Natural Treatment for Eczema
Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that appears as an itchy, red rash all over the body. It is mostly found on the inside of the elbows, behind the knees, neck, wrists, and ankles. Babies can have eczema on their cheeks and chin, and sometimes, on their body, scalp, and outer arms and legs. There are a number of reasons eczema can flare up such as environmental factors, genetics, immunological factors, and food allergies and/or intolerances.
We have seen a lot of people who have suffered with eczema and have tried many different options to treat it. Some people have had such bad flare-ups that they don’t feel comfortable wearing shorts. Everyone experiences eczema differently, but overall the experience can be painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing when the flare-up is on a region of the skin that is visually present.
How we can help
To get to the bottom of the reason for the flare-up and start treating eczema naturally, our Toronto naturopath must first do a thorough medical history to help determine the root cause. This medical history could mean looking at blood work, and reviewing lifestyle and dietary factors. Once we have identified the cause we then have the person start on a special diet to help reduce inflammation in the body which ultimately helps to calm down the flare-up.
There are two main common triggers. The first is a food intolerance which may be linked to what we call a leaky gut. In this case there is inflammation in the digestive tract which stops the digestive tract from being a barrier that controls what enters the body and instead has holes where large food particles can enter the blood. These food pieces will trigger an immune response which can have the body go into an autoimmune like behaviour which comes out as eczema. Two things need to happen. We need to identify which food or foods is triggering the autoimmune response and heal the digestive system so things are not leaking through. Lastly, there is a strong link between stress and eczema because stress will change how the body handles inflammation and alters the immune system. By addressing one part and not the whole people will not see full resolution of the eczema. It’s very important to look at the whole person and not just the skin.
How we are different
What is important to know is that deep healing will take time, and it may take a few weeks or months (depending on how bad the flare-up is) to fully heal the skin. However, often the itchy and red, painful skin can calms down rather rapidly. At Greystones Health we use a combination of sophisticated lab testing and biochemistry analysis in combination with natural products, diet and lifestyle. This integrative approach of traditional and modern science is very effective.
We know this can be a trying time for people, so we are here to support in any way we can to make this healing process easier.
Our focus on naturally healing the skin to clear up acne, psoriasis, and eczema without medications, is based on healing from the inside out. That is, when you address the underlying cause for the skin condition. In holistic medicine, we look at the whole person, not just the condition, such as acne.
If you are only treating the skin condition topically then you are not addressing the root cause, which means the condition is likely to keep recurring. In our experience, the majority of skin conditions result from some type of digestive disorder, which is in turn linked to hormones. It’s a matter of identifying that root cause and setting you on your path to healthy skin.