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Eczema
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I have dishydrotic eczema on the soles of both of my feet. I've had it for years and because I am lazy and stubborn have never had it treated – I talked to my general doctor about it once, before I knew what it was, and he just said "Yeah that's eczema, get some over the counter hydrocortisone." But remember what I said about being lazy? I never got in a good habit of applying it regularly so didn't really give it a chance to help me. In fact I'm really bad about it in general. I scratch when it itches – the most satisfying thing is rubbing my feet against carpet or with a dry towel. I KNOW it's bad bad bad to do that, I'm not doing myself any favors. And of course it does not make the eczema go away.
But I will say one of the things that has sort of pushed me in this "do nothing about it" mode is … well, just read this thread. There are SO many different causes (diet, mineral deficiencies, allergies, soaps/detergents…) and SO many different cures (aloe, tea tree oil, prescription lotions, nonprescription lotions, emollients, vitamins, seaweed baths…). I have no idea what causes mine or what will cure it, and quite frankly am not up for the hassle of figuring it out by process of elimination or spending money on all these different products.
(Honestly, despite the testimonials, I'm skeptical about their efficacy anyway. I work in marketing so can't help see the marketing ploy here, to get people to drop the big bucks on these "specialty" brands like Aveeno – they never come cheap! None of their claims are backed up by indepedent sources or by the FDA as actually being effective in treating eczema. If it was medicine or something, I might give it more credit, but these are over-the-counter products marketed directly to consumers. They don't have to go through FDA processes. They can claim pretty much anything on their labels and tell you all about their special formulas and whatnot… but in the end, they just want you to buy their product. Without independent verification, I remain skeptical.)
The one and only lotion I've bought for it has been Curel – they have a special formula for eczema that is co-signed by the American Dermatological Association. I think I found it ona forum and bought it through Drugstore.com. And when I actually remember to freaking use the stuff regularly, it does help, though it doesn't make the eczema go away entirely. I've also caved and bought some no-fragrance detergent by Arm and Hammer for my laundry. I haven't done enough loads yet to really tell if it makes a difference or not.
The worst part of mine is wearing sandals and flipflops. I remember going out shopping one day wearing flipflops thinking "Maybe it will be good for them to get some fresh air instead of sitting in socks all day." By the end of the trip, I could barely walk back to the car. My skin had completely dried out and was cracking everywhere, especially between my toes where the thong part of the flipflop goes.
The other horrible part is that the TERRIBLE ITCH will randomly strike when I'm driving or in a meeting or grocery shopping, and I can't do anything about it. That itch is like nothing else I've experienced. I know it's best to ignore it but my eyes literally tear up with the effort. Best I can usually do is wiggle my toes frantically.
**Sigh.** I guess it really is about time I do something about it instead of suffering and likely doing myself more harm by scratching. I've written down some of the suggestions here and will start looking for these products, and in the meantime, use my Curel a bit more faithfully. Staying sick because I'm too lazy to get healthy is a stupid attitude to have anyway.
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A lot of good advices have been already provided. I've been suffering from asthma for more than 35 years, since the age of 4-6 with a lot of food allergy and eczema. When I was young, the doctors also prescribed the cortizone and even vaccins, but nothing worked. One of the doctors said to me that even if I go abroad I will never be healed. I can tell this traumatized me, but I never gave up!!! The vaccins are known to cause cancers and neurological diseases. What helped me a lot is to change my diet: no diary, no gluten, no meat (except fish). I also used the homeopathy remedies, but you need to be followed by a specialist on this.
And I've also fasted a lot: real fasting – only with water…., but you can also use fruit diet (like 5-10 days only on apples, or cherries, or grapes)… The main problem witht the eczema are the toxins which are trying to get out through the skin. The skin is one of the 5 main organs through which the body eliminates the toxines. The liver has to be detoxified!!! This can be done by taking each morning before eating: 1 spoon (big) with olive oil & 1 spoon with lemon juice. Mix them and drink it for a period of 3 weeks, then break for 1 week and continue for long time… There are also other natural products that you can find in the bio shops, which can drain the liver and even the 5 organs.
example: I had a very strong allergy to mushrooms. Once I detoxified my body with the fasting and the homepathy, now I can eat mushrooms with no reaction….
The bowel movements should be regular, at least once a day, otherwise the toxines go in the blood and then they try to get out through the skin….
I am also very careful about the cosmetics I use (no paraben, no methyl etc….).
And for the asthma, it's a good idea to explore your relationships (mother, father or close onces). In my case, I went to a holistic doctor who works with the energy and helped me to release the blockages. I had a very difficult relationship with my mother: she was overprotecting, controlling and manipulative person. I was literarly suffocating (asthma)…. I had to put a huge distance between us to escape from her influence: like leaving the country and be at more than 3000 km away from her… it's a question of survival…
Today, I can say that, yes leaving abroad healed me! I've also learned that you should not allow anybody, even the doctors, to define you, your state and mind!!! I am not the only example in this respect!!
I don't say that you should move in another country, but putting healthy distance or cutting the links with negative and draining persons helps a lot!!!
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Pankake –
I've been using hydrocortisone these last few days and it seems to be clearing it up. I've had a breakout for at least a month with no relief, but the cream is clearing it up. I just with I knew what the trigger was, ya know? The itching and dead skin is awful!
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I too was blessed with eczema. It’s not nearly as bad as it was when I was in my teen years but annoying none the less. I also do the fasting from time to time. Having food allergies makes this difficult sometimes so usually it’s strictly water for me. Hydrocortizone is my best friend especially in the winter months. There is one with an ingredient called restora that calms the itching extremely well and lets the skin heal. I use it everyday in a preventative way. I love hot showers but have found that staying away from hot water helps a lot. All natural soaps and lotions are a must as well! My allergist once told me that our skin chemistry changes every 7 years or so. When I was younger I had breakouts only on my face. In college was the knee and elbow pits, and now only the outside of my right hand…..I pray everyday that it stays this way and doesn’t decide to cycle to my face again. I am an avid gardener and have been canning tomatoes for the past week. Being as I am allergic to them, my skin is not so happy right now but it’s a sacrifice I make to save money for the family. A few weeks of itching won’t killed me I guess. Lol.
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I hear ya on the itch, Scimitar. I'm sure I've made some really funny faces in meetings because under the table my feet are ON FIRE. And I even admit I've hit the cruise control and actually removed my shoe and sock while in the car just to give myself SOME relief (eyes always on the road, of course).
Since I have it on both feet, I might gather up a few different remedies and try different ones for each foot so I can acually get a sense of what works and what has no effect. I just wish some of those specialty products were available in trial sizes so that if it doesn't work, I'm not out $17 on a 15oz bottle of lotion I'm never going to use again.
I have no other long term conditions like asthma and no allergies that I know of that would also point to eczema. I do have congenital (since birth) hypothyroidism but when I asked my endo if there's any link between the two, she said the type of hypothyroidism I have doesn't correlate with eczema. So yeah, I also feel you on not knowing what the hell it is that triggers mine.
And I am SO not willing to drop all sorts of foods out of my diet or obsess over ingredient labels and stuff. It's hard enough to eat sensibly and healthfully as it is without putting all sorts of crazy limitations and restrictions on food groups. If a doctor told me for sure "Your eczema is a result of being allergic to potatoes," then sure I'd stop eating potatoes. But I'm not going to go through the process of figuring it out on my own.
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So I've been better about using the Curel lotion and Hydrocortisone this week and noticed this morning that things seem to be subsiding a bit, the cracks are healing and the skin isn't flaking so much, and none of those pesky little blisters. They still itch, but not that bad (for now… you never know when an Itch Attack will strike).
I bought some Tea Tree Oil but have not used it yet. It says on the package to never apply it to skin undiluted and to dilute it in massage oil, which I don't have any of right now. And I don't think water will work since oil & water don't mix so it's not really *diluting* but *suspending.* I guess I could add it to lotion? Maybe? I don't know.
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You shouldn’t use that oil if your skin is cracked at all…..the brand that I use says to avoid open wounds and cracked areas. Just an fyi…..don’t want you to end up worse off than what it already is.
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