Eczema and Epilepsy....

[TeeTees]

Are there any links between the two, and does anybody else suffer from it ?

Reason for asking : I've had Eczema (facial) since I was about 7....(Thank God for moisturisers). Anyway, I've noticed that if I have a seizure, the following day my skin seems to be in a drier condition than if I never had a seizure.

So, how many others have this ?

[skillefer]

I don't have eczema, but my brother-in-law does (he's 6). He has it all over his body. *sigh* We've tried every lotion on the market. None of them helped. He was using hydrocortisone for the longest time. Then finally, I bought a bottle of lotion that's labeled exclusively for eczema. It's in a white box and has the word eczema in bold black print on the box. It actually works....his skin is so much smoother. Anyway, I got it at Walgreens, and also saw it at Wal-Mart. It's kinda pricey, but it works. I've read online that eczema can be due to an allergy to dairy products and wheat. My brother in law does have a known food allergy, eggs. So his mom is hesitant about taking away wheat and milk to see if it helps.

[CQ:)]

When I was a child & teenager (before I started taking seizures again) I used to have really bad eczema. I used to use cream for the eczema but it didn't always help.
My parents used to buy certain brands of soaps, washing powders & dishwashing liquids, sometimes my eczema would be O.K then it would flare up again.
When I was 19 my Mum tried another brand of washing powder & since then I haven't really had any problems with the eczema.

[RobinN]

yes there is a connection
Rebecca had eczema too on the insides of her elbows. Came and went. I thought it was just a fact of life, until I started doing some seizure research.
I have since learned that eczema most likely is from yeast in the system. Of course doctors won't discuss this other than telling you that everyone has yeast, and bacteria.
The problem arises when they are out of balance.

Yeast can flare up for many reasons. Consider for a moment Dogtor J's ideas on seizures. The fact that the intestinal tract is compromised by our nutrition, and that there is "leaky" gut, and the lining is compromised by the types of foods that we consume. So the nutrients are not able to get to the brain. Yeast can cause constipation, and constipation is a trigger.

There isn't just one answer, but many approaches, and I believe that when we heal our bodily functions and the basic core of our being... we will see improvements in the number of seizures.

Biotin is good to keep yeast controlled, but it needs to be paired with magnesium.
Another natural for yeast is GSE (grapefruit seed extract) however if you are taking an anti-epileptic drug - grapefruit is a No No.
Olive Leaf Extract is also a good natural remedy - but check it out first

This is related too:
Selinium, Seizures, Seborrhea

[Georgiagirl88]

I don't know about seizure connections..but there is a connection between asthma and ecxema. They can go together. We have ecxema and asthma in the family and I am not sure why there is a connection, but there is. I think it may be an immune connection. I will have to ask the allergist again..I can't remember ..

Michelle

[LynnW]

Michelle, I think you're right about asthma and eczema being related to the immune system. My son had bad eczema as a baby, and had asthma when he was younger. He is also plagued with lots of weird allergies, and last year he suffered a skin problem similar to eczema called numular dermatitis (round crusty patches all over his body) that was VERY difficult to get rid of. I was told all were autoimmune dysfunctions.

I think there are probably many more conditions that they believe are related to immune systems gone crazy. I think my sister told me that her irritable bowel syndrome is an immune system thingy, too. (She also has bad allergies and asthma).

[Bernard]

My nephew and one of my sons both have/had eczema. My nephew appear to have "outgrown" it and my son may have also (he hasn't had a flare up in a good while).

Both of them were very sensitive to acidic foods - cooked tomatoes, pineapple, strawberries and anything with citric acid. I'm not sure how related eczema is with epilepsy, but I believe there is a strong relationship with asthma. They are both essentially problems with inflammation.

[RobinN]

http://www.eczema.net/

Nutrition, detoxification, anti-stress coping skills and external practices are all a part of healing eczema. The body is trying to tell you something, and it isn't just a defective on/off switch in the inflammatory cycle and may not be just a damaged barrier function. Inflammation is the process that fights infection; and, if there is a bacterial or fungal over-colonization like staphylococcus aureus, steroids (which stop the inflammation process) will make the problem worse by allowing infection to run wild and further thin the skin damaging even more the barrier function. Changing your body’s chemistry internally and externally to provide the proper environment for skin health will bring about a permanent change in this condition ... and that's the cure for eczema. It is ecology.

[RobinN]

I don't know about seizure connections..but there is a connection between asthma and ecxema. They can go together. We have ecxema and asthma in the family and I am not sure why there is a connection, but there is. I think it may be an immune connection. I will have to ask the allergist again..I can't remember ..

Michelle

http://www.eczema.net/magnesium.html

Eczema has been categorized with allergies and asthma. Sensitization and increased histamine production are associated with Mg deficiency. Magnesium has several anti-asthmatic actions: as a calcium antagonist it relaxes airway smooth muscle (in vitro) and dilates bronchioles (in vivo). It also inhibits cholinergic transmission, increases nitric oxide release, and reduces airway inflammation (by stabilizing mast cells and T-lymphocytes). The investigators concluded, "Low magnesium intake may therefore be involved in the etiology of asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease. Increased magnesium reduces lung hyper-reactivity.

[skillefer]

The frustrating thing is that the BIL's pediatrician won't order an allergy test. ( at least he wouldn't while the BIL was on on medi-cal. medi-cal wouldn't cover it.) Now that he's uninsured, we're going to see about getting him a different pedi and having the allergy test done. The thing that frustrates me is my MIL's not wanting to try taking him off wheat and milk to see if it helps. argh....we already know he's allergic to nuts and eggs...and he's really good about not eating those things and asking people if something they are offering him has nuts or eggs. I think she figures that if the only reaction he's having is the eczema, then it's not so bad. so she'd rather use hydrocortisone on him then to get rid of the cause...*sigh*....I gotta keep telling myself, "he's not my kid". So instead, I make homemade lotion that seems to be helping by keeping his skin hydrated.