subject: How to Stop Eczema Itching Naturally [print this page] How to Stop Eczema Itching Naturally How to Stop Eczema Itching Naturally
Anyone who has ever lived with eczema or even known someone afflicted, knows how painful it can be. There are, however, a few things you can do to stop the itching without medication. If you're one of the millions of people out there who prefer a more natural approach, try these remedies:
Use moisturizer on the affected areas. Make sure it's a natural moisturizer and doesn't contain any alcohol, dyes, fragrance, or other chemicals. Petrolium jelly is an excellent moisturizer and doesn't cost much.
Use cold compresses. Ice packs work well. If you don't have one, make your own by filling a ziptop baggie with ice cubes and wrapping a towel around it.
Take cool baths instead of hot ones. Better yet, take showers. If you bath in a tub, limit your bathing time to under 10 minutes if possible. Prolonged exposure to water in a confined area such as a bath, tends to cause spreading. When you dry off, pat the affected areas and whatever you do, don't scrub!
Try to avoid strong soaps while in the bath and use allergy-free detergent to wash clothes. Strong detergents and soap, along with harsh chemicals, can cause flare-ups.
Avoid wearing wool or other itchy fabric. Choose soft cotton or microfiber, or any type of fabric that doesn't scratch.
Try not to sweat. Perspiration causes outbreaks. I know this is hard; if you exercise at all, or have a job where you must work hard, it will be next to impossible to keep from sweating. If you do start to sweat, take frequent breaks so that your body has a chance to cool down.
Use a humidifier whenever you have the heat or air conditioning on. Both heat and air conditioning dry the air. It's important to keep your skin moisturized.
Eat right. This is a loaded statement, I know, but there are some nutritionists out there who believe that there are some foods you can eat that will prevent eczema breakouts and also, some foods that cause them. Before you begin a diet designed to prevent breakouts, first you need to know what types of foods you can and cannot tolerate, or in other words, which foods cause you to break out and which don't. With that in mind, you should keep a food diary for about 6 weeks. If you have at least 2 or 3 breakouts within that time frame, you should be able to see certain patterns in your eating habits. You'll notice that, for instance, everytime you eat nuts, you have a breakout. This is just an example of course, but many people do report that nuts cause eczema breakouts. As do certain dairy products. The trick is to figure out which foods cause YOUR eczema to flare up and then to eliminate those foods from your diet.
Tea has been thought to prevent breakouts, so it wouldn't hurt to drink a few glasses or cups of tea a day. Green tea, especially, is recommended by a few health food stores to prevent flare-ups.
