July 1996 Eczema Mailing List Archive

HIGH STRESS AS A CURE: It makes perfect sense to me that when you are under extreme stress, your skin is going to get better because one if the chemicals released in the "fight or flight response" is cortisol, a steroid. My experience has been that while a 3 minute roller coaster ride doesn't do anything to my skin, a 2 hour terror movie will "clear" me temporarily. Romantic break-ups or getting really horrible news are as good as prednisone.

SKIN DAMAGE FROM STEROID USE: I've been on steroids of some type for half a century! I think just about the only days I've missed are when I've had a fever - and at those times I am often on inhaled steroids. Even when "clear", my skin shows the beating it's had, but I think at least some of the damage is due to the eczema itself and to the scratching. Inflammation itself is very drying and scratching hard enough to distort the nail beds has got to leave some scars and thin spots. Also, as a child and young adult, I had lots of radiation treatments on my hands and ear areas. These areas are now the most heavily wrinkled, so I think it's not just the steroids. And maybe if I had not used steroids so much, the increased scratching, inflammation and radiation would have taken an even greater toll. Who knows?

Alan, Thank you for the freezer idea for stuffed animals. My boys are both dust sensitive and this will be much easier on the animals than the hot washes we have often been doing.

Lisa, Sorry to hear about your baby having eczema. One way I've found to soothe eczema is to saturate the effected area with lotion. Keri lotion, or Lachydrin, or Lubriderm works really well. Also a cold water soak is soothing. I know this information isn't much, but I hope it helps your little baby .

I spoke with a practicing hebologist/ reflexologist; and she suggested to me that eczema is caused by toxins in your body. The first thing to do she said is to clean out the toxins in your blood. A great way to do this is to drink dandelion tea. It tastes exactly like coffee. By cleaning out the toxins, the eczema would clear up. She thinks that eczema is some what of an allergic reaction to the bad toxins in your body. 

Another good thing to use is marigold (yes the flower that you plant), you mush it up into a paste, mix it with lanolin and water and pack it on to your effected area. You will also need a cloth to wrap the area in when you pack the paste on. The paste is quite thick, and the flowers will still be big and chunky. I do not know how true these facts are so I plan on talking to another herbologist, as well as my new dermatologist. 

I was just posting this to inform you about different types of herbology, not just Chinese. Hope you all found this interesting as well as helpful.

Chris, Perhaps it all lies in the definition of stress. It may be that eczema tends to surface at times of personal anxiety, unhappiness, etc. but if you are just experiencing the busy-busy type of stress, the effect isn't the same. That type of stress does at least have the benefit of taking your mind off your eczema. 

Shelley; Not sure about that one. I first had eczema at around 53. Surely if it was inherited it would have shown up before then? 

The heat question seems to crop up time and time again. I was like that as a child and still am. It's not lack of fitness, as I exercise regularly, but after, say, an aerobics class my face is a delightful shade of beetroot and remains so for about an hour. It's as if one's internal thermostat had ceased to function. 

I would try an antibiotic but I wouldn't know where to start. Anyway I can never tell if it's the antibiotics that are working or a full treatment. Usually when I start antibiotics the derm gives me new creams etc. If one thing doesn't work they try another. 

I have no idea what type of antibiotic I should use. The last things I used were "hismanal" and I believe that is for itching. I don't have such a bad time with itching as with the skin on my hands breaking open. The antibiotic I took with the hismanal is "celestone betamethasone" I have no idea what it is or what it does. All I know is that the derm told me after taking the full amount of these drugs not to repeat the procedure. So who knows.

Yeah just what is that powdery stuff in household gloves??? I bet it's not your average powder cause that I think is what causes an outbreak in me.

I have no allergies (ehem except the ones that I realized I had when I got eczema in my twenties) and no-one in my family has the usual allergies that they say are handed down to me.

Over time my body decided to change alright. Along with my first bout of eczema my hair started falling out too! After a while things got back to normal. Then just eczema. After a very stressful period in my life a year and a half ago my eczema started in with a big bang and then my hair started to fall out again. The docs said it was stress. After a while I didn't feel stressed but the symptoms continued for a few months and went away. Now I just have eczema. Of course hair falling out can cause stress too, in me anyway.

Hismanal is an anti-histamine and may be used to treat allergic reactions, hay-fever etc. I used hismanal for a few summers in conjunction with a nasal spray as a very effective hay-fever treatment.

A year or so ago my Doctor advised me to stop using Hismanal because long term, it accumulates in the body (bad news presumably).

Now I use the antihistamine Piriton for hay-fever and itching. Though Piriton is good, I can't use it when I'm driving - as it makes me drowsy. So most of the time I use Triludan (Terfenadine), which doesnt make me drowsy but is less effective.

Hi Simon, Yes that's what I heard that it was for allergies, like hayfever. But I don't have hay fever so I assumed she gave it to me for the itching although I really don't have a problem with too much itching. Who knows why doctors give you what they do. I'll try anything and I think that maybe they need to try everything until something works. It seems from this list that everyone is very different and certain things work on some while not on others. This is why eczema is so frustrating and I bet it's just as frustrating for doctors trying to find the right treatment. 

Anyone who reads this list regularly perhaps knows that if Ralph is the antibiotic king, then I am the wet wrap queen.

Wet wraps is a system of bandaging which worked for my daughter when nothing else had any real effect. You put a double layer of bandages on over steroids/creams. The bottom layer goes on wet, the top dry. It is a system which has worked for a lot of people in UK, though I noticed recently on the list someone said it hadn't worked for their child. It is worth trying though if you haven't already.

"Celestone betamethasone" is a strong steroid. I would suggest don't take this. Oral steroids can be very bad in the long term.

My 8 month old son has it on the back of his legs. Now, since he's crawling, it's starting on the front as well. 

Here is something for others to try:

Get a fresh pineapple (canned does not work) and eat two or three small pieces twice a day (about half a custard cup-serving size). 

After a couple of days of this I discovered that my eczema felt so much better... less burning and itching. Then the pineapple was eaten up. Then I noticed my skin was feeling worse. I bought another pineapple... improvement again. I have tried this several times and find improvements each time I am eating fresh pineapple.

This was not a cure. Say it is a pleasant treatment that offers comfort with no negative side effects.

Mmmm, that is the kind of treatment I like to hear about! I will definitely try it and report back. No bad-tasting medicine for me! I love pineapple.

As I suffer from candida (which *I* feel is the largest contributing factor in my shitty skin), antibiotics are a big no no. The kill all of the friendly yeasities and bacteria in your system laying fertile, free ground for the bad yeasties (candida) to flourish. That is why when I refrain from eating yeast/moulds my skin gets better within days. I also get very tired after eating large amounts of carbohydrates and/or yeasty food.

Every time I have been on antibiotics I have an intense flare up in my skin which is only abated by massive amounts of cortisone.

I have just started using the tea, but can already feel a difference. Also with the marigold wrap, my eczema has stopped flaring up and has minimized.

Is the baby crawling on carpet? I know that wool aggravates my skin as do formaldahyde in synthetic carpets. Also dust mites just adore carpet.

Is your baby wearing anything that may aggravate the skin?

Also, I presume you are not using soap so bathing in plain water and sorbelene cream and using vegetable oil (a low odour one - not your lovely rich green olive oils!) is good.

Concerning the marigold mail, it is also known as, I think, calendula (yukky tasting as tea) and is used in lots of herbal ointments for rashes of all types.

My daughter has had eczema of one form or another since birth. I find that stress does affect her eczema; it tends to flare up if her schedule is upset or if she is sleeping at a hotel or someone else's house - even with our own sheets. I try to keep her on an even keel and if we are going somewhere overnight I make sure she gets plenty of rest beforehand. Her eczema is primarily on the backs of her legs and eyelids lately. She digs her legs and they become infected. Summertime is her worst time because of the heat I believe. Last winter she had a great time - hardly any scratching or itching. I try to stay away from cortisone or steroid creams - unless I absolutely need them. I try conventional methods first - cream twice or three times a day - showers twice a week with Lowila soap and double rinsing the clothes in the wash cycle.

Samantha, Do you have chronic candida symptoms (mouth, vagina, etc.-- please excuse me if I am being too anatomical) other than on your skin? If so, do you treat that with antifungal medication?

My dermatologist now always gives me antifungal pills along with the antibiotics when my hands flare, but this is a recent change for him. He mentioned to me that he was seeing more fungal involvement in these skin problems. Yours is the first confirmation I have heard, so thanks for that information.

A few weeks ago I had an apparent fungal infection of the genital area (what our drug companies delicately call "jock itch") and treated it with an antifungal spray powder as well as oral antifungal medication. So far I think it is under control, but I have slight residual itching.

It seems that there are really many kinds of eczema. I need to remember that. Does it help you at all to eat yogurt? I have heard that the yogurt culture tends to knock out yeast.

Ralph, I really don't know. I certainly think it's possible that early infancy with eczema has some kind of effect on the brain's connection to the nervous system. I wish we could get a neurologist to check out our brains. I'm sure they'd find some interesting anomalies.

Brenda: Just because a disease doesn't start until later in life doesn't mean it's not inherited genetically. Scientifically, these conditions are called "late-onset". Atopic eczema is most commonly early-onset, but there are certainly late-onset cases. Some people have allergic eczema, which may be caused by a different biological mechanism from atopic eczema.

A question for the Antibiotics King: Does your doctor feel that eczema is CAUSED by bacterial and/or fungal infection? That's what I thought you implied. I asked my dermatologist and he said he had never heard that theory, but that he always prescribes oral antibiotics along with prednisone, when the skin is severely or widely torn up. For general rashiness, he said to just use polysporin on the broken skin spots which is what I've been doing for years.

To The Wet Wrap Queen: I think I once held that title. I used to distribute a list of instructions to other patients (thru the National Eczema Assn. USA) but I stopped because I was afraid someone would wet wrap a baby and the baby would strangle on the wrap and I would feel horrible. Now I have become the Allergy Shot Queen but I think that if a person doesn't have the patience for wet wraps, they may not get far with the shots as it is also a long, slow haul.

I tried dandelion coffee once, as a drink not an eczema treatment. It tasted more like dirt than coffee. I tried milk in it and it tasted like milky dirt :-)

I often drink "Barleycup" which is another vaguely coffee-like coffee substitute. I don't know if it is good or bad for eczema but it cuts down on the caffeine.

I use milk and sugar, mine tastes like coffee. I don't know if the brands we use were different. The one I use is "Swiss Natural Sources". It is Caffeine free and can also be used as a coffee substitute. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't think dandelion tea is a TREATMENT for eczema, what it does is clean out the toxins in the blood stream and the liver. These toxins may contribute to the eczema. By getting rid of them, the eczema may become a case on a lower scale. 

Marigold wraps are supposed to be a treatment. I have used it and have also seen a change/ a decrease in the severity of my eczema. The only down side to it is: just like camomile (Which is great to soak your feet in) it stains your skin and makes it orange. 

Samantha and Ralph, Ever try taking acidophilus capsules? These are v-e-r-y effective in dousing any "additional itch" elsewhere. As you say, Ralph, yogurt with acidophilus culture is also effective, but not all yogurts include it. So you have to read the labels. 

David, if I'm not mistaken, barley products contain malt, and malt can be a problem for people with allergies and/or eczema. I know my brother had to give up beer for that reason!! 

Gayle, UW Derm Clinic just told me about Neutrogena Chemical-free Sunblock, SPF 17. It is supposed to be good for skin sensitivities, but I can't verify its effectiveness for sun. I hate putting any 'foreign substances' like sunblock and mosquito protectant on my skin and rarely ever do, so don't know if I'll break down and buy this. 

Chris From what I know about stress, high level activity may or may not be stress, depending on how you interpret it internally. Just plain being busy can be beneficial and some people thrive on that. When I was younger, I think I coped much better. Now at middle age, I hate the sensation of being bombarded by external demands. Privacy and peace of mind and quiet time have become essential to me. 

I greatly believe that frame of mind is inherently linked to physical well being or illness. I can only "prove" this by my own experience over the years. Clearing my mind and clarifying long dysfunctional problems and coming to terms with all of that has made for better eczema conditions--altho I'm not immune to flares from continued sensitivities. I do understand how discouraged you must be feeling at the apparent spreading of eczema. Depression is a large factor in any illness. Have you surfed the Net for that subject? You might find some interesting info. I've found some gems on anger in childhood that I might never have detected otherwise.

Is there any way you could join a hypnotherapy class and reduce the cost, yet still get the benefits of hypnotherapy, at least for the two years?

Any hobbies or volunteer work you could get involved in to occupy more of your time? If you are self-conscious about your appearance, what about more computer involvement on BBSs, etc. I can get buried in computer stuff for eight hours at a stretch and forget time. Learn some new software or devise something new using software. You'll forget who you are!

I'm a big believer in psychology, so I never underestimate that factor. Socrates said it: "Know thyself." That is the best advice I have ever read, and most people never bother! Or perhaps never take the time.

Inflammation wrings every drop of hydration out and leaves a mummified/strait jacket feeling that is nearly indescribable. I always get under the shower to loosen up the dead skin so I can get the dead stuff off and feel "oiled up" temporarily.

I keep my nails cut down to the quick to prevent infection and scratching damage. The nails harbor more darn bacteria. It looks like hell, but it serves a practical purpose.

I had radiation treatments to the backs of my legs and bends in the arms, in my 20s so the skin is very thin there. I've been accused of shooting up because my veins are hugely prominent. As if I needed that on top of the eczema. But the cortisone on my face did the thinning job all by itself.

Your descriptions of wet wrapping and the shots--both time-consuming and with questionable and pokey results--describe you as a person who has great perseverance. That is probably the only real way to get decent results in dealing with eczema. I admire that quality--I certainly do not have the patience you exhibit. I'm more apt to be get frustrated and angry, not much help in dealing with our curse. 

Gayle, I have found just the opposite - pineapple make me worse! I don't have any real proof but I have been keeping a record for quite a while and I have found a pretty strong relationship with pineapples and my most annoying symptom - itch/sore behind my ears.

For United States folks eat about 1/4 cup of pineapple or a little less. For those that don't deal with cups... eat about 3 square pieces about the size of the end of your thumb. 

My Chinese herb doctor advised me to avoid citrus fruits, and fruits with bumpy skin, especially berries and pineapple. I'd be curious about your results, but won't be doing any experimenting with pineapple myself.

I've never equated my eczematic state with digestion. I thought my digestion had always been fine, but now that I eat more veggies, beans, rice, and corn in lieu of wheat and highly glutinous products, things run, uh, even more quickly and smoothly.

In my case, diet and digestion are linked, as are diet and eczema, however digestion and eczema are not.

Michael, A while back some of us discussed our attempts to use hyponotherapy to help our eczema. Most, if not all, of us had poor results. See the archives for our stories. Evidently, hypnotherapy works best for those who are very suggestible or hypnotizable, which evidently is only a certain percent of the population.

Best of luck in finding a workable therapy, be it medical or psychological.

Regarding pineapple, I've always found that it makes me worse -- too much acid.

As to why it works for some, pineapple contains bioflavonoids, digestive enzymes, and acid, which may help some people who need those particular enzymes to digest their food more completely, thus reducing food allergies and eczema. I would suggest going to a health food store and getting a digestive enzyme supplement that includes extra hydrochloric acid and trying that to see if it helps the eczema. Candida is sometimes also associated with food allergies, so an acidophilus supplement may help as well.

Yep, my candida is pretty well everywhere - mouth, gut and vagina. I have tried antifungal medication but have been warned that they are very toxic on the liver (and I give mine a good bash already with the vodka so don't want to kick it around any more!). I have just finished a 10 day course of oral antifungals and the old "thrush" is still there.

I don't like to eat dairy food of any kind so I rarely eat the acidophillus yoghurt. The thing that works best for me (and for my skin) is to simply stay away from yeasty food.

I find that the opposite applies to me. I think going out and being social have a postive effect on my eczema. I haven't been out (to a bar or pub) in a year and within this year my eczema got worse. I love to go out drinking and dancing, it keeps my mind off my problems, and my eczema. I can sit and read and have a quiet time, but then I focus on my hands and then start to think of my eczema, then I get depressed, and sit and stare at my eczema all night. Different strokes for different folks! 

We enjoyed a scuba diving holiday in Egypt earlier this year. The sea there was wonderful and after the first couple of dives our skin really improved. My daughter's face looked as though someone had given her a beating right after the first dive, really red and blotchy, so much so that I was glad that there were no mirrors to hand. Her skin improved wonderfully during the course of our holiday, partly because of the salt water, partly because stripping a wet-suit off a couple of times each day is a great way to remove dead skin cells and partly (I am sure) because the whole family was relaxed, happy and away from our usual routine. I appreciate of course that many sufferers will be too badly effected to ever contemplate dipping their toes in the briny.

The combination of strong sun (slight burn, and I don't burn easily) and salt water and associated relaxation are my best weapon against eczema. Sometimes it clears me up very rapidly and nearly totally. While I am clearing up, I go through a stage of nearly unbearable itching, but I know it is well worth it.

I've taken aciphophilus capsules numerous times over the years and have had no ill effects whatever. It has cleared up the "itch" in numerous places tons better than all those commercial creams that cost so much. Acidophilus is not cheap anymore, but you can get a small or large bottle at a health food store or cooperative or the pharmacy. It goes a long way. I purchased mine with different brand names and haven't discerned any difference in effects. I don't think we eczema people have normal colon flora anyway, so I think the acidophilus is a healthy adjunct to our digestive process as well. 

The way I do wet wraps is to soak some cotton clothes in warm water. Wring them out a little. Put them on and cover them with a layer of dry clothes. For the scalp, face and neck I use a T-shirt arranged so that I breathe thru an arm hole. I sleep this way but I know other people who wear their wet wraps when doing house work. I sometimes wear a wet face wrap during the day; it's a tie on cotton mask with eye and mouth holes that I made myself. Be sure to wash the inner layers very frequently. The face wraps get really funky (from the skin weep I guess.) This won't do anything for the allergic rash itself but it is a wonderful way to hydrate the dry skin and in my case it really helps control itch.

On salt water: My mother said when I was little, swimming in the ocean really improved my skin. I don't think it cleared me completely, just soothed the inflammation. (I was real severe all over except face). 

Yes, cold water makes my hands feel better too, but the effect doesn't seem to last for more than a few minutes. Soaking my hands in lukewarm water with tar (Zetar) can be quite soothing and helpful.

Toni, it sounds as if your skin is quite similar to mine. I also had "heat rash" (or whatever it is) behind the knees, etc., when I was a child. I always assumed it was allergic, which would make sense with the grass connection (grass also makes me itch). But I don't know the precise relationship between the eczema and these allergic rashes.

Wet wraps is a bandaging system. You put a double layer of bandages on, the inside layer goes on wet and the outside layer goes on dry.

Here's how we do it:

At bed time we put on the usual steroid cream and moisturiser.

Then we make a "body suit" out of bandages. We need four arm, four leg and two body bandages. We make these from cotton stretch bandaging (UK brand name: Tubifast) knotted at hands and feet to encase her limbs, and armholes cut in the body bandages. The exact size of bandage/location of holes you work out through trial and error. You now have two sets of bandages.

The first layer is soaked in plain warm water then put on to the body. The second layer goes on top dry. When it's all on you tie the arm and leg bandages to the body bandage to hold it all together.

The next morning it all comes off. It is time consuming. The bandages can be washed though they do disintegrate eventually but once you have a few sets made it takes a bit less time. In the UK we get the bandages on the NHS.

It works by keeping the skin moist and cool therefore reducing itchiness; protecting the skin from scratching; and also increases the efficiacy of lower strength steroids.

It has made a massive difference to Esme's skin. In September Esme's skin was absolutely covered with infected eczema. She looked as if someone had rubbed her skin all over with a grater. Now it is as clear as it has ever been. The effect was very noticable within 3 days. Having said that her skin occasionally deteriorates but a slight increase in steroid strength for a few days brings it quickly back under control. She still gets eczema on her face because of course we cant wet wrap that. Also, at first, her skin was very dry on the bits that stuck out - her shoulders and buttocks - but that's stopped now.

We wet wrapped every night till about a month ago, then we reduced it to two nights out of three. We did try ordinary bandages a few years ago but found that it took 20 minutes to put on and 20 seconds for Esme to pull it all off. This bandage is thicker and hard to tear.

My husband wonders if climactic conditions in other parts of the world might make a difference to wet wraps' effectiveness but it's probably worth a try. It's fairly new in UK but apparently has a high success rate.

Oh dear. Now you've got me worried. Actually I can't really imagine a baby strangling on the kind of wraps we use. They're elasticated bandages like a tight vest, long gloves and stockings. But I could see that the wind-around bandages could be risky as could the ties that tie the whole thing together. What is the Eczema Society's view on this?

With reference to your posting about zonalon, I looked up doxepin (the same?) in a drug dictionary which described it as a tricyclic antidepressant. It's a pill rather than cream. You. however, were describing a cream or ointment, I believe. I wonder if doxepin is, in fact, not the same stuff as zonalon. By the way, the book (now several years old) did not list zonalon.

I am wondering about detecting yeast. I hate to believe I have it but I am on prednisone now and the elimination diet, and still my symptoms lurk, begging to be scratched. Do you think steroids would suppress yeast? I don't think so but I would like to know.

Dandelion tea should not be called coffee even though it was roasted and used as a substitute for it during WWII. Dandelion, burdock and oregon grape roots are all good for eczema. I make a boiled tea out of them and medicinal calendula flowers. It took some getting used to but now I crave the bitterness the way I used to crave coffee.

I don't know if it helps but it doesn't hurt.

In the way of other treatments, I am also taking evening primrose oil as a source of gammolinolenic acid. I read that that is in breast milk, something I did not have as a babe, and I was wondering if anyone else had hints about how GLA relates to eczema, its development and control.

Chuck mentioned digestive enzymes. I take these (especially if I eat meat) and I find that they have helped. But I do take them in combination with a few other supplements which assist in food absorption and/or kill off candida.

If I eat a meal without taking the enzymes I feel a bit listless but if I remember to take them the food seems to do what it is supposed to do - give me energy.

I was talking to my mum on Sunday and she said that my dad would take me, the little baby rash ball, down to the beach every morning and dunk me in the salt water. I seemed to know it would hurt but that after the sting went it would feel great.

Today I bought some flax seed oil to try out for the first time as a treatment for my eczema. Now I have some questions for those of you who have successfully used this treatment in the past: 

1. How much should I take per day (in teaspoons; I bought the oil itself, not the capsules)? 
2. If I take the above recommended daily dose, when should I start noticing results? 
3. Should I be concerned that this stuff is rather high in calories and also has a significant amount of saturated fat? 
4. Is there a recommended way to buy this oil in bulk or from a particular supplier in order to minimize the cost? 
5. Are there any side effects or unpleasant effects of drinking this stuff every day?

Amy, I don't think prednisone would suppress a yeast infection. A doctor (a smart one) told me that prednisone only zaps ALLERGIC inflammation. 

I do know that systemic steroids can take a few days to really help and that when I'm on them, I still need to use some ointment. Good luck and enjoy your clearer skin. Another issue I don't think we've discussed is the "dents" that the steroid shots leave. I have usually opted for the pills even though the shot is supposedly more effective. When the stuff is shot in, it destroys some fat and so you are left with a dent at the injection site. Not great if you plan to wear a thongback swim suit to the big party when the cure for eczema is found! 

Ann, I had a steroid shot when I was in grade 7 and to my knowledge I don't have a dent as a result. I of course can't see the spot where my Derm injected the stuff, but I'm sure my fiance would tell me. 

Some thoughts of mine. A good dermatologist would regard the patient/doctor relationship as a partnership where you both bring valuable experience and expertise to the situation; treatments and their possible good and bad effects are discussed before trying; treatments are carefully monitored; no-one gives up on the patient.

What I like about my dermatologists was that when I took a very badly effected Esme (aged 7 then) to them their attitude was confidence that it could be controlled, that they had a range of potential treatments that we could try till, sooner or later, we found one that works. And we have. For the first time in 8 years I feel that, for Esme, eczema is something that doesn't dominate her entire life experience. She's not a miserable, exhausted, itchy bundle and she goes to school in shirts and shorts without the fear of exposing her limbs to taunts from ignorant children.

I think that its great that Esme can go to school and not have to worry about ignorant children. I thinks most kids today are more open minded to these things, however, when I went to school kids weren't nice about it at all neither were the teachers. When I was first diagnosed with it I was miserable; it took me a while to get "used" to it. Its great that your child recieves so much love and support; and please know that I offer mine as well. 

Julia's information on wet wraps has got our interest up, because our daughter is going through a pretty bad spell of eczema at the moment. Along with a lot of people who have been writing these days, we're very worried about excessive use of steroids. Wet wraps may be at least a partial answer.

Salt is an interesting subject in relation to eczema. When I was a child, I remember crying when I went into the ocean because the salt water felt awful on my raw skin. But I think it was a form of antibacterial purification. (It's a home remedy to wash cuts in salt water to cleanse the wound.) I do remember feeling "clean" afterwards, even though it hurt so much. I would have to wash the salt off with regular water to feel better. 

I use an antibacterial liquid on my skin now every time I scratch, which I believe has the same effect as the salt water did. Eating salt makes me very itchy. I have a distinctive reaction to tortilla chips in particular. My lips get very chapped and I feel very uncomfortable under the skin. I am very aware of my need to balance salt intake and water intake. 

When I was a child (about 9 or 10 years old) I used some thing that was to the same effect as a wet wrap. I soaked my hand in luke warm water diluted with peroxide for about 20 minutes. This was to disinfect any open sores. However I would recommend using Bactine over peroxide. Bactine has Biodine (I think that's what its called) in it which is what they use in hospitals to disinfect cuts. 

Then you pat your hands dry with a soft cotton towel (A hand cloth or a wash cloth). Then you saturate your hands in ointment and a moisturizer. I used one called Lachydrin. Keri Lotion, Lubriderm, and Jergens are all good too. Then wrap your hand in Gauze pads for about 8 hours. Then let your hands air out for 4 hours. Re-saturate your hands then wear cotton gloves to bed. 

A couple of definitions:

prednisone: synthetic steroid, resembling cortisone, but possessing greater glucocorticoid activity. It is used as an anti-inflammatory agent and also to depress immune responses particularly in the treatment of auto-immune diseases.

prednisolone is a synthetic steroid having similar properties and uses to prednisone, of which it is a reduced derivitive.

I'm pretty sure prednisone won't suppress a yeast infection.

My emergency, first aid, treatment if yeast and the associated inflammation gets too bad* is prednisone for the inflammation and oral Ketoconazole tablets (ketoconazole is anti yeast/fungal) to kill off the yeast, plus a ketoconazole shampoo.

My routine treatment is Polytar AF shampoo (not plain Polytar) or maybe ketoconazole shampoo and Daktacort ointment (hydrocortisone + antimicrobials).

Gary asked about flaxseed oil...

>>(1) How much should I take per day?<<

You only need about one teaspoon. Becuase it tastes pretty yukky, I use it for dressings on my salads using unfiltered cider vinegar or lemon or orange juice with it. Yummy this way.

>>(2) When should I start noticing results?<<

I don't take it in isolation but with an anti-candida diet. I noticed some effects in about ten days - but remember, as we all know too well, we all react very differently to things.

>>(3) Should I be concerned that this stuff is rather high in calories?<<

No - if the rest of your diet is balanced - low in animal fats and carbohydrates and high in fruits, vegetables and protein you should be laughing.

>>(4) Is there a recommended way to buy this oil in bulk?<<

It is rather expensive - I get min in bulk from a mail order firm. Most supplements are cheaper through mail order (I started using one after reading an ad in a trashy gossip magazine).

>(5) Are there any side effects or unpleasant effects?<<

Not that I have noticed. Keep it in the 'fridge and don't use it for cooking.

Zetar's a prescription item; my dermatologist prescribed it. I think it's officially supposed to be for psoriasis, but it works very well for my hands in occasional use. If I use it too often it has a drying and cracking effect which is not helpful.

Gary, Having taken flax/borage caplets for quite awhile now, I'll answer what I can.

>>(2) When should I start noticing results?<<

Four to six weeks, possibly longer.

>>(5) Are there any side effects or unpleasant effects?<<

I haven't had any. In fact I get the feeling that my body likes it.

The DSS-1 strain of acidophilus has been shown to be the most hardy. Look for it in a brown opaque bottle that has been refrigerated. This keeps the stuff most viable. Supplementation with Bifidus is also supposed to be desirable. I've been told by a research professional in the area that the brand "Natren" is one of the best.

I had people become alarmed at how red I got in the sun after only a few minutes. A doctor suggested it might be the antibiotics I had been taking. At some point I realized that the soap I was using was anti-bacterial. I quit using it (and oral antibiotics) and the problem gradually went away. I'm not positive the antibiotics were the problem, but I'm about 90% sure they were.

I have been told that flax seed oil should be taken at a tablespoon a day, with meals. You can't heat it, as this will destroy its beneficial composition. I think you shouldn't worry about the fats; from what I've read this is a good fat, and brings me back to the fat called Gammalinolenic Acid. GLA is found in evening primrose oil and borage oil, and helps process fats. Supposedly, one of the things we (the we of eczema) can't do is process fats. I think the flax seed oil is not as helpful unless you are taking a source of GLA. I take 2, 500 mg capsules of evening primrose oil twice a day and a tablespoon of flax, on top of salads or rice or straight from the bottle, once a day. I read that the effects of this therapy cannot be felt for six to eight weeks. I've been doing it about four and it is hard to tell whether I am being helped since that is how long I've been on oral steroids, which suppress my symptoms at a certain dose and remind me of myself once I drop below it.

Pityrosporum ovale is a type of yeast (does this sound familiar) that naturally lives on our skin as I understand it - but creates some of these super-antigens Ralph was writing about. It obviously doesn't affect everyone but several sources I've read, have implicated it in eczema and psoriasis. I was on a dermatology list for a while when the subject was brought up. Several dermatologists on the list were convinced that this organism was, if not the cause, at least a severely exacerbating factor in psoriasis and eczema.

Check out http://www.clearskin.com/ - They are selling the product at fairly expensive rates. They even have pretty before and after pictures. I did some further exploring and found several sites that are implicating P.O. in sebborrheic dermatitis. (Which I guess is a type of eczema?) Check out http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/Bandolier/band7/b7-3.html or http://www.hsp.de/pabst/cmj/1995-2/art3-4.html or http://healthnet.ivi.com/hnet/9601/wa/dandruff.html

Is this the HCL (hydrochloric acid) spray? I did a bit of reading on this way back in the first half of last year. I think it is banned in Canada. It basically kills bacteria. But also kills living cells and friendly bacteria.

If this is what this stuff is then who wants to go first?

According to the web site it is a new formulation of Zinc Pyrithione. It "helps to exert an antibacterial and antifungal action mainly of the pityorsporum ovale and pityrosporum orbicular. This achieves a potent inhibition of certain saprophyte flora in the cornea layer of the skin through an anti proliferative cytistatic effect." Err, I think I sort of understood that...

Wow! When I've told my dermatologists about this, they say they've never heard of it (Harvard must be behind the times). Simon have you seen anything in the literature about how effective Zinc Pyrithione is supposed to be in these cases? Is polytar AF or DaKtacort available over the counter? I've shown this info to four doctors now, all who just scoff and want to give me prednisone. From your experience, are you convinced of the connection between P.O. and sebboreic eczema?

I have some very exciting news. My son's eczema is 90% better this week since he has been diagnosed with leaky gut syndrom. The gastroenterologist is very familiar with this condition and has place the baby on elemental formulas. Combined with an awareness of what causes his flare-ups we are heading down the road to recovery. Mold definately effects him and he is not allowed to eat anything other than fruit. He is 4 1/2 months old. 

In late winter, after learning that the prednisone/topical steroid approach doesn't truly cure ezcema (I came down with this condition about a year ago), I decided to test out the homeopathic route.

The homeopath, after asking questions about my personality, temperment, and personal history, suggested the right 'constitutional' remedy for me was 'sepia' and provided me with a tincture bottle. Over the course of several monthly appointments, he also provided a number of other remedies, supposedly to deal with stresses in earlier life. (One of the first of these supplemental remedies was to deal with the ill effects of the prednisone treatments).

The results. After an initial sharp flare up after I stopped using the topical steroids, the ezcema gradually disappeared til in May it appeared it was well under control. Alas, this story does not have a happy ending. Beginning in late May,it began flaring again, and is showing no current signs of improvement. I am still not taking any steroids, and the only treatment at present is occasional antihistimines to control the itching.

Perhaps the resurgence of the eczema is because the homeopathic placebo effect is wearing thin. The initial intellectual appeal of the homeopathic model had real appeal to me. It is that: ezcema is a 'warning sign' disease that should not be surpressed (by steroids) -- the way to get to the bottom of the problem is to take it very seriously and look for underlying (individual) causes.

Since conventional therapy doesn't cure eczema and the homeopathic remedies are so distilled as to have no 'real' medical effect (and therefore no toxicity), I decided to allow the homeopath a chance to prove himself.

Initially, things seemed to work as promised. He warned of a flare up (and said future flare ups are possible), but said things would gradually die down. It worked -- until summer arrived.

My challenge (as I go to monthly appointments and pay $40 per shot), is the apparent lack of scientific insight and intellectual rigour behind the homeopathic approach. (Probably the worst thing for my 'belief' system was a Canadian public television report where the camera crew and reporter were in a room while the results of a purportedly valid double-blind study on the value of homeopathy for migranes were opened. The results: there was a measurable and statistically valid difference in results between the 'control' and homeopathic group -- but, it turns out, the control group fared better! than the homeopathic one.)

(I told the news of this report to my dermatologist, who then jokingly said, if the study is valid, it proves that homeopathy actually made the condition WORSE.)

I sense, judging by the way my homeopath is floundering around as I push for some scientific validity, that the homeopathic system of therapy may have more value to 'believers' and people with complex lives frought with personal/emotional problems -- where it may have real placebo value because of the relationship that can develop between patient and therapist.

I'm not ready to give up on the homeopathic test yet. The monthly cost is low and I am not dying. But I am not a convert yet to no-holds-barred 'alternative therapy.'

My dermatologist insists that eczema is primarily an allergic disease, exacerbated during certain parts of the year when certain allergens are more prevalent. Thus, it is interesting that your eczema flared again in late May, just about the time the heavy pollen season is fully underway. It will be interesting if you show improvement again when the pollen season lapses again, perhaps in late summer. I lived in M. for a time and found my condition improved during the coldest parts of the year, perhaps when everything (pollens, molds) was dormant, as long as I stayed well lubricated against the drying effect of winter. I too am curious about alternative medicine, and think that the Asians, for example, probably have some viable treatments. But the empirical evidence (or lack thereof) on such treatments is not very encouraging. When using topical steroid applications, I think the best approach is to work with a dermatologist to find one with the lowest concentration of steroid but which still controls the problem. Good luck.

Use of a medicated shampoo (often containing Zinc Pyrithione or Selenium Sulphide) is a standard treatment for Seborrhoeic eczema on the scalp, and can be sufficient treatment for mild scaling. Shampoos containing tar (e.g. Polytar AF) and sometime salicylic acid can be more effective. These are available without prescription.

My condition is more severe so I use Nizoral (ketaconazole) shampoo twice a week. This is generally quite effective when combined with Daktacort (otherwise my face can get quite sore). If like me you have sensitive skin, you should try and avoid getting nizoral on your face as much as possible. Nizoral has recently become available (as a dandruff shampoo) off prescription). I don't know about the availability of Daktacort in the states.

Recently, I had a bad bout of S.E, which relapsed a week ago. An effective emergency treatment for this highly inflamed, 'all over' condition, was ketoconazole 200mg / day and Prednisolone for a week. The Prednisolone was to reduce the intense inflammation. The ketoconazole was to kill the yeast. I blame the relapse that I suffered on 1. having too short a course of ketoconazole tablets 2. the condition possibly being exacerbated by an atopic eczema (ie. tied in to allergies, etc)

If you use prednisolone you must have it prescribed by your dermatologist, as long term it is bad news (it can cause liver trouble etc.)

I have seen no evidence that S.E. is not caused or made worst by yeast, of which P.O. is one.

Reference [1]

Title The response of seborrhoeic dermatitis to ketoconazole. Author Ford GP; Farr PM; Ive FA; Shuster S Source Br J Dermatol, 111: 5, 1984 Nov, 603-7

Abstract

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study was made of ketoconazole 200 mg daily in nineteen patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis. All had scalp lesions and sixteen had seborrhoeic dermatitis at other sites. Responses were measured by clinician and patients independently, using a linear analogue scale. Body and scalp lesions and itch regressed considerably and significantly with ketoconazole in all but five patients, three of whom subsequently responded to a higher dose. The patients studied with seborrhoeic dermatitis had been sent by their family doctors in answer to a request for patients with dandruff, and the clinical difference between the two was found to be only of degree. Three patients with dandruff without erythema were studied separately using the same study design: all three responded similarly to those with seborrhoeic eczema. It is concluded that Pityrosporum yeast infection is the immediate cause of seborrhoeic dermatitis and that dandruff is its mildest manifestation.

Reference [2]

Controlling Dandruff by Audrey T. Hingley (abridged, source: FDA archives)

Dandruff is treatable with over-the-counter (OTC) products and causes no general health problems or permanent damage. But care must be taken not to confuse simple dandruff with other conditions that also cause flaking of the scalp, such as seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis.

"But when the cell turnover goes too far and increases, then you get not only visible excess scaling, but redness and itching," he says. "Redness and itching is actually seborrheic dermatitis, and it frequently occurs around the folds of the nose and the eyebrow areas, not just the scalp." Although seborrheic dermatitis mimics dandruff with its flaky scales, the inflammation and itching that accompanies it sets it apart from simple dandruff. OTC preparations are available to help mild cases, but seborrheic dermatitis often is best treated by prescription medications. "All the evidence points strongly to this yeast, known as Pityrosporum ovale, as a causation of seborrheic dermatitis, in that when you treat it with anti-fungal shampoos [such as Nizoral (ketaconazole) a prescription shampoo], you destroy the organism and the condition stops," Bark says. What do you do if you have dandruff but suspect your problem may be a more severe disorder like seborrheic dermatitis? "If you have mild scaling, you can usually take care of it with an OTC dandruff shampoo containing salicylic acid," Bark advises. "Use it for several weeks, and if you don't see a clear- cut improvement in the scaling, consult a dermatologist. A dermatologist can diagnose whether you have a fungus infection of the scalp, seborrheic dermatitis, or some other disorder."

Mark's experience of homeopathy has prompted me to write about ours.

When Esme was about 4 we decided, because of our worries about continued use of steroid creams, to go to a homeopath. We continued to go for about 5 months and in that time Esme's condition got worse and worse.

Her eczema was terrible, she scratched all the time. The itch seemed so "deep" that it was if she was trying to tear off her flesh to relieve herself. We used to have to vacuum piles of skin after she had sat anywhere and her bed was filled with skin in the morning.

She was always exhausted too. At weekends she would stay in bed till midday (a 4 year old!) and once up would soon be worn out. At Christmas she didn't even have the energy to open her presents.

She could barely walk, partly because she was tired and partly because her legs were stiff with eczema. This led to a very brief hospitalization and blood tests because I was afraid her inability to walk was due to some other illness.

She attended nursery school for 2 hours per day and her nursery teachers doubted that she would be able to attend full time school once she got to 5.

Eventually we abandoned homeopathy and tried Chinese herbal tea. She found drinking this so distressing her condition got yet worse. She said it tasted like spiders and took up to an hour to drink one small beaker.

Eventually we turned back to steroids and within 24 hours she had regained her energy and her skin had begun to clear. To be frank I am very grateful for steroids. They haven't always been able to control her eczema and we have had very bad times since but I think they've stopped her life being hell.

Fortunately now she is older a combination of low to medium strength steroids and good old wet wraps keep the skin on her body completely under control so that eczema is now only on her face. She lives a normal life.

I am not arguing against homeopathy or CHT - they clearly work for some people and steroids aren't completely effective by any means - and my husband is convinced that the homeopathy was beginning to work. I disagree with him strongly about that.

We really ought to have kept diary entries of the various remedies we have explored. As Julia says, my version of our experience with homeopathy is that it pretty much followed the course that the homeopathist predicted it would; she said Esme's eczema would get very much worse before improving. My memory of the treatment is of this indeed being the case. Esme had two months of severe discomfort and a terrible time on Christmas Day. But, as I recall it, there was a wonderfull improvement in her condition two days after Christmas. Her skin was as normal as it has ever been in the following weeks. By Easter the eczema had crept back on the lower part of her legs but it was nothing like as bad as it had been previous to the homeopathic treatment. It is my opinion that it was the distressing Chinese Herbal treatment which caused Esme to relapse. My wife and I agree to disagree on this point. 

Zonalon only just came on the market about 12 months? ago. I first saw it mentioned in Time mag. under there science and health section. I showed the article to my dr and he couldn't find Zonalon in his book either. The pharmacist had though. It stings my skin when I first put it on and to be honest I don't get itch relief from using it. I really hope though that it works for others. 

For the last week I have slapped on my skin 4 ..14 oz tubs of collagen-elastin moisturizer. Every time I itched I put this on my skin and tried not to scratch.

Because I wanted to save money I asked my doctor to prescibe my skin cream in quantity. Not the little 45 gram tubes, the great big 1 lb tubs of the stuff. I used this cream a lot and noticed that it seemed to increase the "dead" layers, I.e. I was peeling profusly. Three months later when I needed another tub, I cut the next 1 lb tub of hydrocortisone 1% with 2 tubs of Collagen-Elastin by St Ives to reduce the potency and make it go further. I am not using steriods (oral) and have no side effects. I also take 3 Evening primrose oil caplets a day and 2 x 10mg Hydroxyzine.

I think the key though is to use the cream 5 or 6 times a day.. Everytime I itch I reach for the cream and slap it on. Moisturization seems to work! Please try this as it is working for me (5 days now!!!)

My experience is very similar to this. I didn't go to the homeopath in a sceptical frame of mind, having been snatched from the jaws of death (do you like that?) at the age of 4 by a homeopath. However, the initial small improvement was not sustained for long, and the homeopath seemed to be at rather a loss to suggest something which might relieve the itching and infection while the remedy was taking effect. She finally proposed calendula cream, which I believe is a mild antiseptic and which proved to be singularly useless. She said the skin was hard to treat as it was so unstable (you can say that again!). Her method of diagnosis was to search out underlying causes, but she was unable to settle on anything which was likely to be the cause of the eczema. 

Perhaps I didn't choose a very competent homeopath, but my experience served to destroy a lifelong belief that there must be something in this homeopathic business - after all the Queen uses it! Maybe homeopaths are actually offering a psychological service and the fact that it doesn't work seems to indicate that the cause lies elsewhere. 

I've had a total turn around and wonderful results from using Chinese Herb Tea. Though it doesn't work for everyone, it has been successful in many cases.

I've tried to find out a bit about the availability of Tubifast for wet wraps.

In the USA they are supplied by a company called Acme United. They supply medical centres and hospitals - I don't know if they can be bought in chemists (pharmacists). The man to contact is Jon Wheeler and the telephone number I was given from here (UK) is 00 203 332 7330. They are sold under the same name, Tubifast, in the USA.

My derm recommended camphor and/or calamine for the relief of itching. Has anyone tried these? What were your results? These ingredients are contained in over-the-counter products such as Aveeno Anti-itch Concentrate and Rhulicream.

Collagen-Ellastin is marketed here in the States by a company called St. Ives. The parent company is Swiss, St Ives Laboratoires, St Ives S.A. Geneve, Switzerland. It is distributed here by St Ives Laboratories Inc, Los Angeles California, 91311

I buy it at the retail drug store/mini-market so it should be available everywhere. My wife used it in California as a moisturizer for face and the neck. It costs about $4.19 per 16 oz tub. I hope you can find this in England?

Julia wrote of her daughter's experience with homeopathy. I won't repeat it here but I was amazed. I had EXACTLY the same experience with my homeopathy treatment.

And I mean exactly. It was the most horrendous experience with my skin in all my life (this happened around this time last year). After three months of agony I ended up at the A&E (ER for those in the US) at the hospital at two in the morning crying and pleading for some cortisone.

I didn't sleep for about six weeks the itch was so bad. I was sweeping out at least a cup a day of dead skin out of my bed. I was covered in rash on every conceivable part of my body. I couldn't leave the house. I could barely walk for the rash.

I will never try this again. It was by far the most frightening thing I ever did to my body.

Julia, I feel so sorry for your poor little girl. Most of all I feel so sad for you to have seen her like that. You must have felt so helpless. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a parent with a child with this awful skin thing.

Hi Ralph, You asked about leaky gut syndrome. I mentioned it in my first post. Leaky gut syndrome occurs when particles of partially digested foods enter the bloodstream through small holes in the intestine. These particles are not properly broken down by digestion and are perceived by the body as allergens, causing an allergic response, resulting in itching and eczema.

The holes in the intestine are caused by Candida yeast, which bores holes in the intestinal walls. If you get rid of the yeast, the intestine eventually heals, and partially digested foods can't get into the blood. Consequently, the allergic reactions cease and the eczema gets better.

Here's my story and a problem I'd like some advice on: I used a fairly strong topical steroid ointment for the last ten years on my skin. Over that period I saw a dozen dermatologists and consistently asked them all if there were long-term complications from using a topical steroid on the skin. Every last one said "no problem", so I never worried much about using the topical steroids.

My current dermatologist (number thirteen - my lucky number) is the best I've ever had - he's working with me as a partner instead of as an ignorant patient (the way I find most doctors work with everybody). I went to see him because this spring I started getting lots of skin infections and associated complications.

The current derm's theory is that long-term use of the steroid has "depressed" my skin's immune system such that I am now more susceptible to skin infections. Consequently, he has prescribed a whole new treatment regime which eliminates or minimizes the use of steroids so that my skin will gradually learn (hopefully) to behave normally again with regard to dealing with infections. By the way, part of this regime involves greasing my whole body up with vaseline *before* showering so that I don't wash away most of my natural oils. This seems to work well for me. I'm a little shocked that none of the first twelve dermatologists (stretching from Tokyo to Seattle to Michigan to Montreal) ever tried to find alternative treatments and get me off steroids.

1. What's the best way to deal with skin infections? (Mine seem to be primarily on the face and may be either bacterial or viral in nature, with a little herpes simplex (facial herpes) thrown in from time-to-time for added enjoyment. My derm put me on an oral antibiotic for a couple of weeks and this worked well, but I immediately came down with "jock itch." Evidently, oral antibiotics kill the good bacteria as well as the bad ones).
2. Are these skin infections dangerous? (I assume they're not any worse than the infections that people with bad acne get that have to be treated from time-to-time with tetracycline.) Does anybody have much experience with this?

1. Use topical steroids *only* to the extent needed.
2. Work with a *good* dermatologist (may be hard to find) to find a solution which controls the eczema while minimizing steroid use. 
3. But don't hesitate to use topical steroids *from time-to-time* when things get out of control or *very sparingly* as a general rule. 

I am wondering if there is a way to test the "Ecology" or the "...immune system..." of the skin. One time a doctor shined some ultraviolet light on part of me to detect fungus. She seemed happy at the results which were apparently conclusive. 

Can one test one's self to determine which healthy bacteria are present and not present and to what "healthy degree" each is present or absent? Or can a doctor do testing?

Use ice, to stop itching/ scratching. Ice and vitamin C and stretching help a lot. Ice stops itching within a minute or less. Vitamin C stops itching in about 20 minutes. Stretching relieves tension. Especially stretching/flexing the neck, fingers/hands and arms and torso, and the area of the body that is itching. Finish with a cool shower with as cold a temperature as you can stand.

I wish someone had advised me to do this. Not one doctor that I asked knew about this. No one suggested this to me. It was desperation. Sometimes I keep ice by my side. A small insulated container filled with ice, to take with you, is a heaven sent relief during the bad days. Always have vitamin C with you.

Camphor has a cooling and soothing effect that lasts for about half an hour. However, it did not help me much when the itching was intense.

TonI: about your hand eczema, do you find you scratch your hands at night? Perhaps in your sleep? I ask because that is one of my problems. In fact, sometimes I scratch perfectly good skin. 

Gary, I'll bet each of the many derm drs. you saw assumed that your skin problems would clear up in a reasonable amount of time, in which case topical steroids would be generally "safe" to use. The problem is that LONG TERM use of the stuff leads to skin damage (and also internal problems as the potent drugs are absorbed into the system.) I get lots of skin infections and find that polysporin ointment (as many applications a day as I can manage) helps a lot although it usually takes a long time (months?) to "heal" a given spot. Bactroban ointment(prescription) works better around the nose and mouth. I think I'm so infection prone because my healing time is slow which gives the bugs a good chance to get going. The slow healing may be due to steroid overuse or just from the eczema itself. One other thing to watch out for is that thinned skin often is reddish and can be mistaken for an active eczema patch. My derm dr. always points these spots out to me and cautions me against putting steroids there based on color.

No, I don't scratch my hands at night mostly in the afternoon. At night I scratch my legs. Even though they aren't affected by my eczema. I know I scratch my legs in my sleep because, when I shower in the morning just plain water burns or stings my legs. To be honest with you some times it is horrible trying to shave. 

I believe formaldehyde it is also used in glues and soft furnishings and as a preservative in things like cosmetics and toiletries. I know it is definitely included in some liquid "soaps" because I have seen it listed on the side. Unfortunately most cosmetics do not list ingredients.

Just thought I'd let you know that I am feeling much better. Much better, my gosh, since this weekend, when I broke down and bought some borage/flax oil. The stuff is $15.00 a cup but I think it is working wonders, and perhaps it is just the thought that is working the wonders but I'll never know. What I do know is borage is an incredibly rich source of GLA, gammolinolenic acid, the stuff that some say we have a lack of.

I also found a book I've been looking for, printed in the UK by Thorson's in 1995. Even though it is such a recent title I have had the devil trying to find it. It is a fantastic reference, though under a hundred pages long, compiling all the hints I'd culled about dietary helps. Stephen Terrass is the author and it is called Eczema and Psoriasis, a Dietary and Nutritional Approach. I have not seen such a thorough explanation of our condition, not even in the depressing dermatology texts I flipped through one disastrous day at the library.

I also bought some hippie-dippie hand cream that is magic. I forgot to bring it with me - my e-mail is not at home - so I'll bring name and ordering info later - but it has olive oil, and beeswax and extracts of comfrey, calendula and oregon grape root. It makes the red go away. I love it.

Of course, I am still on 10 mg a day prednisone, so I don't know what things will be like as I begin to further give those up. But feeling better has given me the faith to fight this and remember my old self.

So glad you are feeling better Amy. I came off cortisone (a high-dose, long term course - about ten months) just recently. I haven't had a flare up yet and I attribute it to my diet change and supplements. I have described these before on the list so if you want me to describe them again I can do it privately so as not to clutter up the list.

In addition to your other "procedures" for your hands, try stretching them.

Flex, stretch, exert, twist, resists, in as many ways as is comfortable and possible. Do the same with your wrists, arms, shoulders and waist. Do it all gradually with *no sudden moves or quick changes* in pressure/exertion/direction, in the manner of tai chi.

At the same time have a lubricant on your hands to assist in this procedure. If the hands have extreme problems this might be done better after soaking them in water and applying lubricant. As time goes by you should be able to gain more stretching capability. I am not sure how this helps, but one of the reasons might be relaxing. I find that the "clawing" posture or stiffness of the hands is a sign that they need stretching. I have found it very effective.

For me, it is most pleasing to do this after a shower in a big empty room/space on the floor.

Formaldehyde is also found in cotton/polyester clothing. So even if you can wear polyester, the blended fabrics can cause trouble. I don't know if it all washes out eventually. 

I want to know more. I wear cotton polyester all the time. But how about the permanent press stuff? I never wear that because I thought it had tons of chemicals. I don't even use it for sheets etc. It's hard finding plain cotten for that though. Very hard.

Our dermatologists are very reassuring about steroids and I suppose I choose to believe them. They say the steroid strengths we use won't permanently thin the skin and eczema is much more damaging than steroids could ever be. What other side effects are there? I've heard steroids can affect growth (our derms say that eczema affects growth too), and can make a person hairy. We've tried so many other things and steroids/wet wraps are the only thing that keeps Esme's eczema more or less under control.

I am wondering at what dosage and frequency long term effects from Cortisone type drugs, become probable. I fear that this is not known.

Background: My condition. I have atopic dermatitus. I think that is the same as eczema. My condition now effects my entire body. I am in my 50's. As a youth it only affected the flexor areas. My condition has evolved from localized and very extreme to the point of hospitalization, to general and not extreme. I attribute this change mainly to my elimination of many foods by using an elimination diet. Many trials of the same food over and over proved conclusively that I had been eating MANY foods for years that had literally been torturing me.

Low Dose My doctor told me that if I take one or two tablets of dexamethosone .75 mg. (3/4 of one mg.) only as needed every other day, I should have no long term problems. I usually don't take more than 6 tablets a month or 4.5 mg. a month. That is a lot for me.

Furthur Reduced Dose ok. Lately, I find taking one .75 mg. tablet every other day is usually enough, and I can get effective results taking it every three days if my flare is not too bad. Otherwise I have trouble sleeping

Of course if I am suffering greatly I take it NOW. Or if the flare is very bad a shot of short acting steroid has less side effects then the pills. I have to take a shot once or twice a year so far.

Side Effects Eyes I have cataracts since being a teenager. I monitor the cataracts. They are stable and have been for many years. My eyesight is fairly good. My eye pressure has been normal also.

Other Side Effects All blood test have been normal. I hope there is not some important test that I have not taken. I am always asking my doctor questions.

Side Effects... sleeping: Taking the tablet as recommended by some, in the morning, is not good for me. That means that the effect does not kick in until about noon (if it is the first tablet of a series) or later, and then I cannot sleep well that evening. Taking it about 1 A.M. allows me to get to sleep and symptoms are going to start fading in the morning. By the time the evening comes along I can usually sleep ok. Taking my Cal/mag and C helps in any case with the sleeping. When I am taking dexamethosone the cal/mag is more important for sleeping.

Tapering off when stopping. I understand that tapering off the dose is crucial. Stopping abruptly can cause serious problems. So I do taper off and it seems to be going ok.

Avoiding steroids. With all this in mind I am working like the dickens to get improved by other means which I am learning about here and on the "Allergy Mailing Listserve" to get away from steroids altogether. They are "Too easy" to use to get the very limited relief that they provide.

The Future I am hoping to find out if I have "Leaky Gut Syndrome" and if other non-steroid regimens such as those outlined by several members here will be helpful to me. I am making copies of mail that is pertinent and am going to be taking the wad of letters to my dermatologist and demanding that something be done other than pills and shots which I have been accepting for years in ignorance.

On fabrics: I'm no expert, but I think permanent press is just a general term for cotton/polyester blends or chemically treated cotton or, I guess, any synthetic that doesn't wrinkle. I, too, had trouble finding all cotton sheets. (this was when I was on the goose-chase of my lifetime, I was convinced that my kids' autism was allergy and/or environmentally induced; I worked with a homeopathic allergist; we got no where; she died of cancer at a young age) (sorry for the digression) The only all cotton I could find was flannel, but I'm sure one of those allergy supply places would carry them in regular cotton. HAS ANYONE ELSE EVER WONDERED: CAN YOU DEVELOP AN ALLERGY TO COTTON????

On wet wrapping: I'm sure Julia gave you the complete run down. I can add that cotton clothing (a T shirt over the head and neck) works better for me (a small adult) than the tube stuff.

On doctors: When you are anxious to get at the cause of your eczema, my advice is to go to an allergist, an immunologist, or maybe a psychologist, NOT a dermatologist. I don't think the cause of most long term eczema is in the skin itself. Go to a dermatologist just to get help in dealing with the rashes day to day ("does this patch look infected?" "fungus or bacteria?" "does this area look thinned from steroid use?" "any new moisturizers I should be trying?" etc. etc.)

Gary, you only had to wait 10 years and 13 doctors to learn about skin infections. My odyssey took 35 years and countless numbers of doctors till one finally told me that infections were the reason my skin didn't always clear from steroid use. Ever since I started using Cleocin-T, an anti-bacterial liquid roll-on, after I scratch, my skin has been under control. I have to take Tavist twice a day, Shepherd's Lotion and Aquaphor for moisture after showers, and use my cortisone creams and ointments sparingly for trouble spots, but I haven't had to use oral antibiotics, or prednisone, or cortisone shots since 1991. My skin is THIN because of all the cortisone use and therefore, it's more open to infection because the slightest bit of scratching opens cracks where bacteria can enter. I don't think it's due to the immune system, but maybe I'm wrong. 

I chose not to use steroids because my belief is that they don't get to the basis of the problem, yet are effective at reducing eczema's symptoms. In searching for treatments that do get to the heart of the disease, I tried Chinese Herbal Tea (CHT) starting less than 6 months ago. My recovery has been phenomenal. My open sores, shedding skin, inability to sleep, and constant clawing have been reduced to some itching, some bumps, a few sores, and long restful nights. The success of CHT for some people has been written up in the literature. In fact a large trial was done by a British doctor. I'd be happy to send you a copy of an article about it for your derm dr. to read.

I'm not saying that CHT is right for Esme, but it's been wondrous for me and without apparent side effects. I certainly have NO ILL will against you, but wish your doctor would take the thousands of years the Chinese have been developing their medicine a little more seriously.

Did you get a general Chinese Herbal Tea or one specific to your condition? I have a basic faith in Chinese medicine because it looks at things so holistically, and tries to correct imbalances, rather than shrugging their shoulders and turning off the darned adrenal cortex. I am going to my dermatologist for the last time (I sincerely hope) in a week and I am going mostly to show them how improved I am because of things that are not steroids, and that they ought to not just blindly prescribe the turn-off drug.

Here is the info on the cream that I found:

Arbordoun's Abundantly Herbal Calendula Cream phone # (360) 468-2508

It is made from calendula, plantain, oregon grape and comfrey extracts, in a base of olive oil, beeswax, glycerin and lavender oil. I spoke with the woman who came up with it today. She is a farmer and very down to earth, resisted my calling her a saint. "No. I'm just lucky," she said, "and so are you." My local eczema queen, the woman whose ear I talked off before I found this list, could not and cannot use this cream, for whatever reason, and the woman who makes it says it does help some people with eczema "when they might need steroid creams." I laughed really hard and told her I'd been courting cortisone for twenty of my almost thirty years.

Anyway. There it is. The stuff is pricey, of course, but I am so happy with the results I don't mind. I really like using something non-toxic that WORKS!

Wren, you may not have been on the list when we discussed this earlier, but the Lancet (a British Dermatology journal) reported that the great effects some people get from Chinese Medicine may be due to a naturally occurring steroid (paenol, I believe) in some of the ingredients. Now, if that is the case, I'm wondering if we are just trading one type of steroid for another with the same potential long-term side-effects.

Our daughter often scratches practically everywhere in the night. But we have recently been giving her cotton gloves to wear, and this has helped keep her hands clear. The thing to do is to make sure they stay on; safety pins can help.

I find cotton gloves help with itching, and it also helped with my healing process. To keep them on when I was a child, I used to tie a piece of cloth around my wrists; my mom always made sure it was never too tight. What kind off cotton gloves are you using? Which drug store did you find them at? I can't seem to find any in a drug store around here. I find that thin cotton gloves work great! They are the same ones that photographers use to develop film and can be bought at any photography store. I suggest you phone the store before going to buy them, because I was going to get some last week end, but every store I called was sold out.

I am wondering how people do who get a regular amount of sunshine on their skin. I know the problems with aging etc, but a little sun with no sunburn would be much more desireable than infections

When Esme was younger we bought some all-in-one cotton sleep suits which completely enclosed her hands and feet. We bought them from a company called Cotton On Ltd (Bath BA1 2XF England). They fasten at the back to make it more difficult for a child to wriggle out of. They are designed for children with eczema or other skin problems. They are well made and quite reasonably priced (I thought) but, being pure cotton don't last as long as, say, polyester/cotton mixes. They also supply gloves and other pure cotton clothes. It might be worth contacting them to see if they have any suppliers outside of UK.

Good luck. As others have observed it's very hard to watch your child suffer and be able to do so little about it (or rather to do so much but with little effect). One of the frustrations of eczema is that there are so many different things to try, and so few of them give relief. So you're on a constant search to find something that will work for your child - raising your hopes and then being disappointed.

Brent, That's what I've always wondered about herbal remedies: could they be suppressing the immune system and carrying risks similar to steroids? It's hard for me to believe that an immune system could be "fixed" so quickly and I know that many herbs are very potent. I recently asked my derm dr. about CHT and he said it is very helpful for many eczema patients, but that how it works is unknown. The alternative med people I've met are definitely "nicer" and more caring than the Western med types, but I don't get the feeling I am dealing with Mensa candidates. I admit I'm prejudiced in favor of IQ over aura - probably because several times, Western medicine has saved my life. So I'll stick with the allergy shots; I feel they get pretty close to the root of the problem.

Toni: Perhaps you might consider not shaving your legs. My legs have been great ever since I stopped shaving them. Some people think hairy legs are repulsive on women. But I believe my comfort is more important than silly cultural ideas about femininity. 

The "Mensa'ness" of a practitioner varies I would think as does his experience and insight. Shopping for the right practioner I think would be key. Can we get any recommendations as to how to go about determining the safety and effectiveness of being treated by any one CHT practitioner?

I was "Tested" by new allergist (New to me. Let's call him Dr. Mistake.) for treatment with desensitization shots. I told him my history in detail. I was afraid he would not understand my "status."

I related the fact to Dr. Mistake that I was extremely sensitive to most "Things". I mentioned that a previous allergist ( Let's call him Dr. Careful.) did not believe how allergic I was, and as a test, injected some of my blood into himself. (This was in the 1940's) Dr. Careful forgot about it the next day and ate eggs in the morning as usual. He had an extreme reaction that he didn't forget. His whole body was extremely affected.

In spite of hearing about my degree of sensitivity Dr. Mistake proceeded to treat me with first desensitization shot doses that gave me extreme skin reactions that I had never had before in my long history of terrific reactions. Is this traditional allergist, Dr. Mistake, a Mensa candidate? Yes. He was a very intelligent guy: well thought of in the hospital where he practiced, well written. Yet... this "Mistake" happened. He treated the mistake as a learning experience for him. "Now *we* know you are very sensitive," he said to me.

There is more to effective treatment than "Mensa'ism".

Regarding gloves, I found I yanked them off myself, and so, am sewn into my pajamas before I go to sleep. My boyfriend sewed socks on the hands of my pj top, and I now have several pair, some turtlenecks, too. I think socks work way better than gloves because my hands don't feel so restricted, and kids might get a large charge out of the novelty.

From what I know about plants vs. prescriptions, herbal solutions are easier on the body because they have built in safety valves, or are used in combination with plants with protective powers. A lot of drugs come from old wives' tales and ancient Chinese secrets; a reason they are so toxic is that the scientists have targeted the one chemical they believe to be effective. Without its support system, the effects can be harmful while performing the good.

Steve, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with allergists. I didn't mean to imply that ALL MDs are smarter than ALL alternative types - I was just admitting my prejudices. I, too, appear to be one of the most allergic people on the planet. When I started allergy (desensitization) shots, they diluted the weakest solutions down even further (by many times) for me. Even then, I had monster reactions; in fact, I was a mess after the preliminary scratch tests! But having invested all that time and money, I was determined to keep going. Also, I saw the shots as my last hope . We moved very slow and now, almost 2 yrs later, I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm still rashy all over, but much milder and without the wild facial flares. My sinuses are ever so much better. It's expected that I'll get even better after I'm at the maintenance level for a longer time. This treatment is not for those who want quick results or who can't bear to get worse from time to time as the shots get stronger.

As with any practitioner, I look for experience, ability to listen and understand, and accreditation. My Chinese doctor has degrees from China in Dentistry, Dermatology, and Herbology. She studied with her father, who was a famous dermatologist in China.

I've also had acupuncture given by several different practitioners in the past. The more experienced acupuncturists gave me the most effective treatments. And interestingly, the two women (Dr. Yu above, and an acupuncturist I saw years ago) who were just expert in every way both studied with excellent masters of the profession.

As I have written repeatedly, one should only use the herbs or medications given by a licensed, experienced professional. I do advocate care when choosing and using doctors, treatments, and medications.

Ann, you may be one of the many that has leaky gut syndrom, did you ever look into that? 

No one has ever said anything to me about "leaky gut"? I do know that even the homeopathic allergist I worked with said that I did NOT have any Candida infection (and she was considered the local authority on Candida). I'll mention it to my allergist. 

Steve, your story about Dr. Mistake is an example of a typical problem with doctors. Many don't believe what you tell them! They don't trust that you know a lot about your condition. So they make you suffer through experiments to prove what you already knew! Your story is like Kristen's story about the emergency room idiot who didn't trust her assessment of the situation. M.D. sometimes means Moron with a Degree.

Unfortunately, they are trained in medical school to NOT trust the patient. But chronically ill patients DO know a lot about their conditions. If I was a doctor and said that I'd been studying one case for 39 years, other doctors would be impressed and would be eager to hear my opinion. Yet when I go to the doctor, my accumulated wisdom is ignored or rebuked. They don't want to listen to me at all, when in fact, especially in the case of a new doctor, I DEFINITELY know more than they do about my particular case. Doctors should be taught to work as a partnership team with chronically ill patients. 

I get really upset about the ways that doctors make their patients suffer unnecessarily to learn something that the patient told them in the beginning. 

I used Zonalon about 8 months ago for a couple of times. It had the same affect on me that all (and I have taken many) oral or externally applied anti-histamines have, that is, they don't stop the itching and put me to sleep.

We add nothing to the wet wraps apart from water, though they do go on top of whatever steroid cream/moisturizer we use. They increase the intensity of the steroids too, apparently.

Esme's main problem area is her face now. We saw our dermatologist today who said her allergy to house dust mite is off the scale, whatever that means.

So it's war on the house dust mite.

I went to a new derm today, and was very disappointed. I asked if he knew of any Chinese herbs that were good for eczema and he said "No" and that was the end of it. Also he didn't recommend trying Chinese herbs. Then all he did was give me a cortizone shot in the hand which hurt like a !#@*$. He told me to come back in 3 weeks, but I don't think I will.

So I will continue my search for a good dermatologist. I liked my old one, but he doesn't see eczema patients any more. He sees people with skin cancer, and does tattoo removals. Although I have a tattoo, I'm not getting it removed. I do plan on getting more when I get some money.

Several years ago, my derm Dr. used me in an informal study (I initiated it; my derm Dr. IS often receptive to MY ideas). The idea was to see if I first cleared my face with steroids, could I then maintain it by using Zonalon as a preventative. I had been having a lot of facial flares and was concerned about steroid overuse there. 

I didn't get very far into the experiment as my allergist heard about this and told me to stop because there is a chance that if you put antihistamine on the skin, you could later have a severe reaction if you take the same antihistamine systemically. The derm dr. felt that there was very little chance that this disaster would happen. But having almost not survived some allergic reactions, I decided to quit. I had the feeling that Zonalon helped with the itching but that I would probably need steroids along with it as the skin seemed to be breaking down. Anyhow, anyone using topical antihistamines, be aware that problems have occurred in some people.

As a child, my parents did something similar and for me, it was a bad idea because there are two conflicting needs. One is the need to keep from scratching and the other is the need to regulate heat. With gloves or socks or sleepwear that encloses your entire body, there is no way to adjust the temperature as your body gets warmer during the night. As a child I couldn't explain the problem to my parents, and they never understood why I would tear my clothes to shreds in efforts to get out of them in the night. My mom would keep sewing them back together and I'd keep tearing them up and scratching my skin to shreds in the process too. I'd be so overheated and itchy that I'd get into a frenzy of scratching and couldn't stop till I was raw. Now I know that it was an overheating problem, in addition to a psychological rebellion against being confined by all the restraints I was put into.

To this day, I cannot wear regular gloves, only the fingerless kind. 

Zonalon is a skin antihistamine (like benedril cream). I think it is generally safe for all but the most skin allergic people (like me). Doctors look at me and my history and think, "this is that one in a million person who is going to die easily - I'd better be super- careful - can't afford a major malpractice lawsuit." I admire you for not using steroids on your face. Steroids thin all skin, but the face skin is thin to begin with so that's why the caution is made. Are you male or female? I have this theory that females use steroids more than men because of vanity. I know that most of the steoids I put on my face are for appearance purposes. As I get older, I seem to care less and use steroids less for looks alone. But I would imagine that men develop this sensible attitude easier and earlier. 

Just some info that may be of help to anyone out there. I just got out of the hospital. I was admitted for my eczema. I was red as a lobster from head to toe. I had been trying CHT but had not found the right formula and could not wait any longer. I was depressed and could not function. I needed some relief (I had been in this condition for several months).

I was treated by a great doctor, an associate professor in the derm dept. She mostly works with pediatrics but also treats adults. She was great in terms of listening and willing to talk to me. She asked me about my family history: was I first generation born in the US? and other questions. At least she is exploring other possibilities which is more than many drs do.

She treated me with wet wraps and topical steroids and a combination of UVB and PUVA. I will continue with the light treatments and use wraps as needed. If that doesn't work then there is another doctor who I talked with, an immunologist/allergy specialist. We talked about the possibility of using interferon (a prettry heavy duty drug) if the light treament doesnt work. He said it is expensive. Hopefully I won't have to use it but it is nice to know there are other options (as long as insurance pays - smile). I have tried homepathy and CHT but nothing has worked yet. I do believe they work for some people and maybe they work for most if you or I can wait that long. I am tired of suffering and not being able to function at home or work.

Right now I am doing better still a little pink "around the gills" but at least I can tolerate it a little better and I can do wraps at home as necessary. My goal, like all of us, is to get off the oral steroids and topical.

It so happens that I took interferon (via self injection) a few years ago for treatment of my liver. I dont remember any specific correlation between that and my skin condition, although I believe that my eczema was not a problem at the time anyway... it certainly did not make it worse. I suffered some of the classic interferon side effects (flu like symtoms) which became more and more severe. I stopped taking it after six months, and, as it happens it wasn't benefitting my liver chemistry. It may have been helping me with my eczema without me knowing it?

I have a question I've been meaning to ask about sternum sensitivity. As far as I can remember I have hated anyone coming near my sternum, even when I really trust them. When I wore necklaces, I never let anything bang there. I recently found out that the thymus is under the sternum. The thymus is involved in the immune system which relates to allergies, so I am wondering if other people who suffer from allergies & eczema have this achilles heel of the chest.

Last year, when my eczema was good, I didn't mind so much when my best friend grazed my sternum area. Now I am incredibly protective of it again. My grandmother had really bad eczema and she couldn't stand the shoulder strap from her seat belt. She always put it behind her back. She died twenty years ago so I never got to ask her about skin and about this, so I would love it if people would respond.

How long before the bad effects of prednisone use is noticable? How much (mg) were you taking per day? How long were you taking it? And not just that course of treatment.

I've tried a couple of times to take just 50 mg per day and reduce by 10 mg every other day. This is not as effective as 100 mg per day reducing every other day by 10 mg.

My doc says to hit it hard and don't mess with the lower doses. They are not as effective. Anyone out there with previous experience???

I have face eczema I just hate going out in public with a scaly, rashy face, so I use the cortizone 2.5% on my face as needed, though I try not to use it every day. My diet has improved my skin everywhere, including my face, but my face still seems to be affected more than most other parts. It's a drag!

My experience with prednisone is long term. I never got much of a boost out a 10 day stint. I took from 30 - 60 mg/ day for a couple of years. 60 would be on a bad day, when my skin was starting to flare. I never could seem to get below 30 mg even when I was good without getting an adverse skin reaction. The bloating and mood swings occurred after a couple of months. Glaucoma and cataracts were noticed by the second year. I don't know about any bone degeneration that might have occurred since I haven't been tested. I got off it because I had to! Enough people told me I was killing myself. 

Amy, I've never been particularly aware of the sternum area, but I don't like it when people touch me anywhere. So many times their hands have some allergen on them which starts a flare. I know I wasn't touched much as an infant for the same reason and I'm sure it's part of why I'm somewhat a loner today. Seatbelts and other straps are very uncomfortable for me too. In fact, more than one layer of clothing bothers me, as the top layer (often heavier) pushes the bottom layer into the skin. But again, the sternum area isn't anymore sensitive than other areas. 

Christopher, I've taken prednisone sporadically (40 mg/day) more times than I'd like to think about or admit! Except for the fact that my liver tests strange, I so far have no side effects definitely traceable to prednisone use. But maybe what I assume is "just middle age decline" is actually prednisone side effects? Whatever, I'd still pick prednisone over hospitalization or worse. 

Recap: we have a two-year old child with severe eczema whose skin is persistently infected. Over the last few months my daughter and wife and myself, who don't share the eczema, have been getting skin infections too. Mine often develop into very painful, large boil-like infections that cause an enormous swelling. After a few days the pain is so sever I have to burst the infection, and it then takes four or five days for the swelling to diminish. A scar is left and the skin is left shiny. The infections have a dark centre, and the pus is green with white spots (!). I have had the last one tested at the lab, and the verdict is staphorias (sic?). Does anyone know anything about this? My GP thinks flucloxicillin will sort it out, but I've had that before and still get the infections. Might my son share this infection, and might this be a significant part of the problem? (He's had lots of antibiotics.)

I don't remember the mg amounts, but I know that I would start with 7 or 8 pills a day and then each day reduce by one, until I got down to taking 2 pills and then my skin would do fine if I alternated taking 2 or 1 pill a day. I would maintain that 2/1 dosage for weeks and then try to stop it altogether. Then after awhile my skin would flare again and I would go back to starting with the 7 or 8 pills again. I think I was in that cycle for a couple of years. I had no side effects whatsoever. The only reason I stopped is because the doctors insisted that there would be long-term bad effects if I continued. 

Ben, When I was about 13 yrs. old, I had skin infections very similar to the ones you describe. I had them all over and still have scars on my chin and armpit. My regular doctors just shrugged, and I guess since I always had some eczema (though this was a very clear time for me), it was accepted that my skin was "troubled" in general. 

Anyhow, we went on vacation and I got an ear infection from swimming so we took the bus to some clinic for travelers and on the bus one of the boils popped causing a major mess as you can imagine. Of course when we got to the clinic the doctor focused more attention on the boil than the ear and told us that if I used Dial soap I wouldn't have boils. Well, he was right! 

I know that if I even touched anything as drying as bar soap today I'd have trouble. But then my skin was pretty normal so I had no trouble using the Dial. Maybe the Dial had nothing to do with it and I just happened to outgrow the boils at that point, but you might try it- particularly if you yourself don't have dry skin. I also wonder if the doctors at home who knew my eczema history were afraid to suggest the Dial for fear it would start up the eczema again. I hope your child outgrows the eczema (I too was real severe all over at that age). 

Did you know that "Dial" soap is an antibacterial soap? If you get a piercing (other than ears) the piercing artist will reccomend you use dial to wash the pierced area 'til its healed.

Another thing they recommend is an antiseptic called "Bactine". This works better than Peroxide or Rubbing Alcohol as a disinfectant. I find that soaking my hands in a luke warm mixture of "Bactine" and water, helps my hand eczema. It doesn't itch as much, and dries out. Which leads to my eczema going away.

It's "staph. aureus", short for "staphylococcus aureus". My spelling may be a bit off.

This is, as far as I know, a common bacteria often found on the skin but for some reason many people with eczema always have it on their skin and in much larger amounts. It is related to the eczema but there are different theories about what part it plays - whether it helps cause the eczema or the other way round.

What you describe is very like what I have had in the past. At one point half my leg was swollen black, blue and yellow. And purple. It was treated with oral antibiotics which cleared it up but the boils kept coming back. My doctor kept prescribing antibiotics but was pretty well baffled so I decided I had better find another way.

I have managed to keep it pretty well under control by applying Sudocrem once a day to the eczema on my leg. This contains an antiseptic. The rest of the time I use aqueous cream or a steroid cream, depending on how inflamed it is. It is also important to try and keep the eczema clean and avoid scratching it.

I also find that the boils can break out anywhere else on my body where there is no eczema, and also my wife has had them at around the same time, suggesting that the infection is... ehhm... infectious.

To keep these down I apply diluted liquid Savlon, or a similar liquid antiseptic, several times a day as soon as they appear. I also put a couple of capfuls of liquid antiseptic in the bath. (Then I have a bath. :-)

These antiseptics say they are not to be used on eczematous skin but I have no problem with them. This may not be true for everyone.

Although the boils appear to come "from the inside" it definitely does seem to control them if I apply antiseptic. Antiseptic creams like Savlon or Germolene may also work but I have not tried them. I find this preferable to constantly taking oral antiseptics which have their own complications, such as killing of "friendly" bacteria in the gut.

I am on prednisone, have been for over a month, I think. The first doctor had me on a two week taper, starting at forty mg a day and dropping to five over the course. I was very reluctant to start it. I waited until I dreamt I was going to get new arms and wrestled myself out of my straight jacket of a pj top in my sleep, so I could itch to my heart's delight. My boyfriend woke up before I did and asked me what I was doing. I said I was getting some new arms, and had to get rid of the old ones. That day I decided to attack my adrenal gland, no matter what the bad effects. If I was playing that many games with my subconscious just to get a good scratch in, I figured I needed major medical artillery.

Since I waited so late to start it, I went back to the doctor when I was still at 15 mg a day. I had a different doctor, since I go to the university derms, and she couldn't make sense of the last doctor's commands. So she put me back on 30 mg a day for five days, then 20 mg for another five, and now I am in the two weeks of 10 mg a day.

I guess I can't vouch for the long term effects of oral steroids, since my experience is so brief, but I think that the lower doses are effective, in my case, anyway. I am very weak, maybe from the steroids, maybe from fighting myself for so long. I don't know. My goal is to get off the drugs before the long term problems really kick in, but it is so tempting to stay here where the skin is smooth and the itching is minimal!

The temptation is so strong! I took ten months to get off my last course because I didn't want to want to return to the world of itching and ugliness.

I tapered off 1mg a week and I believe that was great as I haven't had a flare up yet (I have always had a flare up coming off past cortisone courses at 5mg per week). I also must attribute my wellness to my dietary changes.

I am also prone to immense and powerful mood swings when coming off the cortisone - my anger at very petty things is frightening so the wish to stay on high doses for me is all the more tempting.

Good luck coming off Amy - the long term effects are so horrible that it is great to be rid of them.

Yesterday was a milestone day.

My goal in life was to be able to wear short sleeves some summer day. With each new dermatologist, with each new diet, with each new salve or herb.... I thought, maybe, this time my skin will be clear so I can go out in public with short sleeves.

Well, my skin was not clear, but I did it anyway. No one threw up or gawked so much I had to turn and leave. A milestone for my birthday.

I know this is something that worked once because of the special day. 

Even so…

Once... is better than never.

We're having trouble figuring out whether we need "Tubiton" or "Tubifast." They seem to be two different products from the same company. Tubiton seems to be the water-repellent product; Tubifast is not.

If you're doing a wet wrap, which do you use?

By the way, our daughter, who has been in an unusually acute flare-up for the past several weeks, is having some good response from daily baths with 4-5 capfuls of Balnetar. We get it at our local pharmacy without a prescription. It's pretty pricey, but seems to be worth it. The only side effect is that our bathtub is turning a sickly sort of brownish-yellow.

I am interested in the Baltenar you mentioned, as I too have found a tar product that has been helpful. I am including some information below about it (them). Can you tell me a little more about Baltenar?

I found two "Ionil" shampoo products that have eliminated all itching and flaking. One is plain "Ionil" therapeutic salicylic acid shampoo which also contains: laureth-23, SD alcohol 40 12%, laureth-4, bensalkoniumn chloride, tetrasodium EDTA. The other is Ionil-T which says it helps eliminate the symptoms of dandruff, seborrheic detmatitus, and psoriasis and it contains: coal tar topical solution USP 5%, (equivalent to 1% w/v coal tar) and the ingrediants listed above for the plain "Ionil" They are made by Galderma Laboratories Inc., Fort Worth, Texas 76133. The sku numbers are:N3 0299-3730-04-0 and N3 0299-3751-08-3.

I recommend them highly. I use the two alternatively. I can skip a day or two every 10 days or so. Long ago coal tar derivatives were prescribed for me by dermotologists. I find the one with the tar more effective.

Many thanks for all your postings regarding prednisone. For me it really is the wonder drug! My skin has become as soft as a new borns and my itching is minimal.

I just don't understand how prednisone works! If my skin was affected by outside influences, for example, cat hair, dander, housedust or by diet, etc how can prednisone stop all that and leave me with great skin?

I have to wear a short sleeve uniform tonight at a function we are doing so the steroid treatment means I can work. If I wasn't on them I would have to turn down the job. Prednisone has a lot more than good skin to offer!!

I'm not looking forward to the end of the dosage period but I am really enjoying this time of freedom. My heart goes out to you all who are cursed with this eczema.

Christopher, In very simple terms (medical people: please correct me if I'm wrong), prednisone supresses the immune system, particularly the "allergic part" of the immune system. So no matter what allergens you are exposed to when you are on it, you don't react! Unfortunately, prednisone also supresses NORMAL immune function and has other side effects. So it is easy to get too much of it. Hopefully someone will invent a drug that ONLY supresses the allergic reaction; MAYBE, hopefully, some of the herbs that people have success with do this. But the fact that herbs, like prednisone, are only prescribed for occasional use tells me that they too can have negative impact on the immune system. Anyhow, enjoy your clear skin now. I don't want to give you false hope but I do know of people who have sayed clear for years after one session of prednisone! I myself stayed nearly clear for years after a 2 week high fever (fevers work on me better than steroids). 

Balnetar Therapeutic Tar Bath is made by Westwood Squibb Parmaceuticals. They're in Buffalo, NY 14213. We've had no trouble finding it in our local pharmacy. Once in a while they've been out of the product, but they've been able to get it in a couple of days.

The indications on the bottle say it's "for relief of itching and scaling associated with psoriasis."

My understanding is that prednisone's primary action is in reducing/eliminating inflammation. It speeds the healing process. That's why it is also the drug of choice among people with arthritis. Immune system suppression is an unintended effect. 

Here's a quote from the Physician's Desk Reference: "glucocorticoids (prednisone)...are used primarily for their potent anti-inflammatory effects in disorders of many organ systems. (They) cause profound and varied metabolic effects. In addition, they modify the body's immune response to diverse stimuli." 

Recall that the skin is the largest organ in the body. It is true that eczema is primarily (or wholly) an allergic reaction. Several pharmaceutical firms are now doing intensive research to develop drugs which suppress allergic reactions at the molecular level. This is a real innovation since most drugs to date only affect the symptoms of allergies, not their cause. 

I believe you said you use Baltenar in a bath for your child. Is that right? (Please note: The therapeutic effect of the tar ingrediants, according to my "Ionil" tar shampoo label directions, is achieved after 3-5 minutes on the skin. I am wondering if this is the same for Baltenar.)

We tend to give children baths because it is easier for us or we need to apply medicine to the skin. But bathing is not better, unless rinsing thoroughly is done after the bath. Of course there may be special circumstances where a prescribed medicine/treatment must be applied in a certain way. Even in these cases, it should be done of clean rinsed skin, I think.

Long ago I found that I experienced much more comfort after bathing if most of my time was spent rinsing with clear cool water, therefore I have avoided baths for many years. I don't like the idea of sitting in the dirty water, and then wiping off the dirty water with a towel. It just doesn't make sense to me. And this proved correct for me. Rinsing is essential for me.

In fact I may take three or four showers a day and only one of them may use any cleansing agent depending on my activities. Then, as I mentioned, most of the showering time is spent in rinsing. I use a wash cloth gently with about 10 gentle gentle strokes for all areas of the skin to aid in the removal of the dead skin. Showering reduces itching for me.

I do not agree with the people who say that the water dries the skin too much and should be avoided by eczema sufferers. I think avoiding water to cleanse, is unsanitary and promotes infection. I doubt if it is based double blind clinical trials. Of course my approach is not based upon db clinical trials either, but it just makes more sense to me. Ridding the skin of cells being shed, I think is crucial. They harbor "stuff".

Some people with eczema think they have dry skin. They may. But I think it is more likely that the shedding of skin damaged by allergies, gives the impression of dry skin, much like the peeling of skin after a sunburn. The dead stuff that is peeling is dry, but the live skin is not. It is irritated from allergies and toxins on the skin. Please note that nutrient oils, and B vitamins may be needed if one does really have dry skin.

As we all learned in high school, the skin is a major organ of elimination. Those non-gaseous toxins that are vented by the skin will stay on the skin until they are removed. Showering aids in accomplishing this. If we are taking in so many things which our body treats as allergens, and our body is trying to rid itself of those problems, we must help by rinsing them off. Smearing/wiping the toxins with Vaseline or other non-water "cleansers" before bathing just does not make sense. The poisens must be removed first and not covered up.

I am suggesting that you consider draining the tub, and then using a shower attachment on your child to rinse as much as possible. There are some shower attachments out there that slide on a rod to adjust for the height of the showerer. Take at least five minutes, rinsing very gently in water that is cooled more and more during each minute. Using a washcloth gently I am sure you will find is a big help. Follow this with whatever skin moisturizer you use. Make sure the moisturizer is not an irritant, or put nothing on the skin except whatever medication or special material you are using that you are sure is helping.

You should be using Tubifast, it is made in 5 different sizes my son is nearly 5 and we use: green for his arms blue for his legs and yellow or beige for his body.

Gail, it's great about your short sleeves! Congratulations! I know exactly how you feel; maybe cause I'm more relaxed due to unemployment or maybe because my ointment, tar, etc seems to be working, I have also worn "sleeveless" and for the first time in 10 years my legs are not so scratched up -I have actually worn a short skirt! Isn't it amazing when for once it all works!! It's been so hot here that I'm grateful for the respite. 

This mailing list has been so helpful--both psychologically knowing you're not alone with this affliction--and for all the fabulous resources and tips. Thanks for more prednisone info--as one who has found "nirvana" also when taking it (it's even better for my asthma!), but always doing so with trepidation. I hope that the research you discussed will come to pass for ALL of us... better dreaming about that than the old dream and scratch!!

Fevers also work for me... this topic came up once before and some people are helped by fevers.

Hi Christopher, I'm glad that you too are enjoying the temporary relief of prednisone. Don't fall too in love with it, though, as I'm sure you know the side effects are strong. I think the drug works by turning off your adrenal cortex, which is issuing the histamine that causes reactions.

I went to the derm today. I've been going to the University for five weeks. I see a different pair every time - a new resident, timid & terrified of touching me, even when my skin is looking okay, and a doctor. Five weeks ago, one doctor stood in the same spot as today's doctor, trying to convince me to try oral steroids. Today's doctor tried to convince me to quit the steroids and go back to topical creams. I don't need any convincing about steroid risks, but I am looking for ideas about going back to the hydrocortisone as I need it. I am hesitant to begin that cycle again, as the 'masking' effect just seemed to help elevate my symptoms toward this year's terror. (I've had eczema all my nearly thirty years, but only the last 10 months have been absolutely unmanageable.)

Can I please get some thoughts on returning to the topical cortisone treatments?

Oh, the joys of tar stained towels and baths and sinks and sheets and clothes and hair and...

And the smell!

I tried this ointment once (ages ago, can't remember what it was but I know it was from a vet's - we'll try anything won't we?) and the smell permeated the whole house so much that no one would visit me for a month. And it didn't work.

Hi Amy, I don't like using steriods and I hate using topical cortisones. It seems to make my eczema spread. I don't know if that's an illusion or not, but I try to stay away from them. I have found one thing though that works for me. And this is the only ointment I will put on my skin. It doesn't burn or irritate and it works. It's called Ultravate (halobeasol propionate) made by Squibb. They make other creams and ointments that are sort of like it, but they don't work for me. They make the eczema spread or they burn. I don't know what it is about this stuff and I don't care all I know is that it works for me. Maybe you can ask one of the Docs to let you try some. 

I had tried the Caveman Diet (meat and vegies-no sugar grains or yeast). It didn't cure my eczema, however, it did cure bronchial asthma that had been keeping me up all night and requiring constant medication and access to inhalers. It has been several years, I no longer am on the anti-yeast diet (it is not a balanced nutritional diet), but my asthma has not reoccurred.

Sam and I have gone on a anti-candida, enzyme suplement program which seems to be improving our eczema - which she's probably told you about but anyway... After reading a book called "Allergies- a disease in disguise" which cites candida and the "leaky gut syndrome" as a major cause of sensitivity, suddenly everything - all my symptoms and when they occurred - seemed to make sense. Drinking chlorinated water can apparently lead to a candida outbreak because the chlorine not only kills the bacteria in the water, it kills the digestive bacteria in your gut. The yeasts which compete with those bacteria go out of control and can also go into a fruiting stage where they form h