Alison Odey

In most cases of eczema there is underlying lack of digestive enzymes, and/or hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

An adequate supply of raw foods in the diet is essential as it is only raw foods that naturally supply food enzymes.
Without these a great strain is put on the body’s digestive ability. Try and aim
for 30-40% raw foods in the diet and be sure to sprout all seeds before consuming them. Supplementing with digestive enzymes at each meal is also essential and can result in dramatic improvement on this condition. I usually recommend enzyme products which are entirely plant derived, contain an effective doseage of digestive enzymes and are extremely well tolerated.
See page on ‘Enzymes – facts’.

The production of digestive enzymes and acids is dependent to an extent on an adequate supply of B vitamins and minerals in the diet, often deficient.
Spirulina helps greatly, around 6000mg each morning. This may be repeated at
lunchtime but do not take spirulina (or any B vitamin supplement) at night as it
will keep you awake!
An alternative would be 1tbsp of Colloidal minerals daily plus a B Complex tablet.
The extra zinc supplied by the colloidal minerals will greatly aid in healing the skin.
See page on ‘Minerals – why we need to supplement’.

Totally eliminate all added sugars as these will only worsen inflammation, lower the immune system, aggravate unwanted yeast production and cause swings in moods and emotions, all of which can aggravate skin conditions.

Greatly reduce (or eliminate) dairy products. At least eliminate cheese totally, as these products are high in dairy protein and can be very difficult for the stomach to digest. Products such as ‘milo’, ice-cream, and sweetened yoghurts and ‘dairy’ foods contain dairy proteins as well as sugars.

If unsure of which food is the problem then try eliminating ALL possible culprits, such as all dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, citrus and gluten. This leaves a diet of rice, corn or quinoa products (such as rice or corn porridge, breads and milks), red meats, fish, chicken, fruits such as banana, apple, pear and avocado,  flaxseed & fish oils. Smoothies work well and allow extra enzymes, oils, probiotics and extra proteins such as pea protein to be added.
This can be continued until the skin improves then very slowly and carefully add another food one at a time. For example if unsure if gluten is a problem try using spelt products (low gluten) instead of wheat initially.

Have a fish meal (preferably oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herrings, cod etc.) at least three times weekly and supplement with Evening Primrose oil daily – 3000mg at least twice daily, but increasing to three times daily if inflammation is severe.
Fish oils supply Omega 3 and seed oils provide Omega 6 essential fatty acids, both are required to keep the skin healthy, prevent dryness and inflammation and maintain the circulatory and nervous systems.

Fish oils also contain Vitamin A which is excellent in helping the skin to heal. If you don’t like eating oily fish try taking a capsule of Cod liver oil daily (or alternatively another fish oil capsule) or a tbsp of Flaxseed oil.

Herbal remedies containing ‘blood cleansers’ are also very useful.  Often these herbs are generally bitter to taste and therefore stimulate the digestive secretions and also maintain good mineral levels.
A mix of Gentian and Ginger taken 2-3 drops onto the tongue ten minutes prior to meals is a very good way of further stimulating the digestive juices.

If there is infection present on the skin, I have found taking Oregano oil at about 150mg twice daily can help greatly. These are usually available as tiny capsules.

Some types of ‘eczema’ would more accurately be termed ‘allergic dermatitis’ as they are the result of the body reacting to chemicals found in certain foods. These can be naturally occurring chemicals.
‘Eczema’ caused by sensitivity to citrus would be one example. The appearance of the skin is a little different to that of an eczema caused by intolerance to dairy products.
In these cases care must be taken to avoid the food that the person is sensitive to, although in many cases the above treatments will also help tremendously.

This maybe just a snipet of what you need to know, so if you want to know more about this subject or have a personal question of your own, then please email me for a personal consultation, as all natural treatments are best if prescribed individually.
Cost and contact address are on the Contact page.
Alternatively, if possible. – make an appointment