Eczema and Skin

CASE STUDY: Eczema

SUBMITTED BY: Phil Rasmussen

PATIENT: Male, 26 years old

INITIAL PRESENTATION:

Presenting with eczema on arms and left hand, previous 3-4 months. Began on left hand and spread to upper forearms and elbow creases. Had been successfully using Betnovate cream once daily, but condition had worsened when he ceased this a couple of weeks ago and was starting to appear on his right hand also. He was wanting to explore natural treatment options.

The affected areas were very itchy at times, especially at night, and he found it hard not to scratch, which had been causing sleeping difficulties and sometimes lead to bleeding. He’d begun wearing a glove on his left hand the last couple of nights, to try and avoid this.

Upon examination the dorsal surfaces of both hands were quite dry and with several erythematous patches, with the left being cracked and raw in a couple of places, and very sore looking. A couple of dry and reddened areas were also present on the lower parts of both forearms, though not as sore looking as those on the hands.

He had been through a period of increased stress over the past few months associated with trying to get an immigration permit for his partner, who currently was living overseas. He’d also been doing overtime hours in his customer service role for an IT company lately while trying to save money to support his partner. He was a visibly high energy and somewhat heated person and came across as somewhat of a worrier.

There were no other obvious health issues, though his bowels tended to be loose at times, and he’d had eczema on his arms previously as a child. His diet wasn’t particularly good and consisted of cereal and white toast (or sometimes just coffee) for breakfast, a sandwich or pie and sweet pastry from a café for lunch, and red meat or chicken with potatoes or pasta and boiled frozen veges or takeaways such as a burger or pizza. He drunk 2-3 glasses of water daily, and 5-6 cups of instant coffee, and had an apple or banana a day.

There was no family history of eczema, although his father had a lengthy history of psoriasis of his knees and arm flexures, and he’s used the same soap and cleaning products, for some time.

HERBAL TREATMENT

Main Mixture (300mL)

Total: 310mL

Herbal Dosage: Shake the bottle and take 8mL two times daily, in a small amount of water or juice.

Cream:

A 30-gram jar of cream containing equal parts of the following, was compounded, and supplied:

Akeake (Dodonaea viscosa) 1:1 1gm

Poroporo (Solanum aviculare) 1:1 2gm

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 1:1 1gm

Phytomed Base Cream 26gm

Apply to the affected areas two or three times daily.

ADDITIONAL TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

We discussed his diet and I recommended he have less processed foods and instant coffee, more water, and incorporate more variety, wholegrains and fresh vegetables and fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and Kimchi. We also talked through the situation with his partner, and some ideas to help him get a bit more relaxation time, despite his long working hours, and he seemed quite receptive to this.

The Main Mix was to be taken twice daily on a regular basis, and the Cream applied at least twice, but preferably three times daily (in the morning, if possible, straight after work, then in the evening before bed).

FOLLOW-UP

3-weeks later:

Over the past week or so the eczema had been less angry and itchy, and the small lesions on his right hand, had gone. Those on the forearms and left hand were still present, but the cracking had gone, and they were less sore looking than initially.

He’d started eating yogurt and sauerkraut most days, cooking more with fresh veges, and reduced the takeaways. His bowels were now no longer loose. He had also just joined a yoga class and was feeling a bit calmer and less stressed. There were lots of coughs and colds around though, and he was concerned about contracting a bug, due to his need to keep working long hours.

He’d found the cream helpful and was using it 1-2 times daily.

Main Mixture (500mL)

Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa) 75mL
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) root 100mL
Withania (Withania somnifera, 3:2 std) 175mL
Baical skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) 150mL
Total: 500mL

Dosage: Shake the bottle and take 8mL two times daily, in a small amount of water or juice.

5 weeks later:

Further marked improvement, no more lesions on forearms, and those on the left hand were nearly gone. He has managed to avoid catching the virus that had been going around, and things were looking more hopeful on the immigration front for his partner. He seemed more relaxed.

The herbal mix and a further jar of cream were repeated for the next two months.