Malady Makeover, Jan 05

Excrutiating Eczema
How to soothe a nasty skin condition if it flares up this winter.

By Stephen Hanks

   In a recent Energy Times we profiled David Caruso (Nov-Dec 2004), a man who weighed 525 pounds and amazingly lost 300 pounds in just one year. As a child, Caruso had suffered from eczema (also called atopic dermatitis), a nasty disease that leaves the skin dry, hot and intensely itchy, and in severe cases renders the skin broken, raw and bleeding. While 75% of eczema cases occur in children less than six months old and 50% of those kids outgrow the ailment by the end of puberty, eczema still afflicts tens of thousands of adults worldwide. And many of those adults especially suffer from eczema's miseries when winter sets in. What causes adult eczema, and how can it be treated?

Genetics and Environment
   In her book Smart Medicine for Your Skin (Avery/Penguin 2001), Dr. Jeanette Jacknin points out that 70% of eczema sufferers have a family history of the disease. She also notes that eczema “has been on the rise in the past 20 years, perhaps due to the increasing load of sensitizing agents in the environment." In other words, external factors such as allergies (to things like dust, pollen, and dairy and gluten products), chemicals and tobacco smoke can make a person want to jump out of their irritated skin.
   But other variables can trigger flare-ups of atopic eczema. Stress and a lack of anger management can lead to itchy episodes. And many adults suffer symptoms in winter because of cold exposure, dry house heat, and wool clothing. Severe essential fatty acid deficiency, which inhibits the skin's ability to hold moisture, can also hasten an eczema attack.
   Adult eczema sufferers experience a thickening and hardening of the skin from continual irritation. The areas affected can be the upper chest, the hands and feet, and the skin overlying elbow, knee, ankle, wrist and neck joints. Another adult form of the disease, called adult seborrhoeic eczema, affects the scalp and looks like mild dandruff, but it can spread to the face, ears and chest.
   When eczema strikes, the itchiness (or pruritis) can be almost unbearable, but eczema has to be an itch you can't scratch. It's bad enough this condition makes your skin inflamed, flaky and painful, but constant scratching can cause the skin to split, leaving it prone to infection. If that happens, treatment with an antifungal cream can prevent even worse problems.

Treatment Strategies
   The bad news is that there is no known cure for atopic eczema. The good news is that there are some treatments that can reduce the inflammation or keep the condition at bay. (In the case of eczema caused by allergies you may be able to eliminate the problem entirely by banishing the offending allergens—foods, skin creams, soaps, chemicals, tobacco smoke, etc.—from your life.) Conventional treatments include maintaining a cool, stable temperature in your home and ridding the house of dust mites. When you bathe or shower, avoid excessive soaping and the use of abrasive washcloths, and then apply a nonirritating moisturizer.
   Changing your diet and taking nutritional supplements can also minimize eczema’s effects. Dr. Jacknin advises that sufferers eat organic and fiber-rich foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. Things to avoid? The usual suspects: Processed and fast foods and alcohol. Most experts on eczema recommend taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement daily to ensure the supply of basic nutrients. "Many people with eczema have found great success in supplementing their diets with the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids," writes Dr. Jacknin. She also suggests that rubbing in a little vitamin E oil can make you feel comfortable in your own skin again.

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