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ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2008) ? There is no evidence probiotics can relieve the symptoms of eczema, but there is some evidence that they may occasionally cause infections and gut problems. These findings from The Cochrane Library come at a time when use of probiotics to treat eczema is increasing.

Eczema is an itchy skin condition that affects more than 1 in 20 people at some time in their lives and is especially common in children. Its cause is complex and not well understood, but sufferers do have different bacteria in their guts compared to unaffected people. Consequently, some nutritionists have suggested that eating live gut-dwelling bacteria, such as those found in probiotic yoghurts and some infant formulas, could be beneficial.

"Some doctors are recommending probiotics as a cheap treatment for eczema, but having carried out a systematic review we have found no evidence that they work for treating eczema," says lead researcher Robert Boyle of Imperial College, London, UK.

The Cochrane Researchers looked at 12 studies that together involved 781 children diagnosed with eczema. These studies compared severity of the disease in children given live bacteria to severity in those given a placebo. The researchers found that probiotics provided no significant health improvement. Similar bacteria were given across all studies, so the researchers could not rule out the possibility that other strains might be beneficial. Moreover they found that in separate studies 46 patients had been reported to suffer side effects from using probiotics, including infection and bowel damage.

"There is no evidence that probiotics are a worthwhile treatment for eczema, and they may be harmful for certain groups of people," says Boyle. "However, further studies of new probiotics are needed, because it is possible that different types of probiotics which haven't yet been studied in eczema treatment could be more effective."

Hi Everyone,

Few changes going on with the site over the past few days, just some minor renovations..

Found this while doing some surfing on the net, thought I would share. Like we always say here, its the whole treatment plan, not some miracle cream, lotion or potion!

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Fishy diet in early infancy
cuts eczema risk

Early introduction of fish decreases the
risk of eczema in infants

An infant diet that includes fish before the age of 9 months curbs the risk of developing eczema, indicates research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The prevalence of atopic eczema and other allergic disease has risen sharply in developed countries in recent decades, say the authors. Environmental and dietary factors are thought to play a part.

The researchers quizzed the parents of 6 month old babies born in western Sweden in 2003 about their child's diet and any evidence of allergic eczema. They were quizzed again when the children reached the age of 12 months.

The children were all part of an ongoing health study, Infants of Western Sweden, which is tracking the long term health of almost 17000 babies.

Complete birth data and two sets of questionnaires were obtained for almost 5000 of the 8000 families contacted.

At six months, 13% of families said that their youngest child had already developed eczema. By the time the children had reached 12 months of age, one in five had the condition.

The average age at which first symptoms appeared was 4 months.

Genes had a significant impact. Children with a sibling or mother who had the condition were almost twice as likely to be affected by the age of 12 months.

But breast feeding, the age at which dairy products were introduced into the diet, and keeping a furry pet in the house had no impact on risk. Around one in five households had a pet.

However, the introduction of fish into the diet before the age of 9 months cut the risk of developing the disease by 25%. And a pet bird was also associated with a significant reduction in risk.


Contact: Rachael Davies
RDavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal

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Thought this was interesting!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/XMA-Skin-Therapy/42324546744?ref=ts

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Hi Everyone,

late night here just catching up on some stuff after a fantastic weekend away at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast. Feel so rejuvenated, things have been a little crazy here lately and nice just to get away and unwind.

Interesting thing, got back today and was looking at my scalp and it is looking really good, this got me thinking, what was it that has helped it (as I had a flare up last week) - was it the sun, the surf or just the relax so I did some digging and found this article from The British Association of Dermatoligists and thought you might like it. Have a read...

===============================================

Salt Water Baths and Eczema

The Evidence

There is no high quality evidence as yet showing that salt water baths are beneficial for atopic eczema sufferers. There is one small clinical trial from Japan which compared two different types of salt water, but we are aware of none that compares salt water versus ordinary water. However there is a lot of anecdotal evidence suggesting that salt water baths may be helpful in clearing up eczema, especially if it is oozing a lot or where secondary infection is common. A number of UK dermatologists recommend regular salt baths to their patients with atopic eczema as part of their treatment plan. It is certainly something that our team at QMC have witnessed some benefit from.

It is also a very common experience in our clinic for parents to tell us that their child's eczema improved when they swam in the sea on holiday. Although this could easily be due to the change of climate and diet etc, the swimming in the sea seems to be a particular feature that is highlighted in these conversations. Sea water is a weak antiseptic and may well have a role in reducing the secondary infection which so commonly occurs in atopic eczema. It is possible that the salt water also helps to draw out excess fluid that has accumulated in to little water blisters in the skin, as well as helping to heal any minor cuts and scratches.

We would not recommend salt water baths as a first line treatment in atopic eczema. But if you are struggling to control your child atopic eczema it may be worth trying, especially if infections are a common problem. We do not really know how strong the salt needs to be in the absence of a controlled trial (which we hope to do in the near future), but we would recommend that you try and mimic the concentration of sea water as closely as possible.

Sea salt can be quite expensive and it is important that you shop around to get the best bulk buy as you will need to use quite a lot of salt in order to get a decent concentration in the bath. It is unclear whether daily bathing or whether weekly bathing is the best and perhaps as a compromise a salt water bath twice a week could be managed by most who wish to undertake this approach to treatment. It should be emphasised that the salt water bathing is only part of the whole treatment of atopic eczema and that other treatments such as short bursts of topical steroid creams prescribed by your doctor, regular and liberal use of moisturisers and avoidance of soaps etc should be continued.

Making up the Salt Solution

You will need to use around a 20 fluid ounce jug of sea salt per 3 gallon bucket of water in order to achieve a similar concentration to sea water. It is usually easier to pour the salt into the bottom of the bucket and dissolve it in a little warm water before pouring it into the bath. Around 3 buckets will usually be enough for your child to soak in.

If your child has lots of broken skin the salt water (or indeed any type of water) can cause temporary stinging. It is important that the broken skin is first treated with steroid creams and moisturisers before introducing the bathing. If your child hates the bathing process then there is little point in persisting with it as you will simply create resentment and difficulties for applying treatment.

Summary of Key Points

• There is considerable anecdotal evidence that salt water baths may help some children with atopic eczema.
• We do not know how strong the salt water solution has to be nor how frequently the bath should be done.
• Common sense would suggest that the concentration should be similar to sea water and that bathing twice weekly or even daily during an infected episode of eczema may be beneficial.
• It is important to use sea salt and not any other types of chemical salts and to ensure that the salt is fully dissolved in warm water before pouring it into the bath. Nottingham Eczema Team 2000

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Thought this was interesting!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/XMA-Skin-Therapy/42324546744?ref=ts

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Afternoon everyone, bit of an absence of late I know.

Lots of exciting things going on here at XMA headquarters, you will hear about all of them very soon.

Just got a new page up for you to have a look at. Symptoms of Eczema

We have got our new video camera as well so we are putting together some videos for the site, if there is anything you would like to see, drop me a line at rick@xma.com.au

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

---------------------------------------------------------

http://www.facebook.com/pages/XMA-Skin-Therapy/42324546744?ref=ts

--------------------------------------------------------

Have a great weekend!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/XMA-Skin-Therapy/42324546744?ref=ts

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Part Two of Heal Your Eczema from Within was sent today. What do you think?

If you haven't seen it yet, check your inbox or you can see it online at

www.xma.com.au/antioxidants-and-eczema

Keep the feedback coming (rick@xma.com.au) - It keeps me going!

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au


Thanks everyone for all the great feedback on the heal your eczema from within article emailed out today (well, yesterday now - it's 12.35am already, gee time flys when you are having a blast!), keep it coming!

If you haven't seen it yet, check your inbox or you can see it online at

www.xma.com.au/eczema-miracle-cure

Read the article and the title will make more sense.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au


Quick update.

Getting through the new information pages on the website, slowly...

2 new pages up:

Eczema Diet
Eczema Scalp

Have a look at them and let me know what you think.

All part of our goal to become the best source of eczema information there is.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au

P.S. Would love to hear your feedback on the new pages, the site or just to say hi. Drop me a line at rick (at) xma.com.au



Monday night here in Brisbane, late night tonight getting a new email lesson ready for you all.

As you know, we always talk about your eczema treatment plan, not your eczema treatment product or miracle cream.

Tomorrow is the first in a 4 part series on healing your eczema from the inside, a crucial step in your eczema treatment plan.

Keep an eye out in your inbox.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
XMA Eczema Treatment
www.xma.com.au


Morning Everyone!

Just putting the finishing touches on today's newsletter. Keep an eye out for it in your inbox in the next few hours.

Heads up on what's in it:

• Update on new site design
• New Pricing
• Autoship Program
• Facebook Page
• Run Out on Buy 3 get 2 Free offer
• and a few other things that you will just have to wait for....
  
  

Look forward to seeing you back here soon.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
www.xma.com.au


We have put the finishing touches on our brand new autoship feature over the last few days here at XMA Skin Therapy. What is that you ask?

Well, for everyone who regularly orders XMA, we have set up what we call our autoship program which is kind of like it sounds. Your XMA is autoshipped to you every 30 or 60 days, so you no longer have to call us or jump on the website anymore to place your order saving you time. What we have also done for all autoship orders is knock off the postage, that is right, we will post your monthly order to you free of charge.

There is no minimum time frame or contract period, just a great saving in time and money each and every month.

So, head on over to our autoship page and see for yourself.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
www.xma.com.au


I know, I know. it has been awhile since I last put pen to paper (well, finger to keys anyway) and updated this blog. What's my excuse? Well I could make up all sorts of things but, truth be told, I don't have one. You know the old story of life gets in the way?

Things have been pretty crazy here at XMA headquarters, lots of things going on, some of which we can share with you, like our new design (do you like it by the way - comments to rick@xma.com.au) and others you will just have to wait and see, but some of them are pretty cool.

Anyway, this is just a quick note to let you know that I am back, and am going to be writing to this thing a lot more now. So stay tuned for more.

Until Next time!





Rick Gibson
www.xma.com.au


You would have noticed a trial over the last month or so with some new pricing with our buy 2 get 1 free or buy 3 get 2 free offers.

Well, after much deliberation we have decided they are staying, they have been very popular and the feedback we have been getting has been fantastic.

Because of the big discounts we now offer, we are also changing our postage. Australia Post has put up their post bills again and we can no longer wear it with the huge discounts we are giving so we have to start charging postage. It is not all bad news though, Express Post will now cost $5.00 which is less than it actually costs us, we will wear some of the charges.

Orders over $100.00 will be shipped express post free of charge.

Thanks for all your support

Rick


What's that you ask?

A shampoo, conditioner and body wash we are happy with.

We have spent the last 6 months testing different shampoos, conditioners and body washes to find one that we are happy with and we finally have. Completely natural and organic!

It will be added to the site over the next few days so keep an eye out for it.

I will be sending an email early next week to keep you all in the loop.

Have a good weekend.

Rick


Psoriasis seems to effect just as many people as eczema does.

We have put together a great resource page on psoriasis and psoriasis treatment

So have a look and learn more about psoriasis and how to treat it.

Rick


I got an email this week from someone looking to use XMA Skin Therapy, their question?

So tell me, why is your cream going to cure my eczema?

Well, to put it simply, it's not. If you are looking for a miracle eczema treatment, or "cure" then forget about it.

Quite simply there...

IS NO SUCH THING!

Managing your eczema is not about finding that one miracle cure, because you will never find it so stop wasting your time and money.

Eczema can be caused by a range of things, mainly

1. Environment
2. Genetics
3. Diet
4. Lifestyle

So it not about finding the next great thing from overseas to manage your eczema, it is about developing a management plan that works for you, using a combination of methods and treatments.

Over the next few posts I will explore these causes in more option and most importantly what you can do about them.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at rick@xma.com.au

Rick

I have just been surfing around the internet and have come across an interesting study. The article is from www.news.com.au and I thought you might find it interesting. I also found a link to the study on the Eczema Association Website Here

Defective skin barrier 'key to eczema'
By Katelyn John
October 17, 2006 12:11am

A DEFECTIVE skin barrier is the primary cause of eczema not environmental irritants, according to new research.

The research, to be presented today by the Eczema Association of Australasia to mark the start of Eczema Awareness Week, shows that instead of problems with allergies, tiny cracks in the skin barrier predispose some people to the atopic dermatitis.

Dr John Su from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne says the findings will revolutionise scientists' understanding of the skin disease, previously thought to have been caused by an immune reaction to allergies.

"Until now, we believed most people with eczema were having an immune reaction to some external influence," Dr Su said.

"However, this new report showed that up to 66 per cent of children with mild to moderate eczema did not actually have raised allergic antibodies.

"Rather, a key factor in developing eczema is the structure of the skin barrier and the integrity of the cells' lipids and binders.

"So we now believe that tiny cracks in the skin barrier predispose some people to eczema."

The report, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, finds that defective genes can affect normal functions of the skin, such as the shedding of dead skin and new skin replacement.

People with those defective genes shed the skin cells much faster than they should resulting in thinner skin barriers.

"People prone to eczema have a much thinner skin barrier than people with normal skin and this can be seen under a microscope, even if they do not have obvious eczema lesions," Dr Su said.

He said while thin skin barriers make people more susceptible to developing eczema, flares or lesions often first occur following the use of irritants such as soap.



The report found genetic predisposition to skin barrier breakdown combined with environmental irritants significantly increases the chance of eczema flares.

The new findings also confirm the importance of treating eczema much earlier in the cycle rather than waiting for a flare to occur, he said.

As always, the information presented from these other websites is not our opinion and we are not endorsing them in any way shape or form.




Myself and the whole team at XMA Skin Therapy would like to thank each and every one of you for your ongoing support and helping make 2007 the best year ever for us.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones the very best for Christmas and above all, stay safe.

We will be semi operational over the christmas/new year break. We will be in and out of the office so the phone might not always get answered but we will be returning messages and emails. Postage will go on the days Australia Post will take it. So you can still order.

And, good news. The 225g Jars are being picked up Thursday so all those waiting for orders, we will be shipping Friday/Saturday (we have a few to get through).

2008 promises to be even bigger for us with lots of changes happening. You will see a new look for XMA, some exciting new products including a shampoo and conditioner, and this is just the start.

We look forward to continuing to help you and your family manage your eczema.

Best Wishes and Merry Christmas

Rick & The XMA Team


Australia is currently undergoing wild weather, from heat waves and severe storms, to cold weather and rain. The only thing predictable about weather in Australia is its unpredictability!

Eczema can be difficult to manage at the best of times, let alone when you throw in weather challenges on top of that. So, what are some tips for eczema treatment in the different weather conditions?

In Warm Weather:

• Try and wear cool, light clothes made from natural fibres to avoid excess sweat and allow the skin to breath;
• Try not to cover up too much when you are sleeping, overheating causes sweat;
• Avoid strenuous exercise during hottest times or flare ups;
• Use a natural sunscreen, such as UV Natural or Soleo where possible;
• Keep the skin moisturised;
• Try an avoid soaking in water (I know this is a tough one!) but water drys the skin out;
• Some experts suggest a swim in the ocean or other natural salt water can be beneficial.

Hope that helps.

Rick


One of the great new features of the XMA Skin Therapy website is the eczema bookstore.

We have always got great feedback every time we let our newsletter readers know about eczema and psoriasis books that we have found, so we decided to set up a bookstore on the XMA website.

We have a selection of ebooks on eczema and psoriasis, hang on, what is an ebook you ask?

Simply an ebook is a downloadable book, usually in a pdf format that you get immediately instead of having to wait for it to arrive. Ebooks have really taken off in the last few years with the benefit being people with huge knowledge on a whole multitude of subjects are now publishing books that might not have otherwise.

So, why not have a look at the eczema bookstore and read about some of the books we have on offer. If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email or call one of the team.

Have a great weekend

Rick



One thing we get asked regularly here at XMA Skin Therapy is what can you do for my dry scalp.

Dry and itchy scalp comes under many names including eczema, dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis and many more. Bust basically they are all names for what appears as reddening of the skin, irritation and scaling that appears as below.

After a few days down www.xma.com.au is back up and running, with a brand new look.

We have completely redesigned the site to make it easier for you to move around.

So, let us know what you think of the new site, drop me an email at rick@xma.com.au with your feedback, good or bad and we will make the changes. After all, we are trying to make the site easier to use for you.

So, to say sorry for the site being down and to say a big thanks for sticking by XMA over the past few years, we have decided to say thank you. And what better way to say thanks than to give you a discount.

So here it is - 2 x 100g Jars, shipped to you express post - $39.97 - Save 27%.

The only catch - it is only available for the first 27 people to either order online by clicking below or call us on 1800 20 35 66

Rick

Our 225g Jars are almost back in stock...

They are just awaiting final testing now. So they should be back in for dispatch by mid next week. We are still offering our special replacement special of 3 x 100g jars for $61.95 or 3 x 125g Pump bottles for $67.95. To take us up on these offers simply call us on 1800 20 35 66.

We will also offer backorders on the 225g jars if you are happy to wait.

Thanks

Rick & The XMA Skin Therapy Team


After a few days down for maintenance, we are pleased to announce that www.xma.com.au has been relaunched with a brand new look and feel.

We have made the site much easier to use with everything you need at your fingertips including the great new XMA Newsletter that will be sent out periodically including great specials and offers for XMA Skin Therapy. You can sign up to your right.

Let us know what you think of the new website by dropping us an email to info@xma.com.au.

You will also notice this blog as a new addition to the site, our place to keep you up to date with what is going on here at XMA.

I would like to thank everyone for your patience during this time while our site was down and welcome you all back!

I Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks

Rick & The XMA Team

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