Natural Remedies for Eczema
Eczema is inflammation of the skin. Eczema causes the skin to become red, itchy, flaky, and discharge liquid or blood. There are different types of eczema and all types of eczema can be cured with natural remedies. Causes for eczema are allergic reactions, weather, diet, stress, poor metabolism, and vaccinations. The most common types of eczema found in kids are:
Atopic Dermatitis: most of the time confused with psoriasis, occurs in people who have food and/or environmental allergies. The rashes usually appear and disappear when in contact with the allergen. On babies it usually appears on the face, neck, ears and torso. Older kids usually have atopic dermatitis in the inner or outer sides of elbows and knees, sometimes on the hands and upper eyelid creases.
Hand Eczema: is almost always confused with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and allergic contact dermatitis. Hand eczema appears only on the hands and occurs due to constant hand washing, contact with latex, or exposure to chemicals and detergents.
Lichen Simplex Chronicus: occurs due to constant scratching usually on the same spot till the skin turns hard and brown.
Seborrheic Dermatitis: occurs due to a skin fungus and it’s usually a greasy and scaly spot that appears on the scalp. It can also spread to the face and neck in some cases.
Eczema can be avoided and treated naturally. What your child eats, wears, and her mood affects her outbreaks. Stress causes eczema to worsen and your child will scratch more often when her mood changes. It’s important to balance out her diet so she can digest her food properly and have less toxins come out on her skin. If you child is not eating healthy and consumes lots of acidic foods and sugars, she will most likely have eczema all the time. Also the scheduled shots that all kids get are a major contributor to eczema.
Herbal Remedies
German Chamomile: an anti-inflammatory herb utilized to treat nervous tensions/stress, hay fever, indigestion, flatulence, colic, abdominal pain, gastritis, and eczema. To treat any type of eczema you can make an infusion to be taken orally before bed time or apply it when cool directly on the skin. For best results you can bathe your child in chamomile once a day. Do not use any type of soap until the eczema has cleared. Once it clears it would be best to use an organic soap that contains hypo-allergenic ingredients.
Warnings: in rare cases some children have shown allergic reactions (hives and asthma) to chamomile, especially those who are also allergic to ragweed. For safety purposes apply it on the skin first to see if an allergic reaction occurs. If the skin remains the same and no visible allergic reaction has occurred, a small amount (teaspoon of the infusion) may be taken orally. Wait a few hours and monitor your child afterwards. If there are no reactions after the small amount was take orally, then it’s safe to increase that amount to treat the eczema.
Witch Hazel: promotes healing, prevents infections, and stops bleeding. You can speed up the healing process by applying witch hazel externally. Boil water and add two tea spoons of leaves. Then cool, strain and apply on the affected areas.
Warnings: never give to your child for consumption! Witch hazel is recommended for external application only.
Turmeric: anti-inflammatory used as powder or tea for burns, bruises, cuts, digestive disorders, and eczema. To advance healing of cracked skin you can apply turmeric powder to the affected areas or boil three teaspoons of turmeric powder with water, cool the mixture and apply as needed.
Warnings: some children have had allergic contact dermatitis from turmeric. Test on clear skin prior to continuing application on affected spots. If no reaction occurred, then it’s safe to heal eczema with turmeric externally. Turmeric is not recommended for internal healing or consumption for children.
Aloe: used for treating burns, skin infections, sun burns, wounds, eczema, and as an oral laxative. Cut the succulent leaves in halves and apply on affected areas.
Oils
Coconut Oil: moisturizes skin. Can be applied as needed (watch for allergic reactions, some kids cannot tolerate coconuts).
Olive Oil: moisturizes skin.
Homeopathic Remedies
Antimonium crudum: heals indigestion, thick cracked skin, warts, sensitiveness to the sun, calluses, and eczema.
Arsenicum album: relieves itchy dry skin and burns.
Arum triphyllum: relieves eczema on the face due to an allergic reaction including, dry lips and chapped or irritated chin.
Calcarea carbonica: relieves cracked skin due to cold weather.
Calendula: available as a lotion and relieves inflamed or infected skin.
Graphites: heals hard or leathery skin, cracks, oozing discharge behind the ears, around the mouth and on the hands.
Hepar sulphuris calcareum: heals cracked and chapped skin on hands and feet.
Mezereum: heals itchy skin and blisters.
Rhus toxicodendron: heals itchy skin and blizterlike eruptions.
Petroleum: heals extremely dry skin on fingertips and palms.
Sulphur: heals itchy and scaly eczema.
In addition to the natural remedies it’s important that your child wears organic 100% cotton clothing, or at least 100% cotton. Bedding should also be made out of 100% cotton. Also use a dye free hypo-allergenic detergent to wash clothing and bedding. Exercise and sweating is discouraged till the eczema clears. The reason is because sweat spreads the bacteria and irritates the affected areas on the skin.
Keep your child on a strict diet and avoid contact with all environmental and food allergens till the eczema clears. Avoid all dairy products and sugars. Sugars feed the candida fungus, which is linked to eczema. The sugars and dairy products produce toxins in the body. Eczema is the result of the body trying to get rid of an overload of toxins. To balance the intestinal flora probiotic supplements are utilized. They help strengthen the digestive track and promote immune function. Enzyme supplements aid digestion and also help get rid of toxins. Last but not least, keep your child hydrated. Pedialite is recommended at least once a day.
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