINESSA study. Environ Health. 2021 Jul 13;20(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12940-021-00767-2. PMID: 34256787; PMCID: PMC8278607. [iv] Yeşilova Y, Çalka Ö, Akdeniz N, Berktaş M. Effect of probiotics on the treatment of children with atopic dermatitis. Ann Dermatol. 2012 May;24(2):189-93. Doi: 10.5021/ad.2012.24.2.189. Epub 2012 Apr 26. PMID: 22577270; PMCID: PMC3346910. [v] Shi LH, Balakrishnan K, Thiagarajah K, Mohd Ismail NI, Yin OS. Beneficial Properties of Probiotics. Trop Life Sci Res. 2016 Aug;27(2):73-90. doi: 10.21315/tlsr2016.27.2.6. PMID: 27688852; PMCID: PMC5031164. [vi] Jackson-Browne MS, Henderson N, Patti M, Spanier A, Braun JM. The Impact of Early-Life Exposure to Antimicrobials on Asthma and Eczema Risk in Children. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2019 Dec;6(4):214-224. doi: 10.1007/s40572-019-00256-2. PMID: 31745828; PMCID: PMC6923583. [vii] Rahman T, Sarwar PF, Potter C, Comstock SS, Klepac-Ceraj V. Role of human milk oligosaccharide metabolizing bacteria in the development of atopic dermatitis/eczema. Front Pediatr. 2023 Mar 20;11:1090048. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1090048. PMID: 37020647; PMCID: PMC10069630
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