Tagged with 'eczema'

Vitamin D is a must while pregnant and breastfeeding. All your questions answered here!

Why are probiotics important during pregnancy? Our dietitian covers that and more.

Six ways to maintain skin health.

A strong, resilient immune system is the foundation of good health. If you’re struggling with any type of chronic virus, skin troubles, and a generally weak immune system, red marine algae is worth learning more about.

Our bodies are exposed to more toxins in our environment than we even know. This constant exposure, accompanied by prolonged stress or a weakened health state, doesn’t allow toxins to metabolize properly so they’re being stored in our body and body fat layers. When the body can’t completely detoxify, chemicals accumulate further and disrupt biological processes. Removing toxins on a regular basis from our body is essential to maintain health.

Detoxifying

A hot bath or sauna is one way to detox more gradually. Adding Moor Mud to the bath water intensifies this process by promoting sweating that mobilizes the toxins. It naturally contains a high amount of humic and fulvic acids, which are chelates. Chelates bind with heavy metals and other toxins and help to keep them away from the body's tissues.

What is Moor Mud?

Moor Mud (aka: Balneo-peat) is a 100% natural and organic mud. Moor Mud is created as a result of the natural decomposition of a variety of different plants, such as herbs, flowers, and grasses. Along with the humic and fulvic acids, Moor Mud also contains bio-minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, plant hormones and fatty acids in a molecular form that’s easy for the human skin to absorb. Think of it as a plant extract from hundreds, or even thousands, of plants. This is what gives Moor Mud its therapeutic properties.

Therapeutic Properties

Moor Mud has been used for centuries in European health spas for improving circulation and immunity, reducing inflammation, detoxifying the body, fighting eczema, acne, and rejuvenating yourself. Proponents say Moor Mud is also an excellent ally in the fight against skin aging.

Humic acid is thought to calm inflammation and is used for absorbing moisture and necessary nutrients into skin tissue.

Moor Mud and Eczema

For eczema, I recommend the Torf Moor Mud--either the mud from the Czech Republic or Hungary—both are good. Apply the mud directly to the affected area.

The Czech Republic product: Torf Moor Mud for Bath and Body Wrap

The Hungary product: Torf Organic Hungarian Moor Mud, 5kg (11 lbs)  

Happy mud bath soaking!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Vitamin D supplementation may improve symptoms of atopic dermatitis, according to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 

Vitamin D is a safe and well-tolerated form of treatment for eczema. Likely due to vitamin D's immune protective properties.

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a type of eczema, is an inflammatory chronic skin disorder that causes the skin to itch. People with atopic dermatitis often experience periods of illness ‘flare’ and remission.

Here's the research:

Zbigniew Samochocki, MD, PhD, and colleagues aimed to assess the correlation between vitamin D levels and AD symptoms, and evaluate the influence of vitamin D supplementation on AD.

The researchers included 95 patients with AD between the ages of 18 and 50 and 58 age and gender matched healthy controls. Vitamin D levels were assessed and compared between the two groups, and severity of AD was measured by a dermatologist.

Mean vitamin D levels were not statistically different between the AD and control groups (23 ng/ml and 24 ng/ml respectively). Interestingly, mean serum levels in 44 males with AD (20 ng/ml) were significantly lower than in 51 females with AD (26 ng/ml). Additionally, the frequency of bacterial skin infections and winter exacerbations were higher in patients with AD who had low vitamin D levels. Eighty two percent of patients with vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml had bacterial skin infections compared with 17% patients with levels >30 ng/ml. The authors attribute this to vitamin D’s potential immune protective properties.

The researchers selected 22 patients with the lowest vitamin D levels (7 ng/ml) who had histories of skin infections to supplement with 2000 IU vitamin D3 daily for 3 months. Mean vitamin D status improved to 13 ng/ml, although none of the participants reached sufficiency. 

Following supplementation, AD symptoms significantly improved, as reported by a dermatologist evaluating the participants before and after treatment.

The researchers call for large scale, randomized trials to further explore their results.

This study contributes to existing research on the topic showing a link between low vitamin D levels and AD.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods 

Reference:

Samochocki Z, et al. Vitamin D effects in atopic dermatitis. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. May, 2013.