Treating Eczema

The inflammation of the upper layers of the skin is a type of skin disease, which is known as eczema. This term is also commonly referred to as dermatitis. Both terms are actually broadly applied to a variety of persistent skin conditions in which the ex foliation of the skin occurs. These skin conditions include dryness and recurring rashes. Some of the symptoms that accompany this skin condition includes redness, severe itching, dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering and cracking. In the chronic stages both oozing and bleeding may occur. There are also times whenever temporary skin discoloration occurs due to healed lesions. Thankfully though, scarring is rare.

Nothing is able to live in the Dead Sea, not even eczema itself. For this reason, the Dead Sea is being used for its antibacterial and hyperemic properties. Furthermore, since the Dead Sea lies more than 400 meters below sea level, people are able to remain in the sun for an extended period of time. Another reason why this is possible is because the atmosphere has already filtered out much of the harmful UV rays. This means that only the sun's heat will be absorbed by your skin. Together, the atmosphere, minerals and location make the Dead Sea perfect for treating eczema.

Another reason why the Dead Sea region is so great for the treatment of eczema is because it experiences sunny weather almost all year long. In fact, January is really the only month when it is cloudy. Therefore, with all of this sunny weather, a person with eczema will do well with sunbathing here. This can be done for longer periods of time too because of the aforementioned climatic facts. You should know that there are also a lot of different facilities around the Dead Sea that specifically deal with the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema.

This type of eczema treatment is most commonly known as Climatotherapy. Studies have been done on this type of therapy by the International Journal of Dermatology, as well as the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Both studies have concluded that climatotherapy in the Dead Sea is an effective treatment for eczema. In fact, these studies have also shown that most patients experienced remission after spending between four weeks to three months in the sun there.

Of course, not everyone can make a trip to sunbathe in the Dead Sea. With this in mind, one of the most common ways in which to treat eczema is with Arka (Calotropics Gigantica), which comes from the area around the Dead Sea. This is more commonly known as Swallow Wort or Dead Sea Apple. It is used with sesame oil and turmeric to make an ointment that can be applied externally to your skin. (The recipe actually uses one part of sesame oil with sixteen parts of Arka and one part of turmeric.)

Besides Arka, doctors also recommend using black medicinal mud and salt baths from the region around the Dead Sea. This mud is made out of a high concentration of salt and minerals. For this reason, many doctors have recommended the use of these items in treating eczema.