Treating Eczema - Diagnosis and Tests For Eczema Detection

When the symptoms of eczema show up on your skin, it is essential to schedule a visit with the doctor to establish what the problem is. General medical testing will help to identify whether your skin condition is actually eczema or something else.

An early diagnosis of eczema is usually made founded on what the skin looks like. Select areas of the body are considered to be eczema-sensitive areas, for example the face, the chest and skin creases. When skin in these areas of the body is itchy, swollen red, or dry, this will lead doctors to believe eczema is the cause.

Medical History

Doctors will want to talk about other aspects of the patient's life in order to form an improved idea of what is going on. Other items that need to be considered are a patient's dietary habits, family history, lifestyle, allergies, medications the patient is now taking and any chemicals or hazardous materials the patient is exposed to in their home environment or workplace.

The range of other information a patient should share with his or her physician takes in such thing as, when the skin condition made its first appearance; all of the condition's symptoms, circumstances where the skin condition worsens, like high stress, excess sweating or dry air.

Bloodwork

If a doctor conjectures that the skin condition is due to some allergen, then he or she will order a blood test to check for antibodies in the blood. If eczema is the cause of the symptoms, then the patient's blood will show a raised "IgE", also known as eosinophilia.

Blood sometimes additionally has to undergo a test known as a Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST) or Paper Radioimmunosorbent Test (PRIST). This test mixes the blood separately with an assortment of different allergens, then antibody levels are carefully measured. Blood that is shown to have a great deal of antibodies in it means that there is for sure an allergy to some specific trigger.

Skin Patch Test

Certain physicians will order a specialized test called a skin patch test. For this, when something is suspected to be an irritant to the skin, it is pressed to the skin, then held there with an adhesive patch. A second adhesive patch without anything on it is also applied as a baseline for comparison. Patches are left in place for anywhere from one day to two days. After that, they are removed and the skin underneath is scrutinized. If the skin is red, itchy or inflamed then probably it is the suspected irritant that the patient has allergies to.

Homeopathic Allergy Remedies - What Makes Them Different?

Homeopathy is not like any other medical practice. Even its name states the difference right up front: "Homeo" is derived from the Greek word "homoios," meaning similar. Allopathy-or the common, Western form of disease treatment-is derived from the root "allos", meaning other, different, opposite.

The words are only the beginning of the difference. They define the manner of practice and often the results one can expect.

Allopathic practitioners treat their patients by inducing a "different disease" in the patient's body in the hopes of warding off those symptoms that are afflicting them. Another way of saying it is that they introduce the "opposite" force, thereby suppressing the presenting symptoms, but not effectively curing the disease. An example is the use of an aspirin to force down a fever. It accomplishes the task of eliminating the symptom, but does not cure the disease process or heal the predisposed weakness of the organism. Another common occurrence is the suppression of a rash with cortisone. It may make the rash disappear for a time, but it does not cure the cause for it.

Homeopathic practitioners treat disease in a way that intends to facilitate a natural healing of the individual at the most elemental level and as gently as possible by using infinitesimally minute doses (often imperceptible to the microscope) of a substance. The way a practitioner chooses a remedy is via the principle of "like cures like." What that means is that the remedy is composed of a substance or group of substances in very minute doses. When the remedy is given to a healthy person in a process called "proving," it will produce a set of symptoms-such as tearing, sneezing, itchy eyes and a scratchy throat. When that remedy is given to a person WITH those symptoms, those symptoms clear up. It is a practice that was esteemed as far back as Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine.

One fellow, Brett Brunner, who runs a website on word etiologies, describes the beautiful ease of the law of similars with a personal story:

"Homeopathy is a way of treating a disease or ailment by etymologically giving a "similar disease" but in very small doses to the patient, in the hopes that the patient will develop a healthy immune response, and thereby be able to ward off the disease; for instance, I was once highly allergic to cats, and so, before I visited people's homes who had cats, I used to ingest drops that mimicked cat dander to allow my immune system to build up a homeopathic response. At times this appeared to be highly effective, and it is true that I am no longer allergic to cats!"

Homeopathic allergy remedies are quite different than the typical allergy vaccination even though on the surface they may appear the same. Regular vaccines introduce a gross quantity of the offending material into the system and, as a result, overwhelm rather than strengthen the organism.

Homeopathic allergy remedies, such as the ones now introduced by Allergena, use such radically diluted and succussed substances that they are able to gently induce the desired response in the individual and promote overall health without the overload on the immune system.

Statistics for Allergies and Hope With Allergy Remedies Prepared by Region

The principle of the treatment of the individual is critically important in homeopathy and equally so when it comes to alleviating the discomfort of allergies. What ails someone in New York is not the same as what discomfits a fellow in Houston. The triggers are different, thus the remedies must be different. For instance, junipers grow all over the country. Just as cedars and shrub oaks do. But the specific species are different. Thus the pollen produced in a New Mexico juniper is not the same as the pollen produced in New York. A geographical approach is not just neat and tidy. It is good science.

And, as the statistics show, there is a great deal of discomfort to alleviate and more than a few triggers for allergy sufferers. The most recent data from the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America estimates that more than 50 million Americans suffer from one or more allergies. That's more than 20 percent. This number has been growing every year.

It is the fifth leading chronic disease in the United States for all ages and the third most in children under 18 years of age.

There are indoor allergies, outdoor allergies, skin allergies and chemical (or food and drug) allergies. Traditional medicine considers all allergies (see aafa.org documents) "incurable" and that they are just "manageable" with certain medications. For the 40 million Americans who suffer from air-born allergy triggers (trees, grasses, mold spores, dander, etc...), that does not offer much help or hope.

Homeopathy takes a different view and offers considerable hope of relief from the oppressive symptoms of allergies.

Allergena products, for instance, offer allergy relief in combination homeopathic form that is tailored to meet the needs of individuals with allergies in each of the nine geographic zones in the United States.

Let's say you live in the Southwest. That would be zone 6 and would include Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. It's hard for some people to imagine what could give someone allergy symptoms in a desert...but there are over 120 different extracts of trees, weeds and grasses that Allergena has homeopathically prepared to minimize a person's sensitivity to any or all of those triggers. And there are a great many allergies (and allergy sufferers!)-even in the deserts of the southwest.

According to pre-market testing of these homeopathic allergy remedies that have been crafted for use by region, people are experiencing relief during the first two weeks of use, while others experience relief during the first six weeks.

How Do Homeopathic Allergy Remedies Work?

Very simply. You would start either with a private practitioner for a classical remedy prescription based on a comprehensive constitutional assessment or you could choose an allergy remedy over the counter like Allergena which is prepared for use by geographic region. When using combination remedies like Allergena, the process usually involves taking the remedy repeatedly over a course of weeks. For severe and long-term allergy sufferers, manufacturers recommend that you begin two weeks prior to allergy season taking 15 drops under the tongue, three times a day. Two weeks after the season has ended, they recommend reducing intake to 15 drops under the tongue, twice daily. Some experts recommend year-round usage for people living in more temperate, milder climates who are sensitive to plants growing and therefore pollinating all year. In colder climates where plants go dormant, the allergy remedies can be stopped during the winter.

The allergy remedy, chosen properly for your region and needs, should begin to show results fairly quickly. For some extreme sufferers, a heightened allergic response may immediately ensue following administration of the product. Manufacturers and practitioners of combination homeopathic remedies assure users that the response can be normal and that there is no reason to be alarmed. If a person experiences a headache after taking an Allergena allergy remedy, he may reduce his dose to a tolerable level (fewer drops, fewer times given over the course of the day), then slowly increase over a period of a couple of weeks. It's always advisable to read the label carefully and remember that tinctures contain alcohol.

These regional allergy remedies may be taken along with any allopathic medication you are required to take. There are no known adverse reactions when taking Allergena remedies along with other medications for allergies so that people can feel safe as they move toward feeling overall more vital and healthy.

Chronic Sinusitis at a Glance

Sinusitis makes you and almost 30 million people each year feel miserable. The combination of facial pressure, headache, fatigue, sneezing, runny nose, drainage of thick colorful mucus from the nose and severe nasal congestion contribute to the misery. The worst part is it is often difficult to treat, in many people is very slow to improve, and recurs frequently. The chronic recurring condition known as chronic sinusitis or rhinosinusitis is a bit of a puzzle. We do not really understand all the factors that promote the symptoms that make you so vulnerable to recurrence.

Although the causes are not understood, there are several theories and observations floating around. Clearly, this is a stubborn condition often slow to resolve. Infections are a common component but not the only piece to the puzzle. Research suggests there is a certain amount of swelling and inflammation in the sinuses and nasal passages that cause the congestion blocking airways and connections between sinus cavities. Any time there is warm moist closed off space in the human body it predisposes to problems. Many factors may stimulate the swelling and inflammation. Environmental allergies are common and probably underrated contributor to the inflammatory response. The presence of some kinds of bacteria without actually causing an infection may also irritate the immune system to produce inflammation. Structural abnormalities to the septum or polyps, which also result from chronic inflammation, may serve to block nasal airways as well. Other medical conditions can be part of the problem. This can range from simple allergies, acid reflux from the stomach reaching nasal passages while asleep, cystic fibrosis, or any chronic conditions that affect immune system response. The importance of identifying chronic sinusitis and initiating management can help provide greater comfort and prevent serious complications.

The history and clinical findings are most helpful in identifying this condition. Diagnostic testing may include nasal culture from the nose or imaging studies such as x-rays or MRI. If allergies are suspect, more in depth allergy testing may be helpful to identify triggers. Treatment should aggressively address infections when they are present. Since so many clues point to the role of inflammation nasal steroid sprays have become a cornerstone of management. There are several non-sedating antihistamines available without prescriptions that are effective when allergies play a role. Many people find benefit from daily use of saline irrigation done with an inexpensive neti pot or irrigation bottle. Regular use of simple saline spray also is very helpful to help open and provide added moisture to nasal airways. Over the counter decongestants such as Sudafed or Afrin nasal spray should be avoided. Although they provide quick short-lived relief, they just as quickly become less effective and can actually stimulate rebound congestion. This means they become part of the problem rather than the solution. Surgery should be left as a last resort for only extreme cases that have failed all other measures.

Chronic sinusitis is undoubtedly a stubborn and all too common problem. Although we do not understand completely why, many treatment options are available. Consult your health care provider to tailor a regimen that suits your needs. Do not ignore it and keep suffering. There is help!

Thyroid Adrenal Disease Testing - 5 Tips for Proper Diagnosis! Part 1 of 2

Has your thyroid and adrenal disease been missed or mistreated? There are an estimated 60,000,000+ people today with undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Discover what it takes to get properly tested.

Due to many factors, some beyond our control, we don't always recognize that we may have a problem with our thyroid or adrenal glands. And doctors often miss the diagnosis of hypothyroidism; testing really needs to be done in a specific way in order to determine if a low performing thyroid is affecting you.

Today we will talk about five different factors that are important in testing your thyroid - different things you need to know about and really think about to evaluate your thyroid properly. This will be part one of two articles on testing for thyroid.

1. Complete thyroid blood testing. A TSH is not adequate to decide if you have thyroid disease. You really must know not only your free T3, free T4, TSH, your thyroid antibodies, which include TPO and ATG, and you have to have reverse T3 to see if you have inactive thyroid production. Any one of those may be enough to indicate that you have thyroid disease. So if you don't have the whole panel, your physician isn't doing enough to evaluate your thyroid.


2. Complete thyroid exam. Thyroid disease can be picked up on your blood work, but also many suggestions from your physical exam will suggest you have thyroid problems. You have to examine the skin for dryness, flakiness, itching, hair thinning, nails can be pitted, eyebrows, lateral brow thinning is a common problem, the thyroid gland itself can show nodularity, enlargement, sometimes this is subtle, sometimes very severe. And pretibial edema or just some mild pitting or denting of the legs when you press on them with your thumb and also the reflexes of the lower extremities can affect the and be an indication of thyroid problems.


3. Thyroid questionnaire. This tool may be a significant help in indicating if you have thyroid problems, and will be provided after these first two articles on testing. So, you really need to go through this one by one, check off the ones that seem relevant to you, and take this to a thyroid, open minded physician, who can evaluate all your symptoms. So we have looked at your labs, your physical findings, and now your symptoms all by themselves may be a strong indicator.


4. Body temperature. Checking your basal body temperature is very important in evaluating if you have thyroid concerns, since the thyroid gland sets the metabolic rate. So to check you thyroid, you test in the morning for your temperature, letting you evaluate how your temperature is compared to normal, which should be 98.6, or maybe minus a degree, but if it is less than 97.6, than you really have significance for possible thyroid issues. Many people run 96 or 95 and their doctors tell them, "that's just the way you are, your temperature runs low." But usually there is a reason for it and most often it's because your thyroid isn't completely functioning.


5. Food allergy testing. This is something critical if there is any concern with thyroid disease and especially if you have elevated thyroid antibodies, but food allergies are so common today that probably everyone should have them done. And this has to be blood work with IGG or IGA blood tests, the skin test or IGE blood tests that an allergist might do, or a pulmonary specialist are going to have nothing to do with whether your food allergies are significant related to your thyroid. Those are going to be related to peanut allergy or asthma problems. But you have to specifically ask for and get IG or IGA blood tests, especially for gluten, which is related to wheat, and casein, which is a protein in dairy.

That's it for today - 5 tips on proper testing for thyroid and adrenal disease. Please stay tuned for more testing tips in article number two to follow shortly.

Thank-you for your attention,

Diane Culik, MD
ABC Wellness

Insomnia Test - How to Identify Insomnia

Have you been sleeping badly lately? Here I provide a simple insomnia test to help you identify if you're running a light or serious insomnia problem. Before that, let me explain the actual definition of insomnia.

It simply means the inability to obtain sufficient sleep, especially when chronic. But that doesn't mean you'll always feel lousy even if you don't sleep a wink the night before. It depends on multiple factors. Let's do a simple test for insomnia and see if your sleep disorder requires much attention or not.

1. Do you find yourself difficult to fall asleep at night? While others take 5 minutes to drift into slumberland, you normally take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

2. You feel extremely tired, but your mind just cannot stop running with ideas or worrying about what's going to happen the following day.

3. You wake up early despite you sleep late the night before.

4. Once awaken at night, you would have trouble falling asleep again.

5. You wake up on and off in the middle of your sleep.

6. You sleep early, and catch 7 - 8 hours of sleep, but you still wake up tired and weak.

7. You snore throughout the night (you may not realize this until someone tells you).

Now take note, if any or more of the abovementioned occur to you only once in few weeks, then it isn't much of a problem for you. You're likely to not have chronic sleep disorder (based on this quick insomnia test). But this may gradually develop into chronic condition if you let it occur without being mindful of your lifestyle.

On the other hand, if you've already been plagued by just one of them for 2 - 3 days in a week and consistently over a period of 2 - 3 weeks or even months, then you're in for a serious insomniac problem. You gotta find out the cause of it, and then nip it in the bud.

Insomniacs normally will turn to GP for sleeping pills. But taking pills isn't a good and healthy solution because the effect of each type of pill will vanish after 2 - 3 weeks. Are you going to dope yourself for the rest of your life? How much money are you preparing to invest in sleeping drugs? Worst, they'll ruin your chances of sleeping all by yourself as you'll become dependent to them.

Don't waste your money on those chemical substances that can bring about unforeseen side effects you won't know how serious you'll get when they set in. I'd rather you go find some natural insomnia remedies and treat your insomnia the healthy way.

Alternative Relief Treatments To Help Alleviate The Pain From Allergies

Allergies are a resultant inflammatory response that can give rise to benign symptoms like a runny nose to very serious symptoms like anaphylactic shock and sometimes even may lead to death. Any kind of immune reaction is known as an allergic one. Allergies are inflated reactions of one's immune system to substances that, in most people, cause no symptoms.

One may develop allergic symptoms if he or she is exposed to allergens that might be responsible for a particular allergic symptom. Some of the common allergic symptoms are given below:

1.Irritation in nose or nasal mucosa

2.Runny nose and sneezing

3.Redness and itching of the eyes

4.Wheezing, dyspnoea (asthma symptoms)

5.Skin rashes, eczema, hives, etc.

6.Pain in the ears, impaired hearing due to lack of drainage in the
Eustachian tube.

7.Head aches.

These are some of the most ordinary symptoms of allergy but the symptoms can be as serious as edema, bronchoconstrictions, asthma attacks, sever hay fever reaction, etc.

Allergies are often hereditary. You are most likely to develop allergic symptoms if allergies run in the family. A child may have the propensity to be allergic if either of the parents have allergies.

Some of the most common allergies are from: 1) Pollen, 2) Dust Mites, 3) Pets and their furs, 4) Chemicals, 5) Food allergies from eggs, prawns, etc. In addition to these, nuts, latex etc can also give rise to allergic symptoms

While allergies may not have a cure, there are various allergy relief medications available to relieve the miserable symptoms an allergy sufferer experiences.

There is no way to be completely accurate about what's the cause of a particular allergy. Medical allergy testing can tell you what you are allergic to, most of the time, but not much more. They can't really tell you why you have allergies and hence making it very hard to recommend the best allergy products for you.

Here are various natural remedy methods for allergy symptoms relief:

Acupressure: A traditional Chinese method that uses specific points on the body such as on the hand, fingers, palm and elbows to balance the energy flow in the body. It is believed to help many different conditions and diseases, including allergies.

Acupuncture: This is another ancient Chinese method of treatment. It is similar to acupressure as it uses the same pressure points but differs from it because very fine needles are inserted instead of pressure applied by the fingers. By stimulating the body's own defense system, the body can use it's natural healing process to relieve the allergy symptoms.

Reflexology: In reflexology, it is believed that the hands and feet mirror other parts of the body and applying pressure, stretching and moving them will have an affect on the body, depending on exactly where the pressure and movement is applied. Applying pressure or massaging the tips of the fingers and toes has had some success relieving sinus problems associated with allergies.

BioSET: It stands for Bioenergetic sensitivity and enzymatic Therapy, a simple biological process where techniques like enzyme therapy and detoxification are applied to the various organs. Applied Kinesiology or muscle testing is used to diagnose the allergy.

Don't panic, if you develop allergic symptoms. Change your environmental conditions and eating habits, doing this will definitely give you positive results and help you become allergy free. However, if your symptoms are more serious, then you can turn to the various allergy treatments available these days. With proper immuno-therapy you can certainly see the desired results.

Keep in mind, although allergies cannot be prevented, they can successfully be controlled and treated with the right allergy treatments and medication.

Can Allergies Be Detected?

Allergies are noticeable but not always, and especially not in babies. For instance, many babies develop a wheeze when they get an upper respiratory tract infection. It isn't usually the sign of an allergy, and most babies outgrow the tendency to wheeze when they have a cold as they mature. If the wheeze often occurs in the absence of a cold, and it's still there at age three, your pediatrician may ask you to keep a diary of when your child develops symptoms. Asthma is usually diagnosed through the child's history and response to bronchodilators.

Common allergy-related conditions, such as asthma and eczema can usually be readily diagnosed. However, a person can develop an allergy to almost anything from cat fur to polyester. Morning congestion which lasts all year long is commonly due to dust-mites or pet allergies. When there are symptoms but no easily discernible cause, you may want to consult your pediatrician.

The two main types of allergy tests are skin tests and blood tests. In a skin test, a very small amount of an allergen is placed underneath the skin. If the area swells up and becomes red (like a mosquito bite), the test is said to be positive, meaning that the child might be allergic to that substance.

A blood test (sometimes called a RAST test or radioallergosorbent test) may be used if your child is extremely sensitive to certain allergens, has uncontrolled asthma, or has a skin condition that does not allow a skin test to be performed. Talk to your doctor or allergist about the specific test that will be done.

Another way to detect the cause of an allergy is with skin prick tests, especially for allergic contact eczema, but these are unreliable in babies under 18 months of age. You may also want to check with your doctor if new symptoms develop or if they persist. If your baby has trouble breathing, pants, appears disoriented, has a rapid pulse or is pale or cold, call your pediatrician immediately.

There are many herbal and homeopathic remedies that have been proven to have a very positive effect on those suffering from allergies while exerting balance between body systems. While conventional medicine works by often treating just the symptoms, natural medicine seek to produce holistic balance in the body to sustain systemic health, relieve ailments, and help prevent future disease.