Eczema Supplements and how they work
This article discusses the various types of eczema supplements, how they work with your body and why they can often be effective in treating atopic dermatitis.
If you understand the difference between eating a bowl of salad and eating a piece of pizza, then you will understand the importance of supplementation. The difference is nutrients, and nutrients are unfortunately severely lacking from today’s diet and where time constraints or lifestyle choices hinder one’s ability to eat properly, supplements help bridge the gap.
The best method of getting sufficient nutrients into your body is through a healthy diet and eating the highest quality food, certified organic and locally grown if you can, should be the first preference to healing the body.
Another reason food is the best approach is due to the fact that food comes with their own natural enzymes, which supplements do not.
That being said, most people eat many of the foods they shouldn’t and very little of the food they should, which can lead to serious health issues and an inability to heal their eczema.
Additionally, a large number of eczema sufferers have found that the major trigger or cause of their eczema is gut related, either by the direct result of eating certain types of foods or by the ability of certain foods to damage the gut lining, a term called ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’.
This term is self-explanatory whereby the damaging foods create tiny permeations in the lining of the gut, causing nutrients and food to be leaked into the body cavity which sends the body into an emergency immune response, exacerbating or even causing eczema to appear on the skin.
When a person has Leaky Gut Syndrome, or if their diet is poor, the body’s ability to absorb nutrients becomes retarded which can aggravate their condition. This is where eczema supplements are beneficial.
It is not uncommon to find a form of nutritional deficiency in eczema and topical steroid withdrawal sufferers. The types of eczema supplements that people seem to find most beneficial for helping improve their skin fall into a relatively small range, which I have listed below.
* It should be noted that to find out if you are deficient in any way, you need to be tested by your doctor.
Types of Eczema Supplements
1. ZINC – Zinc is an inorganic compound (mineral) that is central for a healthy functioning immune system, is anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and helps regulate hormones and forming DNA.
2. VITAMIN D – Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium as well as playing an important role in muscle strength, respiratory health, fighting infections, regulating adrenal behaviour and important chemical functions in the brain relating to happiness and depression as well as many more crucial actions in the body.
3. PROBIOTICS – Probiotics is the supplement name for the beneficial bacteria which live in your gut. They strengthen the gut lining, help with food allergies, reduce inflammation, helps keep pathogens and negative bacteria at bay, activates immune cells and they help regulate the pH of the body.
4. VITAMIN C – Vitamin C is found in a huge array of fruit and vegetables. Its benefits are strengthening the immune system, protecting and healing the skin. It works as a powerful antioxidant and antihistamine.
5. LIVER SUPPORT – There are various supplements for liver support available, which we go into depth in our article, but the benefits are to help get the liver working properly after overloading of toxins, environmental pollutions, medication and dietary insufficiency.
6. VITAMIN E – Vitamin E is an important eczema supplement and body protector. It is immune boosting, an antioxidant, protects the skin from chemical damage, can help treat diabetes and neurological diseases as well as works for cancer prevention.
7. OILS – Specific types are proven to be better for helping eczema symptoms, which we go into detail in our article. The benefits of the right oils are improvement in cell health, moisture retention of the skin, anti-inflammatory actions as well as the regulation of blood, thyroid, adrenal and liver functions.
8. SUPERGREENS – Supergreens is the name for various formulas of super-food greens which help detox the liver, flood the body with nutrient dense vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to improve the quality of new cells and increase the body’s overall health.
A detailed breakdown of each of the eczema supplement categories can be found in our Eczema Diet section.