Effective Natural Eczema Treatments for Soothing Relief

I agree that the hot, HOT water treatment does relieve my eczema on my hands... I know it's probably not the best thing to do but it's the only thing that relieves that intolerable, unbearable itching. You do get goosebumps from the icredible relief you get from it too!! Ha! I thought I was the only one. I try to follow up with a fragrance free lotion or coconut oil to prevent over drying of the affected areas. It usually clears up on its own in a couple of weeks.

This is my story so far: I am 51 years old, born in London of black Barbadian parents. I relocated to Barbados in 2005. Up to that time I had a minor problem with ezcema, a few dark patches which did not occur until I reached 40 or thereabouts. I didn't worry about them but treated them with the ointment prescribed by the doctor. I noticed soon after living in Barbados that the patches of ezcema were increasing, becoming raised & itching like you wouldn't believe. I am now covered from head to toe, including palms & soles of my feet with these patches. I've tried the traditional route with the dermatologist, a herbal practioner & even acupunture with no real improvement.

I decided to do some internet investigation & read elsewhere that blackseed & coconut oil had helped others with skin problems. I have been using both oils as soon as I come out of the shower & during the day when my skin starts to dry out & tighten up in the office air conditioning. I saw signs of improvement & was encourages to do more research.

I found your site on 16th June 2010, bought the apple cider vinegar on 18th, along with the bicarbonate of soda & followed Ted's advice.

I have been using the 2 tblsps of acv & 1/2 tsp of bicarb each morning or evening. (because I get an immediate reaction of having to rush to the toilet I don't drink this on the mornings I have to go to work) I also apply the acv directly to my skin by way of a spray bottle plus my oil moisturizers as many times as I need. The acv burns but not enough to put me off. I also try to drink each morning lemon juice in a glass of hot water. I have to sweeten this as I find it impossible to drink otherwise.

At first my skin became very flaky, even drier & grey looking, which was alarming but I persevered, encouraged by my husband. I still itched badly too. But within a week the flakiness eased off & the greyness went away.

Nearly 3 weeks later I am very encouraged to see the change in my skin. The raised, thickened patches have flattened out & do not look so angry. The degree of itching has lessened somewhat but I am still itching, especially my palms. I am still covered from head to toe but I am optimistic & encouraged to continue my regime & see what happens.

I have to say BIG THANKS for earthclinic.com & the contributing stories & testimonials.

I will post another update in a couple of weeks.

This is Sandra from Barbados with an update. I have continued my quest for eczema relief. I changed up the routine a bit. Drinking the Apple Cider Vinegar was not working well for me as a daily option so I stick using it as "skin cleanser" after my showers each day & drinking only sometimes. I have also started to make my own body moisturizer, which is going very well.

My main ingredients being coconut oil, mango butter, shea butter & vegetable glycerin. I put other oils reputed to be beneficial to the skin as I feel like. I take some supplements too: probiotics, flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil & also drink black seed oil, usually once daily. I'm keeping positive & I continue to see improvements. Some very small patches have become raised again, tiny in comparison to how they were, but when I work on these a bit more they tend to subside. I recently started treating the more stubborn patches with neem oil. I will watch & update my reactions in due course. My daughter who was visiting from London, told me within minutes of meeting her at the airport she could see a big difference in the look & feel of my my skin & wants a tub of the body cream for herself. I no longer scratch myself constantly all day long or in my sleep at nights. I do still itch but only sometimes. I no longer feel my skin is my enemy.

In a nutshell, I have to say big thanks, once again, to Earth Clinic who started me off on this discovery, given me hope when I really thought there was none. I will continue to tweak my routine according to how my skin performs, but for now acv, organic coconut oil based moisturizer plus a few supplements are doing a good job.

I was reading everyone's testimonials and it gave me hope that ACV would clear my eczema that I've had for so long (since when I was 14, I'm now 21)and was irritated that my doctor couldn't help clear it and all he ever gave me was steroids to slow it down...What I did was pour of ACV on a cotton ball (soak it) and rubbed it on the places where the eczema was. Because it stings so bad I had a bottle of Sweet Almond Oil and rubbed it on the same spot where the eczema was to immediately stop the stinging and help with the healing of the skin. You can get a small bottle health food stores for around $6, I know it's expensive but it's worth it. I did this for about a week and it cleared up my eczema. I also drink 2 tbsp. of ACV in bottle water daily (tastes bad but bear with it!) to kill the eczema bacteria inside my body.

On eczema, I believe removing the cause is the best cure. The causative factor is usually soap. No matter what kind - if it's soap, don't use it. One of our psychiatrists came in with a classic case of exzema (in his forties). I took one look at him and remarked, "that looks itchy, is it?" He said yes. When I caught him without an audience, I asked him if he ever tried leaving off soap for his eczema. He said he had and it got better at first, then got worse.

This almost threw me off track, until I thought to ask him what he used instead of soap. He replied that he didn't remember the name of it but it was some kind of medicated cream. I then suggested that he try leaving off soap again and not using any thing instead. He was surprised when told to just use a thick, wash cloth and water when bathing, nothing else, but agreed to give it a try. Several days later when he was next on call, he came in with the smoothest complexion and very happy with it.

People who forgo the use of soap also find that they have less body odor and attract fewer insect bites.

Again, on headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients.

Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death.

If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.

Skin Care - Dry Scaly Patches: I had some dry scaly skin on my nose and about for an inch or so on either side of my nose. I have been using a mixture of ACV, Baking Soda, and Water for a about a week and a half. I use about 1/4 tablespoon of BS and ACV till the bubbling stops. then I add just enough water to complete filling a small cup About 3 inches high, 1/2 full. I wash my face with this and leave it on for about a minute and then rinse it off. My skin on my nose and by my nose is now very soft and is no longer dry. I also found that when shaving with a razor that this mixture lubricated my skin and I did not get any cuts. I pieced this mixture together from reading about several items from this site. I love earthclinic.com

I started taking 10 drops/day of Grapefruit Seed Extract for a different problem. Within 3 days, the mild eczema on my arms was completely gone! It's been there for months so I was surprised by this. I did a search online & found that GSE can help with eczema.

I found that mixing some drops of tea tree oil in the coconut oil made my therapy much stronger than just coconut oil. I have eczema - atopic dermatitis only on summer and on my feet and calves. I used this mixture every day. It's a bit oily. If the area becomes more itchy after applying for a few seconds don't worry, this happens because of rubbing the area and not because of the coconut oil.

This mixed therapy is very good for everyday, but it doesn't vanish the symptoms for weeks.

Alex,

You might give over the counter 1% Clotrimazole cream to try to determine if it is fungal or some other cause. If 1% Clotrimazole clears it or helps considerably, it is likely fungal.

Art

It must be obvious I suppose, but I realise that I omitted to say that the dampened bandages are applied to the dry/itchy patches, before covering with the dry layer and then clingfilm. I do not apply any creams, oils or moisturisers, just water. It certainly works very fast for me, as relief and I hope will turn out to be curative longer term.

Hi!

Yes, this was also my experience for eczema/dermatitis on my face, but the sunlight didn't do it. Vitamin d3 supplementation did cure it within two days. For some reason, the sunlight made it much worse. I can also eat dairy, no prob.

My teenage daughter has dealt with perioral dermatitis for years. We have tried many, many things over the years with varying temporary results that have been less than satisfying. A few months ago we tried Aveno baby eczema cream. Wow! This is the best thing we have used. I would say she is 90% better and has been for months. This is inexpensive and available online and in stores. 😊 ~Mama to Many~

I have had GREAT success with raw aloe leaf for eczema. I rub the inside of the aloe leaf on my hands or any part of my skin that is having some kind of issue at least twice a day. I apply it once in morning before work and once before bed everyday for maintenance too. If I am having an issue or attempt, I apply more often. I get the raw aloe leaf from Whole Foods in produce section. Keep it refrigerated and the cut end wrapped in plastic wrap. Lay the leaf flat and cut about an inch off. Then cut that piece in half so the inner flesh is exposed. Rub it on area, let juice get on skin.

Mch, you can try eliminating dairy, sugar and grains for one week, and see if it gets any better.

I recommended Silymarin (Milk Thistle extract) in a post a few years ago. The product I used contained Turmeric (700mg per serving). When I switched to a product that did not contain turmeric my eczema came back. I now believe it's the Turmeric (or the combination of Silymarin and Turmeric) that's curing my eczema. Definitely, for me, Turmeric is an essential component of my eczema treatment.

Hi Deirdre,

You can try 80% aloe vera gel plus 10% xylitol plus 10% food grade vegetable glycerin and a little lavender essential oil. This should avoid the added irritant qualities of lotion based blends. Let me know if it helps and if not I will give it further thought!

Art

Thank you for your very comprehensive post, I'm sure will help a lot of people. Often times when we have recurring skin problems it is because something is not right internally. You usually need to attack or fix internally as well as topically. I would consider adding a great probiotic like homemade kefir, or probiotic pills bought refrigerated to balance your gut's good bacteria, best on an empty stomach, and vitamin c at minimum 1000 mg a day. Of course there are many other immune boosters as well to consider. Sometimes the symptoms flare initially as your boosted immune system fights it out. Also I trust your hand soap is natural, mine is a mix of water, borax, baking soda, bentonite clay and anti fungal, anti bacterial essential oils. Best of health to you

Was diagnosed with Nummular Eczema and it was quite an ordeal and am posting this in hopes of helping others. Through trial and error I developed a regiment that has got me back to normal. I take one capsule of Hemp Seed oil either every day or every other day. I also take daily one capsule of Flax seed oil which cleared up the itching and swelling around my eyes. These are the most important. I also take 1 or 2 Probiotic Acidophilus. I also take 1 Borage oil capsule every other day, I think helps but I believe the others are the most important.

I have had ear eczema for years, have used coconut oil to moisturize ears, which at least kept them from drying and being painful, but that's all it did.

3 weeks ago I started taking Diatomaceous earth, and slowly my ear eczema seems to be clearing. I put it down to the Food grade diatomaceous earth.

For the last 6 months, I have also been using magnesium oil and mega mag, vitamin k2, bee pollen, acerola cherry powder, boron, adrenal cocktail and other stuff as recommended by Morley Robbins at the magnesium advocacy group, in the hope of healing myself from arthritis.

But it is only since using the diatomaceous earth that the eczema seems to be clearing.

I found relief with multiple remedies.

1. Hot water rinse
2. ACV
3. Thyme essential oil
4. Coconut oil

I'll explain the routine. If I skip any part of this routine I will be obsessively scratching my skin until it bleeds and weeps. My type of eczema is from winter dry skin, and cleaning chemicals in my food service job -- such as the blue dye in the dish soap, and vinyl and latex in gloves, and the Sterilox that we soak vegetables and fruits in.

First, to explain the hot water rinse. This is a remedy that my midwife told me, for poison ivy or poison oak, and it works great for eczema itching, too. She said to hold the rash under hot running water -- as hot as you can stand -- and it will feel like the hot water is scratching the itches out of your skin. It's either pulling out the irritants, or the histamines, or both. Your skin will feel a huge relief after this.
The ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) is self explanatory. It's one of the top remedies on this website. I apply it after the hot water rinse -- I use the raw ACV from the health food store, that has all the brown stringy stuff in it. I pour it into the cap, and then pour the cap-fulls onto my rash and rub it in, undiluted.

After the ACV has dried and stopped stinging I apply single drops of thyme essential oil, and rub each one in, until the rash is covered. Thyme essential oil is miraculous! They found in studies that it has more anti-inflammatories than any other essential oil. It has a warm sting, at first, but it is a healing and cleansing type of sensation.

Lastly, I apply the coconut oil, to moisturize my horribly dry winter skin. Having done all four of these steps, my skin is at complete peace.
Now! All of that was for relief of the rash. But what about healing the source of the problem? Of course, I try to avoid the irritants, as much as possible -- for example, not exposing my wrists or the backs of my hands to the blue dye in commercial soap -- but it is safe to expose my palms and fingertips to this dye in the soap.

But what about the nutritional deficiencies? Vitamin D deficiency is linked with eczema. But, living up in the Chicago suburbs, I am already taking 8000 IUs a day (10,000 IUs is borderline overdose). Well, I found a website from a fellow eczema sufferer that talks about an enzyme deficiency. The website is softress dot com. Basically, to make the enzyme called delta-6-dehydrogenase (D6D) which makes a protective oil for our skin, we need zinc, magnesium, and selenium + vitamin B6.

Softress dot com says, "A healthy body produces natural oils that form a skin barrier that keeps skin soft and slightly acidic (pH between 4.5 and 6, depending on age, with an optimum at around 5.5), helping skin to resist infection by disease-causing bacteria. When the body is unable to produce these natural oils, the skin becomes very dry and the skin barrier is damaged, exposing the skin to infection.(4) To make matters worse, the body's immune system may overreact to common substances, causing inflammation and further damaging the skin.

Current research focuses on why the body is unable to produce these natural oils. Central to this research is an enzyme called delta-6-dehydrogenase (D6D), which converts the linoleic acid in dietary vegetable fats into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid necessary for maintaining healthy skin. In both eczema and diabetes, the D6D enzyme may be impaired--it may not function properly. Levels of the specific vitamins and minerals required for D6D to function are often very low in people with eczema or diabetes. Nutritional supplementation to increase the levels of these nutrients may reduce or eliminate the symptoms of eczema and help stabilize insulin and glucose metabolism."

I think that the vegetable oil they are talking about is Omega 6, and that the best source of that is sunflower oil.

Also, I remember that I used to drink a tablespoon full of ACV in a glass of water, and there was no stiffness in the skin of my hands and face, but when I stopped drinking it the stiffness came back, and I could feel it in the skin of my hands, when I clenched my hands. I stopped drinking ACV because someone on this website said that ACV wipes the iodine out of our bodies -- but now I am thinking this must be nonsense -- and I am drinking it again, starting today.

So, here's the nutritional remedy for my type of eczema, caused by dry winter skin that is exposed to workplace chemicals.
1. Balanced B vitamin complex (too much of one will make you deficient in another, and physical or emotional stress will deplete you of all).
2. Vitamin D3 (the amount you need will be based on your skin color, plus how much sun you get -- website page from the Vitamin D Council will tell you how much you need.)
3. Zinc supplement
4. Sunflower oil supplement, or some form of Omega 6
4. Selenium gave me ovarian cysts, but maybe you can take it.
5. ACV
6. 500 mg of magnesium, at bedtime. It is better to take magnesium and vitamin D at different times of day.
7. Vitamin B6 supplement

Hi Jb, Regarding Eczema and the strawberries etc...whilst strawberries are supposed to have beneficial effects (and are nice to have also of course) I would be suspicious of introducing them in large amounts too early in life. It would be nice to know where they come from of course. (The strawberries that is - not the babies). I know variety is supposed to be the "spice of life" BUT I wonder if we are over-doing things these days, especially for an infant whose digestive system has not fully developed. You can't run before you can walk eh?

Cheers, Michael

I would look into vitamin D supplementation. My online searches show that when babies have eczema, it's due to vitamin D deficiency. However, please do your research, and consult your pediatrician about supplementation -- as it can be dangerous to give babies vitamin and mineral supplements. Basically, you want to be sure not to overdose, with a baby or child.

After you find out what the safe limit on vitamin D is, I would squeeze the vitamin D3 gelcap into baby's food.

Also, try to get her out in the sun, to make her own vitamin D. The best part of our body for making vitamin D is the upper arms, and the oil on our skin is necessary for the creation of vitamin D -- so let her skin accumulate oil! And no sunscreen! To prevent burning, avoid getting refined sugar into her system before going out in the sun. It is refined sugar that causes us to burn. Also, if you are worried about sun damage, get lycopene into her. Lycopene fights skin cancer, and it is the red pigment found in tomatoes, in tomato products like ketchup, and in watermelon.

There might be some B vitamin that also is deficient in babies who have eczema. I think I might have come across it in my online searching about B vitamins. You might want to look that up.

As for trying to control symptoms of any malady with diet -- aaaaghhh! I have NEVER seen diet change cure anything! Except that switching to healthy foods can stop weight gain -- that is the only one. I have not seen diet change stop gassy tummy distress in babies. I have not seen diet change relieve depression or Attention Deficit Disorder in any way whatsoever. I have not seen diet change help with ANYTHING. I say, if humans have been eating it for thousands of years, and it tastes good and makes you feel good -- then eat it!

---------------

I thought of two more things to help after making my last comment. One is -- you are giving her formula. Are you using tap water, or fluoridated water to make her formula? Because both of those have fluoride, and tap water also has chlorine -- and fluoride and chlorine cause eczema, because the body is trying to detox these toxins through the skin. I take gallon containers to my local grocery or health food store and refill them with water that has been filtered, run through reverse osmosis, and treated with ultraviolet light. When I move to a new area, I try all the sources of this kind of refillable water -- to find which location has the best tasting water. I would use this kind of water to make baby's formula with.

Secondly, I would give her organic coconut oil -- probably in her formula. I read Adelle Davis' book called Let's Eat Right To Keep Fit, and in it she writes of a baby that had eczema, and she fed the baby vegetable oil, because he had been on a low fat diet. The baby was ravenous for the vegetable oil, and it healed his eczema. I'd put coconut oil in baby's formula, because it is the BEST vegetable oil of all, and also kills viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi! As for how much coconut oil to give a person, I just follow my instincts, although you might want to online search on that as well. It's been a long time since my kids were babies.

In reply to Stephanie (Washington),

Recent studies are suggesting that there is a correlation between vitamin d status (25 OH d serum level) and eczema or atopic dermatitis. You mentioned that your eczema worsened in Washington and improved in Arizona and that it did not start until you moved from Southern California to Washington.

In Southern California you would have been getting more UVB exposure and consequently a higher 25 OH d level than you would get in Washington.

You also said that it started around the age of 18 which would have been when you finished high school. Thinking back to high school, I remember being in the sun a lot because of all of the outdoor activities associated with being in high school and I also remember that it seemed like I got a lot less sun exposure after high school. It may be that this chain of events was enough to get your serum 25 OH d level into the insufficient or deficient range and possibly make it easier for eczema to take hold.

In any case, it seems like an easy enough and inexpensive enough thing for your dermatologist to get your vitamin d level into the optimum range to find out if it can have a positive effect in controlling or eliminating your eczema. Below 30 ng/ml is considered insufficient and below 20 ng/ml is deficient. The reference range is 30~100 ng/ml.

Some cancer studies have shown that being around the 75 ng/ml area may help to reduce risk of certain cancers.

Here are some recent studies suggesting that there may be a relationship between vitamin d and eczema or atopic dermatitis.

Http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/12/789
Https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28017448
Https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282565

Art

I have developed leaky gut and along with that eczema brought on through eating dairy which I used to be ok with. By making chicken and beef stock I have been able to almost make it disappear within a week. I will continue with stock until it goes and then keep it as a regular top up for the gut. Chicken stock is very palatable, especially with lemon and garlic.

Tea tree essential oil for eczema and/or dandruff is amazing!!! People must know this is an incredible potent absolute cure!!! It stings when applied and the day after you may experience it falling off as dry flakes. MUST TRY!

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I have developed an acute onset itchy, inflamed rash on my arms and legs. It started as small patches on my left wrist and I thought it was nickle allergy related to a new watch I was wearing. I also have been sick most of the winter with one respiratory infection after the other and all that started with a mild sore throat right before Christmas. I kept a sinus infection from Dec-Feb and finally went to the doctor about it because I was losing sleep from coughing. The doctor said it was virus and gave me a Kenalog shot which helped for about 5 days and then I caught another cold. That was about the same time the rash started on my wrist.

I quit wearing the watch and over the course of three days the rash spread up my left arm, then patches of it started breaking out on my right wrist and both shins and ankles. The itch was so severe at night I couldn't sleep. It looked like Chicken pox. So back to the doctor I went again. I was concerned it was scabies since it is going around the elementary school where I work and I also thought maybe I had the shingles. The doctor said no to those conditions, said it was not contagious whatever it was, he also said it was not RMSF or Lyme. He gave a Rx for triamcinolone cream which did nothing.

So I finally found some tea tree oil soap and tea tree oil and started showering with the soap and massaging the oil in the patches. After the oil is absorbed, I've been covering the areas with a thick ointment called Calmaseptine, which contains 20% zinc, calamine and menthol. This seems to stop the itching and in the mornings when I wake up the rash looks better and almost disappears, but later in the day after I get out in the hot sun or when I just get out of the hot shower, the rash comes back with a vengence. I don't know why heat is bringing it out and making it worse. I have an appointment with the skin doctor next week. I'm sure whatever he prescribes my insurance won't cover and a small tube of anything can cost $80-$300+ I finally understand how King Hezekiah, Job or the Egyptians felt during the plagues.