Well? Disappointing Response

[Guest guest]

Hi

I have been reading the responses that you received to your request

for advice re weak steroid creams. I agree with the general opinion

that, although these creams give relief in the short term, one can

become dependent on them and, even though they are weak in comparison

with the stronger ones, using them regularly for years may not be

such a good idea especially for someone with rosacea.

If you do decide to stop the cream, it might be an idea to wean

yourself off gradually using other, perhaps more natural, remedies

every alternate day maybe at first. So, an idea would be to

alternate the steroid cream with a more natural cream each day and

gradually reduce and discontinue the steroid cream over a period of

time.

A couple of years ago I saw a programme on breakfast television where

a doctor, who was also a naturopath, was talking about eczema and he

said that the best and most efficacious natural ingredients to be

included in a topical application for eczema were aloe vera,

chamomile and licorice. He had found these to be extremely good in

replacing the use of hydrocortisone creams in babies and children

with eczema.

Some time ago I read an article in the Daily Mail in which a mother

said that she had mostly replaced the hydrocortisone she was using

for her son's eczema with a cream called Allergenics and she only now

used the hydrocortisone very rarely in acute exacerbations. I have

seen the Allergenics range in Holland & Barrett and other health food

shops. Interestingly it contains aloe vera and licorice. It also

contains borage oil which is a well known remedy for eczema.

Dr Sy mentioned recently a study in which babies were treated with

topical sodium cromoglycate for eczema with good results and no known

side effects so this might be another idea. It is available as a

nasal spray - Nasalcrom or Rynacrom - over the counter. Recently

another member posted about successfully using it for itchy hive-like

bumps.

There may be other remedies that you can find yourself to gradually

replace the use of the steroid cream if this is what you would want

to do. You then wouldn't have the extra worry about possibly causing

more damage in the long-term. Let's face it, with rosacea, we don't

need these extra stresses.

Hazel