One of the worst symptoms of Nickel and Iron Oxide allergies is the eczema and itchy rash that occurs after exposure. Sometimes the reaction helps to draw attention to the fact that something is being an irritant to your skin. Perhaps you didn't even know that a particular piece of clothing, or jewelry had nickel in it until you got the eczema reaction.
About 20 years ago, Dr. Douglas Leavengood, an allergist based in Biloxi, Mississippi, noticed that many of his eczema patients improved after spending lots of time in the ocean in the summer. So Leavengood’s daughter tried it out with her own kids who suffered from eczema. She gave them daily sea salt baths and noticed their skin became less red and irritated.
Leavengood now recommends daily sea salt baths (about a handful in the tub) for all of his young patients, and commonly sees an improvement in redness, itchiness and dryness in as little as a week to 10 days. “It’s the most impressed I’ve ever been with a home therapy for anything,” he tells Allergic Living.
Scientific study would be necessary to conclusively prove that the treatment really works, as well as how it works. (Leavengood wonders if the salt may somehow help the skin to stay moist, or if perhaps it acts as an antibacterial agent.) What’s more, Leavengood’s patients often have severe cases, so they still require prescription creams and antihistamines.
Still, he says, “for a lot of mild cases, try this and a good moisturizing cream, and you’re good to go.”
http://allergicliving.com/2012/02/08/using-sea-salt-for-eczema-control/
How Can Sea Salt Help to Reduce
Eczema Reactions?
Eczema skin is diagnosed as being dry, not because it lacks grease or oil, but because it fails to retain water. Therefore, to correct dryness, water is added to the skin, followed by an emollient which can help to retain the moisture. This can be done by soaking the affected area in a basin of water with Dead Sea Bath Salts or soaking the entire body in a Dead Sea Salt bath for 20 minutes using warm water. Pat the skin with a soft towel to remove excess water, and immediately apply essential oil or cream to seal in moisture.Toxins in the environment, as well as airborne allergens can greatly effect eczema. Dead Sea salt baths can help in cleansing and detoxifying the skin by removing the irritants and impurities that are otherwise trapped, while restoring some of the skin's depleted minerals.
It's a common misconception that Dead Sea Bath Salts dry out the skin. Although this would be true of many of the other types of salt on the market, Therapeutic grade Dead Sea Bath Salt containing only 4% sodium provide minerals which the skin and body need. These minerals help to strengthen skin and balance out it’s PH levels.
Use Cream or Essential Oils to Seal in Moisture
Following the Sea Salt Bath
Essential oils such as lavender, geranium, melaleuca, frankincense, or chamomile will provide soothing effects to reduce itchy, flaking, and possibility of infection.
Topical corticosteroids creams quickly help relieve itching and reduce inflammation. Barrier repair moisturizers help lock water into skin, repair damaged skin, and reduce dryness, redness, and itching. Topical immunomodulators can reduce inflammation without steroids. Many of these creams are OTC treatments. Consult your doctor regarding which is best for you.
How Long Does it Take For
The Sea Salt Bath to Work?
http://thehealingbath.ca/about-the-dead-sea/dead-sea-salt-heal-the-body/The severe itching associated with eczema usually subsides in 1-2 weeks when treated with Dead Sea Bath Salts, even if the skin has not yet shown much response. Visual clearing can take up to 6 weeks. Many eczema sufferers can slightly reduce the number of Dead Sea Salt Bath’s taken per week, once they have achieved their desired results.
