Eczema Bulletin, Issue #026 - Is There a Connection Between ADHD and Eczema?
Welcome to September's edition of the Eczema Bulletin e-zine, and thank you for subscribing.
This is the 26th edition of Eczema Bulletin. It will bring you articles and news about eczema, and also any updates to what-is-eczema.com. If you would like to add any suggestions for articles or news, or even add your own then I would love to hear from you
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This month's Eczema Bulletin includes
- September's Featured Article – Is There a Connection Between ADHD and Eczema
- My favourite eczema news article
- Tip of the Month
- 5 Ways To.....prepare an eczema helpful school bag
Is There a Connection Between ADHD and Eczema?
Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects between 5-8% of school-aged children, and up to 4% of adults. And these figures seem to be rising.
There have been a few reports about whether there is a connection between ADHD and eczema.
If you're the parent of a child with eczema, especially severe eczema, you will know that when they have a flare up it can definitely affect your child's behaviour.
One of the main reasons for this seems to be a lack of sleep. Night times can be the most difficult time when you have eczema. The itchiness can make it so difficult to sleep. This can be made worse by getting hot in bed or because of what is worn in bed.
We all know that when we don't get enough sleep it can make us grumpy! When children feel tetchy they let you know. So they may be seen to be just misbehaving.
Another issue for children with eczema is they can feel anxious, especially if they have been on the end of
bullying. Even just thoughtless comments or being stared at can make them feel stressed.
This is where there may be a fine line between a child being angry or stressed because they are tired or anxious, or because they suffer from ADHD.
Children with ADHD can feel stressed and suffer from anxiety. It is also known that stress can cause eczema to flare up. It's not the root cause, but if your child has eczema then the symptoms may worsen. Because of this there may be a connection to eczema and ADHD if your child suffers with both.
The reasons that children develop eczema and ADHD are deep rooted. Stress doesn't cause eczema to develop, and anxiety doesn't cause ADHD to develop.
If your child suffers from both then I'd suggest that you treat them separately. You may find that once the eczema clears the anxiety reduces. Or when the anxiety of ADHD subside then the inflammation of eczema may reduce.
I'd love to hear
about your experiences of eczema and ADHD. I'll be happy to share them as they may help other parents dealing with both conditions.
Eczema News Article
A little boy from Watertown, Tennessee, Braydon Brown, suffers from severe eczema and a rare form of Job's Disease (a condition that mainly affects the immune system)
He wears socks on his hands, and has pads on his arms to stop him scratching which restrict his movement.
His bath-time routine is not simple. It takes an hour after his bath to apply creams, and to put 2 pairs of pyjamas on him.
He has seen a few doctors in Tennessee but none of them specialise in eczema. He has been recommended to visit specialists in Denver. The trouble is the insurance doesn't cover the treatments needed.
To help there have been some fundraisers planned to raise the $26,000 needed.
If you live in the area please look out for any if the events, and go along and show your support. You can read more about his story here
Good luck to Braydon and his family, I hope you smash the target :)
Tip Of The Month - The Benefits of Zinc
There have been reports that have said that adult eczema sufferers tend to be deficient in zinc, as well as some of the other minerals.
Zinc has some great benefits for eczema:
- It helps to heal the skin. Very important when the skin has been damaged from scratching
- Protects the skin from toxins. Can reduce irritation and any damage done by the toxins
- Affects the immune system. An over-active immune system can make the systems of eczema, especially skin inflammation, worse. Zinc helps to stable the immune system, so reducing the symptoms
- Help produce essential fatty acids (EFA). EFA's are known to benefit our skin, and help eczema because of their anti-inflammatory properties
You only need a small amount of zinc each day. Men need around 11mg a day. Women need around 8mg. The amounts that children need differs depending on their age, but is between 2mg a day and 8mg. So if you can add certain foods to your
diet it may go a long way to make sure that you're getting enough.
Some of the best food sources of zinc include
- oysters
- beef
- almonds
- beans
- lentils
There is also the option of taking a zinc supplement. I'd always say to try and get your daily recommendation from your diet. But if you're not a fan of zinc rich foods then a supplement may be the best way to make sure that you're getting enough.
What else do you send your child to school with that helps to manage or treat their eczema?
