Eczema: what it is, self-help, and how a homeopath approaches it

Although many children grow out of eczema, many more are left suffering

The disease

Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is one of a group of atopic diseases that include asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), food and insect bite allergies. Atopic refers to an inherited tendency to develop these allergic diseases [1]. They are an over-reaction of the body’s immune system to allergens. On the first exposure the immune system is primed to recognise the allergen, from the second exposure onwards there is a swift over-reaction.

In the case of eczema, the skin becomes inflamed and itches, it may also crack and weep, and this in turn could become infected. For some, the extent of the discomfort is so great as to cause sleeplessness, and given our skin is what we present to the world, it can cause lowered self-esteem and even depression. The disease is most often seen in infants, and for many they grow out of it, but others go on to suffer long-term into adulthood.

Conventional treatment

Conventional medicine has no cure for eczema, but patients may be offered topical or oral cortico-steroids that can help manage and reduce symptoms in a flare-up. Long-term use of steroids can cause thinning of the skin, widening of blood vessels under the skin, and stretch marks, as well as adrenal suppression leading to fatigue, low mood, and weight loss. As people with eczema are also likely to be being treated with steroids for another atopic disease, this can have a cumulative effect. Many people with eczema are well aware of these potential side effects [2].

In a small number of people, use and then discontinuation of steroids leads to topical steroid withdrawal syndrome, also known as red skin syndrome. Here, the skin becomes extremely red and inflamed, even to the point of being unable to tolerate clothes against the skin, causing distress, and potentially disability, as the person can no longer leave the house.

Topical steroid withdrawal reactions are recognised by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, usually after long-term continuous use [3]. If you are worried about your steroid treatment, or want to reduce or stop it, talk to your GP or pharmacist first. Stopping suddenly is itself when withdrawal reactions tend to appear, so any change is best planned with your prescriber.

Self-help

There are lifestyle changes that someone with eczema can make to help their own situation.

• Increasing water intake improves skin hydration, particularly if you do not usually drink much [4]

• Increasing fresh fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the symptoms of eczema as they have natural anti-inflammatory qualities [5]

• Avoiding inflammatory response-inducing agents such as external pollutants of smoke, dust and mould, and personal-care products containing parabens and other preserving agents [6]

• Some people find particular foods make their eczema worse. Evidence does not support cutting out milk or gluten unless an allergy has been confirmed [7][8], so speak to your GP or a dietitian before removing foods, especially from a child’s diet. Limiting sugary drinks is sensible in any case [9]

• Adding probiotics to the diet helps rebalance the microbiome in the gut which in turn denatures potential allergens, and regulates the immune response, reducing symptoms [10][11]

• Using petroleum-free emollient creams straight after bathing to protect the skin and retain more moisture, and potentially reducing itching. Consider one that includes Calendula, Stellaria, and Urtica Urens

For pregnant women, where there is a genetic predisposition to allergic diseases from either the father or mother, it has been shown that in addition to the above steps, exposing yourself and your infant in its early years to hairy pets, and accessing a wide variety of environments including farms, can help build immunity by creating a diverse microbiome, which helps regulate the immune system. Having a natural birth and breastfeeding where possible, may also help reduce the infant’s susceptibility to developing eczema [12][13].

If you are just at the planning stage of pregnancy, you may be interested to know that babies born in spring are slightly less likely to develop eczema than those born in autumn or winter [14].

How a homeopath approaches eczema

Homeopathy is a system of complementary medicine used by many people around the world. I work alongside your conventional care, not in place of it.

A homeopath will consider not just the symptoms of the individual’s disease, but all of their characteristics to choose an approach particular to them. It will take into consideration what originally caused the disease, and in what circumstances it is better or worse.

For example, someone may come from an atopic family but not have any symptoms until they suffer a grief, at which point the eczema develops. Thereafter they may notice that it goes away when they are at the seaside, but gets worse if they drink milk. The eczema may have started as small circular patches that are red rings with normal looking skin inside the ring, the rings then get bigger and join together.

A different patient may develop eczema as the winter draws in. Their eczema may be in larger patches and be intolerably itchy, with cracks in the skin that weep. They won’t be able to tolerate wool next to their skin and may find that every time they stop taking their steroids the eczema comes back worse than before. These people are likely to react badly to insect bites.

These two different pictures each have a group of remedies associated with them. A homeopath will ask their patient questions that further individualise their case, based on their mental, emotional, and physical picture as well as how they react to their environment and food. Eczema is a long-term condition, so I usually see people over a period of time, with follow-up appointments becoming less frequent.

If you would like to talk through how I work, you can book a free 15 minute introduction on my booking page.

References

[1] American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Atopy defined. aaaai.org [2] Barta K, Fonacier LS, Hart M, Lio P, Tullos K, Sheary B, Winders TA. Corticosteroid exposure and cumulative effects in patients with eczema: Results from a patient survey. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Jan;130(1):93-99.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2022.09.031. Epub 2022 Sep 30. PMID: 36191848 [3] Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Topical steroid withdrawal reactions: a review of the evidence. 15 September 2021. gov.uk [4] Douladiris N, Vakirlis E, Vassilopoulou E. Atopic Dermatitis and Water: Is There an Optimum Water Intake Level for Improving Atopic Skin? Children. 2023;10(2):273. doi: 10.3390/children10020273 [5] Antonogeorgos G, Mandrapylia M, Liakou E, Koutsokera A, Drakontaeidis P, Thanasia M, Ellwood P, García-Marcos L, Sardeli O, Priftis KN, Panagiotakos D, Douros K. Hierarchical analysis of Mediterranean Dietary pattern on atopic diseases' prevalence in adolescence: The Greek Global Asthma Network study. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2022 Sep 1;50(5):114-120. doi: 10.15586/aei.v50i5.665. PMID: 36086971. [6] Vindenes HK, Svanes C, Lygre SHL, Real FG, Ringel-Kulka T, Bertelsen RJ. Exposure to environmental phenols and parabens, and relation to body mass index, eczema and respiratory outcomes in the Norwegian RHINESSA study. Environ Health. 2021 Jul 13;20(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12940-021-00767-2. PMID: 34256787; PMCID: PMC8278607. [7] Bath-Hextall F, Delamere FM, Williams HC. Dietary exclusions for established atopic eczema. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(1):CD005203. cochrane.org [8] Gluten intake and risk of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and atopic dermatitis among United States women. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Mar;82(3):661-665. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.08.007. PMID: 31404570. [9] Muniz AKOA, Vianna EO, Padilha LL, Nascimento JXPT, Batista RFL, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Ribeiro CCC. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Allergy Traits at Second Year of Life: BRISA Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2023;15(14):3218. doi: 10.3390/nu15143218 [10] Yeşilova Y, Çalka Ö, Akdeniz N, Berktaş M. Effect of probiotics on the treatment of children with atopic dermatitis. Ann Dermatol. 2012 May;24(2):189-93. Doi: 10.5021/ad.2012.24.2.189. Epub 2012 Apr 26. PMID: 22577270; PMCID: PMC3346910. [11] Shi LH, Balakrishnan K, Thiagarajah K, Mohd Ismail NI, Yin OS. Beneficial Properties of Probiotics. Trop Life Sci Res. 2016 Aug;27(2):73-90. doi: 10.21315/tlsr2016.27.2.6. PMID: 27688852; PMCID: PMC5031164. [12] Jackson-Browne MS, Henderson N, Patti M, Spanier A, Braun JM. The Impact of Early-Life Exposure to Antimicrobials on Asthma and Eczema Risk in Children. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2019 Dec;6(4):214-224. doi: 10.1007/s40572-019-00256-2. PMID: 31745828; PMCID: PMC6923583. [13] Rahman T, Sarwar PF, Potter C, Comstock SS, Klepac-Ceraj V. Role of human milk oligosaccharide metabolizing bacteria in the development of atopic dermatitis/eczema. Front Pediatr. 2023 Mar 20;11:1090048. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1090048. PMID: 37020647; PMCID: PMC10069630 [14] Calov M, Alinaghi F, Hamann CR, Silverberg J, Egeberg A, Thyssen JP. The Association Between Season of Birth and Atopic Dermatitis in the Northern Hemisphere: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(2). doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.10.007