Eczema

A thousand years from now people will no doubt remark that our civilization, here in the early 21st century, exhibited an extraordinary amount of autoimmune conditions. One of the most common autoimmune disorders is eczema, a condition that affects 10-20% of Canadians.

Eczema (also known as dermatitis) is a condition characterized by irritated, inflamed, and dry skin. More than just the near-constant discomfort, damage from scratching or the eczema itself can leave an opening for infection. Being an autoimmune disorder, eczema has no single known cause or trigger. Genetics play a role, but so does circulation, diet, allergies, and exposure to environmental toxins.

The “standard” treatment for eczema is steroid cream, which reduces inflammation where applied to the skin. This is, as far as the mainstream medical community is concerned, one of the most effective treatments available. However using steroids is not without side effects and symptoms will often reappear as soon as the cream is discontinued.

Naturopaths at the Nardella Clinic in Calgary take a holistic route. There may be no single cause of eczema, but diet and environment have an obvious effect on its presence and severity. That means the core of any naturopathic treatment plan is lifestyle.

Naturopathic medicine uses a tailored regimen with knowledge and technology pulled from a toolbox that is both broad and deep. It may include:

• Food allergy testing, replenishing good fatty acids and minerals, Intravenous therapy such as curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory herbal extract, chelation therapy to decrease heavy metals, UVBI therapy, probiotics, colonic hydrotherapy, and dealing with any underlying infections, such as candida overgrowth
• Dermasound treatments to remove the dead skin cells and heal

As you can no doubt guess from the list above, some of these options lead to ongoing commitment — and results — on the part of the patient. A change in diet may be one of the cornerstones of keeping eczema flare-ups at a minimum. Others, like intravenous therapy, are useful at specific times, like boosting the body at the beginning and treating sudden symptom eruptions as time and life goes on.