I receive many emails about skin conditions such as eczema and other inflammatory conditions. Many times steroid creams or medications are suggested by conventional medicine. A more holistic treatment I have found to help many people is adding more Omega-3's to their diet, in addition to dietary changes (e.g., a gluten-free diet) and other holistic treatments.
There are two types of Omega-3 essential fatty acids or EFAs known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which may have anti-inflammatory effects. Compared to past levels of consumption, EFAs of the Omega-3 type unfortunately are now greatly diminished and are often entirely lacking in Westernized diets due to over processing of foods. (Overprocessed foods tend to be higher in Omega-6’s, which without the balancing effect of Omega-3’s tend to cause more inflammation in the body).
To get more Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet look to walnuts, flax seed, flax oil, and oily fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel. It is important to remember to get wild fish and be careful of the high levels of contamination in fish. Dr. David Brownstein writes about how to handle this in his Blog HERE.
EPA and DHA are abundant in fish as well as in fish oil or cod liver oil, which also has the beneficial Vitamins A and D. Research has shown, DHA in particular to have positive effects on eczema. To decrease inflammation it is also important to decrease your dietary intake of Omega-6s so that you have a more closely balanced ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s. To do this it is important to purchase good quality fats and oils (e.g., organic butter is high in Omega-3's, especially if raw) as well as to buy meat and eggs from free-range, organic, pasture raised and HAPPY animals that have the proper ratios of Omega-6s to Omega-3s that our body needs!
NOTE: You can read more about Gluten-Free in our book - The Guide to a Gluten-Free Diet
Sheryl Shenefelt | 
