I have been taking part in a Helminthic Therapy trial with Hook Worm. I have had two doses of Hook Worm now over a period of about 6 months. My Allergys and Excema have very slowly improved. Right now my skin is clear of excema and I can sleep undisturbed aswell as go for a swim without embarrassment. My allergic reactions still occur but are much much less severe and still improving.
Re: Itch — Tried a myriad of creams and everything from homeopathy through to mega steroids. I get the best results with keeping off dairy products ( I love a good strong cheddar :-( or stilton ). I use coffee mate in tea or coffee as I am a bit of a tea adict. I had a water softener installed which help with baths plus I'm very careful what soaps I use but this tends to vary with my friends who suffer as well. Clothing is very important, I used to wear silk based underwear but I found it was impregnated with a pretty nasty pesticide and it was a really bad fit. I now wear under wear with a cotton, silver seaweed mix that I buy from a company in Portugal. Its very soft, really reduces the itching and scratching and definately seems to keep the redness and swelling down.
Re: Avoid problem foods — I had eczema for a year and a half, was at the point where i couldn't leave the house, except to go to work. I had no social life and was feeling depressed. I tried conventional medicine (didn't work for me), cut out all sugar (great for clearing up pimples), saw practitioners from every alternative medical field imaginable but no cure.
Finally I decided to cut out all wheat/grains. Within two weeks my eczema cleared up enough that I was no longer scratching and I could go out in public again. This led me to understand that it was my digestion that was the root cause of the eczema (the wheat was simply causing digestive aggrivation). By chewing food slowly, not eating when stressed and making sure I avoided foods that I knew were problematic for me, my eczema has now totally cleared up. My leg hair is also growing over the bald patches on my legs where the eczema was most severe.
I have noticed that when I do have foods that irritate my digestive tract, some parts of my skin, where the eczema was previously, will get slightly rough, but eventually smoothes out again.
Re: Moisturize frequently — This is key, but you need to find a good moisturizer that works for *you*. I've tried most of the popular brands that are available near me, and some cause more problems than they solve for my eczema. I won't mention brands I've had issues with (as companies tend to get unhappy when you do that) but I'll mention two that I think are very solid. Vaseline's "Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning" (brown bottle) is a pretty good one. But my favourite (in terms of effectiveness/comfort) is Kiss My Face's unscented "Olive & Aloe". If your skin feels tight after shaving or a hot shower, this stuff feels like a skin-gasm.
Re: Desoximetasone — This stuff is great for really bad flare-ups (aka "pink lizard hands"). Prolonged use (more than 5-7 days) doesn't seem to have any significant effect on my eczema, but the first few days help to get it under control. Perhaps it's diminishing returns or a maximum effect it can have, but I stop after the flare-up is done and return to just using moisturizers - partially to save the cream for later, but also because of the potential negative side-effects of prolonged use of any corticosteroid.
Side note: it also seems to help speed the healing of cuts when applied directly to the wound, but discuss this with your healthcare provider, as I cannot speak about the safety of introducing this cream directly into an open wound.
Re: Bathe in mild chlorine bleach solution — Very effective at reducing outbreaks. I experience 90+% reduction within 2-3 days and visible changes overnight. I get the outbreaks on my face and so use a snorkel in the bathroom sink. It's a little weird and awkward, but what the hey, eczema on the face sucks big time. Generally I soak my face for 15 min in a mild bleach water solution every other day for about a week. It leads me to believe I have some sort of skin infection causing my eczema so I have wondered about the effectiveness of other sterilizers but never tried anything else.
Re: Itch — rashes and redness
Re: Cracked skin — Does anyone else have dry cracked skin that feels like its on fire?
gmartins Re: Eliminate grains and dairy — this cured it for me, no more steroids or annoying daily moisturizing. grains (see gluten) and dairy are inflammatory foods for most people. if you have eczema, you have some serious inflammation going on. ingested fish oil really helps too
thaitea Re: Avoid sudden temperature changes — I made a point to wear gloves in cold, dry weather to protect the skin on my hands.
thaitea Re: Avoid detergents or harsh soaps — Certain soaps seem to tear my skin apart!
I have been taking part in a Helminthic Therapy trial with Hook Worm. I have had two doses of Hook Worm now over a period of about 6 months. My Allergys and Excema have very slowly improved. Right now my skin is clear of excema and I can sleep undisturbed aswell as go for a swim without embarrassment. My allergic reactions still occur but are much much less severe and still improving.
Re: Itch — Tried a myriad of creams and everything from homeopathy through to mega steroids. I get the best results with keeping off dairy products ( I love a good strong cheddar :-( or stilton ). I use coffee mate in tea or coffee as I am a bit of a tea adict. I had a water softener installed which help with baths plus I'm very careful what soaps I use but this tends to vary with my friends who suffer as well. Clothing is very important, I used to wear silk based underwear but I found it was impregnated with a pretty nasty pesticide and it was a really bad fit. I now wear under wear with a cotton, silver seaweed mix that I buy from a company in Portugal. Its very soft, really reduces the itching and scratching and definately seems to keep the redness and swelling down.
Re: Avoid problem foods — I had eczema for a year and a half, was at the point where i couldn't leave the house, except to go to work. I had no social life and was feeling depressed.
I tried conventional medicine (didn't work for me), cut out all sugar (great for clearing up pimples), saw practitioners from every alternative medical field imaginable but no cure.
Finally I decided to cut out all wheat/grains. Within two weeks my eczema cleared up enough that I was no longer scratching and I could go out in public again. This led me to understand that it was my digestion that was the root cause of the eczema (the wheat was simply causing digestive aggrivation). By chewing food slowly, not eating when stressed and making sure I avoided foods that I knew were problematic for me, my eczema has now totally cleared up. My leg hair is also growing over the bald patches on my legs where the eczema was most severe.
I have noticed that when I do have foods that irritate my digestive tract, some parts of my skin, where the eczema was previously, will get slightly rough, but eventually smoothes out again.
Re: Moisturize frequently — This is key, but you need to find a good moisturizer that works for *you*. I've tried most of the popular brands that are available near me, and some cause more problems than they solve for my eczema. I won't mention brands I've had issues with (as companies tend to get unhappy when you do that) but I'll mention two that I think are very solid. Vaseline's "Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning" (brown bottle) is a pretty good one. But my favourite (in terms of effectiveness/comfort) is Kiss My Face's unscented "Olive & Aloe". If your skin feels tight after shaving or a hot shower, this stuff feels like a skin-gasm.
Re: Desoximetasone — This stuff is great for really bad flare-ups (aka "pink lizard hands"). Prolonged use (more than 5-7 days) doesn't seem to have any significant effect on my eczema, but the first few days help to get it under control. Perhaps it's diminishing returns or a maximum effect it can have, but I stop after the flare-up is done and return to just using moisturizers - partially to save the cream for later, but also because of the potential negative side-effects of prolonged use of any corticosteroid.
Side note: it also seems to help speed the healing of cuts when applied directly to the wound, but discuss this with your healthcare provider, as I cannot speak about the safety of introducing this cream directly into an open wound.
Re: Bathe in mild chlorine bleach solution — Very effective at reducing outbreaks. I experience 90+% reduction within 2-3 days and visible changes overnight. I get the outbreaks on my face and so use a snorkel in the bathroom sink. It's a little weird and awkward, but what the hey, eczema on the face sucks big time. Generally I soak my face for 15 min in a mild bleach water solution every other day for about a week. It leads me to believe I have some sort of skin infection causing my eczema so I have wondered about the effectiveness of other sterilizers but never tried anything else.
Re: Itch — rashes and redness
Re: Cracked skin — Does anyone else have dry cracked skin that feels like its on fire?
gmartins
Re: Eliminate grains and dairy — this cured it for me, no more steroids or annoying daily moisturizing. grains (see gluten) and dairy are inflammatory foods for most people. if you have eczema, you have some serious inflammation going on. ingested fish oil really helps too
thaitea
Re: Avoid sudden temperature changes — I made a point to wear gloves in cold, dry weather to protect the skin on my hands.
thaitea
Re: Avoid detergents or harsh soaps — Certain soaps seem to tear my skin apart!