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Causes of and treatment for eczema
What if eczema is caused by yeast?
This is not a scientific article, but a sharing of what I've learned over the years from personal and family experience, in case it might be helpful.
All through my childhood I suffered from eczema, specifically atopic dermatitis, i.e. an itchy rash of unknown origin, all over. It was awful, and no one knew what to do for it.
At that time, for children, strong antihistamines were prescribed, cortisone creams and cortisone shots that were much too strong for children's bodies, often causing dimples at the shot site. In addition, low dose sleeping pills were prescribed, when all else failed and the child couldn't stop itching. Unfortunately, that was me.
All of those medications have negative side effects. I struggled on. And it wasn't until I was in my 20's, and still battling itchy rashes, that I met a Naturopath who told me about systemic yeast (referred to with the controversial term "candida") in the body, imbalances, and how yeast can cause added heat, rashes, allergies, etc. In addition, she told me that other things can be associated with a yeast imbalance, such as chronic bad breath, low grade fever, increased sweating, increased body odor, increased gassines, digestive problems. Some of thiese I'd noticed. I listened.
I did further research and learned that candida starts in the intestines. And if a diet includes excessive carbohydrates, specifically sugar, it encourages growth of candida. Candida also puts a strain on the adrenal glands, which regulate blood sugar. Sugar is the food of choice for candida. If you find that you're craving sugar and carbohydrates, one possible cause is candida. When deprived of carbohydrates/sugar, the yeast die, releasing toxic substances. These can cause unpleasant side effects/reactions that cause the body to increase its sugar cravings. And so the miserable cycle goes.
The first step for me was changing my diet and removing all sugar, even fruit for a while (not easy to do, ugh). I quit eating wheat and dairy products. Also suggested to me was removing mushrooms, fermented products and alcohol. But I found that black mushrooms (my favorite) didn't seem to bother the yeast. The alcohol I did do without, and have to even today (except on special occasions). I've never been a big fermented foods fan, so that wasn't too difficult.
Just those changes helped immensely, but weren't quite enough. When there's an imbalance of yeast, it's like our bodies become breweries. I keep that image in mind even today when I choose foods to eat. It's true that we all have some yeast in our bodies, and healthy non-allergic bodies can handle it and stay in balance, others can't.
I followed the diet religiously for quite awhile. But who can do it forever? I couldn't. I was feeling better, so why stay on the diet, right? The rashes returned, of course.
I did get some relief from an herb called Pau D'Arco (a tree bark) that can be taken in capsule form, or steeped in hot water as a tea. I found the capsules to be too intense (I broke out in a rash), though I still drink the tea today and it does help the itch.
When things got so bad that I wasn't sleeping well, among other things, what finally helped me beat the yeast was Nystatin -- an antifungal medication -- and using a cortisone/antifungal combo creme for especially bad rashy areas. I continue to maintain a very low sugar, very low wheat and dairy diet, as well.
Nystatin is an anti-fungal medication that works in the gut and digestive system. Unlike the more potent anti-fungal drugs, such as Diflucan, Nystatin does not put the liver at risk. Those who need a more potent drug due to severe symptoms may get relief from a round of Diflucan. This medication strongly impacts the liver, so if you do take it, be sure and have your doctor monitor your liver enzymes closely.
One thing I did read about and experienced when I started taking Nystatin (and especially when I first did a round of Diflucan) was the Herxheimer Reaction , or more simply, die off. This can happen because the medication destroys the yeast in vast numbers. As they die, they release substances which are toxic to the body. If this process occurs more quickly than the toxins can be cleared from the bloodstream and eliminated by the body, a temporary toxic or allergic-type reaction can occur (i.e. feeling nauseous, or the rashes worsening temporarily, for example). But it passes within a brief period of time, so worth the short-term discomfort.
There ARE Western mainstream medical doctors who are educated and knowledgeable about yeast problems, and able to provide treatment. But you'll encounter far more who will express negative opinions about "candida," even with all of the research and positive results. Keep searching until you find a doctor who will help you, if you think you might have a yeast problem.
You might want to consult a Naturopath in your area, also, if there is one. They may not support medications, but some herbs and supplements can work, and might be enough for some people. Again, one herb that works well for me and I continue to use it even now is Pau D'Arco herb (taken as a tea). if you don't get relief from the natural approaches they recommend, I wouldn't hesitate to look into the medications. It's about quality of life, after all. The lifestyle changes that we make to maintain rash-free good health are a lifetime commitment. For me, chinese herbs, vitamin and mineral supplements, glandulars, homeopathy, etc. all helped me a bit. But they weren't enough. Nothing cleared up the majority of the problem like the medications. They aren't for everyone, but it's something to consider, if your symptoms are severe.
I'll end by mentioning a terrific little girl I saw at a Farmer's Market a while back, where I was playing music. She was chowing down on a sweet juicy peach - and she was one big rash, poor thing, especially her face, all around her mouth, her eyes, cheeks and neck; she was a mess, just like I had been! I spoke with her mother who told me that everyone thinks she's doing something awful to her child to make her suffer and look like that. I shared my experience with her, and asked about treatment. They were doing the old massive cortisone and antihistamines routine, with no results and no relief.
I mentioned the possibility of a yeast imbalance. It turned out that the little girl, like me, had taken a lot of antibiotics because she would scratch and break the skin, which would get infected, repeatedly spreading. This constantly upset her body's natural balance - and she was craving sugar and sweets all the time, her mother said. She listened and I saw a light go on in her eyes, a new hope. I don't know if she pursued treatment, I never did see her again. But I hope sharing my experience here online might inspire others, parents included, to look into yeast issues as a possible cause of eczema.
Comments
Baking soda in bathwater, lots. Diluted, unfiltered apple cider vinegar apply, do not rinse. And no x ma cream. Please try this if your child is suffering, my daughter has horrible, horrible eczema and this is the only stuff that help. The vinegar burns a little which is why i dilute it but it makes a huge difference overnight.
My 4 year old son has eczema behind his knees, elbow creases, hip creases and groin area. He was slightly jaundice when he was born due to a high billiruben count. It balanced out on its own after a few day, so nothing serious. He also had mild cradle cap which we treated with olive oil. At 6 months I stopped nursing and went to formula. Around 7 months he developed small little white patches on his chest and near his outer elbow, nothing serious, ped. told us to use hyrdrocortisone. Around 2 years old the small little patches turned into red itchy patches behind his knees after a bad cold and never really went away. We treated with cortisone cream but it came back every month or so. Took him to a derm and she gave us cultivate, a prescription steroid cream. Took him to an allergist, did blood work and skin test for eggs, milk, wheat, soy, etc. No results. He gave us a body oil, which also contained a steroid. At 4 years old I was now applying his cultivate weekly. I always knew steroids where bad but thought we'd grow out of it by 3, as our allergist said was likely. I just read an article stating steroids retard growth in children and as I was applying it weekly now, it was time to try something different. We went to a naturapath and she said it was his liver. My father-in-law has a sluggish liver and a high billiruben count but no eczema. We are now on a new diet of no cows milk dairy, no gluten or wheat, no chicken, pork, or corn (including corn syrup). She also put us on supplements, a tsp of liverite-to detox liver, half scoop l-glutamyne powder, sulphor 30 - a homeopathy to help rash and a TBSP of cod liver oil. Things got really bad. The rash got worse than I ever seen it. The dr. said it has to get worse before it gets better. He got a really bad cold virus that lasted for about a month which probably made things much worse. We had our follow up after a month with no improvement. I gave him a cough med, hylands, when his was sick which could of made it bad also. The dr. took us off the sulpher 30 and gave us a 5,000mg supplement of vitamin D and took a blood test. She's wondering if he's deficient in D. Waiting on results. Anyway at home we decided to try no eggs for 2 weeks. I was giving him gluten free bread, he craves carbs and that's all he wants, so I decided to stop with the bread too, even though it was gluten free. Yesterday and today I have seen def. improvement. He's still itchy but it's a faint red now instead of bright. I am not sure if it is from getting him off the breads/YEAST/carbs or eggs or the vit D supplement. Also including eliminating dairy. We'll see. Hopefully we stay on the mend and then we can start back introducing foods. However, I believe the best diet for eczema and everyone in general is vegetable, meat, fish and some fruit. Including olive oil and other EFA's. It's very hard to do but instead of focusing on what you can't have focus on what you can have. Any vegetable out of many, any meat, fish and fruit. I also do brown rice and brown rice pasta. Whole foods are best.
I was looking at this thread because my 2 yr old daughter struggles with such bad bouts of eczema. She is covered and itches until she bleeds. The other night my husband mistakenly picked up a tube of Nystatin that was on her changing table and applied it to her eczema thinking it was her steriod cream which is in a similar tube. Her eczema improved substantially with the first application and I wondered if there was a correlation with his mistake. I have applied it again today and it seems to be working. This may be the first time that anything has calmed a bad outbreak other than antibiotics. It is definitely something I will pursue. thanks for the post.
does aloe vera gel help to stop eczema? or it just soothes it for a while? i've had eczema on my feet for ages now and can't help it with anything as my job requires me to wear shoes for long hours...ive found out aloe vera does help eczema but i dont know whether it cures it or just soothes it
I just wanted to give everyone an update on my progress of getting rid of eczema. The diatomaceous earth worked for me!!! I drink a full glass of water with a heaping tablespoon of DE every day. It doesn't happen over night but after two weeks I was eczema free. And I haven't had an outbreak since. Dusting your body with DE speeds up the progress. Lots of luck to everyone!!!
I have been suffering off and on from eczema since I got pregnant with my first child, so about 10 years now. I have explored many ideas of what may cause it, but honestly, I rarely worked on my diet or eating habits. At one point I did a clinical study for a weight loss drug and lost 50 lbs not to mention felt the best I have in my entire life. It was double blind study and I didn't finish the study, so I very well could have accomplished that on my own without pills, but I do think I was on the medication, which has never been approved btw.
After I quit the study, I gained all the weight plus some and acquired a ton of new problems. I am seriously overweight now and I am now worried that I may be at the least pre-diabetic. I have a myriad of other health problems including fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, blah blah. Seriously I am a mess. I also take a few different medications and over the past ten years I have taken tons.
Elidel worked great for my eczema, but it is not a long term med and it does have serious warnings even possibly leads to cancer.
With the idea of diabetes looming on my doorstep, I have finally made a decision to commit to a lifestyle change. Very recently and after a long time of no eczema...I had a vaginal yeast infection along with extremely puffy and itchy eyes and my eczema came back. I started researching and I think yeast may be a huge part of my problems (most if not all). I am glad to see that someone else has figured out how terribly yeast imbalance can effect one's health.
I think I have a long road ahead of me and I know that it will require a ton of work and will power, but I really feel like knowledge is power and I thank you for sharing your knowledge here.
I started getting eczema in my late thirties- it has recently started to creep up my neck. I knew I had to do something about it. I put white distilled vinegar on a cotton ball and started to rub it on the patches. This has calmed the eczema down in the past. As I looked at the cotton ball I thought- I think I have a yeast problem. I don't know how I didn't think of this before. It makes perfect sense. I had a thought and sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth on my dry patches. It has helped to rid the patches. Also when you drink the DE it helps to get rid of eczema. I hope this helps all who are suffering from this problem.
Wow that was a really good story. I have been battling eczema since I was born and just starting thinking in the last few years that the underlying problem may be candida. I've tried everything and not too much helps. I heard that most of the time you can develop an overgrowth due to taking antibiotics which I have a few times and my mom was on them while she was pregnant with me (but it seems like everyone has). I have been doing a lot of research for a while now on candida. I've tried the candida diet but it is very difficult. Also tried three lac which is supposed to be a good candida killer that helped at first but my eczema returned during the second month of using it. I've heard mixed responses about Nystatin. I was on lamisil once for about 2 weeks and it cleared up the eczema but as soon as I finished the pills it came right back :(. I am reluctant to go on lamisil again because it is harsh on your liver like diflucan. I think I may try Nystatin though. That may help since natural approaches don't seem to work.
This was a wonderful article to read. Thank you very much for some helpful tips.
Found the most recent comment interesting as I too am struggling with eczema that started 2yrs ago from contact with epoxy and have tried many prescriptions including Elidel and Protopic which worked but returned after using and they aren't meant for long term use. My Derm basically gave up so I sought a new doc, and environmental illness dic. After only a few visits and tests I found I had multiple food and other allergies I had no idea I had. The result of a GI test showed problems in my colon and an overgrowth of yeast. This is what they think is causing my eczema as well as food allergies. I've been on Nystatin and a Candida diet for past week and am already seeing improvements. Hurray I hope within next couple of months I will be rid of my eczema for good!
Thank you for posting this. It's very helpful.
Thank you so much for posting this article! I have just recently come to know the link between parasites, candida, and eczema. They all have one thing in common: a toxic body. Within the last 6 months with diet, herbal supplements,energy work, EFT, meditation, and exercise I have successfully removed the parasites and rebalanced the candida in my body, . Although I have gained my energy and brain functioning back, I am left with eczema that doesn't seem to respond to any kind of treatment. I find relief from using Aloe Life's "Skin Gel-Ultimate Skin Treatment" and their "Body Heat-Pain Relief Vanilla Rub". I have gone the holistic route and know from others experiences that there is no known treatment or cure for the very medically misunderstood eczema! I've been researching to find any information and relief. Although it is torturous, I feel very blessed that the eczema only resides on my right shin.
I can tell you that the cravings come directly from the organisms inhabiting the body! Even when you remove the toxins from your body, you crave junk food, remove the junk foods and you still crave the sugar, remove the sugar, you crave fruit, remove the fruit, you crave carbs! Anything they thrive on, they want more of!
My daughter had severe eczema from birth that covered most of her body. We tried everything (and I mean everything-including a bizarre Crisco regimen at one point!). She saw numerous doctors over the years, including a pediatric dermatologist. She underwent light therapy and we used so many different types of topical ointments I can't even count. What finally worked when she was about 8 years old is a new family GP prescribed Diflucan, and like a miracle she cleared up within 6 weeks, and has never had another eczema breakout! You can't imagine the joy I felt knowing my daughter was saved from her pain and the emotional and physical scars she most certainly would have had she not been cured.
Hi, i have eczema (for about 4 years now-i'm 25) i took a dose of diflucan 3 days ago, so far not much has changed...i'm still hopeful it will help though, i came across this page cause i decided to search and see if anyone else had any luck with it, and after reading, it has gotten my hopes up a bit more!...about the moisturizer, i've found aveeno products to be the best...i've been using aveeno intense relief - overnight creme, i know it says overnight, but i use it all the time, even on my face, and just this cream alone made such a huge difference in my skin! aveeno soaps, and oatmeal baths are amazing also! i will update if the diflucan helped at all...
Great read must say! very useful and to the point info. Homeopathic medicines have wonderful effect to cure eczemas of all origins. Thanks for the hub!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write and share this article. I have had sporadic bouts of eczema since my mid-30s and the first bout was competely resolved by one pill of Diflucan. It was a mystery to me but it worked. I am having another bout now (15 years later) and am about to try Diflucan again. If it works, I will bring your article to my doctor and dermatologist to help them come to appreciate what you are saying. Thanks again.
Always a pleasure to come across some work that is useful, thankyou for the information keep the good stuff pouring in
Hi Erica,
That's wonderful to hear your story! I recently encountered problems getting my nystatin refilled after changing to Kaiser. The dermatologist was nice, trying very hard not to be patronizing, but it still came through. Although not all eczema is related to yeast imbalance, most definitely, I continue to be amazed at the lack of education.
Diet changes are sooo difficult for all of us, but especially children. Hurray for you and your daughter! Thanks so much for sharing.
~MT
It is wonderful to read about others experiences with yeast imbalance. I too had a histroy of digestive issues, gas bloating etc and numerous visits to general practitioners and blood tests always returned within the normal spectrum. Tired and frustrated due to 6 miscarriages in a row, my excellent osteopath recommended a different Naturopath who had helped her to identify and overcome the symptons of Coeliac disease (Gluten). The consult was simple and finally gave me some peace of mind that my symptons were not just in my head but real. It is a simple pin prick and the small blood samples are viewed under a microscope in front of you and thoroughly diagnosed. I left with answers, some supplements and a new eating regime and hope. I respect that everyone's opinion is different, however within three weeks of seeing this naturopath I became and continued to be pregnant. Ironically when I advised other specialists about my success due to diet changes, it was met with sceptisim and even ridicule. I was so happy, I decided to take my 10 year old who suffers from Eczma and bingo, yeast imbalance. It has been 6 weeks and granted a huge effort on her behalf to change her diet, no sugar etc, she too has improved 10 fold, has more energy and any minimal eczma outbreaks.
Keep an open mind and anything can happen.
Great, that is exactly what I hoped for. It may not be yeast, but I wish my parents had known about it when I was a little girl. Hope it helps your grandchild get some relief.
Very useful info. It is always good when you get info first hand, and you have provided a lot of first hand knowledge. I have a grandchild with eczma so will pass this on to my daughter
Thank you.
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