Weekly
Healthy Advice From VÄXA
Skin Allergies and
Your Immune System
Earlier this month,
new study results were announced by Children's and the University
of Washington (UW). This study reinforces what we in the complementary
and homeopathic medical fields have known for years that
there is a connection between autoimmune diseases malfunctions
of the Immune System and skin allergies like atopic dermatitis,
the most common type of eczema.
Autoimmune diseases refer to chronic illnesses of some of
the body's ten most important systems: Gastrointestinal, Endocrine,
and Nervous Systems, for example. It also includes the severe
diseases that come from lowered immune systems like HIV/AIDS,
Diabetes, Lupus, and an Immune System depressed by chemotherapy
treatment for cancer.
The immune cells (B and T cells) become disoriented, and instead
of the Immune System providing protection and healing for
its host, the person's immune capabilities attack their own
body.
How does this affect the skin?
The skin or epidermis is a major organ of the body; in fact,
it is the largest one! When things go wrong on the inside,
they will likely manifest themselves outside as skin allergies,
and vice versa.
Both an immune disease and, unfortunately, the treatment for
the disease can attack healthy skin cells and cause many disturbances.
Atopic dermatitis is just one of the skin allergies that can
result.
Atopic dermatitis and other chronic skin allergies which can
be considered allergic diseases may run in families, and be
related to hay fever and asthma. Its symptoms are:
- extremely itchy, red and inflamed skin
- rashes on the cheeks, arms and legs
- swelling and weeping skin
- cracks behind the ears
- scaling and crusting
Atopic dermatitis is not contagious
from person to person, but scratching the itch will further
irritate and can enlarge the site.
Topical Treatment helps Symptoms, but hurts in the Long
Run
Using the usual over-the-counter or prescription hydrocortisone
creams on a long term basis for skin allergies is detrimental.
These creams are corticosteroids, in the steroid family, and
can have side effects on many parts of the body by distorting
the Immune System even further:
- irritability
- raised blood pressure
- osteoporosis
- cataracts
- muscle weakness
- stomach ulcers
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