This evening while reading the health section of the BBC web site, I came across an article pointing to the link established between eczema and asthma. This surprised me because, within my community of Naturopathic doctors, the link had been established years ago. With eczema, which often starts at a fairly early age, we also see a link between the disease and food allergies, as we do with asthma.
Some of the most common food allergies associated with eczema include wheat, dairy, peanuts, and eggs. Removing these foods from a person's diet can be challenging, but will often yield benefits. Some of the most impressive improvements I see in my patients is when they give up dairy. Almost within a few days I begin to see improvements. With young children, I often see skin allergies begin to emerge when the child begins to eat solid foods, or if the mother is still breast-feeding, problems when the mother eats certain offending foods.
Asthma, like eczema, is often due to an external irritant. Here in Los Angeles where I practice, air quality is such that asthma has become a real problem. Efforts to remove dust from the home, such as using air filters, can help, but so can a diet that takes into account food allergies like dairy and wheat. We also recommend vitamins for support. For the skin we often will add vitamins A, E, and Selenium. For Asthma sufferers, there has been improvement seen with the addition of vitamins D and C, as well as B-vitamins, especially B12.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8055038.stm
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