Dust mites are everywhere. They live in our carpets, bedding, curtains, mattress and pillows. They thrive in warm moist environments. For most of us they are harmless, but for some they can cause a significant problem.

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Ringworm, Thrush, Jock itch, Tinea, Athletes foot…What do these conditions all have in common?

They are all fungal conditions but are frequently mistaken for one of the eczemas.

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Most psoriasis sufferers will tell you that their psoriasis is affected by the foods they eat.  Some foods will cause the condition to worsen whilst other foods seem to improve their symptoms.

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A new study has found that drinking organic cows milk instead of normal cows milk reduces the incident of eczema.

Dr Machteld Huber of the Louis Bolk Institute, in the Dutch city of Utrechthas recently released the findings of a study that followed the lifestyle, diet and health of 2500 pregnant women and their children for two years after birth.

Children drinking organic milk are less likely to develop eczema

The study found that children weaned on organic milk, cheese and yoghurts and who were breastfed by mums eating organic dairy products were 36 per cent less likely to suffer from allergies.

Dr Huber said: “There was a clear relationship between organic dairy use and less eczema.

“The difference was significant but only for children exclusively eating organic dairy products.”   There was no correlation between reduced eczema and children who ate a mixture of normal dairy and organic dairy products.

Many young mothers have already decided to make the change to organic dairy products as they become more health conscious in an attempt to give their children the best diet possible.

An earlier research by Aberdeen University, found organic milk has 71 per cent more Omega 3 than conventional milk because of the cows’ clover-rich natural diet.  The essential fatty acid Omega 3 plays an important part in controlling the inflammatory condition, eczema as it has anti-inflammatory properties.

What is different about organic milk?

Organic milk does not contain any pesticides, added hormones or antibiotics. That means the pasture that the organic cow grazes on will be free from artificial insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. The feed for organic dairy cows does not contain GMOs and solvent extracts and urea.

If a cow becomes sick farmers are encouraged to treat it homeopathically first and only use antibiotics as a last resort. If a cow requires antibiotics the milk from that cow will be removed from the milk stream and not used.

What goes into the cow’s mouth gets processed into milk, and if it’s on the grass or grain it will end up in the milk. Organic cow’s eat a healthier additive free diet so in turn produce a milk that is healthier for us as it does not contain those unwanted additives.

Dr Huber and her team believe higher concentrations of fatty acids called conjugated linoleic acids found in organic milk play a role in the reduced number of children eating solely organic milk, cheese and yoghurts acquiring eczema. But at this stage despite the findings being clear the reasons behind those findings are still unconfirmed.

Itching can occur at any time, but it always seems worse at night.  It is also more difficult to control – especially in young children.

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Dyes, fabric finishers, seams, zips

They are all a potential hazard for the eczema sufferer when buying new clothes.  Sensitive skin is easily irritated and poorly selected clothing is frequently the cause of skin irritation.

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I always thought that being thick skinned meant that you didn’t upset easily when ridiculed. There is however another meaning – when the thickness of the skin actually increases.

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Pregnancy causes many changes in the body. Although most of the changes are obvious and explainable some are still creating a degree of mystery.

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Atopy – without a place

The word Atopy originated in 1923 when two doctors – Dr Cooke and Dr Coca were classifying and categorising different rashes and skin conditions.  The doctors had a group of patients who did not fit into Dr Coca’s classification system so they made up the word atopy to categorize the group.  Atopy means ‘without a place.’

The group of patients put into the Atopy group all had sensitive skin and were susceptible to irritation and eczema. Most of them had family members with asthma, hayfever or allergies.  Today the word Atopy is used to refer to an inherited allergic condition.

The reason atopic people have sensitive skin is not known.  However most atopic people will develop eczema at an early age, usually before 2 years old, but rarely before 2 months old.

It is not the eczema that is inherited but rather the atopy.  If a child has one atopic parent (ie having eczema, asthma, hayfever or allergies) there is a 20% chance the child will be atopic as well.  If both parents are atopic the chances of the child being atopic rise to 60%.

Being atopic does not give you eczema.  It simply makes you susceptible to develop the condition.  The skin must be irritated by something for the eczema to develop.  We know these irritations as eczema triggers.

Atopic skin is different

Atopic skin does not function the same as normal skin.  It does not have the ability to act as an effective barrier keeping water in and irritants out.  Water evaporates easily leaving atopic skin very dry.

Atopic people are also more perceptive to the sensation of itch. A mild irritation to the skin that would normally be perceived as a gentle tickle or simply the sensation of touch will be perceived by the atopic skin as the sensation to itch.  Hence atopic skin is typically very dry and itchy.

Skin sensitivity and skin barrier tend to improve over time with 50% of atopic children being less susceptible to skin irritation by the age of 5 years and 90% less susceptible by the age of 9 years.  Eczema may reappear in adulthood but usually not before the age of 60.

Why do atopic people get eczema?

It is believed that the excessive itching of the atopic person leads to the rash of eczema developing.  However it is not just the itching that will lead to the skin irritation.  The protective skin barrier is not working properly so normal elements will irritate the skin resulting in eczema.   Soaps, cleaners, rough woolen clothing or frequent bathing may all irritate atopic skin triggering eczema.

After Atopic features

Atopic people tend to have other lesser-known seemingly unrelated characteristics.  They will often have a small crease on the lower eyelid, near the nose or dark circles under the eyes.  Small acne-like bumps may be present on the back of the arms.

Atopic skin is more prone to the wart virus or fungal growths like ringworm or athletes foot.  These characteristics will be helpful in the diagnosis of an atopic person even if eczema or skin irritation is not present.

Atopic eczema is the most common form of eczema, especially amongst the young.  Although it is considered a very individual condition with each individual having different triggers and presenting slightly differently there are still the basic features that distinguish it from other conditions.

Diagnosing Eczema

The itch and the classical red, scaly, crusted or blistered rash must be present for eczema to be diagnosed.  The symptoms must last for a long period of time or must reappear frequently.  There is also usually a close family member who is atopic.

The diagnosis also depends on the location of the rash which needs to by typical for the age.  Infants will usually experience eczema on their scalp, cheeks, elbows and knees.  Small infants don’t scratch so rubbing against other surfaces like their bedding will irritate the areas affected.

Toddlers most commonly develop eczema in skin folds – like the elbows and behind the knees but can develop it anywhere as they are now able to scratch.  Atopic eczema in adults is rare as the other forms of allergy (asthma, or hayfever) are more common.  If eczema does occur in adults it is most likely to appear on the hands or feet.

What to do if you are atopic

The reason for atopic people having atopic skin is not known and similarly a cure for atopy is not known.  Current treatments are aimed at relieving and controlling the symptoms.

Until recently the doctors preferred form of treatment for atopic eczema was steroid based creams. New creams are always appearing on the market and a trend towards the natural treatments that have lesser side effects than the steroids has eventuated.

Whilst using the emolients to treat the eczema is important it is not the sole form of treatment.  It is very important to keep the skin well moisturised and to avoid any known triggers.

Tips for treating eczema

•    Avoid triggers and substances that stress the skin.  Besides individual triggers that you most probably have identified, some things to avoid include household cleaners, detergents and harsh soaps.

•    Hot water is a NO NO.  Take short, warm showers and baths and wear gloves if your hands will be in water for long periods of time.  Add a bath oil to bath water to allow bathing to moisturise the skin rather than dry it out.

•    Wear light, loose fitting clothes made from natural fibres that allow the skin to breathe.  Cotton clothes are your best bet.

•    Be dedicated to your skin care.  Keep it clean, moisturised and avoid products that dry out and irritate the skin.

•    Do your research, and find a topical treatment (cream applied to the skin) that works best for you.  Unfortunately it is an arduous process of trial and error, but there are a lot of good products out there that might help soothe the skin.

•    Try not to scratch the itch.  Easier said than done I know, but scratching the skin can make it more difficult to heal because you break the skin, causing infection to set in.