Ahh questions, questions, questions and a response for those who don't want to read back thru my blog.
Social life and Eczema
Eczema started with me in my young teenage years, first only a small area was affected and into my late teens spread on my face, neck an body. The docs were busy prescribing higher doses of cortisone which would appear to improve the skin, but really my skin was becoming addicted to cortisone in the pursuit to see "nice" looking skin.
I had scaley scabby skin, but never let that interfere with my social life, nor my sporting life. Growing up I realised that people had all sorts of hang ups. At A'Levels other slim gals would compare their body sizes against me, wishing to have my body size!!! Or they would comment about how much weight they've put on (they're slim!). Self-awareness is high on the agenda and skin disorders are rife amongst teenages - greasy skin, spots, dry skin, psorasis....and me with eczema. So I would just get the elephant out of the way and tell folks I had eczema and want that meant. Once that was out of the way, no one really cared.....well those that did kept on telling me not to scratch or hit my hand off my skin - which irritated me even more and made me scratch more vigourously.
I had to stop and not be forced to stop by someone else.
Eczema did not and has not stopped my social or sporting life because I did not allow it to.
Sport and Eczema
Sweat causes my eczema to become worst. On the eczema areas, this is because the skin is broken and becomes irritated. However have also found that during times of "low sleep" and "low hydration", the sweat can cause intense areas of itchiness. When am feeling that am going to be itchy during sport, I now take a quarter of an anti-histamine tablet before sport. When I have had good sleep and hydrated beforehand, there is none to low intensity of itchiness. Hydrating during sport is important to keep the itch at bay.
Winter and Eczema
The more active I am during winter, the eczema has a smaller area. This has probably to due with my skin being able to sweat out "stuff". Additionally I have been experimenting with taking 5000 iu vitamin D3. This appears to cause my skin, hair and nails to grow faster. Due to frostbite on my finger and it going necrotic, have increased the dosage to 10,000 iu + omega 3 oils. Probably throw in some ginger tea and gingko nuts to aid circulation.
My eczema toolkit contains some antihistamine and weak moisturing creams. Petroleum vaseline is no longer in my winter kit as it appears to aggrevate my skin.
Sleep and Eczema
We spend about 1/4 of our lives sleeping which is good for healing! Sleep deprivation (unfortunately I am a little bit of an insomniac) causes you to be stroppy and can cause the eczema to itch for no apparent reason.
With so much time in bed, clean and dust your room, to reduce dust mites. Sleep is really very beneficial. So if you find you're in that crazy lack of sleep due to itchiness, it is worth cleaning up your body (food and water) and taking a little antihistamine to help control the bad time. Once you're under control, ditch the antihistamine.
I don't like drugs, and have found a quarter of an antihistamine is sufficient as indicated above, especially a week before my period when my head does not appear to like sleeping!!!
Food and Eczema
When we have eczema, lots of different types of food can appear to cause the eczema to become itchy. When you clean up your body, those foods that appeared to cause the eczema to become more pronounced will have less of an effect. MSG, peanuts and peaches can still cause me a problem.
I cleaned up by eating raw, freshly grown veggies every day for a couple of months and fish. My skin cleared up totally and my local GP asked me what I did! I found I can now use seasame oil which once before would have appeared to irritate the skin on my throat!
I also do find herbal teas help to relax me if I am feeling itchy. Fennel is a favourite for me.
Holistic Approaches
Unfortunately I believe there are many GPs who are owned by the pharmaceutical companies. They are too fast to prescribe medicines when there are other ways to cure a disorder. During 2012, I had swollen fingers on my right hand and was prescribed anti-inflammatories. At the end of the year I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome (as well as restless leg syndrome) - more drugs and potential surgery. Thankfully a friend intervened and asked me to try massage therapy. This friend felt "blocked energy" from the shoulder down to the finger. After 2 weeks of massage therapy my fingers were no longer swollen. I returned to the neurosurgeon's clinic to have more tests. I no longer have carpel tunnel syndrome! My friend's details are here: Sarah Chevasse.
So look at your eczema problem more holistically before you start on the cycle of medicines and steroids. Change your life and begin to heal. I hope the above helps you discover what will work for you.
