The constant itching associated with neuromdermatitis (also called atopic dermatitis or endogenous eczema) is grueling, but those affected can actively help themselves to achieve an improvement in symptoms even without medication. A combined therapy for neurodermatitis that takes into account both psychological aspects – i.e. helping the patient to relax and reduce stress, which promotes the disease – and a change in lifestyle can help. Nutrition plays an important role here, along with skin care – both in the development of atopic dermatitis and in its therapy.
Prevention is better than cure
Especially parents who are neurodermatitis or allergy sufferers themselves, or parents who already have a child with allergies, should take preventive measures against neurodermatitis (endogenous eczema). The most important contribution to prevention in a child at risk of neurodermatitis can be made by the mother by breastfeeding her baby. The intestinal mucosa of a newborn is more permeable to allergens than that of an adult, which makes it easy for allergies to occur, especially in the first months of life, when the infant is exposed to too many “foreign” proteins. For this reason, mothers of neurodermatitis-prone infants should exclusively breastfeed for four to six months. However, there is evidence that sometimes even breast milk can pass on allergenic proteins to the baby. For this reason, a low-allergen diet for the mother during the breastfeeding period may help to prevent neurodermatitis or atopic dermatitis. Allergenic foods in this case are:
- Cow’s milk
- Fish
- Nuts
- Eggs
However, this should be done only in consultation with the doctor and taking into account the nutritional needs of mother and child. If necessary, for example, iodine and calcium supplements should be administered to avoid deficiency symptoms.
Neurodermatitis: prevention during the breastfeeding period.
In the event that the mother cannot breastfeed, she should freeze expressed breast milk (if it is only for a short period of time) or, if she cannot breastfeed for a longer period of time, use hypoallergenic infant formula (additional statement HA on the packaging). This is mostly made from cow’s milk protein, which is broken down into its building blocks, the amino acids, and is therefore less allergenic than infant formulas made from conventional cow’s milk or soy protein. From the fourth to sixth month, the introduction of complementary foods can be started. Here, a simple rule applies: try a maximum of one new food every week, which is initially given peeled and cooked. If symptoms of neurodermatitis appear, the last “tried” food is omitted again until the symptoms subside. In the first year of life, foods with a high allergenic potential should also be omitted altogether, for example
- Cow’s milk
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Fish
- Soy products
- Nuts
If the disease has already occurred
There is no special diet for atopic dermatitis. Only foods that have been proven to cause intolerance reactions in the particular neurodermatitis patient should be omitted. Rigid dietary prescriptions (for example, completely without animal protein) can lead to deficiency symptoms and have irreversible consequences, especially in children.
Neurodermatitis: recognizing causes
To find out which foods are not tolerated in the context of neurodermatitis (endogenous eczema), the doctor can perform various tests:
- First, there are skin tests, such as the prick test, in which a drop of allergen solution is applied to the skin of the forearm and pricked at that site with a needle. In the rub test, a fresh food is rubbed on the skin of the forearm.
- On the other hand, there are laboratory tests in blood and urine, which can give indications of possible food allergies.
Unfortunately, none of these tests is 100 percent reliable, which is why patients mostly have to try out for themselves what suits them and what does not. In this regard, search diets can be carried out in collaboration with a doctor and a dietician to locate the discomfort-triggering foods in connection with atopic dermatitis.
Neurodermatitis: what else can help
In many patients, the administration of evening primrose or borage oil can lead to an improvement in the symptoms of neurodermatitis. These oils contain gamma-linolenic acid, which can have a positive effect on the disease. In contrast, studies have not yet been able to clearly prove that the administration of fish oil helps with neurodermatitis (atopic dermatitis). The diet for atopic dermatitis should be balanced, with all foods that are tolerated. This means (if these foods do not cause allergies) eating dairy products as much as possible every day, lots of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, fish once or twice a week, and meat and sausages no more than two or three times a week. Vegetable fats with polyunsaturated fatty acids should be preferably consumed (for example sunflower oil or olive oil). It is better to avoid foods whose composition is not precisely known. If fruits and vegetables are not well tolerated, briefly steaming them can increase their tolerability in atopic dermatitis.
