photo courtesy Stephanie Hofschlaeger
What is eczema?
With 15 percent of America's children suffering from this bothersome skin disorder, many parents are up in arms on how to get rid of it.
The root of the word eczema is Greek and it means "to boil over." Eczema, often also called atopic dermatitis, is found in children and adults alike. This skin condition may have several different appearances, ranging all the way from a minor rash with small red dots to weeping boils filled with pus. Although the weeping boils are a bit more dangerous when it comes to scarring of the skin, it seems that each variation of the condition is equally disruptive to the life of parents and children. Eczema can interfere with a child's sleeping pattern, therefore becoming a nuisance to the entire family, not just in terms of sleep but also due to frustrating failed attempts to help the child. A child's eczema rash often occurs behind the knees, behind the elbows, on the face or on the buttocks, but is not limited to those areas.
What causes eczema?
Eczema is the body's way of telling a parent that something is not working for a child. Many doctors will recommend over the counter allergy medication to alleviate this condition, however the medication does nothing to alleviate the actual cause of the condition, just the symptoms. Allergy medications also carry with them some side effects that can be harsh on little bodies. The very best action a parent can take for their child is to figure out the cause of the eczema, therefore giving the child a better chance at living his/her life skin-condition-free.
Eczema can be caused by external allergens or internal allergens. Many times internal allergens are responsible for the eczema and external sources aggravate the already sensitive skin. Allergies to cow's milk as well as gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye and some other grains, are common culprits in this and other conditions. Once the condition is present it can be aggravated externally by harsh materials against the skin, detergents,water that is a bit too warm in a bathtub and/or other sources.
What can be done?
• Diet - Parents should check their children for sensitivities to food including wheat, dairy, soy, chocolate, nuts, citrus, eggs, and tomatoes. Parents can simply remove a particular food from the diet to see whether its absence alleviates the skin condition. The eczema should not be expected to go away overnight, however. Internal sensitivities to foods take some time to vacate the body and alleviate a particular condition. Two weeks provides plenty of time for a parent to judge whether or not the diet exclusion is making a difference.
• Help in Digestion - In order to aid a child in digestion parents can offer dairy free yogurt or probiotics. Since eczema is often caused by food allergens better digestion can often help to alleviate the condition and cure any damage that has been cause to the intestines by the offending food substances.
• Essential Fatty Acids - Parents can provide a supplement to children that gives them their recommended allowance of EPA and DHA fatty acids. This supplement will usually come from fish oil but there are other forms out there. Your local healthfood store is the best place to find these supplements. If they include fish oil make sure they are tested at the highest standard for mercury levels.
• Topical Creams - Topical creams are often helpful to alleviate immediate discomfort. Comfrey and chamomile are both herbs that help to calm the skin and chickweed has often been used to help skin rashes including eczema.
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