Harvard Health |
Getting rid of the itch of eczema
Harvard Health A. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Some people with eczema have mild dryness or itchiness, while others experience more severe symptoms, such a scaly rash or skin that cracks and oozes. Eczema is more … |
Tag Archives: Itch
Less itch and more sleep with baricitinib
A phase two study of adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis showed that once-daily oral Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and 2 inhibitor baricitinib relieved itch and improved sleep, a study shows.
Dermatology Times – Dermatology
Eczema: the Itch That Rashes – U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report |
Eczema: the Itch That Rashes
U.S. News & World Report What exactly is eczema? It's a very itchy red rash that often begins in early infancy, but can also affect adults. It can be lifelong, but many people outgrow it with time. Where eczema appears on your body can change as you get older. Infants usually … |
Eczema: This unbearable itch – The Star Online
The Star Online |
Eczema: This unbearable itch
The Star Online Those with severe eczema have to cope with intense emotional stress as they battle with the constant itch, scratching and bleeding, costing them many sleepless nights. Nur Faizaton Fuzah Padzi, 29, who was diagnosed with atopic eczema during her fourth … |
Eczema: This unbearable itch – The Star Online
The Star Online |
Eczema: This unbearable itch
The Star Online Those with severe eczema have to cope with intense emotional stress as they battle with the constant itch, scratching and bleeding, costing them many sleepless nights. Nur Faizaton Fuzah Padzi, 29, who was diagnosed with atopic eczema during her fourth … |
Why does psoriasis itch and how can I stop it?
Psoriasis is a skin condition, that may cause itchiness. Find out here about the reasons why psoriasis itches and also the most effective ways to stop it.
Eczema / Psoriasis News From Medical News Today
7 Eczema Itch Relief
It is also called dermatitis and generally refers to several types of relentless skin inflammations. Atopic dermatitis is a common type of eczema, which is known to affect most of the people worldwide. Have you been hiding your eczema affected skin because you are afraid that others might notice it? If you are hesitant to consult any doctor regarding your condition or have done to little effect, then you must try natural remedies that you can apply personally.
1. The first thing that you need to understand is that eczema develops and is made worse due to dry skin. So make sure that your skin is sufficiently moisturized. Even if you don’t have eczema. Use natural body moisturizers that contain essential fatty acids to relieve the eczema itch. You will find that these reduces the itch greatly. Apply the moisturizer right after a bath when the pores are open. Do this twice a day and apply all over your body, especially at the spot where the eczema has developed. This can be done every time you feel the skin has dried at the eczema spot.
2. One thing you can use as a home remedy for eczema is something called calendula oil. In order for this to work properly you need to put it on the affected part of the body, 2-3 times a day.
3. A mixture of ground basil, olive oil and garlic can be used to sooth the affected skin. Besides applying this pesto mixture to the skin you can also eat it to cure the outbreaks from the inside out. Drinking a mixture of turmeric and water can also cure the symptoms. You can take a few baths that can soothe your symptoms. A vinegar and hot water bath is great at relieving itching and dryness. A warm tube with walnut leaves is also very soothing.
4. Don’t use anything with sodium laurel sulfate or something similar. Parabens are also typically a no-no. Stick to fruit-based or all-natural shampoos, preferably unscented, to impose as little irritation to your scalp as possible. Some good options include shampoos with coconut and yucca-based surfactants.
5. There are several home remedies for eczema itch and one of them is using herbal remedies for the same. Add baking soda to your bath water and soaking in it for up to an hour even has been shown to relieve eczema itch. So also, adding colloidal oatmeal (finely ground) to the bath is known to be an excellent solution for an eczema itch. The oatmeal not only stops the itch, but also binds the wound together and thereby helps in the healing process. Refrain from using this in your bath if the wound is still raw and oozing.
6. You can also use a very popular thing called evening primrose oil. There are various options regarding the use of this oil, it can be taken in a pill form, or you can directly rub it on the skin area.
7. If you have this problem on your feet then you need to try to keep your feet dry at all times. It is also a good idea to change your socks at least once a day. Sunshine has also been effective at treating these outbreaks and wearing sandals or exposing your skin to the sun in short bursts can effectively treat eczema. You need to be careful so you do not burn your skin.
Author is an online medical researcher on eczema treatment and skin care. Click read more on eczema treatment, how to treat eczema naturally.
More Eczema Articles
5 Tips for Soothing the Eczema Itch
By Dr. Amy Duong (bio below) I want to share with you some tips that I offer to my patients to relieve the eczema itch, which can be very prominent, constant and so very irritating. The constant scratching and itchiness also prevents healing of the skin because of opening up pre-existing wounds and creating new […]
It’s an Itchy Little World
Natural Cures For Eczema – Ditch The Itch
If you suffer from that common horrible itchy red rash then you are not alone. It is estimated that over 10% of the world’s population also suffers from some form of eczema (with higher incidences in the Western world). When it comes to treatment then you have a few options that can you can do: visit the doctor and get a prescription cream or use lifestyle changes and natural cures for eczema.
This article will focus on the natural and low cost ways that you can try to cure your eczema, and the best thing is that they don’t have to cost a lot of money!
Since eczema is a reaction from your immune system to some allergen, the best thing you can do is become a detective and try and work out which allergen is causing the problem. The most common allergens include certain foods, dust, soaps and detergents and pet hair/dander.
Therefore making sure your home is as dust free as possible so you don’t have to deal with that. If you can arrange it, try getting someone else to do the vacuuming or dusting so you don’t have to deal with it.
Same goes with anything that involves detergents such as washing dishes, doing laundry and various other cleaning agents. You could try using natural alternatives to these cleaning supplies such as grandma’s old vinegar and baking soda recipes.
Often just making those small changes can be enough to help reduce any symptoms.
While you are waiting for your body’s natural defenses to kick in, use a moisturiser that contains no artificial ingredients or perfumes. Some of the better choices are Aquaphor Healing Ointment and Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Care Cream.
Finally you should take a look at your diet. Many times an unknown food allergy is the cause of eczema symptoms. The most common culprits are dairy, gluten/wheat and citrus fruits.
Natural cures for eczema usually involve trying to find the cause of your eczema first and then dealing with it holistically so you treat the cause and not the symptoms.
“Itch molecule” discovery a big step forward
All over the media last week was the news that two scientists at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD had discovered “the molecule responsible for itch.”
This molecule, “Nppb,” relays signals from certain neurons that detect itch in the skin to other neurons that carry the signals up the spinal cord to the brain. The scientists, Santosh Mishra and Mark Hoon, engineered mice in which the gene for Nppb had been turned off. The mice could not, apparently, feel itch.
The media hype is evident. Nppb is not THE molecule responsible for itch. Several molecules are known to be involved in detecting itch in the first place, and we know many others must be involved in the signaling pathway.
What is remarkable, though, is that the scientists were able to define a model for how itch gets from the skin to the spinal cord.
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| Mishra and Hoon’s model of how neurons carry the itch signal. (Fig 4G from their Science paper.) |
We now know that there are at least two pinch points: the synapse across which Nppb carries the signal, and a second downstream synapse across which another molecule, GRP, sends the information to the next stage of neurons.
Blocking the receptors for Nppb or GRP would seem to be a prime candidate for an anti-itch therapy.
But, of course, there are complications. Nppb was originally known because it is important in the heart, where it controls blood pressure. GRP controls digestion. The genetically engineered Nppb-free mice died early. (The scientists said so in their media interviews.)
So you can’t just take a pill that blocks Nppb receptors everywhere. That would be a disaster.
But this kind of restriction on where a drug can act is well-known in pharmacology. That’s why, e.g., I can use the anti-pain Voltaren gel (diclofenac) safely by rubbing it into my joints, but diclofenac is known to be pretty toxic if you swallow it.
You can’t design an Nppb receptor-blocking topical cream, because the important synapses are in the spinal cord. A cream would only be effective on the surface.
But it might be possible to take a pill that blocks Nppb only in the spinal cord. I’m not sure how, but that’s what major pharma companies are paying their scientists the big bucks to find out. Maybe the receptors in the spinal cord are subtly different than those elsewhere in the body.
This is very exciting stuff. The massive question is whether the work applies to humans. I would expect it did. Mice and human immune systems are quite different, but our nervous systems are not. We most likely have an analog of Nppb that carries our itch signals.
Just to put this in context—the new work tells us substantially more about itch signaling than previous work in the field. I’d been aware of studies that had identified a class of itch neurons, or certain molecules important in detecting itch in the skin, but this research builds on those foundations in a big way.
End Eczema