Home remedies for AD is an additional method of therapy recommended by a doctor. It is worth using them not only in the remission phase of the disease, but above all in the period of exacerbation of AD, when the skin is irritated and itchy, there is a red rash on it and clumps. Home remedies for AD will help minimize at least some of the accompanying ailments.

Home remedies for atopic dermatitis are most often used in the exacerbation phase of the disease: when the troublesome itching and the appearance of the skin affected by atopy make it difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to function normally. The use of home treatments for atopy is often recommended by doctors as a supplement to the treatment with glucocorticosteroids with a strong anti-inflammatory effect or calcineurin inhibitors. Which of them are worth considering?

Shower during the day

This home remedy for atopic dermatitis is recommended especially to people who, due to their profession or lifestyle, sweat frequently or intensively. Since sweat is one of the factors that exacerbate the course of AD, you should rinse it off your skin as soon as possible - even if it would mean taking a shower in the office (if conditions allow it, of course). The shower should be really express - a minute or two under running, not too warm water is enough. Immediately after drying the body, you need to massage the emollient into the skin, which will prevent its further drying and relieve itching.

Regular greasing

It is worth carrying a package of emollient with you, which helps the skin best, and apply it quite regularly - during the day you can do it every three or four hours. It will not take much time, but it will give a measurable effect: constantly lubricated skin will be in better condition. The application can be repeated in the next few minutes if the skin still seems dry after applying the first layer of the cosmetic.

Note:if the doctor has recommended lubricating the skin with steroids, make sure how to lubricate the skin with emollients - whether to use them alternately (one day a steroid, the next emollient) or both types of preparations can be used one after the other.

Healing baths

They are also included among home remedies for AD. This procedure must not be missed: a bath is necessary both inthe period of remission as well as in the phase of exacerbation of the disease. A few minutes (no more than five) spent in lukewarm water (the temperature should not exceed 30 degrees C) will effectively remove the remnants of what was applied to it during the day and prepare it for the next portions of emollient. It is best to bathe in chlorine-free water. First, you need to gently wash the skin (e.g. with an acid syndet or emollient preparation), and then pour a portion of the liquid into the bathtub to grease it - if you do it beforehand, cleansing agents can counteract their effects.

If the skin is very inflamed, you can also add potassium excess to the water with the doctor's approval, which reduces the risk of the multiplication of staphylococcus aureus, or sodium hypochlorite, which in turn has a disinfecting effect and soothes itching. After the bath, the skin should be gently dried and a solid portion of emollient should be rubbed into the still slightly damp.

Worth knowing

Chamomile for AD is also one of the recommended home remedies for fighting this ailment. However, before adding chamomile to the bath or using chamomile infusions for AD, it is worth consulting a doctor: chamomile baskets can cause allergies, so in some atopic people, instead of helping, they will only aggravate the problem.

Wet dressings

One of the most often recommended home remedies for AD is to relieve itching, dryness and redness of the skin with the so-called methods of wet dressings (it is more convenient to apply them at night). Wet dressings are bandages or special medical clothing, which consist of two layers: one intended to be wet (and put on the skin), and a dry one, put on previously wet. Bandages are used when symptoms have appeared locally, while medical clothing is used when the lesions cover a larger part of the body.

After applying a wet dressing to the skin, the water partially evaporates, giving a feeling of coolness, which at the same time reduces the feeling of itching (carried by the pain nerves to the central nervous system). Such dressings also better hold emollients and drugs directly next to the skin, which do not transfer to pajamas or bedding, but are absorbed to the maximum. They slightly lower body temperature, which additionally soothes itching, and constitutes a mechanical barrier against scratching.

Before using this home remedy for atopic dermatitis, contact your doctor, who will then adjust the dose of the drug - a wet dressing makes topical steroids absorb better, so their dose must be lower, and sometimes it is even necessary change to a lighter preparation.

Cool AZS compresses

A home remedy for AD is also a gel compress, cooled in the refrigerator and put on the skin. It is effective when the changes are minor. It reduces itching in the same way as wet dressings. The disadvantage of such compresses, however, is that they have to be changed quite often.

Special washing powder for atopic

All fabrics that come into contact with the skin (underwear, clothes, bedding) should be washed in a powder free of substances that may irritate the skin. The best ones will be those that have been tested for the content of such ingredients and that have a certificate of naturalness issued by specialist societies, such as Asthma-Allergy Danmark.

Not too high temperature

The appropriate ambient temperature is also among the home remedies for AD. In order to reduce the bothersome symptoms, it is worth ensuring that the apartment is pleasantly cool and has adequate humidity. The air temperature suitable for atopic is about 18-20 degrees, and it is worth setting the thermostat at the radiator in winter to this value. On hot summer days, it is worth thinking about a portable air conditioner (but you need to clean it regularly so that it does not cause additional problems).

In turn, the optimal air humidity is 50-55 percent. (lower humidity has a negative effect on the skin) - you can check it with a hygrometer or home weather station and, when it is lower, moisten the air with a humidifier.

Sage ointment for AD

One of the home methods for AD is also using sage ointment (available in pharmacies). Its effectiveness is based on the anti-inflammatory and soothing properties of sage, while its lubricating effect is ensured by the vaseline contained in the ointment. Its use, however, requires patience: the first effects appear only after a long time, sometimes even after several weeks of use.

Coconut oil for AZS

Unrefined coconut funnel has emollient properties and strongly moisturizes, also strengthens the lipid barrier of the epidermis. That is why it is often mentioned as an effective home remedy for AD. It can be used in two ways: directly on the skin or added to the bath - a spoon for half a bath of water is enough.

Worth knowing

Home remedies for AD include the use of unsaturated fatty acids (both orally and topically), as well as other methods: bathing in brines, starch, using Chinese herbs, homeopathy, and aromatherapy. However, so far there is insufficient evidence of their effectiveness (source: Atopic Dermatitis - the latest therapeutic guidelines of 2022).

Do you know that…

One of the home remedies for AD, recommended forvarious online forums (but so far without scientifically proven evidence of effectiveness), there is the so-called Therapy by Enderlein, a German zoologist and entomologist, also working in microbiology. This therapy is included in the so-called alternative medicine and relies mainly on dietary recommendations: giving up alcohol, coffee, black tea, sugar (and products containing it, including sweets), wheat and wheat products, cow's milk and its products, as well as processed foods and containing various chemical substances, such as preservatives, dyes, etc. The menu is based on fresh vegetables and fruits, plenty of water, and fish, meat, eggs are allowed once a week. The therapy is supported by cleansing preparations.

Category:

Allergies