The possible health risks from using mobile phones have been under scrutiny for some time.  In particular the risk of children who regularly us a mobile phone developing brain tumors.

A few years ago researchers found another health risk resulting from using mobile phones – a risk of developing eczema.  These findings were not made public as there was little or no proof.

Tests carried out by Japanese scientist Dr Hajime Kimata have confirmed these earlier findings that exposure to the microwaves emitted by mobile phones can trigger a reaction in people with skin allergies.

Blood tests have shown that people with eczema or dermatitis have higher levels of chemicals pumped out by their immune system when using a mobile phone causing an allergic reaction.  It would appear that the microwaves are triggering an allergic reaction.

It is believed there are around 50 million mobile phones in use in the UK alone making the safety issue of prolonged use a major concern.

British allergy experts have said that Dr Kimata’s findings are interesting but there is no scientific explanation as to why radiation would increase allergic responses.

“This study adds to the evidence that microwave radiation may do strange things that we don’t quite understand” added Professor Tony Frew, of the Southampton University.

Fact #1
In the course of a life time you will , while sleeping eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.

Fact #2
50 000 cells in your body will have died and been replaced by new cells while you have been reading this sentence.

Fact #3
The most common non contagious disease in the world today is tooth decay.

Fact #4
A person’s entire skin weighs around 4kg (8.75 lb) which is around 7% of the total body weight.

Fact #5
The average person sheds 18kg (39.5 lb) of skin cells in a life time.

Fact #6
Experts predict that 15% of young children suffer from atopic eczema.  It is more common in urban areas than rural, small families than large families and in wealthier families.  The reasons for this are unclear.

Fact #7
Eczema, asthma and hayfever are all; closely related.  They are all atopic conditions with a strong familial basis.  It is estimated that approximately 50% of children with eczema will develop asthma or hayfever.

Fact #8
Psoriasis affects approximately 2 – 4% of the population.  The first symptoms usually appear between the age of 10 – 35 years, although it can appear at any age.

Fact #9
Almost 50% of psoriasis sufferers will experience psoriasis of the fingernails where the nail appears pitted.

Fact #10
About 3% of white adults have psoriasis, however it is uncommon in colored people.  It affects both sexes equally and is rare in small children.

Fact #11
In the last 30 years the number of people with eczema has doubled.

Fact #12
In the UK 1 in 10 people suffer from eczema.  That is 1 in 12 adults and 1 in 8 children.

Fact #13
In the UK eczema costs 288 million pounds every year.  Amazingly one third of this amount is spent by the eczema sufferers themselves on topical treatments – creams, oils, ointments etc.

Fact #14
Occupational dermatitis/eczema, a type of skin inflammation caused by contact with irritant substances used in the workplace is thought to account for over half of the working dayslost in the UK every year.

Fact #15
Studies show that approximately 60% of Americans are deficient in omega 3 and 20% have so little that test methods are unable to detect any in their blood.

The “black box” warning placed on Elidel and Protopic BACK IN 2005 scared patients off using these drugs unnecessarily or so the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) believe.

Elidel and Protopic are non-steroidal eczema drugs that became available by prescription in 2000 and 2001.  They were heralded as the new miracle treatments for eczema, making steroids a thing of the past.

Recent months have seen much controversy over the use of these drugs as they have been linked to skin cancer and lymphoma.  The Food and Drug Association (FDA) has ruled that both drugs must carry the “black box”, which is the strongest of all safety warnings.

The AAD believes that this warning is unnecessary and will only serve to scare patients and their doctors off using the drugs even when it is their best option of treatment.

AAD spokesperson, Abby Van Voorhees says “The AAD is very disappointed with this ruling by the FDA.  We don’t think the science supports this harsh labeling.   The link to cancer is not proven, and the data shows these medications are quite safe.”

Novartis, the manufacturer of Elidel has been publicly critical of the FDA decision.  Novartis spokesperson, Megan Humphrey stated “We want to make it very, very clear that this action is not substantiated by scientific or clinical evidence…. Based on 21 000 patients in clinical trials, and based on postmarketing use of Elidel in more than 6 million patients, there is no evidence of a causal relationship between Elidel and cancer.”

The FDA has defended their decision stating that there was a real concern for how many scripts for Elidel and Protopic were being written as a first line treatment and for children under 2 years.

The drugs have only ever been approved for adults and children over 2 years and only as a last resort when other treatments have proven unsuccessful.

Norman Fost from the FDA advisory panel said, “A “black box” warning may be excessive, may be overshoot, may be unduly inhibiting (to patients who need the drugs) but it may be that’s the only tool left to stop millions of prescriptions that are inappropriate … that may be the only way to do it.”

Excema is a very common misspelling of the skin condition Eczema.

Eczema has proven to be a very difficult word to spell and can widely vary between:

• excema
• exema
• exma
• eccema
• ezcema
• eczma
• excma
• xma
• xema

All of these variations will be understood, but the correct spelling of the condition is Eczema.

It is no secret that breastfeeding has huge advantages for the baby.  Breastfeeding will aid in the development of the baby’s immune system and decrease the chances of a baby developing allergies.

Eczema and allergies are closely related so it stands to reason that breastfeeding your baby will be of benefit if eczema runs in the family.  If one parent has eczema there is a 30% chance the child will develop eczema.  If both parents have or had eczema there is an 80% chance of their child developing eczema.

Colostrum may prevent allergies developing

A study in the 1999 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed that colostrum, the milk produced by the mother after the first few days of her baby’s life may help prevent the development of inherited allergies.  The study also showed that colostrum, which is high in protein and antibodies, promotes the production of antibodies in the child.

Allergies are more prone to develop if a child is exposed to allergens early in life.  Breastfeeding a baby exclusively for the first 6 – 12 months will allow the immune system to develop more fully and will therefore reduce the risk of the child developing allergies or eczema that are triggered by foods.

Breastfeeding has many advantages

Breastfeeding your baby has many advantages.  Decreasing the chances of them developing allergies or allergy related illnesses like eczema and asthma make it all the more important.

It is very rare for a baby to be allergic to their mother’s breast milk.  They can however react to a food the mother has eaten and passed on in her milk.  The most common signs of this are the baby developing colic, frequent colds, skin rashes or restless sleeps.

The usual culprit is dairy foods in the mother’s diet.  Cutting all dairy out of the diet will usually help.  The mother should also avoid any foods that she is known to be sensitive to.

It is not known conclusively if breastfeeding will reduce the risk of allergies developing later in life but if you can give your baby an initial allergy free period that has to be a bonus.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which new skin cells grow too quickly.  It causes thick, scaly patches on the skin and can be very uncomfortable and debilitating.  Each year thousands of psoriasis sufferers flock to the Dead Sea in Israel to bathe in the sea and have their Psoriasis relieved by the miracles of this highly salt concentrated body of enriched water.

Traveling across the world to the Dead Sea is not possible for everyone.  However one psoriasis sufferer, Dan Goldberg has decided to bring the Dead Sea to the psoriasis sufferer.  Dan is the founder of Mineralee, an enriched Dead Sea water product.

Dan experienced incredible results after bathing in the Dead Sea for only 4 days, so he went on to spend the next 3 years researching the springs that release the minerals into the Dead Sea. He developed his own product that he believed would benefit many psoriasis sufferers as he himself had been helped.

Mineralee water was developed.

The Mineralee water is extracted off the Eastern Shore of the Dead Sea and has high concentrates of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromides, sulfates and other minerals added to it.  The water is undiluted, has no added fragrance or chemicals and is completely pure.

Dan believes the water has both haling and therapeutic qualities that will have both a positive physical effect as well as a positive mental effect for people using the water.

The chronic and debilitating effects of psoriasis make any new product of interest to those concerned.  Lets hope Mineralee will be able to help many psoriasis sufferers.

Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that requires constant attention to be kept under control. Whilst choosing the right creams for your skin are important adhering to your treatment regime is equally as important.

Dr Steven Feldman, M.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine recently wrote in an issue of Archives of Dermatology “non-compliance can explain why some skin conditions may seem resistant to treatment.”

Eczema is an individual condition

Eczema is a very individual condition and similarly treatment is also individual. However, success of a treatment will often depend on how compliant the patient is with following the instructions. Treatments need to be used for several days before they can safely be ruled out as ineffective.

Dr Feldman went on to say, “Physicians must develop practical measures to improve patients’ compliance: establishing strong, trusting physician-patient relations, choosing medications that can fit patients’ lifestyles, using patient education materials designed to motivate without overly stressing risks and scheduling a follow-up visit shortly after initiating new treatment.”

Consider lifestyle when selecting treatments

A person’s lifestyle needs to be considered. Some people find applying creams several times a day difficult but are able to take oral medication without any trouble. Others find that treatments applied only at bath time or bedtime are easiest to comply with.

It is not only the type of treatment the patient is going to use that is relevant in the patients’ compliance but also the patient-doctor relationship.

Feldman noted that “Patients who are more satisfied with their visit are more trusting of their doctor, worry less about adverse effects and use their medication more regularly.”

These studies indicate the importance of doctors developing good relations with their patients and frequent follow-ups to ensure treatments are being used as instructed and offering the results required.

Patients using over the counter treatments to control their eczema need also to take these factors into consideration and select treatment forms that they feel they can comply with.

Having a positive outlook about the treatments being used will also assist in compliance and increase the chances of success with the treatment.

2 Months

That is the age that atopic eczema frequently first appears.

It is rare for a baby to develop atopic eczema before the age of two months.  The reason for this is unclear however one theory is that the baby’s nervous system is too immature prior to this age to enable the baby the ability to scratch.

Eczema is characteristically quite severe in the early months often becoming less severe by the age of two years old.

Skin oozes and crusts

For a baby who develops atopic eczema between the ages of 2 – 4 months the initial symptoms include inflammation of the skin with oozing and crusting.  The cheeks and scalp are often the first areas affected.

Facial eczema usually subsides and the rash becomes more prominent on the limbs especially the wrists and hands and behind the knees and elbows.

Dry scaly eczema

Atopic eczema may continue on past the age of two years but for some the first signs do not appear until this age.  When eczema develops around the age of two years the oozing and crusting is less common as the rash is usually drier and scaly.

Scratching is a common problem for anyone with atopic eczema causing scratch marks and thickening of the skin. Excessive scratching frequently causes the skin to become broken making infection a major problem.

Atopic eczema clears spontaneously in the majority of children between the ages of two and five years.  If it does persist there is usually a marked improvement by puberty.

Eczema is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition resulting in a red rash and severe itching.  Eczema also affects the blood vessels in the skin, which results in altered skin color.

Redness of the skin, known as erythema is a common symptom of eczema.  It is caused by the widening of the blood vessels in the skin, which allows increased blood to flow to the affected area.

The localized dilatation of blood vessels has a disruptive effect o the skin’s circulation causing reduced blood flow to non affected areas.  It is therefore not uncommon for people with eczema, especially children to appear pale in areas not affected by eczema.

Pale patches of pigmented skin may also develop as eczema disturbs the skin’s production of the brown pigment melanin.

Many people with eczema also experience whitening of the skin when pressure is applied.  This is because the skin’s heat control mechanism is affected as well as the activity of the blood vessels in the skin.  Pressure on the skin will cause the blood vessels to contract thus making the skin appear white.  This may also affect areas of the skin not affected by eczema.

Eczema is indeed a complex condition leading to more than just a superficial rash and an itch.  The symptoms are far more extensive than many realize.  In deed many may suffer these symptoms and not realise that they are related to their eczema.

I am always repeating myself so I thought once and for all I would write down what I consider to be the 5 most important things you need to do for your skin when you have eczema.

1. Moisturize: Dry skin and eczema or psoriasis go hand in hand. Applying a good moisturizer regularly will help to prevent the skin from losing its natural oils and minimize eczema.

2. Drink lots: Drinking 8 - 10 glasses of water a day will help to keep the body and the skin hydrated.

3. Take and essential fatty acid: People with eczema are deficient in omega 3, an essential fatty acid responsible for controlling inflammation in the body. By increasing your omega 3 levels you can decrease the amount of eczema you experience. As our diets today do not contain sufficient omega 3 this needs to be done by taking a supplement.

4. Be consistent: Your need to maintain a consistent state for your skin to avoid any outbreaks.  Water, chemicals and clothing can all increase the likelihood of a breakout if you don’t keep the state of your skin consistent.  Protect your skin by applying a daily skin care routine and avoiding harsh and scratchy materials.

5. Find your triggers: Whether it’s food, the weather, clothing or chemicals, if you can identify triggers that cause flareups you’ll be armed with the knowledge to aviod such triggers giving your skin time to heal and possibly even become more resillient to flareups.