7 effective protocols for eczema treatment as recommended by a medical doctor to avoid the use of steroids and other medications.
Eczema is one of the most common skin conditions in the world with at least 31.6 million sufferers in the United States alone. Ironically, despite the high prevalence of this disease, there is a persistent lack of effective eczema treatment for moderate to severe cases.
Among children, the prevalence of eczema is roughly 11% and as high as 18.1% in individual states. Approximately one out of every three children with eczema suffers from moderate to severe disease.
What’s more, these children do not tend to outgrow the condition. Research suggests that the prevalence of eczema in adults is only slightly lower than cases of childhood eczema.
The standard conventional treatment for eczema is topical steroids such as hydrocortisone. While this eczema treatment magically clears up the skin within a matter of days, it can drive the disease deeper into the body with more serious negative health repercussions over the long term. In addition, steroid creams have serious side effects such as blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, uneven heartbeat, sleep problems, and weight gain or puffiness.
As a result, resolution of eczema via holistic, nontoxic therapies is of paramount importance so as not to cause additional health woes through a drug-based approach to illness. With this in mind, here are 7 nontoxic suggestions for eczema treatment that have worked effectively in my practice over the years.
In addition to the therapies below, Sally Fallon Morell, co-author of The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care, suggests the application of organic raw apple cider vinegar to help dry up and heal eczema lesions by restoring proper pH balance to the skin.
She also suggests the elimination of pasteurized dairy even if organic and switching to whole, unpasteurized grass-fed milk which oftentimes produces miraculous results as a food-based eczema treatment!
Healthy Fat and Probiotic Supplementation
For eczema and atopic dermatitis, the GAPS Diet along with a cod liver oil and probiotic supplement can prove extremely helpful.
In addition, an oil mixture containing multiple seed oils such as evening primrose oil (for gamma-linolenic acid), coconut oil and flaxseed oil can prove effective for eczema treatment. The brand I recommend is YES Essential Fatty Acid Blend. The dosage is 2 capsules, 2 times per day.
Dermrash Cream
An effective, holistic alternative to drug-based steroid cream like hydrocortisone is Dermrash by Dr. Kang. The primary ingredient of Dermrash is Sophora, an herb commonly used in Chinese medicine to counteract allergies. This is accomplished by stabilizing the mast cells, which produce histamine in the body. I have seen severe cases of eczema clear up with this sole remedy when this cream is applied to affected skin.
Consumption of Sea Vegetables
Detoxification is important for the resolution of eczema problems. Sea vegetables are helpful to this end. They easily bind with heavy metals and other toxins metabolically. This facilitates more rapid excretion through bowel movements.
A good strategy is to use a quality brand, tested for purity that is available in capsule form. A safe and effective dosage for treatment of eczema from mild to severe is 1-2 capsules, 2 times per day.
Seaweed Baths
Seaweed baths soothe and nourish the skin and provide another avenue for detoxification via the body’s largest organ.
They are particularly helpful for treating eczema by gently exfoliating the skin. This allows it to breathe and regenerate healthy skin tissue more quickly.
Thymus Extract
If the eczema flare-up seems to be related to shots, Thuja Thymus Complex from Uriel pharmacy can be used. The dosage is 3 pellets under the tongue first thing in the morning for treatment of eczema and atopic dermatitis. Thuja is the homeopathic remedy for reactions.
The thymus extract helps to stimulate the thymus gland to normalize the immune response to the shots. The thymus gland makes T cells, which are an important player in the immune system.
Note that research suggests that the use of sucralose or “Splenda” in the diet can shrink the thymus gland. So be sure to avoid this alternative sweetener.
Protomorphogen of the Skin
A protomorphogen is an extract from the same tissue type as that involved in the underlying illness. For issues with atopic dermatitis, the eczema treatment suggested is Dermatrophin from Standard Process which is a protomorphogen of the skin.
This remedy binds the antibodies produced and facilitates excretion through the bowels instead of eruptions and inflammation of the skin. The dosage for eczema treatment is 1 tablet, 3 times per day, ideally between meals.
Eczema Treatment for Skin Infections
Sometimes eczema lesions can result in infections. This is something to watch out for and be very careful to discourage. If, despite your best efforts, skin infections are a problem, I recommend Andographis Complex to help them clear and heal quickly. The dosage for eczema treatment is 1-2 tablets per day. Continue until the infection is resolved.
Learn More About Holistic Baby and Child Care
If you found this information on holistic eczema treatment encouraging and would like to learn more about how to care for your child in a non-toxic manner, my 300+ page book The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care could be a helpful resource for you! It provides suggestions and alternatives to conventional medical advice from pre-pregnancy right through to the adolescent years.
References
The National Eczema Association, Eczema Prevalence
More Information
The Top 8 Eczema Food Triggers
Eczema Treatment: Avoiding the Drug Based Domino Effect
Tips for Eczema Relief NOW While You are Healing from Within
What is the GAPS Diet?
Speed Gut Healing and Shorten Time on the GAPS Diet
Seaweed Wrap: Nourishes and Detoxifies
The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes
Suggestions on how to get my two year old to take the Andrographis complex? It’s very strong so she finds it quickly in applesauce or yogurt. Thank you.
The only thing that has helped my daughter’s eczema is homeopathy. We started her out with diet change, then got rid of certain foods in her diet, then I introduced different supplements (with help from a naturopath), tried a million different lotions, oils and creams, tried the hydrogen peroxide, oatmeal and Aalgo seaweed baths. All those things gave her some improvement, but only for a short amount of time. She’s been on a certain homeopathy protocol for a couple months now and even in the first four days I noticed an improvement in her skin and itchiness. We were just treading water for an entire year not making any progress. Now after just 10 weeks using this protocol I’m slowly reintroducing food back into her diet. She can now eat eggs and citrus foods again without a flare up! It’s truly amazing what this has done for her!
Thank you for your post which is very helpful as my son at the age of 3 months started having eczema and he is now 42 years old. He has tried all the protocols you have listed in your post. He is now on only a steamed chicken and steamed vegetable diet with hardly much improvement. Is is possible to get the name of the homeopathic doctor who has treated your child. It would be greatly appreciated.
Can you share what homeopathy your daughter was taking?
I am 56 and at 53 I started having eczema on my hands. Creams, extra vitamins, extra water, eczema lotions didn’t help. For a whole different reason, starting a month ago I went on a raw milk diet for 3 days and have continues with a quart of it a day. Exzema gone!!
No mention of homeopathy?
The Thuja remedy mentioned above is homeopathic.
Hello! Thanks for the information and the tips! I have eczema since two years ago. For me it has been really difficult to control it because of my type of skin, it is really sensitive when it comes to eczema treatments. The best treatment that I’ve tried is foderma, it has helped me a lot and I’ll appreciate if you have more tips or product reviews, thanks!!
DERMRASH from Dr. Kang’s formula MAY contain STEROIDS (like hydrocortisone).
I ordered the Dermrash cream directly from Dr. KANGS in San Francisco, CA. I then read a review from amazon stating it could have steroids so I called Dr. Kang’s formula directly in San Francisco. Here’s what they told me:
* if you have any questions about the ingredients just cancel the order. We don’t have a lot of stock and nag people order it.
* it has Sophora and another herb. I cannot reveal the rest of the ingredients because this cream is made in China and it’s a secret formula (they don’t want anyone replicating the cream.) Business is done differently in the US vs China.
Given the above response, I canceled the order. How can I use a cream that is made in China with secret ingredients and Sophora? Perhaps it works so quickly because those secret ingredients include steroids/hydrocortisone 2% (exactly what we are trying to avoid).