Rash decision

Q: I have eczema on my elbows, knees, and sometimes my hands. It usually gets worse around this time of year, so I'm hoping you can give me some information on natural remedies I can try before resorting to the steroid cream that I was prescribed.

JVW: Your first step should be to undergo a thorough evaluation by a nutritionally oriented physician who can diagnose the cause of your eczema and develop a treatment plan that may be able to eliminate the problem over time. Remember, good skin comes from what goes in your body, not what you slather on the outside. Getting professional advice could bring a long-term solution. But in the meantime, there are a few natural remedies that may offer you some temporary relief.

The first is a natural skin cream made from vitamin B12. It can help relieve the itching and will also heal the skin. Vitamin B12 cream is available from compounding pharmacies as well as some natural food stores.

You may also want to refer to the article published in the November 2007 issue of Nutrition & Healing by my friend and colleague Kerry Bone regarding herbal treatments for eczema. (Subscribers can download this issue for free by visiting and logging on to the archives with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent edition of Nutrition & Healing.)

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