Monetary eczema (coin-shaped eczema) is a ‘chronic inflammatory’ skin disease in which small blisters are formed mainly on the arms and legs, hands and feet in a round shape.
The inflammatory response is a defense action caused by the body’s immune system, and it is caused by harmful substances such as pathogens, damaged cells, and viral infections, such as swelling and itching of the skin when bitten by a mosquito. However, in the body of a patient with eczema eczema, there is an abnormality in the immune system, and the immune response is activated even in unnecessary situations, and this state lasts for a long time.
Symptoms such as erythema, scabs, oozing, and dry skin that plague patients with eczema are caused by the inflammatory response that persists due to ‘internal imbalance factors’, resulting in inflammation of the skin. Therefore, in order to alleviate these symptoms and fundamentally treat eczema, it is necessary to identify ‘internal imbalance factors’ that cause chronic inflammatory responses from within.
“The main cause of monetary eczema”
Factors that lower immunity and cause inflammation in relation to eczema include ‘irritable bowel syndrome, colds, constipation and diarrhea’. In particular, management of food and eating habits and improvement of digestive function are important parts in the treatment of eczema because the digestive function is weak in many cases.
Molecular eczema is an important disease to find the ’cause of the occurrence that affected me’ among various triggers and to proceed with treatment and management accordingly. In addition, as it is a skin disease that recurs easily whenever the immune system is weakened, not only passively receiving treatment, but also learning how to manage the right food and eating habits that are suitable for me and practice it continuously.
“Managing Foods that Cause Chronic Inflammation”
Food and diet control for the treatment of eczema should be done in the direction of ‘reducing the intake of foods that cause inflammation and correcting the eating habits to normalize the immune system’. As a result, the digestive function should be improved and the goal should be to gradually make a normal immune response on its own.
1. Meat
When ‘arachidonic acid’, an essential fatty acid as a component of the cell membrane, is introduced in excess from the outside and rapidly increases in the blood, it causes an explosive inflammatory reaction. Foods rich in ‘arachidonic acid’ are meat, especially pork, chicken, and duck meat. If you must eat meat, it is recommended to eat beef or lamb, which is relatively low in arachidonic acid.
2. Fried food
Fried or instant food increases the secretion of inflammatory substances as oxidation progresses during processing, such as frying in oil. When the inflammatory substances generated at this time enter the body, the inflammation of the skin is further exacerbated.
3. Sugar
When excess sugar enters the body, the blood sugar level rises temporarily, causing an inflammatory response. In particular, cold and sweet foods such as ice cream, soda, and fruit juice do not taste sweet enough, so they consume more sugar, which worsens skin inflammation.
4. Alcohol
When alcohol is decomposed, ‘acetaldehyde’, an intermediate product of alcohol metabolism, directly induces an inflammatory reaction.
In addition, spicy and irritating foods and flour dishes containing gluten can cause irritation and damage in the process of digesting and absorbing food in the intestine, causing inflammation and exacerbating dermatitis.
“Managing Diets That Cause Chronic Inflammation”
1. Overeating and binge eating
Weight gain due to overeating or binge eating is itself a cause of increased inflammation. Visceral adipocytes surrounding organs induce the production of inflammatory cytokines when excess fat accumulates and cause chronic inflammation, exacerbating dermatitis. In other words, ‘maintaining an appropriate weight through diet control’ is very important in the treatment of eczema.
2. Eating late night snacks
If you eat late before bedtime, the immune response that is active during sleep, especially the process of processing waste products, is inhibited. In addition, if food is in the digestive tract while sleeping, and blood flow is concentrated in the digestive tract, recovery from fatigue in other parts of the body is slowed down, and the digestive tract does not break down food as well as when awake, so inflammation is accumulated.
3. Frequent snacking
The habit of eating snacks frequently can also put a strain on your digestive system. If food continues to flow in without giving the digestive system a break, it can cause an imbalance in metabolism of blood sugar and hormones, which can worsen inflammation.
It is very important to manage inflammatory foods and problematic eating habits in health care as well as eczema. However, if the digestive function is already declining and the inflammatory reaction is in progress, eczema may not be cured by diet management alone. In this case, actual treatment is required, and lifestyle management should be combined as an auxiliary means to speed up treatment and help recovery.
The first thing to be done is to find out the cause of ‘why immune function fell and chronic inflammation occurred’ and solve the cause. However, the cause of eczema is different for each person in detail. In order to find the cause of one’s own inflammation, it is necessary to understand the various factors that affect the lowering of immunity, such as the body part where symptoms first appeared, body balance changed before the onset of symptoms, eating habits and lifestyle, etc. throughout the body.
When immunity is lowered and the cause of chronic skin inflammation is resolved, the original function of the skin can also be restored naturally. In addition, following the immune function is stabilized and the skin is sufficiently recovered, eczema may not recur even if you do not strictly manage food or eating habits.
Written by Hidak Medical Correspondent, Director Im Eun-kyo (oriental doctor)