Eczema, asthma, asthma treatment, cure, self care health guide, asthma medication, bronchial asthma, symptoms, women health problem

Methods Of Naturopathy

-- ECZEMA --

One of the most common of all skin diseases, eczema consists of an inflammation of the skin of a catarrhal character. It is attended with papules, vesicles or pustules, attended with more or less discharge, and with itching and other symptoms of irritation. It is in fact a symptom denoting the reaction of the skin to various forms of irritation. It is generally found in persons of morbid constitution where the excretions of the bowels or kidneys are defective.

Eczema in its acute form shows itself by redness and swelling of the skin, the formation of minute vesicles and severe heat and irritation. If the vesicles rupture, a raw, moist surface is formed, from which a colour less discharge oozes, which forms skin crusts when it accumulates. Such attacks may occur as a result of digestive derangements, or in persons of rheumatic or gouty tendency and they tend to appear at certain seasons, such as springtime.

Eczema may be dry, weeping or rub rum where it affects only the leg. Administration of drugs has only a palliative or temporary effect.

The real cause is the failure of the human system to excrete the poisons from the various orifices of the body. Waste matter is excreted from the rectum, through the stools, from the bladder through the urine, from the breath through the lungs and from the pores of the skin. The pores are an important outlet from which poisonous humours are discharged through sweat. The condition of the skin is a very good pointer to the state of the health.

Treatment: If the orifices given by nature to expel the waste matter from the body perform efficiently, that is, if the bowels are clean, water is taken in sufficient quantities, the urine is clear, the lungs are able to breathe clean, fresh air, the skin will remain healthy. If the pores of the skin are not given the chance to perform their given duty, the sweat is full of morbid humours which give rise to the various skin diseases, like eczema, acne, boils, and other eruptions and itch. Trying to cure an eczema by skin applications is like cutting the leaves and branches of the tree in an effort to annihilate it. The relief, is temporary.

The best way to deal with eczema is to cleanse the blood and the body. The sufferer should get as much of fresh air as possible. Dwellers of narrow airless streets in a city slum should migrate to the open spaces of the villages and let fresh air resuscitate their system. Restrictive clothing should be given up.

Two to three litres of water should be taken daily and the patient must bathe twice to thrice in the day. The skin should be vigorously rubbed with the palms of the hands before taking a bath. All the parts of the body should be thoroughly wetted and rubbed to such an extent that the towel is not needed to dry the skin. The site of the eczema should, of course, be spared the rubbing. The size of the eczema should be covered with coconut oil. It will help the skin to stay soft.

An eczema patient must take an enema if a diet of fruit and fresh vegetables does not help relieve his constipation. Walking or jogging should be resorted to in order to activate the bowels. He must walk at the rate of six kilometers per hour for at least two hours in the day.

Our blood is alkaline and so are fruits and green vegetables. They balance with our blood and should be consumed in adequate quantities. Salt, cereals, sugar, fats and boiled milk add to acidity and should be avoided in so far as possible. Onions, garlic, radish should be avoided.

The treatment should start with one week of fruits and vegetables. Salt-free boiled vegetables with whole meal flour is recommended after one week's fruit fast. Coconut oil may be used instead of ghee. After some time curd and milk could be added to the diet.

Carrot and musk melon is particularly beneficial in cases of eczema. They should be taken three to four times daily reducing the intake later on and adding milk and curds. Musk melon should be washed down with cow's milk. The combination of musk melon and milk is not harmful as it is commonly supposed.

Sunlight in addition to being the life-giver is also a nature's scavanger; it kills all the harmful bacteria. Sun-bathing should be done early in the morning, in the first light of dawn. Stand or sit in the sun till you perspire; if it is too hot, cover your head with a wet towel. After you have perspired, take a cold bath.

A light mud pack applied over the site of the eczema is also helpful in dealing with it. The pack should be allowed to remain for one hour at a time; it could be repeated twice and thrice in the day. A mud pack over the whole body dried in the sun and later washed with cold water could be doubly helpful.

In chronic and more difficult cases of eczema the patient should be advised to fast at least one day in the week till he is cured. One week's fasting could cut down the recovery time considerably. Prolonged fasting must, however, be undertaken under the guidance and supervision of a specialist in nature cure since it may raise certain problems difficult for a lay man to deal with.