FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCEWhen I was 9 (in 1970), a dermatologist at Ohio State University gave my parents some prescription for a concoction that the pharmacist had to mix up himself. I now have no idea what it was mixed up of. Did they use steroid ointments back then? Whatever it was, it cured my eczema within 24 hours. I only wish there were a way I could find out what it was now. I would get it in a heartbeat -- especially if I knew it was not a steroid.
In the meantime, the modern prescriptions your dermatologist is most likely to prescribe these days, is a steroid... which causes permanent damage to your skin... thinning your skin permanently. Not good.
Here's what else has worked really well for me over the years:
- Alpha Keri Bath Oil (not Keri lotion, Alpha Keri oil): soaking is a bath of it
- Alpha Keri bar soap (not Keri, Alpha Keri)
- To get that much needed sleep, take half a benedryl (or generic drug store brand "benedryl equivalent") every 4 hours. you'll sleep + you won't scratch = allowing it to heal in the night (instead of getting worse). My doctor says there is no safer, non-addictive, drug in the world.
- Aloe Vera - the juicy insides of the leaf, applied topically helps. You can buy a whole leaf for $1.
- If you have a flare up on a hand, try putting on whatever ointment you prefer, then cover it with a disposable latex glove. this should allow you to continue to use that hand, type, etc... and even allow you to sleep with it on... hopefully discouraging scratching or messing with it.
- Sun, or tanning beds, help
None of these things has ever cured it -- except that mystery prescription cream I got back in 1970...
A Side Note: Some mention, below, using baby shampoo.... and they have no idea why it works... I can tell you why baby shampoo works. Baby shampoo contains a mild anaesthesia in it! That's why it's "no more tears". People don't know that! They are giving this to their babies -- an anaesthesia -- without their knowledge! ( ...which is probably why it helps eczema... killing the itching/pain. )
EXCERPTS FROM A VERY LENGTHY BLOG COMMENTS PAGE ( excerpts taken from:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf738743.tip.html )
The following are things people there have claimed have really helped them... And other related comments.
Shea Butter 100%
Bare Minerals
Lidex cream
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula (Fragrance Free)
Neosporin
soaking in a bath with Dead Dea salts in it is very helpful
Noxema
Cerave cream
tanning bed
Anastasia body cream
Triamcinolone .1% (worked overnight)
Hydroxyzine, to stop the itching at night
Vaseline
small portable fan blowing on the affected area
a cause: food allergies: chocolate, sugar. a solution: juice fasts
swimming in salt water
sun
keeping it dry
no hot showers or baths
Bag Balm
not to use soap
use Ivory or Dove soap
Crisco (Vaseline has petroleum, not good for your skin)
cause: stress
"My dermatologist suggested putting smaller injections of the cortisone in the wounds themselves. I had nearly 100 shots on my toes and feet. Yes it was difficult and mildly painful, but nothing compared to what the scratching was doing. I had no top layer of skin. It has been 13 years now, and I have gone thru many more stressful times in my life, but it has not been back."
"I find that neosporin works wonders no joke. It helps clear it up and it moisturizes."
"Try removing foods from your diet like milk, eggs, and flour. Do this slowly and see if it makes a difference."
"I finally go rid of it (all any my new patches) by getting some sun on my leg. It's the UV that does it, so don't use sunblock! I have to be REALLY careful not to burn myself because that would just make it worse, but by getting just a little bit of sun each day (or you can use a tanning salon in winter) and keeping it moisturized, it is completely gone and I have no scars."
"I hated the side effects of the steroids. I thought I'd just try the antibiotics alone and what do you know, everything cleared up. I believe eczema has more to do with dealing with a skin bacteria rather than trying to suppress our immune system."
"I use unrefined shea butter (make sure it's unrefined - basically just scraped out of the nut and plopped in the jar. do a google search and you'll find a number of places that sell it). It was like a miracle after years of steroids and other lotions and therapies. I've also found that noxzema helps if I get itchy."
"Prednisone is horrible!! I also have asthma and have taken it every year. I cried when my doctor prescribed it for me again. I will never take it again, I feel like I am not in my own skin."
"The best thing has been mentioned and that is not to stress, or at least find a way that you can destress. It will have to be your own way. I like yoga, cooking and drawing. Especially cooking ;) "
"I never eat eggs and I don't drink milk very often. This was true with my late teens so it makes me wonder if I have or had an allergy to them. My son started out just like me with allergies, asthma, and eczema from birth. Not wanting him to suffer I had him tested for the causes of his allergies. He has quite a list but at the top were eggs and dairy products."
"It helps me to go to the tanning salon for a few minutes...at first skin is more inflamed, but next day better. exercise helps too. i also get worse with sweat, but after exercising for a week, and just trudging through the worsening, it really gets better. my thought is that the exercise helps with the stress (life stress or just stress of dealing with eczema). also, confronting and dealing with any anger in your life, is necessary to truly recover for long periods of time. I really think that some people get ulcers, some heart disease, some eczema, as a result of genetics and stress. we can't control genetics (at this point), but we can deal with negative stress to at least somewhat help our eczema."
"Soak in a bath of epsom salt, peroxide, and oatmeal...with about a capful of tea tree oil."
"Drink tons of water to hydrate your skin from the inside out."
"She has been feeding herself with pro-biotic and it works wonders. It not only helped her with her eczema problem but also with her overall health and especially it has improved her immune system tremendously. Remember, powder and liquid form does not work, only the live one works."
fish oil capsules
"The vaseline made mine much worse, since it has a petroleum base."
"Hot showers are bad."
"Zinc supplements work well, my zinc level was very low when tested."
"Noxzema has worked well for me."
"Found out I was allergic to soy, much better since eliminating that."
"Selsun Blue has cleared up my scalp completely, what a joy!"
"...food allergies. Wheat and dairy are a major trigger for eczema, it's also considered an autoimmune disease."
"Celiac disease (wheat intolerance that 1 in 5 people have but don't know it) and dairy allergy my eczema seemed to go away."
"...taking supplements like fish oil (pure that you have to refrigerate and not from costco)."
evening primrose oil and borage oil
"A chemical called SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE is something that really causes skin irritations and eczema. It is in almost everything you use that needs to foam. Soap, Shampoo, toothpast...to name a few."
Eucerin, over the counter, worked wonders
baby shampoo
aveeno
aquaphor lotion (over the counter and is by the makers of eucerin lotion)
Cetaphil
Eucerin lotion and cetaphil wash for face and body. I can use Dove White. But no product with perfumes.
"The paediatrician told my parents to bathe me in epsom salts water."
"...told by an old country doctor to mix boracic acid in vaseline and use as a salve."
"The Dr. prescribed Desonide Ointment 0.05%. This has cleared my eczema completely."
"Avoid hot water. It makes it worse. In fact my dr. suggested avoiding a 'complete' bath every day."
"Try a tanning bed. I saw an immediate improvement, and after my third visit, it was completely gone. (I stayed in only about ten minutes each time; the goal is not to get an actual tan.)"
"My doctor prescribed something new to me. Its called Clobetasol Propionate Ointment. Its amazing how fast this stuff worked for me. There is such a change in the appearance of my skin in one application."
"The doctor told me to limit the amount of acidic foods you eat. We don't eat a lot of high acid foods like anything made with tomatoes-- ketchup, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce. And don't eat too many oranges,lemons, limes, grapefruit and limit the juice you drink from these fruits."
"Flair ups from Eczema are usually caused from an allergy.
Try visiting an Allergist and get tested for what might be causing your flair ups."
What has worked for you?
Posted via email from Bruce's Journal
