Eczema.  A Healthy Breakthrough, by Alexander Angelov, M.D. 

Your skin breaks out in itchy, scaly bumps along your hands and arms. Before long it spreads to other parts of your body causing swelling, redness, and intense itchiness. A dermatologist has no difficulty diagnosing the problem, because he or she sees these symptoms all the time. In fact, this skin condition is becoming more prevalent each year. It’s called eczema, accounts for 10-20% of all referrals to dermatologists, and affects up to 7% percent of the total population. In generalized terms, eczema refers to dermatitis, any abnormal skin inflammation that flakes, thickens, scales, and, often, itches out of control. Some doctors use the word “eczema” to distinguish a specific type of skin disorder characterized by fluid-filled blisters that ooze and form a crusty surface. The term “eczema” is used here for various forms of dermatitis including allergic or contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis, nummular dermatitis, and seborrhea dermatitis.

As the largest body organ, the main function of the skin is barrier protection. When this function is disrupted in some way, secondary trauma brings either eczema or other diseases to the skin. While researchers are uncertain of the exact processes involved, eczema is, in part, an allergic disease. Eighty percent of all eczema patients have higher than normal levels of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE). Such skin has a tendency to be “overgrown” with bacteria, mainly Staphylococcus aureus (Rubenstein 1983). White blood cells taken from eczema victims also have lowered levels of prostaglandins, increased amounts of histamine, and less ability to deal with harmful germs (Siccardi 1981).  Two-thirds of those stricken have relatives or direct family members who also have eczema. Many who have this irritating skin condition either have or will develop asthma. Other eczema sufferers will have problems with hay fever in the future (Sampson 1983). Babies who do not get friendly bacteria from their healthy mothers’ birth canal are more predisposed to allergic conditions like eczema (Wold 1998). When babies develop eczema, half will be free of it by 18 months of age, but many will develop this troubling skin condition again as adults. Some researchers theorize that eczema starts in the stomach when acid-base levels become unbalanced. As a result, high acid levels in this area increase cellular metabolic problems. According to some medical thinking, the “logical” treatment step decreases these high acid levels. So, the patient is instructed to take an acid blocker such as Pepcid, Tagamet or Zantac. Another treatment method decreases acidity in the stomach by using an acid pump inhibitor medication like Prilosec. But when acid release is blocked in the stomach, the next place of acid elimination will be the skin. Eczema and psoriasis can be the direct result of this mechanism. Blocking the symptoms of acid skin eventually pushes acid release attempts further into the lungs. Eventually, this condition appears as asthma.

Traditional Eczema Treatment
In the past, relief from most types of eczema was sought with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The problem is such drugs carry considerable risk of serious chronic, peptic ulcers, liver complications, gastrointestinal bleeding, congestive heart failure, and varying degrees of kidney dysfunction (Babb 1992). In fact, the risk of intestinal ulcers is estimated to be 5 to 10 times greater when taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to ease any kind of inflammation. (Hirschowitz 1994). As a result, most doctors are not using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine much any more.Topical corticosteroids also relieve the physical pain of eczema, but bring side effects such as increased infection and skin thinning (Van Der Meer 1999). Many doctors also worry about the long-term effects of immune suppression with such medication. While clinical trials have evaluated the shot-term value and adverse effects of corticosteroids, few have examined the long term effects, the relapse rate, or the disease-free periods of eczema. Instead of creating such chaos by putting steroid hormones into the body, a more logical way goes to the source of the problem and normalizes the unbalanced acid condition. There is a safe way to alleviate the source of the acid problem – a natural, “body friendly” solution that will not cause too much acid to form in the body. It’s natural and gets at the source of the problem. Before discussing this effective, soothing way to relieve acid skin conditions, let’s learn about another unhealthy condition linked to eczema.

The Link Between The Digestive Tract and Eczema
Medical research has found a close correlation between eczema, food allergy, and intestinal permeability – or actual holes in the intestinal wall of the digestive system (Jackson 1981). This means large food particles slip into the blood before they are properly digested and broken down into smaller particles. When large molecules of undigested food pass directly into the blood, they can attach to various cells anywhere in the body. Meanwhile, an intense alarm is sent to the immune system. Defense factors mobilize around the large food particles and stimulate inflammation. If skin happens to be the target, inflammation from the IgE antibody brings the release of large amounts of histamine and other defensive substances. These chemicals cause the allergic reaction in the form of the itchy and scaly conditions of eczema. Holes in the intestinal tract also leave a person’s food absorption mechanism in dire straits. Valuable nutrients are just not there for cellular repair and maintenance because not enough food is being broken down into a useable form. The body develops a kind of silent starvation for necessary nutrients. Intestinal permeability is also a sign the gut mucosa has lost portions of its three and half pounds of beneficial bacteria and is therefore lacking its protective advantage in the digestive tract. Antigens can escape now from the intestines into the bloodstream instead of being carried away by excretion activity. Thus, once intestinal permeability exists, a vicious and complicated cycle burdens the immune system and taxes liver filtration.The successful answer to eczema lies in adding beneficial bacterial as “pro-life” or probiotic supplements to help normalize high acid levels and rebuild the intestinal lining or mucosa with the same kind of microscopic organisms or flora which live in the healthy intestinal tract.

Research: Probiotics and Eczema
Intestinal inflammation is considered a sign of allergic response to a food allergen. Thirty-one infants who developed atopic dermatitis and intestinal inflammation from milk were given oral forms of beneficial bacteria at the University of Tampere Medical School in Finland. Their skin conditions significantly improved as did their intestinal inflammation. This study offers evidence that probiotics can help restore intestinal barrier function and clear up skin conditions caused by food allergy (Majaama 1997). Probiotics such as L. acidophilus and B. bifidum stick to the inside of gut walls to colonize the intestinal tract. By doing so, these friendly bacteria help bring healthy back to “sour gut” conditions. First of all, these live organisms compete for sites along the lining of the intestines, inhibiting bad or pathogenic germs from attaching to the walls. But beneficial bacteria also help fill in and stabilize the “leaks” or gaps caused by toxic forces in the intestinal lining. Study at the University of Nebraska-Creighton University find probiotic bacteria can reduce the damaging effect of antigens by helping to minimize the holes in the mucosal barrier (Vanderhoof 2000). This “tightening” occurs by the competitive binding mechanism of probiotics. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were also shown to increase IgA production, an antibody that prevents antigens from causing damage to the intestinal mucosa by decreasing immune reactions (Kirjavainen 1999). IgE antibodies are also produced when the immune system is in a state of alarm over alien invaders. But when beneficial bacteria are present in sufficient amounts, they transmit biochemical messages to the immune system to decrease production of IgE antibodies. This results in less histamine, less inflammation, and less damage to skin.

Replace Beneficial Bacteria
Perhaps now you can see why replacing the friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract is the smart way to relieve the conditions which produce eczema inside your body. Look for a probiotic supplement that will deliver large amounts of live, lactobacillus organisms and bifidobacteria into your digestive tract. Since there are many “pretenders to the throne” where beneficial bacteria supplements are concerned, be sure you select a probiotic product that clearly states the specific super strain of bacteria contained in the bottle. Use Lactobacillus acidophilus (DDS-l and NAS super strain), Bifidobacteria bifidum (Malyoth super strain), and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (LB-51 super strain) in either powders, hard gels, or oil matrix capsules. Some people think they need only to take the right super strain of L. acidophilus bacteria to break down proteins in the small intestine and to produce hydrogen peroxide to fight bad germs. But the person with eczema also needs B. bifidum bacteria to cleanse the colon of toxins. And of course, L. bulgaricus bacteria are valuable to help build new message links to a weakened immune system. Thus, you do not want just one of these bacteria. You need them all.

For the patient with a long-standing eczema skin problem, it is probably wise to take beneficial bacteria in the powdered form along with hard gels and possibly the oil matrix system when convenience is a must. Know, however, that you should not jump into probiotic usage by taking huge amounts all at once, especially if you have an overwhelming health problem. Start with the probiotic powders in the morning for one week. Take 1/2 teaspoon each of L. acidophilus and B. bifidum ten to thirty minutes before breakfast. Then, during breakfast, take 1/2 teaspoon of L. bulgaricus with food for the greatest probiotic effect. After a week or so, you may try to increase probiotic intake by adding hard gels or a single oil matrix capsule of the beneficial bacteria at lunch or dinner. Should there be any discomfort of a physical nature, merely cut back probiotic usage to the morning powders for another week or so. Eventually, you will be able to use probiotic supplements three times a day. Once your health problem has cleared, you may reduce probiotic usage to once a day.

Outside Probiotic Help For The Skin
Since most eczema skin has higher ratios of Staphylococcus aureus germs on the outside surface compared to healthy skin, here’s a novel strategy. Fight harmful staph germs by applying a probiotic skin preparation directly to the effected skin. Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria applied in cream form will bring soothing relieve to damaged skin while helping new skin cells to grow back in a healthy manner. You’ll be amazed at the fast results. Also, skin thinning will not be a problem when you use a good probiotic cream containing lots of friendly bacteria in place of a topical cortisone preparation. Balancing and reinforcing inside digestive forces as well as bringing soothing factors to new skin on the outside is the dynamic, new millennium approach to conquering disturbing and painful skin problems characteristic of eczema.