A desperate try for a treatment for Eczema….

So a lot of my postings are about topics I have needed to research for myself or family and friends – or about something I saw that interested me while perusing the news or staring at the television.  In any case, I always have a personal interest in what I research and write about.

Today’s topic is eczema – also known as “the itch that rashes”.  This is in direct opposition to other kinds of itchy skin like contact dermatitis – where your skin comes into contact with something irritating or that you are allergic to.

Eczema happens like this – you get an itchy spot on your skin, with no reason in sight.  The itch becomes severe enough that it disrupts your day and can even wake you up at night (very disturbing for a mother of three since I need all the sleep I can get).  Then after a few days – you have scratched so much that a rash can develop – and if you keep scratching – you can get claw marks in your skin – which can actually get infected.

Keeping with the personal interest thing – A month or so ago – I had an attack of extreme itchiness on my shoulders – spreading down my arms.  I have had eczema in the past – unusually on my forehead and on the tops of my shoulders but this was actually worse.  It also started happening on my scalp.

No one really knows what causes eczema – it is most likely an immune reaction to “something”.  That “something” can be cold weather, hot weather, humid weather, dry weather, stress, sleeping, being awake, sunlight, darkness, genetics, clothing, not wearing clothes, water, dry skin, oily skin, clean skin, dirty skin…you get the picture.

I think mine is actually triggered by stress.  OK – more stress than usual.  I had my first noticeable attack while I was pregnant with twins….then when I was pregnant with the third kid in 13 months. This time – it was a financial, work and family crisis (as work and money often lead to a family crisis).

In any case – the itch became bad enough that I was wakened at night and it was starting to make me cry out of desperation.  I was slathering on over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream mixed with “Caladryl” lotion – which incidentally smells like aftershave – SEVERAL times a day and during the night.  Frankly – it wasn’t working that great.

I happened to have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for another reason and told him about it – at which time he gave me a prescription for triamcinolone – a stronger steroid cream.  It worked a little better but not great – my number of uses daily went down by about half (even though the doctor said twice a day – I was at more like 6).

A few days later, I called my sister to complain (bitch) about a family member who had caused me a great deal of stress (contributing to the problem).  In the conversation, I told her about the eczema and she launched into a natural health discussion about coconut oil and essential oils.

My sister actually has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts – but through a massive number of random and odd illnesses has needed to use natural medicine.  In short – she has become a near expert on a lot of natural remedies – she is very “crunchy” as she likes to say – referring to granola.  Also she is a medical anomaly – and ends up with conditions that doctor’s refuse to recognize – so she often solves them on her own with natural treatments.

Her husband is a chef – who has developed an allergy to raw chicken protein and seafood – great thing for a chef, right?  Anyway he takes Benadryl (a lot), has used every cream on the market – and still breaks out in a rash – sometimes with no apparent cause because the allergy has triggered a whole bunch of other problems.  She has been using a combination of coconut oil and several essential oils for topical treatment on him.  She uses a massively expensive brand but I went the cheaper route – and ordered them from Amazon…

Oddly – another friend of mine called and during the conversation, she mentioned using coconut oil for her husband’s itchy skin – said it was working great.

Here is the “recipe” for the treatment my sister recommended:

• Coconut oil – can be purchased at grocery store or from healthfood store.  Coconut oil has some anti-inflammatory activity – may have some anti-infective activity – and helps to keep the moisture in your skin. Also coconut oil smells better than lard...I used about 2 ounces – enough to fill up a small plastic jar. 

Two or more of the following essential oils ( few drops each):

• Rosemary – increases blood supply to the skin – the smell is either pleasant or stinky – depending on whether you like rosemary or not, used in European folk medicine for eczema – also has antioxidant, antiseptic and antispasmodic properties.
• Lavender – has anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties, also most varieties smell pretty decent - used for centuries for tons of stuff (insomnia, nervousness, fatigue, headaches, nausea, gas, skin infections, burns, eczema, psoriasis…etc)
• Peppermint – also has anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties – smells just like you think it should, has been used for all kinds of GI complaints, headaches, stress….I tried the tea for morning sickness when pregnant with the twins but I puked it up – I might possibly have tried smoking it but it didn’t help (don’t do either).
• Sandalwood – has anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties – I was excited about this one because being kind of a hippie kid, I really like the smell of sandalwood, only to remember that not all varieties smell the same – oh well
• Frankincense (yes that one) – supposedly encourages calmness, serenity and relaxation which would indicate anti-inflammatory activity - no comment on the smell since by this time I had a whole bunch of crap in the mix, but I do seem to recall that I didn’t like Frankincense incense (haha) perhaps partly because it was either gold or black – used for burns, rashes, cuts etc – and in anti-aging treatments
• Myrrh (yes that one) - has anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties – again no comment on the smell– has been used a lot for mouth sores and irritation – sores, ulcers, gingivitis, strep throat, stinky breath….
• Tea tree oil – actually my sister did not recommend this one – but it is a favorite of mine – I have used it for all kinds of skin ailments, rashes, bug bites, acne, seborrheic dermatitis – and hear that it helps prevent lice – most people think it stinks but I don’t, though I can understand why they do - my husband hates it but I usually don't listen to him anyway

I didn’t follow her recommendation exactly (I usually don't follow anyone's instructions exactly - or at all....) – I used a little of all of them - So by this time – I had a pretty goopy mess which actually kind of stank – and I had two bottles of essential oil left – orange oil and lemongrass.

• Orange oil – is a natural insecticide – but CAN NOT be put directly on plants because it will kill them immediately (I know this because I did it) – should not be applied to skin full strength or consumed like that…..but it smells good
• Lemongrass – normally I hate lemongrass as it is present in a lot of Asian food and I think it tastes like citronella – actually that is where citronella comes from and every time I eat something with lemongrass, I think I am eating an anti-mosquito candle – this bottle smelled good though

So because they smelled good – I added a few drops anyway.  Didn’t help the smell.

I mixed it all up – and put this oily, stinky stuff on my shoulders and arms.  

On a side note – notice that 3 out of 6 oils that she recommended are of the mint family (rosemary, lavender and peppermint).  

Wow –it is really greasy – but it kept the itch at bay for at least 12 hours.  Problem is, I don’t know which ingredients helped. I did end up having to store it in the fridge and hack off a little piece each time I use it.

The point is – though I would say that something in there is working for me, I would not recommend this particular experiment – really you should always try one ingredient at a time – but I was desperate and this worked so I will keep on doing it – and my shoulders are really smooth.  Probably won’t rub it on my whole body though….

AND remember I did NOT tell you to do this – my advice really is – listen to the advice you get from odd places and then check it out for yourself…..

Valerian Root – Natural Antianxiety and Insomnia Treatment – or Just a Big Stink Bomb

 

 

So, since I am perimenopausal (I like to continue to claim that, so I can avoid saying I am actually menopausal), I am having a lot of anxiety – and insomnia.  I am currently trying an herbal regimen including: Valerian, 5-HTP and sometimes Melatonin. 

The problem with this particular regimen is that you have to take Melatonin several hours before bedtime in order for the Melatonin level to be high enough when you want to sleep.  Melatonin is good for jet lag and shift work.  I am not currently experiencing jet lag – as I refuse to fly over the ocean – and I am not a shift worker as I found out years ago that working nights will actually drive me insane-r than I already am – but it is also reported to be a natural sleep aid if taken appropriately.  The problem with this is two-fold.  The fact that you have to take it at the same time as your kids are going insane and tearing $hit up – AND that the instructions for taking it are very blurry.  Most recommendations are taking it at 3-5mg but some people recommend up to 60mg.  Anyway, I have a bottle of 3 mg which is actually not open yet.

The 5-HT is a precursor of tryptophan (you know the natural stuff that was banned several years ago) that is contained in high levels in turkey and warm milk – which is supposedly why those foods make you sleepy.  I am not sure of the effectiveness of either of these treatments as I think the post-thanksgiving nap is usually due to overeating and laziness – and warm milk makes you sleepy because it is already night time and you should be sleepy.  I digress and am trying it anyway.

The other thing I am taking (more often than the recommended dose of 1 capsule daily – usually two) for anxiety and sleep.  Valerian root supposedly works on the GABA receptors, the same receptors that benzodiazepines such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax – etc. work on.  It seems to be working .  I have been faithfully taking the Valerian – yes, without a consultation with a physician.  The problem with Valerian – is that it stinks – and I don’t mean just smells kind of bad – it STINKS – kind of like toe cheese, smelly feet or really bad stinky cheese that is actually a food product.  BTW – do you know what cheese actually is?  It is moldy milk.  Kind of gross.  But I digress again.

Valerian capsules are so stinky that the offensive odor lingers in the air, on your hands (even after you wash them) and causes your daughter to exclaim – JAS, wash your feet!  Seems to work though – or maybe it is the 2 to 4 or possibly 6 Benadryl (diphenhydramine – also now in Sominex – and in Nytol), an antihistamine that has high sedating effects that I end up taking.

Either one of these treatments  - Valerian at the near intended level can actually exacerbate migraines – which I don’t want because I had them during puberty and beyond but they finally went away when I broke ddown and started taking medicine for my blood pressure – which brings up another story which I will get to in a minute but don’t want to get side tracked.  On to the story – Benadryl, though sedating and very useful for giving kids at night – doctors used to recommend it for long car rides, plane trips or if you just really needed the kid to go right to sleep at bedtime – plus it is the best antihistamine, anyway – Benadryl can cause – a disturbance in REM sleep – which means your sleep is not “quality” sleep.  It can also cause tinnitus – or ringing of the ears.  I experience this as feeling like I am in a tunnel made of aluminum foil. 

I rationalize continuing to take these medications – natural or otherwise as I am experiencing extreme insomnia – developed over a period of years.  Since the late stages of pregnancy with twins (where I was only able to get 30 minutes of sleep at a time after my belly swelled to the point of two watermelons) to the birth of said twins – where I was able to get about 2 hours of sleep – ending every morning at 4:30 am since the boy was an “early” riser – meaning the crack of o’dark thirty – to the birth of the 3^rd kid – and then I was way too busy to sleep with 3 kids under the age of two.  Through the toddler, beginning school, I gotta catch the bus but refuse to do anything to help and later I don’t wanna go to bed days – to the now hormonal, I can’t sleep through the hot flashes, night sweats, severe anxiety, anxiety related eczema which actually wakes me up and I have to slather on a steroid cream which oddly causes insomnia – not to mention the same kids who get up on the weekend to watch cartoons.  These are the same kids who won’t get up during the week.

In any case – I have been sleep deprived for now – about 13 years, give or take.

It turns out, no matter what the side effects or how much the medicine smells like dirty feet – I will continue to try anything – including Kudzu root – you know the voracious vine of the south which will even grow over a small moving cow?  Well I tried that anyway – didn’t work.  So I stay with the Valerian root and Benadryl regimen for now – until I find something that lets me sleep (I am now up to about 4 hours).