Hydrolyzed milk proteins decrease eczema in infants

Infant formulas containing proteins that have been hydrolyzed have been found to decrease a child's risk of developing eczema by at least 33 percent compared with formulas containing unprocessed milk proteins, according to a 3-year German study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

What you need to know - Conventional View
• Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is the term applied to a persistent or recurring skin rash. Symptoms include skin redness, itching and dryness, and sometimes even blistering, cracking, crusting, flaking, oozing or bleeding. It is one of the first signs of allergies in early life.

• The American Academy of Dermatologists estimates that 10 to 20 percent of infants are affected by eczema, but that half of them will outgrow it by age 15.

• Researchers studied 2,252 newborns with a history of allergy in their families and assigned them one of four different infant formulas, containing either cow's milk, partially hydrolyzed whey, extensively hydrolyzed whey, or extensively hydrolyzed casein.

• Cow's milk proteins are the most common infant allergen, so researchers hypothesized that if the proteins were further broken down, they would be less likely to cause allergic reactions.

• Infants fed the partially hydrolyzed whey or the extensively hydrolyzed casein had a 48 and 47 percent lower occurrence of eczema, respectively. Infants fed the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula had a 33 percent lower incidence of eczema. These figures were calculated in comparison with the unmodified cow's milk formula.

• Quote: "The preventive effects developed in the first year and persisted into the third year, indicating real disease reduction rather than postponement of disease onset." -Lead Author Andrea Von Berg

Bottom line
• Infant formulas containing broken down milk proteins are less likely to cause allergic reactions in infants than those containing unmodified milk proteins.

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Foods, Nutrition and Eczema

Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, recurring skin inflammation that appears as blisters that dry to become a scaly, itchy rash. People with eczema often have a personal or family history of allergic conditions such as asthma or hay fever. Exposure to certain irritants and allergens in the environment can worsen symptoms, as can dryness of the skin, exposure to water, temperature changes, stress and some foods. For detailed information about eczema,

It's not clear how important food sensitivities and allergies are in eczema. The effects of foods on the skin are complicated and difficult to assess. Foods that have been associated with making eczema symptoms worse include

* cow's milk
* eggs
* peanuts
* soybeans
* wheat
* seafood
* fruit with seeds
* chocolate
* food coloring

Also, food additives such as sulfites and MSG may aggravate eczema. However, it is different for every individual, so if you suspect that some foods may be making your eczema worse, you should discuss this with your health care provider who can help you make dietary changes and determine if restricting them in your diet might reduce the incidence and severity of your eczema. Paying attention to what you eat and the effect it has on your skin may help you avoid foods that can provoke eczema flares.

The most reliable way to determine whether you have a sensitivity or an allergy to a particular food is to eliminate the suspected food from your diet for 6 weeks and then reintroduce it back into your diet. If you are sensitive or allergic to it, then your skin rash should clear while avoiding the problem food, and eating the food should again cause the skin rash to return. Always test one food at a time.

How will you know if a food is making your eczema worse? Food sensitivities can occur immediately in some cases and they can be delayed in other cases.

* Symptoms of immediate food sensitivity may worsen shortly after eating the trigger food and can include:
o itching
o scratching
o redness
o swelling and irritation around the mouth
o urticaria (itchy, fluid filled lumps on the skin).
* Other symptoms may occur such as abdominal pain, vomiting, wheezing, itchy eyes and sneezing.
* Symptoms of delayed food sensitivity will develop 6-24 hours after eating the trigger food and include worsening of itching and eczema. Sometimes abdominal pain and diarrhea will also occur.

Keep in mind, though, that even if a food sensitivity is proved, excluding the food is unlikely to "cure" the eczema, though symptoms may become less severe. You will still likely need the usual treatments. See your family doctor or dermatologist to find out what the best treatment is for you.

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Treat the Symptoms of Toddler Eczema

The development of eczema can occur in anyone. The disease is largely hereditary but can also appear as toddler eczema, after the first few years of life where previously there were no signs of eczema.

Surveys suggest that one out of ten children can develop eczema, many going on to have the disease permanently where others grow out of it. If you see rashes on your child, consult your doctor and/or dermatologist immediately to confirm the diagnosis.

Babies and children up to 5 years old can experience eczema on the forehead and cheeks, which appear as red, inflamed rashes. This can be extremely uncomfortable for the child and must be treated to avoid further discomfort. There are many creams and ointment available but it is best to try for the more natural treatments as opposed to harsh steroid creams.

For older children, eczema often develops on knees, wrists, ankles and elbows which can be aggravated by clothing and other external substances.

You can avoid the flare ups of toddler eczema by following these prevention measures.

• Use cotton clothing, as this natural material is soft on the skin and does not usually cause of worsen existing eczema, helping the skin breathe and cool down.
• Use mild soap, preferably of natural ingredients with warm water when bathing. Fragrance free soaps are gentle on skin. Use a cloth to apply the soap and try not to rub the skin roughly.
• Regular moisturizing of the skin helps reduce dryness which increases itchiness. Use creams and ointments that are advised by the doctor to maintain the skin's moisture and reduce irritability. However some creams which your doctor may prescribe may not always be compatible with your child's skin. So look out for signs of increased redness and itchiness. It should become apparent if the cream is not working. In this case try something else
• Encourage your child to avoid scratching and rubbing the affected areas. This will be very difficult for the child but is absolutely necessary.
• Make sure to keep your child's nails are trimmed down and clean.
• Keep your environment clean and dust-free. Also restrict pets on some areas at home.
• Consider having your child take an allergy test. As this can eliminate substances which cause the eczema.

The comfort of your child is of utmost importance and finding a suitable treatment for eczema can be difficult. Any treatment you choose should be discussed with your doctor. Fortunately, however, there are tried and tested methods to treat eczema that will clear it up permanently if you follow the steps correctly. Next continue to treating Toddler Eczema.

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The Appropriate Eczema Treatment

Eczema refers to the various kinds of skin inflammation. Atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema is one of the most common forms of eczema. It is a common skin complaint around the world. Nearly 10-20% of world's population is infected by this disease. It can occur at any area of the body. Anyone can suffer from this skin disorder. But in most of the cases, eczema appears during infancy. However, there is no apparent reason known for this complication to date. If someone is identified as having eczema, the doctor suggests him to undergo eczema treatments depending on the types of eczema he is having.
Few factors are essential to know by the doctors prior suggesting any sort of eczema treatments to the concerned patient. These factors are - type of eczema, pattern of eczema - whether it is mild or severe, heredity and many others factors. Depending on the medical reports collected from the patient, doctors recommend the treatment plan for eczema considering few essential attributes such as control itching, reduce skin inflammation, prevention, and others.
Control Itching
This is one of the most important problems in eczema. An individual suffering from eczema undergoes through an unremitting cycle of itching and scratching. It gets problematic for every suffering individual, especially for children. The dry inflamed skin itches, so the person who is having it scratches. Again the scratching makes the skin irritated and produces more rashes over the affected area. This results in even more itching and eventually the sufferer scratches it more.
One of the essential elements of eczema treatments is itching control. You need to apply enough moisturizer to the affected area, so that the skin gets soothed. Only moisturizing the dry skin, you can refrain from having rashes. Thereby the itching and scratching get prevented, and possibly you can come out from this vicious cycle.
Besides that, you should not allow your nails to grow longer. Rather you should make it short to finger and keep it clean all the time. The dirt accumulated in the nail area can worsen the infection quite extensively. You may wear long sleeve dress and pants in order to avoid exposure of the affected areas. In addition to that, you need to take medicine if necessary to control eczema.
Reduce Skin Inflammation
One of the most essential ingredients of eczema treatments is moisturizer. You possibly have no other solution to solve this problem if you are not applying sufficient moisturizer on the affected area. The main objective of eczema treatments plan is not to allow the affected area dry. So applying moisturizer should be included as an integral part of your daily routine.
You should not take hot water bath because hot water can dry up your skin and may worsen the skin condition quite intensely. Do not allow yourself to get soaked inside the soapy water within the bathtub. If you are willing to stay inside the water, you can simply do so with lukewarm water. You should not rub the skin to dry; rather you can use the towel to pat off the skin after finishing your bath.
You should always avoid using any plain soap. Even baby soap can harsh the skin condition and make the rashes to come out. You should use soap full with moisturizer or any soap-free herbal cleanser.
Eczema Prevention
Eczema can be prevented by taking few simple but essential measures in addition to eczema treatments. These precautions can effectively reduce the severity and frequency of eczema. The primary precaution is frequent moisturizing that you must not miss under any circumstances, if you really care about coming out of the irritations of eczema.
Eczema outbreaks may occur due to a radical change in temperature or humidity. Quite obviously you should try your best to avoid such conditions where you may have the possibility to undergo through this condition. You should stay away from scratchy materials such as wools as far as possible. This may cause skin allergies for few people, and eventually be risky for people suffering with eczema. Finally you should always depend only on fat-free cholesterol-free diet to keep your system healthy, which help you to fight against any kind of diseases including eczema.
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Cheap and Simple Natural Cure For Eczema

Having eczema can be quite annoying, especially considering the itchy and burning sensations that accompany it throughout the day. While you can relieve the symptom of eczema using medical approach but the prolonged side effects that follow it should be considered carefully.
Therefore it is recommended to choose natural cure for eczema in handling your eczema as natural approach provides no side effect at all.
1. Vitamin E
Vitamin E acts an antioxidant and can ease any irritation or itching caused by eczema. You can get it at your local skincare stores at a cost less than a can of soda. You can apply it directly or drink it as food supplement.
2. Emollient
Emollient has been known as one of the most effective natural treatment to cure eczema. Speaking from my personal experience; my cousin has used it to cure his eczema with great success. You can apply it on your skin whenever you like, there is no strict rule about this.
3. Moisturizer
A moisturizer can help a lot in preventing and relieving the symptom of eczema no matter what is the cause of your eczema. You should carry moisturizer and apply it regularly. Generally speaking twice a day is enough. But we never know what we will meet outside at office or during afternoon walk.
4. Aloe Vera
Some herbalists have known that aloe vera can soothe the itchy and painful condition from experiencing eczema. What good about aloe vera is, not only can relieve your eczema symptom but also aloe vera can be a wonderful nutrient for your skin, preventing anti aging and curing various skin care problems.
A natural approach is the more preferable method to handle eczema since it has no side effects. Some examples of natural cure for eczema are vitamin E, emollient, moisturizer, and aloe vera.

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