I will never forget the day many years ago when I walked into my treatment room and saw a mother sitting with her 18-month-old child in her lap. The child was covered from head to toe with an ugly, scaly, eczematous rash with many cracks in the skin and raw areas that had been bleeding. I could not find even one patch of healthy skin anywhere on this child’s body.

After I did a careful case history and thorough examination, the desperate mother agreed to a program I proposed consisting mostly of dietary changes and several food supplements. I scheduled the next appointment in two weeks, handed the mother my card and told her to phone me if she encountered any problems.

Upon entering the treatment room two weeks later, I was greeted by a smiling woman and a healthy-looking child I did not recognize. It was only when I glanced at the chart in my hand that I realized this was the same child I had seen two weeks ago. I did a surprised double-take!

The mother, bursting with excitement, told me how she had carefully followed the program I had suggested. She recounted how, on the fifth day, the rash had seemed to worsen for about three days, and she was about to phone me when suddenly, the child’s skin miraculously started to clear.

She pulled off the child’s shirt to show me a torso of healthy-looking, pink skin. Only traces of the rash were left: little round patches on the inside of each elbow and behind each knee. The mother was determined to follow the program until that also was gone. Two weeks later, there were only a couple of tiny red spots left on the elbows. While these spots persisted, no more rashes appeared in the three years that I followed the case.

The Causes Of Eczema

Although eczema is an individualized condition, over the years I have noticed underlying similarities present in almost all cases. When treatment is directed at these underlying patterns, better results are achieved.

Eczema has more than one cause. Because of this, it is necessary to do more than one thing to reverse it. While all the causes of eczema may not be known, natural healing offers a more solid solution by working with the underlying conditions that are known.

Allergic eczema is the most common form of eczema and many things may "trigger" an outbreak. Sometimes these are considered "causes," but they are really only factors which, when avoided, help to decrease flare-ups. Some of these traditional triggers include excessive scratching of the skin; moisture, such as sweat; overheating; house dust and house mites; wool or scratchy fabric; dog or cat dander; cigarette smoke; detergent residue in clothes; or soap.

While all of the above can exacerbate eczema, they do not cause it. Often when the skin erupts in sores, the body is trying to rid itself of internal toxins and metabolic byproducts. These toxins are generated by the following list of conditions which, when combined, have the potential to create eczema: systemic candidiasis, food allergies and sensitivities, maldigestion, imbalanced colon microflora, poor food choices or nutrient deficiencies.

Clinical experience has demonstrated that the above six conditions are nearly always present in children who have eczema. They are all related, with one thing creating the next, resulting in a pattern of problems.

Candidiasis is a yeast/fungal condition either present from birth or acquired through antibiotic use that partially destroys the protective colon flora. Candida albicans damages the lining of the intestines, allowing toxins and undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream and create either allergic reactions throughout the body. Read The Yeast Connection by William Crook, MD or my book, Allergies Disease in Disguise, published by alive books, for a more detailed description on how this mechanism works in the body.

Food allergies and sensitivities often trigger episodes of eczema or keep it erupting all the time when the sensitive food is eaten daily. Poor food choices and maldigestion from an overstressed digestive tract help create nutrient deficiencies which further weaken an overworked immune system.

Eczema Protection Program

Carolee Bateson-Koch is a doctor of chiropractic and naturopathy with a special interest in the treatment of allergic conditions using natural therapies and nutrition.

Source: alive #215, September 2000