Magnesium & Eczema

Eczema is a kind of skin disorder which usually occurs in infants and children, but sometimes adults, too, are affected by it. The children who are affected by it get completely cured once they attain adulthood. Eczema is not a serious health disorder, but it definitely is irritating and painful. The term “eczema” does not indicate one specific disease of the skin, but is generally used to refer to all the disorders of the skin which involve dry, inflamed and irritated skin. This disorder is not infectious and can be cured by using right medications.

Symptoms

• It is necessary to identify the ailment before starting a treatment regimen. Certain symptoms of eczema include: The skin may have reddish-brown patches; the skin becomes dry and itchy. During the night the itchiness increases; the skin may develop cracks, blisters and if badly infected it becomes purulent; and the affected area of the skin thickens and becomes raw to touch.

Causes

• The causes of eczema or dermatitis may be both intrinsic as well as extrinsic. Some of the intrinsic factors are magnesium deficiency, sweat and allergy and extrinsic factors are exposure to certain chemicals, drugs and bacteria. On the basis of these two factors, eczema is classified into endogenous eczema, exogenous eczema and unclassified eczema. Depending upon the extent of infection, eczema can be chronic, acute or sub-acute.

Magnesium

• There is no direct correlation between magnesium and eczema, but deficiency of magnesium does passively aggravate the symptoms of eczema. Magnesium is a vital element on which several biochemical reactions of the body are dependent. Under such circumstances, any discrepancy in its level may cause the symptoms to flare up. The study is a bit complicated, but an insight to it may help in effectively treating eczema.

Relationship Between Eczema and Magnesium

• The relationship between eczema and magnesium can be summed up in three major points.

  Histamine production rises when there is magnesium deficiency causing the swelling of blood vessels and discharge of fluid into the skin and the underlying tissue. This results in reddened, blotchy and itchy skin which happens to be a classic symptom of eczema.

  Magnesium is vital for lipid metabolism which is responsible for providing elasticity and moisture to the skin. When there is a deficiency of magnesium it lowers the fatty acids in the skin causing dryness. It hampers the skin’s protective shield making it more susceptible to inflammations and irritations. Thus, the dry patchy inflamed skin which happens in eczema is also due to the lowered levels of magnesium in the body.

  The deficiency of magnesium in the body also triggers stress level. It is a known fact that stress tends to worsen the symptoms of eczema. Due to stress the hydrochloric acid (HCL) produced by the stomach is reduced resulting in B12 deficiency in the body. B12 is very essential for maintaining the health of tissue and it also is responsible for tissue repair. Atopic eczema is the outcome of B12 deficiency which in turn is caused by the low levels of magnesium.

Considerations

• The various types of eczema-like allergic eczema, neurodermatitis and seborrheic eczema have aggravated symptoms if there is deficiency of magnesium in the body. Magnesium acts as an immune-modulator and if its deficiency is tackled then the symptoms of eczema are bound to be relived.