One of the most common of all skin diseases, eczema consists of an inflammation of the skin of a catarrhal character. It is attended with papules, vesicles or pustules, attended with more or less discharges, and with itching and other symptoms or irritation. It s in fact a symptoms denoting the reaction of the skin to various forms of irritation. It is generally found in persons of morbid constitution where the excretions of the bowels of kidneys are defective.

Eczema in its acute form shows itself by redness and swelling of the skin, the formation of minute vesicles and severe heat and irritation. If the vesicles rupture, a raw, moist surface is formed, from which a colourless discharge oozes, which forms skin crusts when it accumulates. Such attacks may occur as a result of digestive derangements, or in persons of rheumatic or gouty tendency and they tend to appear at certain seasons, such as springtime.

Eczema may be dry, weeping or rub rum where it affects only the leg. Administration of drugs has only a palliative or temporary effect. Homoepaths believe that the suppression of eczema may produce symptoms of more serious diseases since; according to them it is the result of psoric poisons. The real cause is the failure of the human system to excrete the poisons from the various orifices of the body. Water matter is excreted from the rectum, through the stools, from the bladder through the urine, from the breath through the lungs and from the pores of the skin. The condition of the skin is very good pointer to the state of the health. Father kneipp used to diagnose a disease by examining the skin of the patient. Sometimes the pores of the skin of the patient. Sometimes the pores of the skin are over-worked since the person does not expel the waste matter properly from the other orifices. That is why the perspiration of some persons is rancid: it may even smell of urine in some cases.

Natural Treatment for Eczema:

If the orifices given by nature to expel the waste matter from the body perform efficiently, that is, if the bowels are clean, water is taken in sufficient quantities, the urine is clear, the lungs are able to breathe clean, fresh air, the skin will remain healthy. If the pores of the skin are not given the chance to perform their given duty, the sweat is full or morbid humours which give rise to the various skin diseases, like eczema, acne, boils, and other eruptions and itch. Trying to cure eczema by skin applications is like cutting the leaves and branches of the tree in an effort to annihilate it. The relief, if any, is temporary. If the exudation is suppressed, it may be a prelude to some other more serious disease.

The best way to deal with eczema is to cleanse the blood and the body. The sufferer should get as much or fresh air as possible. Dwellers of airless streets in a city slum should migrate to the open spaces of the villages and let fresh air resuscitate their system. Restrictive clothing should be given up.

Two to three litres of the water should be taken daily and the patient must bathe twice to thrice in the day. The skin should be vigorously rubbed with the palms of the hands before taking a bath. All the parts of the body should be thoroughly wetted and rubbed to such and extent that the towel is not needed to dry the skin. The site of eczema should, of course, be spread the rubbing.

If you can bathe in a lake or a river, do it by all means, but do not dry yourself with a towel. Lie on the sand or take a walk so that the water dries in the sun. Take another bath; alternate your bath with the sunbath. If this is done ate least twice in a week, if will help. The size of eczema should be covered with coconut oil. It will help the skin to stay soft.

An eczema patient must take an enema if a diet of fruit and fresh vegetables does not help relieve his constipation. Walking or jogging should be resorted to in order to activate the bowels. He must walk at the rate of six kilometers per hour for at least two hours in the day.

Our blood is alkaline and so are fruits and green vegetables. They balance with our blood and should be consumed in adequate quantities. Salt, cereals, sugar, fats and boiled milk add to acidity and should be avoided in so far as possible. Onions, garlic, radish should be avoided.

The treatment should start with one week of fruits and vegetables. Salt-free boiled vegetables with whole meal flour is recommended after one week's fruit fast. Coconut oil may be used instead of ghee. After some time curd and milk could be added to the diet.

Carrot and musk melon is particularly beneficial in cases of eczema. The should be taken three to four times daily reducing the intake later on and adding milk and curds. Muskmelon should be washed down with cow's milk. The combination of muskmelon and milk is not harmful as it is commonly supposed. Sunlight in addition to being the life-giver is also a nature's scavenger: it kills all the harmful bacteria. Sunbathing should be done early in the morning, in the first light of dawn. Stand or sit in the sun till you perspire: if it is too hot, cover your head with a wet towel. After you have perspired, take a cold bath.

A light mudpack applied over the site of the eczema is also helpful in dealing with it. The pack should be allowed to remain for one hour at a time; it could be repeated twice or thrice in the day. A mudpack over the whole body dried in the sun and later washed with cold water could be doubly helpful.

Chronic Cases:

In chronic and more difficult cases of eczema the patient should be advised to fast at least one day in the week till he is cured. One week's fasting could cut down the recovery time considerably. Prolonged fasting must, however, be undertaken under the guidance and supervision of a specialist in nature cure since it may raise certain problems difficult for a layman to deal with.

Eczema as a by-product of dyspepsia, gout or diabetes could be curd only after those diseases have been successfully treated. Children suffering from eczema as a result of in sanitary bottle feeds can get relief if kept on fruit juices or water with a teaspoon of honey added.