There are as many different causes of eczema as there are eczema types. Some types are triggered by common household allergens and irritants. In fact, your home probably has substances in it that are known to cause very severe eczema reactions. Controlling eczema is important and therefore it is also important that you understand what triggers your condition.

The two main eczema causes in your home are allergens and irritants, but your body can have different reactions to these triggers which results in varying forms of eczema. A reaction may occur on the outer surface of your skin. On the other hand, you may get a reaction inside your body that affects several layers of your skin. The best way to understand these triggers is to learn a little more about the difference between internal and external reactions first.

Although contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis are different in nature, they can both easily by triggered by household irritants and allergens. When an allergen or irritant touches the skin and causes an external reaction this is called contact dermatitis. You will typically get a red, inflamed, and itchy rash at the point of contact. When your immune system, agitated by a hormone imbalance or too much stress, encounters an irritant or allergen and causes an internal reaction within the layers of your skin, this is called atopic dermatitis. This type of rash is typically painful, swollen, itchy, and can appear anywhere on your body, not just at the point where you came in contact with the allergen or irritant.

Irritants can be anywhere in your home. It may be in the air, such as cigarette smoke or air fragrances. Some of the more unusual airborne irritants in your home may be onion or pepper fumes from cooking and food preparation. Also, if you regularly use a humidifier you should check that you use only purified, distilled water in the machine to prevent exposure to water-based chemicals, like chlorine, in the humid air.

You may also find your irritant in some of your common household chemicals. The more common household chemical irritants are found in laundry detergents, fabric softeners, nail varnish, and latex products. If you have already checked these products and are still having occurrences of eczema, then you should check some of the items you use on a regular basis. Synthetic fibers within bedding and beauty products can often be an irritant to your eczema.

Allergens tend to either be consumable or environmental in nature. Foods like nuts, berries, and dairy should always be your primary suspects. Certain foods, like peanuts and strawberries, are known to cause both internal and external eczemas.

Allergens in your home environment are sometimes more difficult to control, but not impossible. Some of the more common allergens are dust mites, pet hair and dander, mold, and mildew. Most of these can be controlled through regular cleaning, including a good quality vacuum cleaner. However, you may find that you also need an air filter to remove these allergens from your home.

You may think that there are too many potential eczema triggers in your home for you to be able to control them. However, your eczema is probably only caused by one or two triggers. Therefore, it should be easy for you to identify and remove the trigger in your home. The most effective treatment is to limit, or even avoid, exposure to your trigger.

Should you suffer from the pains of eczema, you know all too well the misery that it can cause. However, a remedy may have been found in the shape of Chinese healing herbs.

New research results, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, suggest that traditional Chinese herbal treatments may be helpful in the treatment of both children and adults.

In order to evaluate concerns about whether such an approach works, and is safe to use, medical researcher Julia Wisniewski, MD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York undertook studies on 14 young people who were suffering from eczema and were treated with traditional Chinese medicine between August 2006 and May 2008.

All of the children drank Erka Shizheng Herbal Tea twice daily, took a herbal bath for at least 20 minutes, and applied a herbal cream to their skin throughout the day. They also were treated using acupuncture.

At the beginning of the study, more than half had severe eczema symptoms; after 8 months of this regime, the majority had only mild symptoms. The children also required less medication, such as antibiotics and steriods, after only three months of being treated.

As for adult eczema, a group of researchers in Japan learned that grown ups can also reap the benefits of Chinese medicine. Their work involved 274 adults who had suffered with eczema for around 12 years on average. About a third had symptoms that could be classified as severe.

After three to four months of treatment with herbal remedies which had been chosen and administered based on the patient’s symptoms, around 85% were free from eczema symptoms. A further 12% were said to be much better.

Therefore, while more studies are needed, these studies offer promising results and suggest that, as an eczema sufferer, it’s time to consider using Chinese treatments and healing herbs.