Steroid Creams & Marketing Lies

Louise's comments:

"Did you know steroid creams can themselves be a cause for eczema type rashes?

Users typically treat a small patch with cortisone, only to find that it comes back after a week or two. This can lead to a spiral of addiction. Try natural methods for relief instead.

More info can be found at itsan.org. Itsan is a charity helping people who are suffering with steroid cream dependent eczema."

Thank you Louise for your comment. I totally agree! Thank you for the reminder. I admit after having clear skin and then seeing the eczema spreading up my body, I panicked and let the GP take control!

Steroid creams will give you temporary relief. They do not cure eczema. I believe steroid creams are a marketing ploy by the greedy pharmaceuticals. Basic marketing principles: create need, then you have a market. I am seeing this lie over and over again in industries (petrol cars, bagged vacuum cleaners, running shoes & diet!!!) I was in a Health Food shop today and a customer had asked for a specific product for a particular condition. The customer service/salesman told her that it appears that the product might not be effective from proof on the web. She bought something else, however the salesman's manager was not happy as this went against the principles of selling. The product is in the shop because we sell it and one has to sell what the customer has requested even though it might not be right because that customer will be back to purchase more in the belief the product was helping her.

I'm with the salesman on this occasion.

The only cure for eczema is to remove the irritant from one's environment. I became blaise with my diet; blaise with the amount of time I spent outside (my skin likes sunshine but like many I hate going outside in the winter months); blaise with my water drinking..... The only reward I have received is my body returning to the itch cycle although thankfully the skin is not flaking as badly as it once had as though I have patches that are very itchy, the whole body is mildly itchy (means I can tolerate it).

I have stopped using the steroid cream. The GP wanted me to wean of the steroid cream by first using it continuously, then every other day, then every 2 days, etc. I have done this before. The steroid cream did ease off the itching but the eczema returned once I had stopped using it.

This is to remind myself that using steroid creams is useless. It sucks you into believing, hoping that it will cure and then makes you step onto the treadmill of dependency! It brings short term relief but does not heal eczema. I wrote this many moons ago. I have just seen this on myself again and on a little niece whose mother is desperate to get her little daughter's eczema under control. GPs prescribed us both cortisone creams. The little one's eczema has got worst, so the GP prescribed a stronger cortisone. Have recommended to her mother to get her an allergy/sensitivity test.

Our greedy economics have integrated into all parts of our society. With the internet we can begin to unravel the lies corporates have got us believing! It is time to change our destructive economics.

Thanks for reading my rant.

At War

It's been awhile since I last wrote. Must remember to never become blaise even when it appears the skin has recovered. Am at war with my skin again.


The face has fought with me as it really hates the winter central heating. I like the place cold but no one else does! Anyhow appear to have got this now under better control with constant heavy moisturising.

With repeated nagging from someone within my group, had to apply someone's 0.5% cortisone cream under the eye as that was really bad on the 3rd day of presenting technical babble to a group. That one application seems to have helped greatly having burned off a part of the bad skin. Two weeks later the eye has continued to heal. Hmmm.

At the end of December I started to having round flakey patches on my legs that became progressively itchy. I thought it was ring worm and treated it with an antifungal cream. This appeared to increase the itchiness. The round flakey patches continued to spread gradually up the body. It appears to be a cross between eczema and psoriasis. My cousin gave me some cream that supposedly has helped other eczema sufferers but it appears to have irritated mine. But my skin is fickle. It now likes the heavier petroleum based emollient Epiderm. So am going along with that for the moment.

Doc thinks it is discoid (or nummelar) eczema so has prescribed a cortisone cream. Am dabbling with it to at the very least stop the spread. So have applied it for the last 6 days and then easing off it.

However, re-reading my own blog, I realise I need to be more patient to have a longer term heal. As it is Spring better get some sun on the skin. Has anyone seen the sun today?

Words For Christopher
Thank you for your comment. Very difficult to pin your trigger on one environmental factor. Have found when my eczema is out of control, anything can appear to be "the trigger". So cooler showers might help plus a cooler environment. I keep my heating temperature regulated at 15-17 degs C. Any warmer and the body tells me about it.

In my tool kit are herbal teas as it appears to psychologically make my body calmer. Think it is the smell and taste (have been drinking fenel and an after dinner tea that does not contain caffeine).

Hopefully your training outside will keep things calmer as well. Good luck with the marathon in April :-)

Oh and beware of those nasty "chemi"gels that are supposed to help support your running. Try getting used to breakfast cereal bars, flapjacks, etc or something that will help give you longer lasting energy rather than a short lived sugar high.