Please note: A number of other websites refer to using bentonite clay. Please DO NOT substitute their guidelines or product for ours. Our clay is stronger in its action than a lot of other clays, different in its texture and the way it behaves. Our guidelines are designed to work with our products.

This guideline has been written by our practitioner Sarah Beesley (MHD Hons) to provide a comprehensive approach. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. Please be aware that results may vary and that if you have any other  pre-exisiting conditions, we advise working with a trained practitioner. 

The following information is not intended to diagnose any condition or to replace the advice of your doctor.

 Click here for customer feedback on using clay for this condition.

What is Eczema?

Eczema is a skin condition which results in itchy, dry and damaged skin. It can vary in degrees of severity and in our experience, is a reflection of an upset immune system, a weak, stressed digestive system and overloaded detoxification system.

Eczema can cover a number of areas on the body and can be a serious inflammatory skin condition. It often involves more than the histamine producing immune cells and must be treated from the inside out, not just through the use of creams and other topical treatments. There are often other factors to consider which can perpetuate eczema and lead to a vicious cycle especially when the skin is open, bleeding or weeping. The most significant of these are secondary bacterial or fungal infections of the skin. These can appear as worsening eczema, but are in fact a reflection of the increased inflammation the infection generates.

The most immediate priority for most people with eczema is to reduce the itching and this is necessary for the skin to heal. Purely Earth Clay can greatly assist in reducing the histamine load in the skin which reduces the itch. In our clinical experience, Purely Earth Clay is also one of the best things for removing and controlling the secondary infections on the skin, allowing it to heal faster.

When the eczema is located only in one or two places, identifying and removing any contact irritants and using Purely Earth Clay topically to reduce itching is often enough to resolve the issue. However if the irritant proves to be chemical in nature such as a parafin-based cream, shampoo, soap, solvent, washing powder, perfume or cleaning product,  this tells you there is a detoxification issue to resolve as well. Where this is the case, we recommend you use Purely Earth Essential Detox Minerals and Milk Thistle to assist in un-jamming the liver pathways.

The First Step – Localised Eczema

  • Pack the affected area daily with Purely Earth Clay for an hour each time until the eczema clears. For how to use and make a clay pack Click Here.
  • Always follow with Purely Earth Vitamin E Cream. This is a non-chemical natural cream that nourishes and feeds the skin and will help to soothe and heal any stressed areas of the skin surface.
  • Use Purely Earth Essential Detox Minerals to provide the right minerals for the liver function. We have found this product to be invaluable in treating eczema alongside the clay. Essential Detox Minerals is a unique ionic mineral formulation which provides all of the most commonly deficient minerals required to run the digestive enzymes and liver enzymes in a highly bio-available form. Use 2ml of the liquid per day for adults and 1-2 drops per kilo of body weight for children under 10.  Put into water or diluted juice.

The First Step – Severe Eczema

  • For conditions which cover most of the body, clay baths are best. Baths can be used safely at 20 – 30 minutes with children who are 3 months and older. For newborns, use a maximum of 10 minutes. For adults we recommend a 30 – 60 minute bath. For how to make and use a clay bath Click Here
  • Always follow with Purely Earth Vitamin E Cream. This is a non-chemical natural cream that nourishes and feeds the skin and will help to soothe and heal any stressed areas of the skin surface.
  • For the worst areas or areas which are not healing, localised packing can be helpful alongside the baths. Start with packing for 1-2 hours a day for 10-14 days. If you feel you want to try leaving it on for longer, do so and see how it goes. For how to make and use a clay pack Click Here
  • For adults, using clay internally can be tremendously helpful too, as it helps to remove some of the toxin load internally.
  • Use the more detailed treatment outline below to enable correction of the internal body environment.

In all cases of eczema it is strongly recommended that you get our Food and Chemical Sensitivity Test done.

It is difficult to completely eliminate eczema without removing all of the triggers and thus allowing the immune system time to restore balance. In our experience this test provides one of the most effective ways of determining the triggers.

Steroid Creams

If you have been using steroid creams or oral steroids to control the inflammation, please do not cut these out abruptly. Gradually reduce use so that the steroid-producing glands in the body have time to step in and naturally increase their production of corticosteroids. Failure to do this may result in a rebound reaction and a worsening of the condition.

If a clay bath or packing makes the skin condition worse immediately and this doesn’t change after 2-3 treatments, you will need assistance with improving the body chemistry before continuing. It is not common for this to happen, but can occur when the acidic waste load in the body is very high. The itching is often due to the acids burning the skin on their way out. Please contact Sarah for an appointment if you required help with this.

Looking Beyond the Surface

You must treat more than the skin. Behind every case of serious eczema there will usually be a weakened digestive system, an acidic waste load that is not being cleared properly and a deficiency of, or imbalance in the nutrients that allow the digestive, immune and detox systems to operate correctly. Secondary bacterial and fungal infections are often a problem but thrive only because the “soil” is right for their growth. This is where the following information can be especially helpful:

Removing the Inflammatory Triggers

  • Use our Food and Chemical Sensitivity Test to assist with identifying and removing inflammatory foods and substances. In our experience, this is a must. Leaving inflammatory foods in the diet will hinder the immune system recovery and prevent it from doing its job on controlling secondary infections.

Strengthen the Digestion

  • Use Purely Earth Essential Detox Minerals. We have found these to be invaluable in treating eczema alongside the clay because they provide all of the most commonly deficient minerals required to run the digestive enzymes and liver enzymes. Use 2 ml of the liquid per day for adults and 1 drop per kilo of body weight for children under 10.  Put into water or diluted juice.
  • If you have white spots on your nails, you need more zinc. This may need to be balanced with copper.
  • Include our iodine drops in your regime daily. Use 1 – 2 drops daily for adults and check dosing for children with a practitioner as this is age dependent.
  • Use small bowel digestive enzymes, especially if there is gas and bloating with starchy foods. For those with digestive issues that do not resolve, we recommend an appointment with our practitioner Sarah.  
  • Eat lots of green and colourful vegetables and a good quality protein at least 2 times a day.
  • Avoid food that comes in packets. Eat food that is as close to its natural form as possible. This means it contains more nutrients and less added toxins and a better resource base for your body to use.
  • Make sure you drink adequate water. Your body needs this to make digestive juices and to clear acidic wastes.
  • Include a small amount of Celtic salt as part of your diet. Your body needs the chloride it provides to make digestive juices. Do not use table salt – it is high in aluminium and is lacking in trace minerals.
  • With children, do not introduce solids too quickly. Their digestive systems are not fully equipped to handle solid foods until they are at least 18 months old. Digestive enzymes may be required, so seek help from a practitioner.
  • All grain foods and legumes should ideally be soaked for 24 hours before cooking. Drain the soaking water off and cook in new water.

Restore the Immune System Balance

  • Use an appropriate Probiotic to improve the gut bacteria. Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium lactis HNO19, Bifidobacterium brevi and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG are especially important bacteria species to use. These are available through most natural health practitioners.
  • Use Vitamin C and Vitamin E daily to provide immune support and to help reduce inflammation. Check with an experienced practitioner for an age-dependant dose for children.

Where There are Secondary Infections Present

  • Eczema can be made worse when there is a secondary infection on the skin. Fungal infections are very common as are Staph bacterial infections. Clay baths can be very helpful in controlling these microbes and helping to break the inflammatory cycle.
  • Where there is a history of cradle cap, dandruff, mastitis, thrush (vaginal or oral), jock itch, fungal toenails, peeling feet, athlete’s foot or bloating and gas the culprit is usually fungal. In these cases, yeast must be treated thoroughly and systemically. We advise you use this under the guidance of a practitioner who is experienced in this area. If you are not sure whether you have a fungal infection our Food and Chemical Sensitivity Test tends to pick up whether there is an infection present.
  • Bacteria, yeasts and fungi generally form sticky “bio-films” in the body which serve as part of their protection mechanism. Breaking the bio-films is essential because this is where the bacteria, yeasts and fungi will hide and breed and their waste products place more stress on the clean up organs in the body including the skin. In our experience, the best product for doing this is Purely Earth Diatomaceous Earth. Use 1 generous tsp for adults and 1 flat tsp for children taken in a little water or diluted juice last thing before bed.

Stress

Do not underestimate the effects of stress on your body. This can be stress due to a chronic inflammatory condition (think pain, tenderness, redness, swelling or aching), being over-busy, not breathing properly, eating foods that cause you problems, a lack of sleep, dehydration, infection, loneliness, or feeling emotionally vulnerable or unsupported.

Take Steps to Nourish Yourself

  • Assess what must stay in your life and what can go.
  • Assess whether the things that you think must stay, nourish you or deplete you and reassess if necessary.
  • Provide a quiet space in every day that does not involve electrical devices. This allows your nervous system time to unwind.
  • Seek out things, animals or people that make you laugh.
  • Eat mainly food that does not come in a packet. Nature knows best how to provide balance; manufactured food does not.
  • Eat regularly through the day and make good food a priority, not an inconvenience to be squeezed in amongst other activities.
  • Avoid inflammatory foods – things you know you are intolerant to, or which make you feel sluggish, moody, affect your bowel or cause flare-ups of a health condition.
  • Move your body without the exercise stressing it further. Exercise in a way that makes you feel good, not tired. Increase the exercise level gradually as your energy level builds.
  • BREATHE DEEP. Breathing deep sends a signal to your body that you are safe. Shallow or fast breathing does the opposite. Your stress glands and nervous system will respond accordingly.
  • Go to sleep before 10 pm and get up before 7 am. Your body clock requires this of you even if your head says otherwise. 1 hour of sleep prior to 12 am is worth 2 hours after 12 am in terms of the rest it provides. Avoid interaction with electrical devices (phones, computers, TV, play station, X Box, iPad, iPod and the like) for 1 hour prior to sleep and remove as many electrical devices from your bedroom as you can. DO NOT sleep with a light on and cover all digital light displays in your room, or even better, remove them.

For more details about working with Sarah, go to www.selfhealclinic.co.nz.

Note:

Using the above information may result in a reduced need for medication due to improved nutrition. We advise that appropriate monitoring be put in place. For example: If you have high blood pressure which is being controlled through mediation, get a cheap blood pressure cuff and monitor any changes at home. If your blood pressure drops, ask your doctor to reduce your medication accordingly. If you are on thyroid medication or cholesterol lowering medication, get your blood levels tested regularly.

© Purely Earth Ltd. This document may be copied and used as a patient handout in its entirety but is not to be replicated on any other websites or publishing media either in full or part without our permission.