Eczema and Over the Counter Treatments

[Owen Reid]

If you or one or more of your children suffer from eczema you are
probably frantic to find something, anything that will 1. bring relief
and 2. make the problems go away.
Although eczema and over the counter treatments do not go very well
together, many people are treating their eczema or that of their
children with products bought over the counter.
Popular products include those that have an anesthetic or analgesic
effect, to lessen the pain and/or deaden the itching.
Antiseptic mixtures are used to treat open sores to prevent infection.
Creams and unguents are also used to treat dry or crusty skin areas
and cover affected areas to permit the skin to heal itself from
within.
All of these are valid and useful applications. However, the problem
with most of these is that they are treating the symptoms only and can
only give symptomatic relief. Granted that some, like for example
FreeDerm HC with 1% hydrocortisone, and similar special products
specifically aimed at eczema, perhaps go further.
But even the best, at base, amount to only short-term fixes to a long
term problem.
Generally speaking, over the counter treatments are fine for
externally afflicted injuries or damage to the skin. But with eczema
the real problem is coming from within, from imbalances in the body
chemistry or autoimmune system.
To really get long term relief and freedom from the eczema affliction
you need to go beyond symptomatic relief to longer term approaches
that attack the underlying causes.
Medical science has not yet come up with a long-term cure for eczema.
Eczema and over the counter treatments do not get you anything beyond
temporary relief.
In this situation, one should consider "thinking outside the box" and
looking to possible dietary changes, hormonal therapy, holistic
healing and other forms of alternative medicine that show promise of
actually providing long-term solutions.