To Your Health
December, 2010 (Vol. 04, Issue 12) |
|
|
Treating Eczema: Let a New You Shine Through
By Dr. James Meschino
Skin health is particularly important
during the winter months, when bitter conditions can leave your face and hands chapped, cracked and peeling. And that's if you're lucky and don't have a pre-existing skin condition making your life miserable. For others - up to 20 percent of Americans - skin problems can persist year-round in the form of
eczema. Let's take a look at this troublesome skin condition and how you can use simple nutritional strategies to clear up your skin and let a new you shine through.
Eczema is a type of dermatitis that literally means "inflamed skin." It encompasses a number of red, itchy skin conditions. Eczema may appear as a dry, scaly rash or weepy, oozing blisters. Chronic eczema causes dry, red, flaky patches on the skin, most frequently involving the face, neck, scalp, arms, elbows, wrists, and knees.
Eczema is divided into two main types. The first is contact dermatitis (contact eczema), which occurs when an irritating substance comes into contact with the skin. The offending irritant may be a chemical, cosmetics, wool, lanoli, or rubber shoes. Nickel in jewelry is a common cause. Poison ivy is a form of contact eczema.
Atopic eczema, the second type of eczema, is usually caused by inhaled or ingested allergens, such as foods, pollen, dust, or animal dander. Some experts indicate that intestinal dysbiosis (disruption of the normal bacterial flora of the gut with a disproportionately high concentration of unfriendly bacteria) can promote atopic eczema, as supplementation with probiotics has been shown to improve this condition in some cases. Thus, the approach to eczema needs to be personalized to the unique circumstance of the individual.
There are three main objectives in the treatment of eczema: reducing inflammation, relieving itching of the skin, and moisturizing dry patches. As most alternative health practitioners know, certain dietary practices and various supplements can help to accomplish these objectives in many cases of eczema that seem to be resistant to standard medical treatment. The most evidence-based lifestyle, dietary and supplementation strategies shown to improve cases of eczema are as follows:
Dietary and Lifestyle Considerations
- Avoid any known dietary or environmental irritants or allergens.
- Reduce the build-up of the polyunsaturated fat arachidonic acid within skin cells, as it is the direct building block of inflammatory prostaglandin hormones. To accomplish this, reduce the intake of the following foods: high-fat meat and dairy products; corn oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and mixed vegetable oils; alcohol, hydrogenated fats (e.g., margarine, commercial peanut butter, shortenings).
- Replace the above foods with the following: chicken, turkey, fish, Cornish hen, 1 percent milk or yogurt, low-fat cheese (3 percent or less milk fat), olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil (for salad dressings, to sauté vegetables or stir fry only).
Important Supplements
Omega-3 fats provide the building block for the production of prostaglandin hormones that reduce the inflammatory activity of skin cells. They also reduce the build-up of arachidonic acid in skin cells by blocking the enzyme that converts linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid to arachidonic acid. Examples of omega-3 fats of importance to skin health include EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). EPA is found in fish and fish oils, and ALA is found primarily in flaxseed oil. Clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fats can be effective in the treatment of eczema.
