Skin & Eczema
Eczema [Ek-zeh-muh] is in the dermatitis family of skin conditions – derma meaning skin, itis denoting inflammation.
The word derives from the Greek “to boil over”. To anyone suffering from eczema you will understand exactly why the condition was given this name; an eczema flare feels like your skin is aflame; erupting with itchiness.
Eczema manifests in several forms; atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, neurodermatitis, nummular dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, stasis dermatitis, asteatotic eczema, discoid eczema, dyshidrotic eczema, nummular eczema, and varicose eczema. The trigger could be anything from an allergy to something you’ve touched, to genetics, to a food intolerance, therefore once the form and/or trigger of eczema is understood, targeted dietary & lifestyle programmes are easier to recommend.
Eczema can occur anywhere on the external skin, with the physical manifestation being anything from mildly unsightly to excruciatingly painful & embarrassing. See picture below of my hand during an eczema flare.
Frustratingly, there is not (yet) a single definitive known cause pinpointing why some individuals are born with or latterly develop eczema. As such, there is also not (yet) a ‘one-size-fits-all’ rectification of eczema. This ties-in nicely with Nutritional Therapy since this too considers everyone an individual as it attempts to unravel the complex myriad of diet & lifestyle antecedents - triggers - mediators leading to suboptimal skin health.
This is why Consultations with a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (MBANT, CNHC) can be so beneficial; a highly trained professional will give you dedicated 1:1 time & attention to discuss your symptoms, your chronology and your health experiences in order to formulate a dietary & lifestyle programme entirely tailored to you. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in Nutritional Therapy.
So, how best to tackle eczema from a nutrition, diet & lifestyle perspective? Research is ongoing and everyone’s strategy will be bespoke to them, however three basic ‘taster’ dietary tips which make a good start include:
Colours galore! No, not Fruit Gums / Haribo / Smarties, by colour I mean including a daily palmful of berries, and at least three daily red, orange & green vegetables - preferably organic. These foods tend to be rich in vitamins C, D and E (antioxidants which may help subdue systemic inflammation) and Retinol (a skin-friendly derivative of Vitamin A).
Hail happy fats; the omegas, particularly Ω-3 and Ω-9, found in fish (the slippery, oily type), avocados & olive oil. (Ω-6 is important too, just not in excess as in some cases these foods can be quite pro-inflammatory thus potentially exacerbating eczema … ratios are all-important here.)
Limit sugar, refined sugar. Yes that’s right, cut down (preferably exclude) on bakery products, biscuits, cakes, sweets and refined ‘white’ carbohydrates. If you crave these foods, get in touch for further information and recommendations on dietary diversion techniques which are sustainable for you.
REMEMBER: if you are taking any medications always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist as well as your Doctor before making significant dietary or lifestyle changes. This blog post is written for educational purposes only and in reference to ‘food’. It is NOT advocating taking dietary supplements. It is very important to please always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist or your Doctor before introducing any dietary supplements into your health regime as these qualified professionals will be able to offer personalised recommendations.
After following these tips plus a few more, I managed to get my hand (and external skin) back to looking normal-ish; see pictures below to compare & contrast.
The skin on my hand looking pretty unhealthy during an eczema flare-up.
The skin on my hand looking considerably healthier post-eczema flare-up.
So although it’s not an instant fix or ‘cure’, by following a dietary & lifestyle programme targeted at optimising skin health, positive results are possible.
If eczema is something you are struggling with, get in touch via the contact page on this website, or by emailing info@eatdrinkthinknutrition.co.uk for information on how 1:1 Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition® can help, including some surprisingly easy lifestyle techniques on how to stop scratching. Yes, really, I tried them and astonishingly they work … with a little bit of determination & perseverance!
