Home Up Eczema2

 

Do you have Eczema?       HOT TOPIC

You probably have an ALLERGY  

When Body Language went live this topic had more hits than any other, and I can understand why. My oldest son has suffered from Eczema all his life, and if we can do anything to help sufferers here, the work that went into the site has been worth it.

The problem is MANY DOCTORS DON'T UNDERSTAND 

You have to HEAL YOURSELF.

We were fortunate to meet Dr Morrow-Brown at the local Asthma Society meetings. I would recommend that you

What is an allergy?

An allergy is everything from a runny nose, itchy eyes and palate to severe skin rash. It aggravates the sense of smell, sight, tastes and touch causing irritation, extreme disability and sometimes fatality. It occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to normally harmless substances.

Allergy is widespread and affects approximately one in four of the population in the UK at some time in their lives. Each year the numbers are increasing by 5% with as many as half of all those affected being children. No wonder it's a HOT TOPIC
 

What causes Eczema?

Allergic reactions are caused by substances in the environment known as allergens. Almost anything can be an allergen for someone. Allergens contain protein, which is often regarded as a constituent of the food we we eat.

The most common allergens are:

pollen from trees and grasses, 
house dust mite, 
moulds, 
pets such as cats and dogs, 
insects like wasps and bees, 
industrial and household chemicals, 
medicines, 
foods such as milk, eggs, lupin flour, potatoes
less common allergens include nuts, fruit and latex.

There are some non-protein allergens which include drugs such as penicillin. For these to cause an allergic response they need to be bound to a protein once they are in the body.

Eczema is often worse at night, because the skin gets moist in bed, and the surface allergens turn into a concentrated liquid that aggravates even more. 

An allergic person's immune system believes allergens to be damaging and so produces a special type of antibody (IgE) to attack the invading material. This leads other blood cells to release further chemicals (including histamine) which together cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

The most common symptoms are:

sneezing , 
runny nose, 
itchy eyes and ears, 
severe wheezing, 
coughing shortness of breath, 
sinus problems, 
a sore palate and 
eczema
nettle-like rash.

It should be understood that all the symptoms mentioned can be caused by factors other than allergy. Indeed some of the conditions are diseases in themselves.

Asthma, eczema, headaches, lethargy, loss of concentration and sensitivity to everyday foods represent a huge problem in society today

Where do we start - especially with Asthma and Eczema?

We've removed pets - cats are particularly troublesome because they wash their fur and emit 'dander' that even sticks to the wallpaper, and comes off as you walk past. 
We've removed carpets because they were contaminated
We've tried exclusion diets to determine what was the problem food. 

EXCLUSION DIET

Cut out all foods/drinks except rice, fruit, veg (not citrus or apples) and water.  After two weeks start to introduce one thing at a time. Try a small dose, wait two hours and then if no reaction, complete the portion. Wait a couple of days between each new food before you introduce another. 

NO dairy, grains or potato. Leave those till last because they are the most likely culprits of all. 

Try and stick to single foods, because mass produced food often contains dozens of strange substances. 

Obviously if you get a reaction, you're allergic to that food. 

If you think that is a lot of trouble, just look at the pictures on Dr Morrow-Brown's site above. And remember, most health care experts treat skin disorders in a different category altogether, so don't be put off by negative opinions from the experts. It's just that their training dealt with it from a different angle altogether - treat the condition, not cure it.

Strange but true - Dogs prefer fleas

It is said that there are many perfectly happy and healthy dogs with fleas galore, but other dogs that were religiously kept flea-free suffered from massive itchy skin problems. 

Recent research supports this observation. Studies have shown that the presence of a small number of fleas may, in the long run, actually help a dog. Apparently, a dog with fleas develops an immune response that a dog kept flea-free never has a chance to muster. 

Perhaps our ancestors evolved in harmony with the human flea, (except for the bubonic plague!!) and developed an immune system to match, which is now out of step with the modern. sterile world.  

Find out more about allergies

 
Send e mail to Body Language    Site sponsored by SureScreen Diagnostics Ltd www.surescreen.com Copyright exists on all material within this site. Please ask approval before you refer to it. This page last modified: July 07, 2005.