As the winter rolls around slowly, most eczema sufferers may experience skin flare ups due to the fluctuating temperatures outdoors and indoors. Skin usually loses moisture, feels much drier and ends up getting itchy making eczema much worse in the winter.

Here are some naturopathic treatments that may help in keeping the skin supple and eczema free for the winter and all year long.

– Keep your water intake steady. With the summer temperatures dropping steadily, most people tend not to drink as much water. Keep a bottle next to your desk and make sure you drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces. If drinking plain water is difficult, to some herbal teas instead – camomile (or chamomile), birch, dandelion, stinging nettle would be god choices.

– Try to avoid foods that are high in saturated fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils – such as fried foods, animal fats and heat processed vegetable oils. Try to use cold pressed oils such as olive oil, which have the structure of the oils intact and are beneficial for your skin, hormones and overall health.

– Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which have a diuretic effect on the body, causing the body and skin to lose fluids and essential minerals.

– Eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts. Eat good quality proteins from vegetable sources. However, make sure that you are not sensitive to any of the above – get tested for sensitivities, as food sensitivities can cause serious eczema flare-ups.

– Have lots of yellow and orange vegetables which are high in beta-carotene – a precursor of Vitamin A, which strengthens and protects skin tissue.

– Do not drink soft drinks and try to reduce your consumption of sugar and junk foods.

– Eat foods that are high in sulfur – such garlic, onions, eggs and asparagus. These foods keep the skin smooth and youthful.

– DO NOT SMOKE AND AVOID SECOND HAND SMOKE. Smoking constricts the tiny capillaries that nourish the skin, and in so doing deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients.

– Use a humidifier to humidify your environment, especially in the winter.

– Try to bathe with mild to warm water, and avoid using very hot water. Also try to exfoliate your skin using a loofah sponge at least twice a week. Moisturize after showering with products that contain Vitamin E, which attract water to the skin to hold in moisture.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.