The mainstays of eczema treatment are moisturizers and ever-increasing strengths of cortisone creams. These steroid creams are really only a stop-gap measure. They alleviate symptoms, but do not improve the health of the skin. An exciting new treatment has been suggested that is all natural, with no side effects, and works with the underlying logic of the disease instead of against it. The news came in a fascinating study published in the Lancet .
Tiny mites live in common house dust .
Until recently most dermatologists have not thought that allergy to the house dust mite played a significant role in eczema . They used several different methods to control the house dust, but the most important was encasing the mattress in a gortex cover. In the placebo group, plain cotton mattress covers were used. Dust was sampled monthly from the mattress covers over a six-month period. More importantly, the severity of eczema significantly decreased in those using the gortex mattress covers.