To Your Health
December, 2010 (Vol. 04, Issue 12) |
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Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has been shown to help in cases of eczema. Studies reveal that many patients with eczema lack the enzyme to convert linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid. As gamma-linolenic acid is the building block of an important anti-inflammatory prostaglandin hormone, supplementation with an oil that is high in gamma-linolenic acid, such as borage, black currant or evening primrose oil, has been shown to favorably affect cases of eczema.
I recommend a supplement that contains 400 mg each of fish oil, flaxseed oil and borage seed oil (borage seed oil is 22 percent GL, whereas evening primrose oil is only 9 percent GLA).
B Vitamins - A number of B vitamins (especially B6 and niacin) are necessary co-factors to speed up the enzymes that produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins in the skin.
Antioxidants - Vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc are also required to support various enzymes within skin cells that promote the formation of prostaglandins, which reduce skin inflammatory conditions, including eczema. I recommend a high-potency multvitamin/mineral supplement that contains a B-50 complex along with boosted levels of antioxidants.
Detoxification nutrients and immune regulators - An herb called milk thistle and indole-3-carbinol work in the liver to enhance detoxification and purify the blood of toxins and various allergens that can aggravate eczema. Prebiotics (fructo-oligosaccharide [FOS] and inulin) and digestive enzymes act in concert to detoxify bowel toxins, regulate immune function and prevent partially digested proteins form entering the bloodstream, where they may otherwise induce immune inflammatory reactions that aggravate eczema. Prebiotics help to increase the concentrations of the friendly gut bacteria at the expense of the unfriendly gut bacteria. Prebiotics such as FOS and inulin are food sources for the friendly bacteria, allowing the friendly gut bacteria to proliferate rapidly, crowding out the unfriendly bacteria. As such, in stubborn cases I recommend a supplement that contains milk thistle and indole-3 carbinol, along with a supplement that contains digestive enzymes and prebiotics.
Topical Vitamin B12
Most recently, we have seen that another natural agent can be very effective in the treatment of childhood and adult eczema. In this case, treatment of eczema lesions involved the topical application of vitamin B12 (a solution applied to the skin), which was first shown to improve eczema in adults to a significant degree.
In April 2009, publishing in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, R. Januchowski reported results of a study using topical vitamin B12 to treat eczema in individuals between 6 months and 18 years old. This was the first study to test topical vitamin B12 in infants, children and young adults. The study showed that topical vitamin B12 treatment produced significant improvement in eczema lesions compared to the group given the placebo treatment. These results were seen at two weeks and four weeks post-treatment.
Discover a New You
In many cases, once specific allergies have been ruled out, the medical profession is at a loss to provide eczema sufferers with any meaningful treatment options. For this subgroup of patients, the specific dietary and supplementation practices outlined in this article can provide significant improvement of their condition in many cases. Most recently, we have seen that the addition of topical vitamin B12 to a naturally-based treatment regime may provide even further benefit in these cases.
James Meschino, DC, MS, practices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is the author of four nutrition books, including The Meschino Optimal Living Program and Break the Weight Loss Barrier.
