What Is Eczema? Why Does It Happen & How Can a Holistic Approach Help?

Introduction

Eczema, often called atopic dermatitis, affects millions of people worldwide — more than 230 million people dealing with this itchy, stubborn skin issue. That is a lot of suffering!

I often see at my clinic that people are tired of trying different skin creams claiming to help with eczema, but in reality, there is no definite cure for this skin condition in modern medicine.

Steroids only seem to help to some extent by suppressing the symptoms for a few days, and they do come with heaps of long-term side effects. They can even lead to steroid dependence, which can sometimes be worse than Eczema itself.

Through this blog, I would like to share what I have seen works best for my Eczema patients — not only for calming their Eczema naturally, but also for reducing the tendency of future eczema flare-ups.

What Really Is Eczema?

Dermatitis is a common term used to describe inflammation of the skin. To break it down: Derma (skin) + itis (inflammation).

Dermatitis can take many forms, including atopic, seborrheic, allergic, contact dermatitis and more.

Atopic Dermatitis is most commonly referred to as Eczema.

Eczema can be a very uncomfortable skin condition. It presents as the skin becoming dry, itchy, red/pinkish, scaling, flaking and oozing — and sometimes the skin becomes infected.

Eczema is a chronic skin condition, meaning it can take months to progress. It may initially show symptoms of itchy, dry skin, and as the days pass, the skin may become thickened, scaly and oozing — becoming what we call stubborn or chronic Eczema.

Eczema typically appears on the face, the bends of the elbows, the knees, and around the neck, and it can be very itchy and uncomfortable.

What Causes Eczema?

There are various reasons why a person develops Eczema from a holistic medicine perspective, including:

• Hypochlorhydria — lower levels of hydrochloric acid being produced in the stomach of people who have eczema compared to a normal person. This is commonly referred to as leaky gut syndrome — an issue where the intestines become porous and allow tiny particles of undigested food to enter the bloodstream, provoking an allergic reaction in the body, which may present on the skin as Eczema along with other symptoms.
• A genetic disposition — sometimes Eczema can run in families. Children of parents who have allergic tendencies may end up getting eczema. If one parent has eczema, asthma or hay fever, their child has a much higher chance of developing Eczema — and if both parents have these issues, the risk increases further.
• The FLG gene — another major genetic factor involves mutations in the FLG gene, which makes a protein called filaggrin. Filaggrin helps form a strong, protective outer layer of skin. When the filaggrin produced by your body is reduced or faulty, the skin barrier cannot retain moisture well, creating a weakened skin barrier. This allows irritants, allergens and bacteria to easily enter the skin, creating allergic reactions that present as Eczema.
• Stress — a very important cause. Stress can cause or aggravate eczema in adults. Interestingly, there are studies which prove that even maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of eczema (atopic dermatitis) in babies.
• Immune system dysbalance — the immune system in some people is prone to react more than needed, creating allergic reactions that present as Eczema symptoms.

An important thing to note here is that "Triggers Matter": inheriting a genetic risk does not mean a person will definitely get eczema.

Along with the causes, these triggers influence what can make your Eczema symptoms worse.

Triggers vary from person to person, but some common ones are perfumes, cosmetics, rubber, harsh soaps, detergents, weather, stress, infections and certain fabrics like polyester.

Why Do You Need Holistic Root-Cause-Based Treatments for Your Eczema?

For the last 18+ years, I have been helping people dealing with Eczema who have tried all sorts of conventional treatments, including steroids, antihistamines and topical applications. However, despite all the expensive products and GP-prescribed medicines, most of the time none of them seem to make a difference — why?

Because conventional treatments focus on treating just your skin — or your Eczema — externally, and that is where they make a mistake. The truth is that Eczema is a reflection of the internal imbalances happening in your body.

Unresolved inflammation in the body will, sooner or later, reflect as skin rashes, itchy skin, oozing and other skin inflammation symptoms.

That is why I work as a team with my eczema patients: I understand their symptoms, their internal health — including their gut health, emotional state, triggers and disposition — deeply, and then strategically design an individualised holistic treatment program for them, which includes our 7-step eczema wellness program.

We focus a lot on diet, nutrition, homoeopathic remedies, naturopathic therapies, supplementation, targeted herbal topicals, breathwork, detox processes and much more.

And when we do everything with the right intention, not only are we able to relieve patients of their steroid dependencies, but their skin begins to recover beautifully. Eczema symptoms heal gradually, and there are no relapses — because there was no suppression involved, rather true in-depth healing.

A Final Word

I hope that through this blog I have been able to share the holistic perspective about eczema that people need to understand.

After all, our skin is not just an outer covering of our body — it is a living, breathing, largest organ of our body, doing the job of notifying you about the help it needs by bringing out eczema symptoms. Suppression will not be sustainable; rather, listening to your symptoms, understanding and supporting yourself will help you recover.

If you are dealing with Eczema, you have tried the conventional quick-fix solutions, and you now want to really help your skin revive and calm your Eczema — feel free to reach out to us!