The Eczema Detox Diet

Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Common symptoms associated with eczema include blisters that crust and scale, thick patches of skin and itchy rashes that can bleed. Medical professionals don't know what causes eczema; there is no known cure though treatments are available. Eczema detox diets claim to treat the symptoms associated with eczema. While no cure exists for eczema, eczema detox diets may help to treat some of the symptoms associated with this disorder. Speak with a medical professional prior to initiating an eczema detox diet.

The theory behind an eczema detox diet is that a food or product may cause or exacerbate symptoms. Cigarettes must be eliminated as they have many toxins, including formaldehyde, that can exacerbate eczema. Additionally, you should eliminate alcohol from your diet as alcohol damages your liver making it difficult for your body to remove other toxins. Because caffeine stresses the body, it is also prohibited. According to the book “Eczema-Free for Life” by Adnan Nasir and Priscilla Burgess, stress can worsen the symptoms of eczema. Saturated fats and excess salt are also not recommended on these diets.

Many eczema detox diets recommended adding lemon to your diet. Lemon contains vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that also has other properties that can benefit your body during the detox process. According to "The Complete Guide to Nutritional Health: More Than 600 Foods and Recipes for Overcoming Illness and Boosting Your Immunity," a lemon detox involves adding a small amount of cayenne pepper and palm tree syrup to fresh squeezed lemon. During the detox period, you will add this lemon juice mixture to water and drink this solution three times per day. Lemon detox diets typically last for at least 10 days.

Many eczema detox diets also recommend apple detoxes to help treat eczema. An apple detox requires the eating of apples for up to one week. During the first day of the diet, skim or soy milk, yogurt and water is consumed with the apples. On Day 2, you can add salad with oil and vinegar to your diet. By Day 4, full meals are added from a list of approved plans to the apple detox diet.

According to "The Complete Guide to Nutritional Health: More Than 600 Foods and Recipes for Overcoming Illness and Boosting Your Immunity," if you are a healthy individual, detoxes allow your body to eliminate toxins and other unhealthy substances through your liver, kidneys, bladder and sweat glands. Further, "Eczema Solution" states that by eliminating foods from your diet and cleansing your body through a detox, you can discover if a particular food item is exacerbating your eczema. Typically, at the end of the detox process these diets recommend adding foods back into your diet one at a time. This allows you to evaluate each food item independently and determine how the food affects your condition.