Treating Eczema Naturally

My journey with eczema began while in an abusive marriage that caused me extreme emotional stress and trauma. The body responds to chronic stress in various ways. My body became eczematic, but as a result I learned how to treat my eczema naturally.
My eczema began traveling from my feet all the way up my legs. Then it covered my stomach and arms, then angrily appeared all over my chest and neck. It was raw and sore to the touch. I just didn’t understand what was happening. It got to the point that I could no longer leave my house because the eczema was so itchy and weeping all over. If I put on clothes I would have to literally peel them off when I got back home, and I would scratch the skin until it bled, but it itched like crazy.
I think it all came to a head when over a number of days my face began to swell, and every day I woke up it was worse. I was due to start a new job, but in the morning I awoke with my face covered in rashes and my eyes were almost closed shut. It became chronic and I was scared.
Steroids & Eczema
Instead of attending my new job, I went straight to a dermatologist, who was astonished to see my condition. I tried explaining to him that I wanted to heal my skin naturally but he discarded that line of reasoning, insisting that eczema was a genetic autoimmune disease. He said: “It cannot be cured.” The best eczema treatment I could hope for was a ‘management’ of it with steroids, which I would have to take for the rest of my life.
Although I was adamant, I didn’t want to use them, he spoke to me and my parents for over half an hour coaxing me to take the prescription, and out of fear I capitulated. Looking back it was literally the worst thing I could have done. Even though I explained to him, weeks later, that the eczema was still flaring up despite me using the steroids, he insisted I should continue. It was at this point that I made up my mind enough was enough and rather than get hooked on this steroid treatment, I was going to do everything I could to heal my skin naturally.
Steroids do absolutely nothing to quell the issue, rather they contribute to it. At first it appears to ‘heal’ you because it prohibits the body’s inflammatory response that causes eczema in the first place. What the doctor’s fail to tell you is, that it also prohibits the bodies immune system from working properly. This means that whilst you are using any form of steroid, whatever is causing your body to have the inflammatory response is only made stronger because your body is no longer fighting it. That is why when you stop using the prescribed steroids and creams the eczema comes straight back, with a vengeance.
The Truth About Eczema
First and foremost, I want to make clear that eczema is not an autoimmune condition but rather the result of the body struggling with a toxic overload, both physical and emotional. The bodies job is to cleanse and regenerate its organs, whilst eliminating the waste that constantly builds, due to our regular consumption. When the body is overloaded with toxins the liver and lymph are unable to cleanse in a timely manner, the body begins to push this waste material to the next and quickest exit out of the body, which is the skin. This is what causes lesions and eczema patches to erupt all over the body. Eczema is a symptom, the body’s way of letting you know that something is out of whack, thus an adequate eczema treatment addresses the causes.
The Natural Approach to Curing Eczema
It’s fair to say, trying to heal eczema naturally is not for the faint-hearted. When I stopped using prescription creams and steroids, the eczema came back as quickly as it had disappeared, but more weepy, flaky and itchy than ever. When it was full blown my skin looked like I had escaped a major house fire. It was literally torture what I endured during my period of healing, but the good news is that I did heal.
It may take a few months or up to a year to heal completely, but if you are consistent with giving the body what it needs, this version of eczema treatment will heal the skin completely. The body is so much smarter than these doctor’s make out and despite what they claim, the body never attacks itself; it’s merely telling you that something is wrong.
Here I break down a few things I did and used to aid in my healing process, but I must say, there’s not only one way to heal the skin but this is what worked for me. Generally the idea is to consume fewer chemicals, inflammatory foods and give your body foods and nutrients that will aid it in the healing process.
Dietary Considerations
The first thing I did was cut out all of the processed foods and reduce the intake of fats in my diet. Even healthy fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, because fat thickens the blood and the toxins that are trapped in your body will struggle to come out.
Then I focused on eating whole foods, from a plant based diet consisting of organic fruits and vegetables. Everything, from snacks down to our seasoning is full of chemicals, fillers, and preservatives, so I got used to preparing my meals myself. When you buy your food in a restaurant you don’t know what they have put into it. It also helped that I’d recently moved to Ghana and had access to way more fruits and vegetables than I ever had access to in London.
Foods To Avoid While Healing Eczema
These foods are trigger agents for ezcema:
- Gluten
- Wheat
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Meat
- Corn
- Non-organic soy
- Canola/rapeseed oil
- MSG
- Processed Sugar
- Farmed Fish
The Best Skin Care For Eczema Treatment
Although I spoke about eczema being caused by internal and emotional issues, it’s also very important to make sure that the skin is well looked after and hydrated in order to aid in the healing process. This may sound controversial to some, but stay completely away from commercially prescribed creams and shower gels. Especially those that claim to be for sensitive and dry skin. The beauty and skincare industry is running the biggest scam. Whilst they promote that their products are for moisture, they are filled with drying and toxic ingredients which suffocate the skin and stop it from healing. This includes the thick greases the doctor’s prescribe such as E45, 50/50, Epaderm, Aveeno and the like.
To remove the dead skin and aid the body in detoxifying, start your wash and skincare routine by gently dry brushing your skin. You don’t need to scrub hard or you will break the skin and make it more prone to infection, but gently use the brush to exfoliate. Start from your feet and work gently upwards brushing each part of your body towards the heart.
Once or twice a week, after brushing the skin, sit in a warm bath with added salts, choosing between Epsom, Dead Sea or Pink Himalayan salts. You can also add a few drops of essential lavender oil to this bath. Again, this is in order to help the skin release the toxins that have built up under the surface.
When I got to Ghana the first thing I went in search of was a natural soap, which is how I discovered Earth Seed. They have a marvelous black soap body wash that mildly exfoliates, while cooling the skin, aiding in my eczema treatment. I recommend the tea tree option since also helps to stave off any infections.
The Importance of Exercise
This may seem like such a simple or irrelevant thing but it is also a very important part of healing the skin. If you imagine you have a bike and you leave it out without ever using it, the bike begins to get rusty and eventually becomes unusable. This is the same with our bodies. Our bodies were designed to move daily, so If you’re a couch potato that never exercises or gets your blood circulating, again, toxins build up in your lymphatic system and begin to cause problems. Another reason why eczema is difficult to heal is that the majority of the time the lymph system is blocked. Aim to get your body moving at least once a day. Go for long walks, ride a bike, jog, anything you can to get the body moving.
That said completely avoid swimming in chlorinated pools.
De-stress & Be Patient
Stress and emotional turmoil are huge factors contributing to eczema so find ways you can de-stress. Allow yourself to focus on things and areas of your life that bring joy and happiness. If you focus on negative things and things that bring stress and anxiety your skin will not heal.
You have to be patient. The healing process is not an overnight process, especially if you’ve been using steroids for your eczema over a long period of time. The body not only needs to push these chemicals out but it also needs to re-learn how to fight disease and infection after being suppressed for so long.
By changing your diet and aiding your body with detoxification, it will heal quicker. The skin will always get worse before it gets better. It also heals in cycles so it will flare up and down, with every flare-up less intense and shorter than the last. Remind yourself of this every time that it’s just a process you need to go through for complete healing rather than being discouraged. It worked for me.
Conclusion & Comments on Eczema Treatment
I really hope this article encourages you to heal your skin naturally and completely. If you are struggling with this same condition and you have questions, ask me in the comment section and I will assist you to the best of my ability.
Thanks I will try this.