As I was couch bound one evening, a ‘cute’ commerical for an eczema drug appeared. It stated that it treated eczema and that there was no cure for eczema. Needless to say, as a naturopathic medical student, I was furious. There is a cure for eczema. It is called prevention. But that is another issue.
The issue I want to address here: Elidel, the ‘cute’ eczema drug, causes cancer in three different animal species. That is not cute. Protopic also causes cancer in the same animal species.
The FDA advised doctors to prescribe Elidel or Protopic only if all else failed for eczema. Do not use long term and do not use on children under 2.
What are the advisories on Elidel and Protopic:
Do not use on 2 years or younger Do not use on people with weak immune systems Do not use long term – only intermittently or short term Do not use until all other eczema treatments have failed
What harms can Elidel and Protopic create:
The potential for cancer increases with frequency. Longer the use, the higher the chance. The potential for cancer increases with amount. More used, the higher the chance. Upper respiratory infections increased in children with Elidel as compared to placebo. Unknown issues with developing immune systems in children – harm them or not?
This is what they’ve found so far. The list will grow. Why didn’t they discover this before it went on the market????
Bottom line: Do not use Elidel or Protopic.
A natural eczema treatment is possible:
Seek the advice of a trained naturopathic physician and your eczema will be gone. Yes. Gone. Food allergy is a main cause of eczema. Remove food you are allergic or insensitive to – and your eczema will likely disappear.
Typical food allergens which cause eczema: egg, wheat, or dairy are the biggest players. Which one it is can be determined with a food elimination diet. Eliminate that specific food and its relations (like soy sauce – wheat based) completely for 3 weeks. Then at the end of three weeks, eat a lot of that avoided food. How do you feel? Symptoms come back, aggravate, no change? Obviously, if aggravated, you are sensitive or allergic. Avoid that food for 6 months at least. This allows your immune system to calm down and not react to everything.
There is also a simple technique that I learned this afternoon in lecture. Our professor stated that most people find it difficult to do a food elimination diet. I agree. I know I do. He said he has patients do a 48 hour fast consuming only a quality food supplement powder such as BioCleanse Functional Food. Nothing else is eaten during this time. He states that 6 to 10 servings a day of BioCleanse hold off appetite just fine and allow the body to remove the reacting food antigens. At the end of the 48 hours, the skin is assessed along with energy and overall well-being. If the eczema improved over this time, and yes it can improve this fast as skin regenerates quickly, then he knows the eczema is diet related.
A strong topical herbal cream preparation is also useful in helping treat eczema naturally. Dr Rowan Hamilton of Rowan Botanicals recently released Professional Intensif and Professional Extreme.
The bottom line today though is to avoid these Elidel and Protopic. Treat the cause of eczema – don’t just palliate the surface with a topical steroid. Steroids just push toxins deeper and to a different location. You know what the largest detoxification organ is in the body? Liver? Nope. The skin. Where do toxins appear when the liver is overwhelmed with toxins? The skin. Remove the cause of liver stagnation, do a light cleanse and apply a proven topical to your skin. In a few weeks, you should be much improved.
On a side note: You know what may happen when steroids are given for kids with eczema? Asthma. Time and time again, we see this in the clinic. We take the history of some asthmatic child and find that he/she was given topical steroids to control eczema or some other skin affliction. This goes back to what I stated earlier. Steroids only suppress the immune system and stop the body’s natural healing response to a buildup of unwanted substances. These substances then accumulate in the body elsewhere. It is not advisable to push something deeper into the body. Better out than in. We then address the child’s skin problem naturally and the asthma goes away. Sounds like a bunch of BS doesn’t it? I don’t BS. With a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology, I understand science. My medical school is on the leading edge of natural healing and we are changing the way medicine is done. It is extremely rewarding to see patient after patient improve. You can as well.
Back to the topic at hand: Follow the FDA link [http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2005/ANS01343.html]to read the statement about Elidel and Protopic.
Stay healthy.
Ben
PS – The basic premise you will see me state over and over …and over again: treat the cause not the symptoms. Sounds basic but it is far from basic. Imagine finding why someone has high blood pressure? You know what conventional medicine’s term for some causes of hypertension? Essential hypertension [what’s that?] and Idiopathic hypertension [means unknown cause]. Pin it down and you’re set. I look forward to writing about this soon. I’m taking Cardiology currently and learning a ton. It is amazing how successful natural treatments are for hypertension. Don’t misunderstand me – I completely support conventional medicine and work with MD’s all the time. Seattle is a very amazing city as the bridge is solid between conventional and complementary medicine. There is a time for drugs and there is time for natural alternatives – and there is time for both at once.
(c) 2005 Benjamin Lynch of HealthE Goods
Benjamin Lynch has a BS degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington. Currently, he is obtaining his doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University. Visit Ben’s natural health product store, HealthE Goods where one can use our free health information service [http://www.healthegoods.com/content/health_tips.htm] where one may ask specific health questions. We provide physician-grade non-prescription natural health products. Wholesale spa products are available to all that qualify. Do visit our Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Blog [http://www.healthegoods.com/blog.html]. We are here to help serve the public with proper health information and effective products. Products described in the article are available at HealthE Goods.
