Soothe the itch, calm the system
Naturopath and Dannic Drinks founder Gail Matthew shares tips on managing Eczema.
Eczema rarely turns up on its own. It often travels with asthma and hayfever, the three make up what's known as the allergic triad, and they all come down to an immune system running a bit too hot. If you have eczema, asthma or hayfever, chances are you have swapped notes with someone who has one of the other two. The good news is that because they share a root cause, they often respond to the same approach. Instead of only chasing the itch, it helps to look at calming the whole system down. Here is where I would start.
Start in the bath
When the itch is loud and you need relief now, an oat bath is one of the simplest things you can do. Fill an old stocking with plain oats, tie it off, and either drop it into the bath as it fills or hang it under the running tap. Give it a squeeze over your sorest patches, the milky liquid that comes out is what does the work, softening and soothing irritated skin. Warm water, not hot, every time. Hot water feels good for a moment and then makes the itch worse.
Check what's on the plate
Food can be a big piece of the eczema puzzle, and gluten and dairy are the two worth investigating first. Cut both out together for seven to ten days and watch for any change. Then reintroduce them one at a time, giving your body three to five days to react before you draw any conclusions, which is why you only ever challenge one food group at a time. If dairy turns out to be a trigger, it is worth checking the nightshade family too, potato, tomato, chilli, capsicum, eggplant, the two often travel together. If gluten turns out to be the problem, sugar is worth investigating next, these two often go hand in hand.
Support the skin from the inside
As a naturopath, any skin condition sends me looking at the body's channels of elimination. In Chinese medicine, the skin is considered part of the kidney meridian, so supporting the kidneys can genuinely help the skin. Cornsilk, nettle, buchu and dandelion leaf are the herbs I would reach for, taken as a tea or in a kidney or bladder support supplement.
Clean up the environment
Skin already under pressure does not need extra irritants. Swap harsh detergents, perfumed products and washing powders for gentler options, and choose natural fibres worn close to the skin. Wool can be surprisingly irritating too, so keep it as an outer layer rather than next to skin. Reduce stress where you can, yoga and breathwork help, and yes, kids can do this too, since stress is a genuine flare trigger. Keep the house as dust free as possible, and open a window for at least half an hour a day. Stale indoor air encourages mould which can make eczema worse.
A calm gut helps a calm system
Because eczema is so tied up with an immune system working overtime, anything that supports a settled, balanced gut is worth having in your corner. It is not a cure, and it will not replace the steps above, but a daily probiotic habit, a Kc Kombucha with dinner or a shot of The Kefir Co Coconut Kefir Water in the morning, is a gentle way to keep gut balance ticking along while you work on the bigger picture.
Eczema takes patience, it rarely has one single fix, and that's OK. Work through the layers, from the bath to the pantry to the bathroom cabinet, and you will start to see which ones make the biggest difference for you. However you choose to calm things down, we hope your skin, and your immune system, finds a bit more balance soon.
