This year the focus of National Eczema Week – 13th-21st September 2014 – is to support the 5 million school-aged children in the UK that suffer with Eczema.
One in 5 children suffer with eczema. Many will have grown out of this condition by the time they are 7 years old, but in the meantime many are left to endure red, hot, inflamed, dry, broken, itchy or weepy skin.
A highly complex and variable condition, Eczema comes in many forms and varies from person to person. This lends itself very well to the tailor made approach offered by Western Herbal Medicine which offers a bespoke medicine prescribed for the patients own needs.
Whilst steroid creams can be extremely effective during use, many people are concerned by their undesirable side effects and it is often found that on stopping use the eczema soon returns. Many parents are looking for a gentler and longer-term solution.
In my experience many children have benefited hugely from herbal treatment for Eczema, finding relief from a very debilitating condition. Autumn/Winter can be a particularly tricky time for Eczema suffers, as central heating tends to dry the skin out causing further aggravation and coughs and colds present a challenge to the immune system that can then trigger an Eczema flare up too.
Herbal Medicine looks not only at offering symptomatic relief for the skin itself, but also identifying the root case of the problem. Atopic Eczema is the most common Eczema affecting children and involves an allergic reaction that triggers skin inflammation. This is a key aspect that is addressed with a specific herbal medicine in order to help prevent or reduce further outbreaks of Eczema.
Herbal Medicine is used to help modulate the immune system in order to reduce inflammation, to encourage the removal of waste products and inflammatory mediators from the skin, encourage the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and to soothe and heal.
There are many herbs that can be used to treat Eczema and it is important that these are carefully selected by a well-qualified Herbalist to ensure that the most appropriate herbs and dosages are used.
Examples of herbs that can be used include Ginkgo for its anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory properties, Yellow Dock to encourage the removal of waste products, Marigold to stimulate skin healing and support lymphatic drainage, Chickweed to soothe the skin and reduce itch and Roman Chamomile to support digestion as well as reduce inflammation.
Whilst working internally is of the utmost importance, a soothing and healing skin cream is also used to soothe dry, uncomfortable skin and to stimulate and support skin repair.
The comprehensive herbal approach addresses all elements of health; diet and lifestyle are also advised upon to ensure any aggravating foods/factors are avoided where possible.
If you would like to find out more about the Herbal treatment of Eczema or any other Children’s problems, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01780 480 889 or contact Ginny Kemp directly on 07736829755. Ginny is an experienced Western Herbal Medicine Practitioner with a background in Medical Science and is joining the practice in October.
