Eczema problem.
Hi - My wife has been having an eczema problem on both sides of her
face the last few months. She has always had tendency to itch there,
but never had any really noticable eczema problem there until the last
few months. She does also have a pretty bad problem with sun
sensitivity, so she’s had to increase the use of sunscreen the last
few months, but really doesn’t apply much of anything near the areas
where the eczema is occurring, and it’s not occurring anywhere else on
her face or neck.
She had been using cortisol cream, but the doctor was afraid she
wasn’t using it too much. So she had my wife stop it for a while
(which of course caused it to get worse), and then gave her a small
amount of very strong cortisol cream to use for about a week, which
just about made it disappear. But of course as soon as she stopped
it, it came back very quickly. We think this doctor is being to
worried about using the cream, as a former doctor wasn’t so
conservative. This doctor is afraid that her skin will be thinned
out too much by the cortisol cream, but I’ve read on the web that it’s
not that much of a problem (is it?)
Anyway, she went to a different doctor, to see if someone else might
be less conservative, and my wife happened to mention that she takes
herbs for other problems. Of course, this 2nd doctor immediately
thought that it HAD to be the herbs that were causing the problem.
Doctors love to pick on herbs. When my wife had a different problem
last year (fast heartbeat), a doctor at the emergency room also blamed
the herbs, which of course later turned out not to be the problem.
The herbs she takes are a mixure made up specially for her by an
experienced local herbalist, who is careful not to add too much of any
herb, specifying to avoid any possible side effect. She’s not just
taking something from the drug store. However, of course, this doctor
has planted in her some doubt, though, about the herbs. So I’m
curious if anyone has ever experienced or read about a problem with
any type of herb actually causing eczema. Thanks.
(P.s. Also, anyone have a similar eczema problem that only occurs on
the side of the face?)
August 3rd, 2004 at 1:28 pm
Whew, that’s a long email with lots of questions!
Herbs. I am an herbalist. I do not know everything, I am always learning. I
have never heard of herbs causing eczema. I also believe eczema is not a
disease, but an allergy. I went to an allopathic doc 2 yrs ago, [medical
doc] and he said what I knew to be true anyway, that eczema is to the skin,
what asthma is to the lungs. Asthma is a horrendous allergic reaction. Ditto
eczema.
Herbs help the body heal itself. God made our bodies in awesome and
miraculous ways. He made our bodies heals themselves. Herbs are the food He
gave us to help our bodies do what they were created to do, heal themselves.
Herbs get at the root of what is the cause. Some problems are so deep
seated, that herbs sometimes take months and years to help. Sometimes they
don’t work.
Sometimes we need something that will kickstart our healing. Like
antibiotics.
Complementary medicine is working together to effect good results,
alternative medicine is using herbs, or other non medical things
exclusively. I prefer to use all I can to get good results.
YES cortisone/steriods THIN THE SKIN. As one who has inherited thin skin,
you do NOT want it. A doc told my Dad to take folic acid, and he said it is
helping make his thin skin thicker. God bless that doc who tells her to not
use much of it.
MOST allopathic docs don’t care what the long term effects are on a person.
They only care about stopping the symptoms and not healing or stopping the
problem from it’s root cause.
Sun. UV rays from the sun cause damage to the skin and immune system. The
sun damages the langerhans cells. It breaks these cells down. This is part
of our immune systems. Because I have a crummy immune system, since I
learned of this, via the web, [look up langerhans cells], I do not get a tan
here on purpose. [2001 was first year here and I got a tan in 4 days! 10 min
a day, phoenix, az]
It’s a balance. Some people say the sun helps their skin problems. But OTOH,
it hurts your immune system. I stay out of the sun.
What was the cause of your wife’s fast heartbeat?
Janine Phariss
www.BlueSageNaturals.com
10-20% OFF SALE ~ ON NOW!
August 3rd, 2004 at 3:46 pm
While my wife does have allergies, she isn’t having any other allergic
symptoms right now, plus isn’t it unusual that she’s having skin
problems only in a specific area on both sides of her face, that don’t
come into contact with anything that frequently? Hm, except her
pillow, and although we’ve washed the pillow case, and it does have a
cotton inner protector, I wonder if it’s time to replace the pillow
itself. Maybe we’ll try that.
> What was the cause of your wife’s fast heartbeat?
An interaction with meds that wasn’t supposed to cause such a problem,
but did. Funny thing was, that the wife of the doctor at the hospital
was an accupuncturist, who my wife’s herbalist knew, so the next day
he called the women and they went over every herb my wife was taking,
and obviously it couldn’t have been the herb. I’ve tried to warn my
wife not to mention the herbs from then on, but unfortunately she did
so, and got the same reaction.
August 4th, 2004 at 9:12 am
In my experience the eczema travels. One day, month,
or year it might be on one area, then it may move and
focus on another place. Mine didn’t go to my face
until my early 30’s.
August 6th, 2004 at 1:12 am
Can’t hurt. Also take a look at shampoos, soaps,
lotions, and diet.