Detoxing to Heal Eczema

If you’re one of the three percent of adults that has to deal with eczema, you know what frustration feels like.  You’ve probably tried all kinds of pills, creams, and seemingly ridiculous regimens with very little luck.  Well, all these chemicals you’re adding may just be part of the cause of your problem.

A patch of eczema that has been scratched (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As we go through our day, toxic chemicals are continually entering our body; they’re in the food we eat, the products we put on our skin, and even in the air we breathe.  While a little bit of these chemicals is fine for most people, after a few years, they build up in our bodies, slow us down and can even lead to negative health effects.  Eczema is one of the negative effects many people believe is caused by these chemicals. 

The good news?  This means that if you periodically flush these chemicals out of your body through detox, you may see your symptoms decrease almost immediately.  Plus, you’ll probably feel better and lose some weight, too.

So, you know why to detox - the next step is the how.  The truth is, there’s no one way that has been proven best for detoxing.  A juice fast is often recommended, but a cleanse that can work great for eczema is an apple diet.  Simply eat fresh, organic apples for several days.  Any variety works, in fact, you’ll probably prefer getting a few different kinds to liven it up a bit.  There are also various fruit and vegetable juice cleanses you can try.  Just remember to use freshly squeezed juice and not bottled to ensure you get all the vitamins and active enzymes.

You can also try a fresh foods cleanse diet, such as the Total Wellness Cleanse, which is very gentle on your body and very effective - but it may take several weeks.

There are many companies that will sell herbal complexes you can take to help cleanse your system.  While this is a great way to detox, always take great care when using these products.  You always want to research what products you try and consult an expert and a doctor before taking anything, as many herbs can have interactions and side effects.  Also, there is no regulating body like the FDA to regulate what goes into these products.

(Photo credit: epSos.de)

Once you’ve detoxed your body and seen symptoms improve, don't stop there.  While periodically detoxifying your system will flush the chemicals out of your body, it’s best if they never get there in the first place.  Try eating less processed and more fresh organic food and using natural skin, hair, and other personal products.  Many people have benefited from increasing their fatty acid intake as well.  This will keep you looking and feeling better between cleanses.

If you try a detox and see results, but symptoms immediately return when you return to a normal diet, your symptoms may be from a food allergy.  Try recording what foods you eat, along with severity of symptoms.  Review your records every so often to see if a specific food is triggering your symptoms.  You may need to avoid certain types of food like dairy or gluten.

For many people, a detox diet alone is still not enough.  For full treatment, you will likely need to use the topical treatments provided to you by your doctor.  You should also let them know of any herbs or special diets you use in case it interacts with your other medication.

But for some, switching to a clean, healthy diet of fresh, whole, unprocessed foods may be all you need to relieve your eczema and return to full health.

Naturally Gentle Cures for Skin Problems

Every year, millions of dollars are spent trying to cure skin conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea.  For many people, these conditions are simply embarrassing and often temporary, but they can also be painful, and for some never go away.

While doctors may treat your condition with pills and creams, they are often very expensive and even more often, they do little to help your issues - and sometimes their chemical ingredients can even irritate the skin and make things worse.  Before you try another expensive treatment, why not try treating your skin problems naturally. 

Acne vulgaris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While you may be skeptical, some of these treatments have been used for hundreds of years and cost a lot less than prescriptions.

There are many myths about skin issues involving food that just aren’t true.  Eating chocolate or other oily foods isn’t going to give you a breakout, but that doesn’t mean that diet isn’t a factor in the health of your skin.  We are what we eat, so if you want to look good, you have to eat right with a diet rich in nutrients, many of which can be found in fruits and vegetables.

One of the best natural cures doesn’t require you eating anything, or applying anything to your skin at all.  In fact, you may need to do the opposite.  Many skin problems like acne are actually allergic reactions to foods or skin creams.  You just need to figure out what you’re allergic to and avoid it and you’ll likely see your skin issues clear up quickly.

To determine if you have an allergy, you’ll need to keep a food and skin journal.  Record everything you eat, everything you put on your skin, and your skin symptoms.  After a few weeks you can review it.  You may notice that a specific food or product is triggering your symptoms.  While it might be hard to cut out a food, if it's something you're sensitive or allergic to, your body and your skin will thank you.

Food types likely to cause allergic reactions in adults. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To keep skin healthy, it needs to be cleansed twice a day.  Using natural cleansers can help keep your pores clear without irritating them with harsh chemicals.  Many products claim to be natural, but really only contain a few natural ingredients.  You can look for certification seals on products, check the ingredients carefully, or simply use products you make yourself. (For guidance on purchasing natural skin care products, visit http://www.thenaturalproductdirectory.com/.)

For a great at-home blemish mask, try mixing a tablespoon of flour, ¼ teaspoon of orange peel powder, 1 tablespoon beaten yogurt, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Apply and dry, just like a regular mask, then rinse with hot then cold water.  Other natural things shown to cut down on skin problems include tomatoes, watermelon juice, cucumber, and mint juice.

You may also find a detox diet beneficial for clearing up acne, eczema, and other skin issues.  Toxic chemicals from our food and other things we’re exposed to can build up in our system.  Your skin problems could simply be a reaction to these chemicals in your system.  To rid yourself of them, you can try a quick detox or simply switch to a diet with cleansing herbs and less processed food, such as the Total Wellness Cleanse.