Some latest Eczema Research on Probiotics

ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2008) — There is no evidence probiotics can relieve the symptoms of eczema, but there is some evidence that they may occasionally cause infections and gut problems. These findings from The Cochrane Library come at a time when use of probiotics to treat eczema is increasing.

Eczema is an itchy skin condition that affects more than 1 in 20 people at some time in their lives and is especially common in children. Its cause is complex and not well understood, but sufferers do have different bacteria in their guts compared to unaffected people. Consequently, some nutritionists have suggested that eating live gut-dwelling bacteria, such as those found in probiotic yoghurts and some infant formulas, could be beneficial.

"Some doctors are recommending probiotics as a cheap treatment for eczema, but having carried out a systematic review we have found no evidence that they work for treating eczema," says lead researcher Robert Boyle of Imperial College, London, UK.

The Cochrane Researchers looked at 12 studies that together involved 781 children diagnosed with eczema. These studies compared severity of the disease in children given live bacteria to severity in those given a placebo. The researchers found that probiotics provided no significant health improvement. Similar bacteria were given across all studies, so the researchers could not rule out the possibility that other strains might be beneficial. Moreover they found that in separate studies 46 patients had been reported to suffer side effects from using probiotics, including infection and bowel damage.

"There is no evidence that probiotics are a worthwhile treatment for eczema, and they may be harmful for certain groups of people," says Boyle. "However, further studies of new probiotics are needed, because it is possible that different types of probiotics which haven't yet been studied in eczema treatment could be more effective."

Something Fishy Going On Here....

Hi Everyone,

Few changes going on with the site over the past few days, just some minor renovations..

Found this while doing some surfing on the net, thought I would share. Like we always say here, its the whole treatment plan, not some miracle cream, lotion or potion!

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Fishy diet in early infancy
cuts eczema risk

Early introduction of fish decreases the
risk of eczema in infants

An infant diet that includes fish before the age of 9 months curbs the risk of developing eczema, indicates research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The prevalence of atopic eczema and other allergic disease has risen sharply in developed countries in recent decades, say the authors. Environmental and dietary factors are thought to play a part.

The researchers quizzed the parents of 6 month old babies born in western Sweden in 2003 about their child's diet and any evidence of allergic eczema. They were quizzed again when the children reached the age of 12 months.

The children were all part of an ongoing health study, Infants of Western Sweden, which is tracking the long term health of almost 17000 babies.

Complete birth data and two sets of questionnaires were obtained for almost 5000 of the 8000 families contacted.

At six months, 13% of families said that their youngest child had already developed eczema. By the time the children had reached 12 months of age, one in five had the condition.

The average age at which first symptoms appeared was 4 months.

Genes had a significant impact. Children with a sibling or mother who had the condition were almost twice as likely to be affected by the age of 12 months.

But breast feeding, the age at which dairy products were introduced into the diet, and keeping a furry pet in the house had no impact on risk. Around one in five households had a pet.

However, the introduction of fish into the diet before the age of 9 months cut the risk of developing the disease by 25%. And a pet bird was also associated with a significant reduction in risk.


Contact: Rachael Davies
RDavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal

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Thought this was interesting!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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Salt Water and Eczema...

Hi Everyone,

late night here just catching up on some stuff after a fantastic weekend away at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast. Feel so rejuvenated, things have been a little crazy here lately and nice just to get away and unwind.

Interesting thing, got back today and was looking at my scalp and it is looking really good, this got me thinking, what was it that has helped it (as I had a flare up last week) - was it the sun, the surf or just the relax so I did some digging and found this article from The British Association of Dermatoligists and thought you might like it. Have a read...

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Salt Water Baths and Eczema

The Evidence

There is no high quality evidence as yet showing that salt water baths are beneficial for atopic eczema sufferers. There is one small clinical trial from Japan which compared two different types of salt water, but we are aware of none that compares salt water versus ordinary water. However there is a lot of anecdotal evidence suggesting that salt water baths may be helpful in clearing up eczema, especially if it is oozing a lot or where secondary infection is common. A number of UK dermatologists recommend regular salt baths to their patients with atopic eczema as part of their treatment plan. It is certainly something that our team at QMC have witnessed some benefit from.

It is also a very common experience in our clinic for parents to tell us that their child's eczema improved when they swam in the sea on holiday. Although this could easily be due to the change of climate and diet etc, the swimming in the sea seems to be a particular feature that is highlighted in these conversations. Sea water is a weak antiseptic and may well have a role in reducing the secondary infection which so commonly occurs in atopic eczema. It is possible that the salt water also helps to draw out excess fluid that has accumulated in to little water blisters in the skin, as well as helping to heal any minor cuts and scratches.

We would not recommend salt water baths as a first line treatment in atopic eczema. But if you are struggling to control your child atopic eczema it may be worth trying, especially if infections are a common problem. We do not really know how strong the salt needs to be in the absence of a controlled trial (which we hope to do in the near future), but we would recommend that you try and mimic the concentration of sea water as closely as possible.

Sea salt can be quite expensive and it is important that you shop around to get the best bulk buy as you will need to use quite a lot of salt in order to get a decent concentration in the bath. It is unclear whether daily bathing or whether weekly bathing is the best and perhaps as a compromise a salt water bath twice a week could be managed by most who wish to undertake this approach to treatment. It should be emphasised that the salt water bathing is only part of the whole treatment of atopic eczema and that other treatments such as short bursts of topical steroid creams prescribed by your doctor, regular and liberal use of moisturisers and avoidance of soaps etc should be continued.

Making up the Salt Solution

You will need to use around a 20 fluid ounce jug of sea salt per 3 gallon bucket of water in order to achieve a similar concentration to sea water. It is usually easier to pour the salt into the bottom of the bucket and dissolve it in a little warm water before pouring it into the bath. Around 3 buckets will usually be enough for your child to soak in.

If your child has lots of broken skin the salt water (or indeed any type of water) can cause temporary stinging. It is important that the broken skin is first treated with steroid creams and moisturisers before introducing the bathing. If your child hates the bathing process then there is little point in persisting with it as you will simply create resentment and difficulties for applying treatment.

Summary of Key Points

• There is considerable anecdotal evidence that salt water baths may help some children with atopic eczema.
• We do not know how strong the salt water solution has to be nor how frequently the bath should be done.
• Common sense would suggest that the concentration should be similar to sea water and that bathing twice weekly or even daily during an infected episode of eczema may be beneficial.
• It is important to use sea salt and not any other types of chemical salts and to ensure that the salt is fully dissolved in warm water before pouring it into the bath. Nottingham Eczema Team 2000

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Thought this was interesting!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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New Page for Today...

Afternoon everyone, bit of an absence of late I know.

Lots of exciting things going on here at XMA headquarters, you will hear about all of them very soon.

Just got a new page up for you to have a look at. Symptoms of Eczema

We have got our new video camera as well so we are putting together some videos for the site, if there is anything you would like to see, drop me a line at rick@xma.com.au

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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Part 3 of Healing Your Eczema From Within...

Let me start by saying I am sorry, I know it's late, had a few things tie me up this week, no excuse I know but that is enough apologising, let's get into it.

This is the third email in a quick little series that we are sending out on healing your eczema from within.

Have you read the first two emails yet?

Part One - "The Miracle Eczema Cure?" If not, you can see it at www.xma.com.au/miracle-eczema-cure.

Part Two - "Antioxidants and Eczema" - see it here www.xma.com.au/antioxidants-and-eczema.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback, keep it coming to rick@xma.com.au.

So, where do you actually get these antioxidants from?

A USDA Study tested over 100 foods for their antioxidant levels and ranked the top 10. These are:

1. Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup
   
2. Wild blueberry, 1 cup
   
3. Red kidney bean (dried), 1/2 cup
4. Pinto bean, 1/2 cup
   
5. Blueberry (cultivated), 1 cup
   
6. Cranberry, 1 cup (whole)
7. Artichoke (cooked hearts), 1 cup
   
8. Blackberry, 1 cup
   
9. Prune, 1/2 cup
   
10. Raspberry, 1 cup

Usually you can judge how much antioxidants a particular fruit or vegetable has by its color. Brighter the color, more useful vitamins you will get from eating it. Berries are the leaders when it comes to antioxidants - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and blueberry are all high in flavonoids. Flavonoids successfully neutralize the damage free radicals can do to your health including effect of peroxyl radicals, superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and singlet oxygen.

Healthy food doesn't have to be dull; you can make delicious deserts from berries. Adding sugar doesn't decrease berries antioxidant properties. However, adding milk, cream or any other milk product does. Apparently milk minimizes the effect of natural antioxidants. So keep this in mind when preparing berry deserts.

Oranges, grapefruits and other citruses are another popular source of antioxidant vitamins. If you prefer drinking fruit juice rather than eating oranges, chose freshly squeezed juices.

Other natural antioxidant sources

Not all antioxidants are in fruits and vegetables. Green tea is a great source of flavonoids. So if you are a tea lover, chose green varieties.

Another unusual source of antioxidants is coffee. Not only it helps you to wake up on a cold, slow morning, but it provides your body with antioxidants. According to a study by researchers at the University of Scranton, coffee is a leading source of antioxidants for Americans. Decaf coffee just as good antioxidant source as ordinary coffee, but you should remember - no milk.

Dark chocolate also contain antioxidants. So as you can see, sometimes foods we all love anyway, can bring great benefits to your health.

Easy ways to include antioxidants in your diet

Teach yourself to eat fruits as snacks, instead of common junk snacks. Dry fruits are good natural source of antioxidants, dates and prunes being the leaders. But of course, if you are watching your weight you have to be careful, because all dry fruits are high on sugar as well.

Garnishes like parsley, coriander and dill are excellent antioxidant sources. Add them to your meals. Most spices are also high in antioxidants, so not only they give your food rich flavor, but they also supply vitamins.

Stir fry is a preferred method of cooking, to preserve antioxidants in vegetables. Most vitamins are easily destroyed by heat, so less you cook your dish; the better it is for you.

That should do it for today.

In the next lesson on Tuesday (I promise!), I will talk about why the "mediterranean diet" is so good for you and your skin and how you can get it without stuffing yourself silly with pasta and cheese!

Have a great weekend!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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