A Closer Look at Eczema Causes: Avoiding Common Triggers

Eczema causes are many and varied, and largely depend on the particular type of eczema that a person has. Although eczema is often overlooked and under talked about is because while eczema is a very life altering disease, it is not a life-threatening disease.

Like many eczema patients, I endured eczema as a child and teenager, but it peaked in my adulthood and resulted in avery low point in my life. Fortunately dark turned to light, and my skin began to cool off and avoiding common eczema triggers was a large reason for this switch.

For many people like myself who suffer from eczema, there seems to be no apparent reason for a flare-up other than random bad luck, however there several factors that are known to aggravate eczema and some of the possible triggers and irritants are listed below with tips on how to avoid them. They include:

House Dust Mites

House dust mites thrive in moist and damp environments and feed on flakes of shed human skin. Dust mites are so small that you can't see them with the naked eye. They love to live in places such as your bed, furniture, soft toys, and carpets. There are various steps you can tke in order to get rid of dust mites:

• Use a dust mite cover for your mattress
• Buy a latex mattress which is mold and dust mite resistant
• Get rid of carpets and and have wooden floors
• Keep your house well ventilated
• Use Melaleuca products such as Melabrite, and Melapower detergent as well as Tub& Tile in the bathroom

Pets

Many people have an allergy to animals, causing problems such as asthma, wheezing, and runny nose just to name a few. It has been found that contact with animals can increase the risk of developing eczema. If this is the case then you should:

• Avoid having contact with animals, especially of the furry kind such as long-haired dogs and cats
• If you must have a dog, make sure that you shampoo him regularly
• Keep your house free from fur and dust

Toiletries and Detergents

Toiletries and detergents use thousands of different chemicals that include chlorine, phosphates, and deadly fillers; these harsh irritants can cause an allergic response. The best thing you can do is to avoid exposing yourself to these chemicals by avoiding over-the-counter consumer products. The mere fact that a company like Tide spends 8 billion dollars marketing one product is proof enough that something has to give, and that something is in the product ingredients. You can play defense by:

• Using Mela bars of soap which are milled and Melaleuca herbal shamppos which contain dimethicol and fruit extract
• Using products which are 100% fee of synthetic chemicals like Nicole Miller makeup instead of Max Factor or Mary Kay
• Washing clothes with Melapower which is a non-biological laundry product that is chlorine free and environmentally friendly as opposed to Biz
• Wear rubber gloves with a cotton lining when using brands other than Melaleuca when working in the kitchen or around the house

Other possible factors which may trigger symptoms include tobacco smoke, pollens, fungi, and extreme changes in temperatures.

P.S. Remember that although eczema cannot be cured as it is a genetic immune disorder, by avoiding tiggers, you can get back to living good life despite being afflicted with eczema.

2.2% of Americans have Psoriasis!

What are the stats on Psoriasis?

It is estimated that 2.2 percent of American adults have been diagnosed with psoriasis, confirming that psoriasis is a common disease.

11% of those diagnosed with psoriasis have also been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. This is a prevalence of .25 pecent of American adults in the general population.

Psoriasis prevalence in African Americans was 1.3 percent compared to 2.5 percent of Caucasians.

The prevalence of psoriasis in Western populations is estimated to be around 2-3%. It affects both sexes equally and occurs at all ages.

And what causes psoriasis?

Several factors are thought to aggravate psoriasis. These include stress and excessive alcohol consumption. Individuals with psoriasis may also suffer from depression and loss of self-esteem. As such, quality of life is an important factor in evaluating the severity of the disease. There are many treatments available but because of its chronic recurrent nature psoriasis is a challenge to treat.

Plaque Psoriasis

About 80% of people living with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis, which also is called "psoriasis vulgaris." "Vulgaris" means "common."

How to recognize Plaque Psoriasis:

1. Raised and thickened patches of reddish skin, called "plaques," which are covered by silvery-white scales.
2. Plaques most often appear on the elbows, knees, scalp, chest, and lower back. However, they can appear anywhere on the body, including the genitals.
3. Plaques vary in size and can appear as distinct patches or join together to cover a large area.

In the early stages, the psoriasis may be unnoticeable. The skin may itch and/or a burning sensation may be present.

Plaque psoriasis usually first appears as small red bumps. Bumps gradually enlarge, and scales form. While the top scales flake off easily and often, scales below the surface stick together. The small red bumps develop into plaques(reddish areas of raised and thickened skin).

Now that you know more about psoriasis, we urge you to find out more about this! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Wellness: A Closer Look at How Eczema Can be Wiped Out By Making Healthier Choices

Often times when examining eczema and other itchy skin conditions we are quick to assume that our skin conditions must only be treated by using a topical; whether a Renewing all-natural lotion or a hydrocortisone synthetic cream. The truth of the matter is that eczema and other skin conditions can be treated by exercising sound wellness decisions.

In the year 2000, the U.S. population was 276 million. Nearly half of the population or 125 million Americans lived with some type of chronic condition and at least 20% had some sort of skin condition. Additionally, the most pressing danger lies in the fact that every second American has at least one chronic illness as we speak, while 60 million people suffer from multiple chronic conditions.

So the million dollar question is: WHY ARE WE SICK?

I'll be brutally honest here so that there are no misunderstandings. We get sick and develop obesity issues as well as itchy skin conditions because our collective lack of health is economically profitable for a lot of big companies; namely Coca-Cola, Procter&Gamble, and McDonald's, along with drug juggernauts such as Pfizer.

Just take for example McDonald's who is the largest world-wide food franchisor. McDonald's, who is really a real estate company in disguise has ratcheted the cost out of food by selling and mass advertising "designer junk food and beverages" that hold no nutritional value and make us fat, itchy, and sick over time.

Another reason for our sickness is all of the polluting industries that fill our bodies with harmful chemicals and toxins such as Procter & Gamble and Tide. Just think...how else can Tide spend 8 billion dollars annually on marketing just one product? Tide sells a product that is empty of any real soap solution and is really chocked full of artificial fillers, phosphates, and chlorine, which destroys not only our clothes but also our bodies over time.

The Bottom Line:

The War is between the Sick Industry v. the Wellness Industry.

The Conclusion: Although the Sick Care Industry figured out a long time ago that there's more money to be made in treating symptoms with drugs and surgeries in expensive hospitals than in patient education, prevention, and natural medicine alternatives and treatments we must win the ultimate war for our lives by making better wellness decisions such as healthier eating and lowering our stress.

Enough Of the Haterade: Eczema Alternative Therapies Really Do Work!

If you are like every other eczema sufferer you have been to every dermatologist in town to find an eczema cure and they all tell you the same thing... Take a hydrocotisone steroid such as: 1.)Acitretin-is a powerful vitamin A derivative ( a retinoid) that is taken orally under medical supervision 2.)Cyclosporine-a very powerful immunosupprressive drug that is effective for treating severe plaque eczema or psoriasis or 3.)Methotrexate-which is one of the first commonly used chemotherapy drugs which is still used in treating noderate to severe eczema(psoriasis).

The reason this post is titled the way it is is because of the fact that eczema (psoriasis) can be cured without the use of these toxic chemicals that crush your skin like the Exxon Valdez oil spill did the world ecological system. The only reason that this information is not more widely disseminated via the mainstream media outlets is that insurance companies arer in bed with the convential medical community; which means that doctors are very well paid to provide drugs to us, the lowly patients, that doctors know is not the best for our horrific skin conditions.

This being said: Alternative Therapies are Definitely Legit and we will discuss 3 Today.

1. Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbs have long been used in the treatment of chronic skin diseases. The use of Chinese herbs is a part of an age old system which sees disease as an imbalance and disharmony in the body's energy system. The ultimate aim of Chinese herbs is to address the underlying disharmony by the use of a mixture of herbs which can be given in tea, tablet or cream form. Note, usually a practitioner will tailor the herbal prescription to the individual and no two patients are treated in exactly the same way.

2. Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with highly diluted substances that trigger the body's natural system of healing. The substances come from plants, minerals and animal sources and are usually prescribed in tablet, pill, granule or powder form. Homeopathy seems to be very effective way to treat allergies and skin complaints such as eczema. Recent research has shown that homeopathic treatment can help reduce the symptoms of eczema as well as help the person on a psychological level. In fact, one particular study found that patients who had homeopathic treatment were likely to improve considerably with the effects lasting for as long as eight years.

3. Hypnotherapy

The aim of hypnotherapy is to induce a state of complete calm and relaxation in order to facilitate changes to behavior, emotions, and habits. This type of treatment can be extremely useful in the treatment of eczema by reducing stress and breaking the habits that make eczema worse such as scratching! We know thast stress can aggravate the eczema symptoms making you way more stressed out-a vicious cycle! Research has shown that hypnotherapy can help control the pain and discomfort, as well as improve the quality of sleep along with reduciong emotions such as anxiety, fear, low self confidence, and self-esteem.

So, to answer the question, "are alternative therapies an alternative, the answe would be that reasearch has shown that using Chinese herbs, homeopathic remedies and hypnotherapy can indeed be beneficial. Apart from reducing symptoms, alternative therapies can help you feel less stressed, more positive and in control of your life.

P.S. What eczema sufferer couldn't use these improvements?

Eczema and Your Attitude: A Closer Look at How a Positive Mental Attitude Can Help Eliminate Eczema.

Have you ever noticed that everyone that either has eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, or diabetes or writes about it never seems to include ATTITUDE into the equation.

OK I'm a 200 lb. man and I need 100 ounces of water daily to eliminate my itchy skin condition. This fact may be true but facts such as this one only address the quantitative and qualitative aspects of managing skin conditions and omit the value of the power of the mind in eliminating physical ailments and chronic health conditions.

Because I and many members of my family have always suffered from eczema, acne, obesity, and diabetes, I feel that I am highly qualified to make this statement: "Without having the right Positive Mental Attitude, we will never conquer our health issues." The body has an uncanny ability to live out our dreams and repair our bodies to match our visualizations.

A famous lecturer and motivational speaker named Zig Ziglar expresses it best when he states: "In order to achieve it you must be able to achieve it."

I only wanted to express these ideas to my audience because I feel that through my extensive research on eczema and related health issues that this ATTITUDE word can be the X factor in conquering the Eczema Nazis and achieving our dreams.!

Obesity and How It Affects Those With Psoriasis

While the headline may seem somewhat cliche, it is never the less entirely true that we as human beings are what we eat and drink throughout our entire lives. It therefore follows that in the same way as your psoriasis and eczema is a part and parcel of you, so is your diet. The conclusion is that one has some effect on the other.
Attempting to consume a diet that is going to help to keep your psoriasis or eczema well-managed is all about a diet rich in essential vitamins and minerals, along with plenty of fresh juices and water, while avoiding foodstuffs such as peanuts, foods high in saturated fats, and alcoholic beverages that could amplify your situation.
According to leading dermatologist Janet Prystwsky, there are many studies that support the idea that psoriasis has a tendency to cause certain nutritional deficiencies in sufferers. Moreover, what is perhaps less well known is that many physicians have noted that the skin of psoriasis sufferers often improves when they are on a weight loss diet.

Some quick facts about obesity in the U.S. are as follows:

• Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled among adults. About 60 million adults, or 30% of the adult population are obese
• Similarly, since 1980, overweight rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents-increasing the number of years they are exposed to the health risks of obesity and psoriasis and eczema in most cases, along with suffering from allergies.
• Direct health costs attributable to obesity have been estimated at $52 billion in 1995 and $75 billion in 2003.

P.S. It is easy to determine that with the way obesity is rising sharply in the U.S. that is not surprising that roughly 20%-30% of Americans have psoriasis.

OMG Will This Psoriasis Just Go Away!

Warm weather usually means a return to shorts and T-shirts and relaxing trips to the beach, but for the millions of Americans with psoriasis, summer can be a far more stressful time of the year.
The primary purpose of this blog post is to tell the world what I have learned from my personal experience about an inexpensive and very effective treatment for eczema. Because psoriasis is a very similar affliction, there's a good chance that this treatment would be effective for psoriasis as well.
Eczema, similar to psoriasis, refers to very dry and very itchy skin condition that is not contagioys and can't be passed from one person to another by contact. These like conditions do have a higher incidence in children and adults that have allergies such as hay fever or other pollen related problems or asthma.
It is no wonder that as persons who suffer with psoriasis and eczema continue to lose their jobs and health benefits that cost effective skin treatments would be on the rise to avoid the abyss of itchy skin and weird looks.
1st. treatment: apply warm olive oil to the affected areas. This will help moisturize cracked skin. It's important to make sure the skin and areas covered are not bleeding or infected. If so, it might be time to go to the doctor instead of trying any inexpensive home remedy.
2nd. treatment: try zinc from your neighborhood health food store. Zinc is not only inexpensive but it really works on eczema and psoriasis over time. I would recommend "chelated" zinc because zinc is a mineral and minerals are not easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Back in the early 1980's scientists discovered that by chemically linking minerals to amino acids, which are easily absorbable, these minerals are more useful; this process is called chelation. Good luck with these two treatment options and have a great summer!