Q&A: Eczema

Question: I have an eczema-like occurrence on my leg. It seems to be stress related – waxes & wanes with my life situation, which has been horrendous the last 2 years. I have used flower essences that seem to work temporarily, we’ve also used yarrow, licorice root extract, Golden Salve. Herbal Skin Trim makes it itch and burn worse. Help! It’s a patch about 1 1/2″ X 3″ and is raised like a welt, very red, itching like crazy and splitting and bleeding. When skin grows back over it, it is scaly and falls off. I also have similar on my same (right) big toe, spreading onto my foot, and my left elbow. Answer: Eczema most often indicates liver stress and a deficiency in essential fatty acids, either because you aren’t consuming enough or aren’t able to digest them. The liver is a fat-dependent organ, so there is even a connection there. Topically, Stress Mist is usually the most helpful for the type of irritation you describe. The liver is connected to the emotion of anger, so you might find it flares worse when that’s what you are feeling in response to your situations. CLA might be a good source of fatty acids, along with organic nuts, seeds, avocados and oils.