That's Fit

If you'd describe your sleep lately as "crappy," you have no idea how correct you are in your word choice. That's because, on average, ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow is attributable to dust mites and their droppings.

Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen, we're sleeping on crap. And, it's not just on our pillows that mites seem to enjoy so much; mattresses are veritable party clubs for dust mites, gathering anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million of these tiny suckers inside. What is it these intrepid invaders want from us? Our dead skin. You're feeling itchy right now just thinking about it, aren't you?

Because dust mites are responsible for many cases of asthma, eczema, and many allergy problems, it's a good idea to either replace your old bed and pillow or wash them thoroughly with hot water as often as you can.

Based on a six-year study of 9,000 children, German researchers have stated that having dogs may reduce a child's risk of developing allergies. In theory, exposure to pet-related allergens builds ups a child's immunity and helps reduce risk of allergies, asthma, eczema, and hay fever.

The study used parents' answers on detailed surveys from birth to age six. Blood samples were also taken from a number of participants to test for antibodies in the blood stream.

The same protective effect was not noted in children with repeated exposure to dogs, but without dogs in their home.

Listen up, parents and parents-to-be: Protecting your kids against allergies, asthma and eczema can be as easy as watching what you feed them -- recent studies are showing that feeding a child only organic milk, cheese and yogurt can reduce their chances of developing any of those conditions early on in life. And the same goes for growing fetuses -- mom's should try to eat only organic dairy whenever possible.

Studies have found a significant difference between kids who eat conventional dairy and organic dairy, but the difference only accounted for kids who ate only organic -- those who ate some organic and some regular dairy showed the same results as those who didn't eat any organic at all.

This confirms what I've suspected for a while -- that organic really is better for you. What do you think? Do you eat organic?

Where I live in Canada, we have yet to be exposed to a Whole Foods store, despite being one of the biggest cities in the country (pleeeeease, can we have a store?) So I don't know what things they carry and have to rely on word-of-mouth for some product recommendations.

Anyway, we received a tip from reader Janine about Paul's Organic Soap, and it's not the first time I've heard the name before. She says with her sensitive skin, it's one of the only soaps she can use, including other organic soaps. If you're suffering from sensitive, itchy skin and have a Whole Foods store near you, give it a try. As an eczema sufferer, I know how hard it is to find something that works well for you.

Have you tried it?

We all have skin issues, and we all spend a lot of money and use a lot of chemicals trying to get rid of them. Summertime is especially hard on the skin with sunburns and bug bites on top of year round issues like breakouts and eczema, leaving your medicine cabinet full of tubes and ointments for everything you can think of. But did you know you might be able to do away with many of them just by heading to the kitchen when you need something? By combining simple ingredients you might already have you can not only treat issues like cold sores and blisters successfully, but in an all natural way.

Read this article for home remedy ideas you probably would have never thought of on your own, like using apple-cider vinegar on a sunburn or taking digestive enzyme pills to help heal eczema.

If you have an important skin issue, like acne, an eczema flare-up, or even a suspicious-looking mole or freckle, good luck getting in to see a dermatologist. A recent experiment by researchers in California confirmed what many have suspected for years: there just aren't enough dermatologists available to meet the rising demand. The researchers called around to make appointments for a "changing mole," and in the vast majority of cases were given really long wait times -- upwards of one to two months. They attribute the shortage to a general increase in patients seeking care and treatment for skin issues (everything from skin cancer to Botox injections) as opposed to fewer dermatologists on the scene.

On the good side -- the health care field just keeps getting better and better as far as career opportunities go.

If you suffer from eczema, I don't envy you. It runs in my family and while I've been lucky with my skin, several relatives of mine struggle with the dreaded condition that leaves them itchy and uncomfortable and prevents them from using so many products on their sensitive skin. But according to this, eczema might not simply be a skin disorder -- it may be symptomatic of something bigger such as a food sensitivity or allergy. That leads to the question: just what role does one's diet play in eczema? Exclusion diets can often give answers as to what foods, if any, trigger or improve the skin condition, but in the meantime, it's best to talk to your doctor. Of course, maintaining a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle should help if you don't already.

I'm interested in hearing from Eczema suffers -- have you found that certain foods have contributed to your symptoms?

We've all watched the TV news specials that show us highly amplified images of the microscopic creatures that live on our skin. If those shows make your skin crawl, you might not want to read any further. Researchers, who now have better technology available to them than in the past, say that over 200 different species of bacteria flourish on our skin's surface and that 8% of them found were previously unidentified.

Calling it a "virtual zoo of bacteria," researchers in the study say we all may have our own personalized collection. Before you run off to the shower with a loofah, remember that those teeny hitchhikers are mostly friendly and are doing your skin a favor. In fact, with today's showers lined with special skin cleansers and chemically laden products, we may be doing more damage than good to our skin with our daily personal hygiene routines. (It also makes me wonder about antibacterial products and what they do to the friendly bacteria living on our skin.)

Experts hope to use this finding to learn more about what causes skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis and to develop techniques to treat them.

Yep, you read that right. Hot water with honey and lemon. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Bland perhaps? Faceless when compared with its flashier cousin tea? Paltry when compared with its biggest rival, coffee? Well, perhaps. But this combo stands on its own, and I can promise if you try it you'll be surprised just how enjoyable it truly is.

This concoction made its way into my life several times. My husband, who was seeing an acupuncturist for eczema, a condition affecting the epidermis in the form of a red, itchy rash that can form all over your body, brought home a bunch of lemons along with some other more questionable items from the local Chinese grocer. The acupuncturist suggested having at least a cup a day of hot water with lemon -- lots and lots of lemon, as much, in fact, as my husband could tolerate -- in conjunction with some other recommendations in order to cure his eczema.

Never one in favor of caffeine, and even less a fan of our homemade coffee, I decided to join my husband in his morning ritual of imbibing a cup of steaming hot water with lemon. It sounded bland, it sounded boring, but at least it was something different.

It took several trisd before I figured out the preferable lemon juice to water combination but once I did I was shockingly hooked. It really wasn't that bad. In fact, it was rather uncomplicated and soothing, like having a hot beverage when you feel ill to make yourself feel better only without the illness.

After a short time, I decided that since I was treating myself rather than eczema, I would experiment by adding other flavors, such as mint and even orange peel. These and other tastes were good, but the best combo proved to be a touch of honey. And I do mean a touch. Honey is better than sugar, yes, but it's still sugar, just in another form. So sample gingerly from the honey jar.

I tend to use organic lemons and organic honey, or at least honey from local farms. Right now I'm hooked on clover honey but have a feeling that one I saw infused with lavender might be just the ticket for these cold winter months.

Although I don't have eczema, I've noted other benefits of this drink that can be enjoyed by all. It has no caffeine, virtually no calories, and offers some vitamin C from the citrus. Depending on your tolerance for lemon juice, it might be a drink you could enjoy throughout the day, although I limit my intake to one strong cup in the morning simply because I am not at all sure how much lemon juice is good for a person. I also noted one online source citing this drink as an all-natural cure for the common cold and flu and another vegetarian source citing it as a digestive tonic. Again, whether or not these theories have been proven is debatable (as are most things these days) but my philosophy is that it's all natural, so it can't hurt.

In case you were wondering, my husband's eczema cleared up. Whether or not it had to do with the hot water with lemon and honey is anyone's guess, but it was an enjoyable experiment.