Sunday 8 January 2017

Eczema Essential Knowledge

Essential Fatty Acids (Vitamin F)
      Essential fatty acids ("EFAs") are the fatty acids--basic building blocks of which fats and oils are composed--that the body cannot make.  EFAs are required for maintaining the structure of cell membranes and the permeability of the skin.  Some of the major functions of EFAs are:

        There are two EFAs in the human diet: alpha-linolenic acid (the parent fatty acid of the Omega-3 family)  and linoleic acid (the parent fatty acid of the Omega-6 family).  Omega-6 is the class of EFAs found most commonly in the American diet, but Omega-3 is sorely lacking in many diets.
Fat Facts
        Part of the reason fats and oils have earned such a bad reputation in recent years is because people eat too much fat; however, many people don't realize that in North America most people consume only 20% of EFAs required for optimal health.  In fact, EFAs are considered valuable in weight management and weight loss.  Specialized fat cells, which comprise roughly 10% of total body fat, are capable of burning approximately 1/4 of calories consumed.  It takes fat to lose fat.
        EFAs are the only fats that become prostaglandins, which play a key role in regulating the immune system.
Eczema and EFAs
        The National Institute of Health ("NIH") sent me a draft of their Handout on Atopic Dermatitis that they are preparing for the public.  It states ...
           "Biochemical Abnormalities:  Scientists suspect that changes in the skin's protective barrier make people with atopic dermatitis more sensitive to irritants.  Such people have lower levels of fatty acids (substances that provide moisture and elasticity) in their skin, which causes dryness and reduces the skin's ability to control inflammation ....  Scientists are focusing on identifying new treatments for atopic dermatitis including ... fatty acid supplements ...."
        It further states ...
           "In people with atopic dermatitis, monocytes appear to play a role in the decreased production of an immune system hormone called interferon gamma ("IFN-y"), which helps regulate allergic reactions.  This defect may cause exaggerated immune and inflammatory responses in the blood and tissues of people with atopic dermatitis."          "Researchers also think that an imbalance in the immune system may contribute to the development of atopic dermatitis.  It appears that the part of the immune system responsible for stimulating IgE is overactive, and the part that makes IFN-y and handles skin viral and fungal infections is not working sufficiently.  Indeed, the skin of people with atopic dermatitis shows increased susceptibility to skin infections.  This imbalance appears to result in the skin's inability to restrain dermatitis, or inflammation, even in areas of skin that appear normal."
Technically Speaking
       Flaxseed favourably influences immune response. The flaxseed component alpha-linolenic acid ("ALA") alters membrane phospholipids, inhibits arachidonic acid biosynthesis from linoleic acid, inhibits the production of proinflammatory eicosanoids from arachidonic acid, and suppresses lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production.  Flaxseed lignans are potent inhibitors of platelet-activating factor, a mediator of inflammation. Through these effects, flaxseed has the potential to be used for the treatment of disorders characterized in part by activated lymphocytes and a hyper-stimulated immune response. Such disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
        Omega-3 fatty acids modify immune and inflammatory reactions. The key to a healthy immune system is found in EFAs.  EFAs common to flaxseed oil are ultimately converted to hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins, and are important for the regulation of a host of bodily functions including:
  •      inflammation, pain, and swelling
  •      pressure in the eye, joints or blood vessels
  •      secretions from mucus membranes and their viscosity
  •      smooth muscle and autonomic reflexes, gastrointestinal,
             arterial, ear, heart
  •      water retention
  •      blood clotting ability
  •      allergic response and rheumatoid arthritis
  •      nerve transmission
  •      steroid production and hormone synthesis

Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis.  Excellent reading!
Three Notes
        1.  To help you get the most out of flaxseed oil, try to limit the refined oils you consume.  This includes hydrogenated oils.  These oils are metabolized in the same pathways as the natural oils and can block their functions.  Moderation is good, nothing radical.
        2.  There are special proteins in yogurt or cottage cheese (non-fat or low-fat) that enhance the properties of the EFA's; so, mixing the oil with either one is beneficial.

         3.  Vitamins A, C, E, B-2, B-3, B-6, Pantothenic acid, B-12, biotin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and zinc are all involved in EFA metabolism.  Taking a good multivitamin and mineral supplement with special attention to B-6 is recommended.

Most of this information from http://itchy.net.au - I really like their natural eczema cream from here:

Saturday 17 December 2016

Allergies making skin worse

There are a great deal hypotheses in order to what causes skin inflammation, yet there is nobody decisive cause to all cases. Be that as it may, the connection amongst sensitivities and skin inflammation has been indicated reliably in logical reviews.

The acknowledgment may first light upon you realize that at whatever point you have had unfavorably susceptible responses in your past, the state of skin inflammation has mystically erupted in the meantime. This is not a fortuitous event by any stretch of the imagination. How are sensitivities aggravating your skin? These flare ups can impact distinctive skin sorts from multiple points of view.

Amid an unfavorably susceptible assault, the body perceives the innocuous substances as hurtful, and as a result exaggerates in attempting to expel them from the body at the earliest opportunity which in result in allergies making skin worse. Most successive allergens are dust clean, pet dander, and so forth. Indeed, even a few sustenances can bring about sensitivities, for example, egg yolk, peanuts, drain, and so on.

Shelled nut Eggs and Milk

Some examination demonstrates the connection between the hypersensitivities and dermatitis to lie in the genetical part of the body. Examines have demonstrated that individuals that are tormented by dermatitis do not have a specific defensive protein inside the skin, a protein that impacts the skin obstruction and individuals without this protein have an expanded inclination to spill into their body through their skin a large group of allergens. click here: to read more