Atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis are the two major causes of eczema.
Atopic eczema is thought to be a hereditary condition. It is proposed that people with atopic eczema are sensitive to allergens in the environment, which are harmless to others. Unfortunately when it is hereditary there is little you can do to avoid it. It is especially common in infants and children. In atopic dermatitis there is an excessive reaction by the immune system producing inflamed, irritated and sore skin. Associated atopic conditions include asthma and hay fever. The key to lessoning this type of eczema is to build up your immune system.
Contact dermatitis occurs when substances that irritate the skin chemically come in contact with the skin. Foods are also thought to cause contact dermatitis. By learning which substances cause the irritation, this form of eczema can be controlled. Building up your immune system can also help.
It is rare that doctors explore foods causing eczema with their patients. There is evidence that, for some eczema sufferers, it can be intolerance of foods causing eczema. If it is foods causing eczema, then changing your diet or building up your immune system, or both, can help.
In addition to foods causing eczema, there are other possibilities. We will now go over the common causes of eczema, including which foods cause eczema.
Common causes of eczema
The following internal and external factors are the common causes of eczema:Internal factors
Heredity - A family history of eczema, asthma or hay fever (the strongest predictor) - if both parents have eczema, there is an 80 per cent chance that their children will too.
Foods causing eczema - Dairy/milk and wheat products, acidic fruits, eggs, nuts, seafood, chemical food additives, preservatives and colorings are the most common foods causing eczema. However, since every individual is different, it is possible that almost any food can cause a reaction in any given individual.
Stress - Emotional stress is a well-known trigger of eczema flare-ups. Learning to reduce stress can significantly help the problem.
External factors
Irritants - tobacco smoke, chemicals, paints, bleach, weather (hot and humid or cold and dry conditions) and air conditioning or overheating. Scratchy clothes (like wool) can also irritate the skin. Its best to wear clothes made of soft fabrics like cotton. It is also recommended to wash all new clothing before wearing them.
Allergens - dust mites, feathers, molds, grasses, plant pollens, foods, pet hair, soaps, shampoos and washing powders, and certain cosmetics. Ingredients such as alcohol, astringents, and fragrances may trigger or worsen eczema.
Now that we have discussed foods causing eczema, we will go over a diet for eczema.
Diet for eczema
In order to determine the foods causing eczema, you need to do an elimination diet. An elimination diet first removes the suspect food or food chemical, in all its forms, from your diet. After a period of time, the food is reintroduced. To carry out this form of testing you will need to keep a food diary. If there has been an improvement and, on reintroducing the food, the eczema returns, then that food is not safe for you to eat. If, after a period of time there is no reaction to the food, then the food is safe for you to eat. Before embarking on any form of food testing it is recommended that you first discuss this with your doctor and ask for their supervision.The most common foods causing eczema include: eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, wheat and soya. Common additives that cause eczema include: tartrazine, sodium benzoate, sodium glutamate and sodium metabisulphite.
In most cases, there can be several factors causing your eczema. That is because your immune system is not functioning properly. Therefore, the best way to treat your eczema is to build up your immune system.
Now that we have gone over foods causing eczema, we will discuss treatment.
How to eliminate eczema
The experts at Healthy Skin Guide have over 40 years of experience treating eczema. Our experts have tested hundreds of eczema medications. We have found that for treating eczema, natural treatments are the best. Natural treatments work better, and have none of the many side effects of conventional medications. Conventional medicines only treat the symptoms of eczema. They do not address the fundamental cause. This only provides temporary relief. Also, most traditional medications like hydrocortisone cream are steroids, and are not safe to use long term.There are many in the health care field that believe eczema is curable by using the right natural treatments. They believe that treating eczema from the inside and from the outside can reduce or cure it. Treatment from the outside will provide temporary relief, and natural treatments from the inside will help detoxify and rebuild the immune system, and prevent the problems from coming back in the future. It is important to use the right natural treatments though.
