Eczema is a skin condition presenting as dry, itchy, and sometimes oozing patches on skin. According to Western medicine, eczema is an inflammatory disease caused by certain triggers such as dry weather, clothing material, certain ingredients in personal care products, or emotional triggers. Eczema belongs to a group of skin diseases called dermatitis; treatment is focused on managing symptoms using steroids in topical creams or internally to manage inflammation. Long term medication with steroids comes with side effects such as increased appetite leading to weight gain, acne, mood swings, and muscle atrophy. 
Ayurvedic texts describe a skin condition called Vicharchika that is analogous to dermatitis. The root cause for the disease is linked to improper digestion of food. Thus the main principles of eczema management in Ayurveda are those of proper diet and eating habits. This is the key difference between the Western and Ayurvedic methods for managing the disease. The advantage of following a diet centric approach to managing eczema is that it has minimal side effects. This guide outlines Ayurvedic and skincare principles to manage eczema with the disclaimer that I am not a medical professional and do not guarantee medical results. Rather, it is my intention to provide information on Ayurvedic lifestyle principles to use as you see fit.  

All major Ayurvedic texts (Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridayam, Sushruta Samhita) point to improper diet as the root cause of Vicharchika. Improper diet includes:

• Improper food combinations leading to Improper digestion of food - Agni mandya 
• Excessive consumption of sour foods, including yogurt
• Excessive consumption of heavy, cold and sweet foods such as dairy products, fried foods, raw foods, and processed foods

​Improper food combinations
There is a laundry list of foods which cannot be combined per Ayurveda. Improper food combinations weaken the digestive fire over time causing weak Agni which is the root cause of all diseases per Ayurveda. It can be very stressful to break this down into what is OK to eat and what is not if you're new to Ayurveda. But if you distill things down to the essentials, we can arrive at some simple guiding principles.

General eating principles

• Eat only when hungry. Food must be completely digested before eating the next meal. It takes a few hours for digestion to complete. Frequent snacking, drinking (other than hot water), or having more than three meals a day are strongly discouraged in Ayurveda. 
• We generally eat a diet we are used to. For example, vegetarian diet, pescatarian diet, eating specific foods for breakfast, etc. Changes to the diet must be introduced slowly, even if it is perceived to be a highly beneficial change. Abruptly changing our diet can cause more harm than good. 
• Eat per the season. Eat hot, cooked foods in fall/winter; cooling foods in summer. Minimize ice cream, cold water, salads, dry foods (cereal bars, crackers, nuts etc.) in winter. Minimize sour and hot/spicy foods year around if you suffer from eczema. 
• The following foods can be safely combined:

1. Veggies and meat 
2. Veggies and grains
3. Lentils and beans with grains
4. Oils, butter, or ghee with lentils, beans, veggies, and grains

• If you're combining anything other than what's listed above, be thoughtful. An incompatibly combined meal once in a while is OK. Repeated consumption of incompatible foods lead to impaired Agni over time. The worst food combinations that lead to improper digestion are:

1. Milk with anything other than some cooked grains. Cereal, cooked grains with milk are OK.  Combining milk with fruit (smoothies), eating cookies with milk (yeast containing products should not be combined with milk), salty or sour snacks with milk, meat and veggies with milk are considered improper combinations. 
2. Yogurt, cheeses, and paneer are considered to be unwholesome per Ayurveda. People with eczema should minimize consumption of these foods. Buttermilk is wholesome, so substitute yogurt with buttermilk. Yogurt should never be consumed at night. 
3. Eat fruit alone; no smoothies, or fruit yogurt. Avoid high acid fruit - citrus fruit, all sour fruit, pineapple etc. 
4. Don't combine animal and plant protein. 
5. Go easy on nightshades - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and chili peppers in particular. 

In addition,

• Minimize all sour foods, including fermented foods like soy, yogurt, citrus fruit, sour fruit, and vinegar. 
• Drink organic pomegranate fruit juice in winter and coconut water in the summer. 

Skincare guidance:
​Skincare products cannot address the root cause of eczema. They can certainly help control the symptoms. Or they may aggravate the condition if they contain certain ingredients. These are typically fragrances and some preservatives like phenoxyethanol. Look out for these in any of your personal care products and get rid of them asap. Less is more when it comes to products. Some general rules for personal care products and skincare:

• No fragrances. Even natural plant oils like lavender etc. can be irritating. Includes deodorants. 
• Use fresh, unpreserved skincare. Anything you buy from the store containing water (body washes, lotions, serums) have preservatives that will kill the skin's microbiome and further aggravate eczema. Saroya Natural's Resuscitate Serum is a safe alternative without any harsh preservatives. 
• Use a body oil and a cream. Creams are mostly water, wax, and a bit of oil. They prevent water loss from the skin’s surface. Oils penetrate the skin barrier and are more nourishing. Use pure olive oil or sunflower seed oil followed by the cream. 
• Get rid of soapy body washes or soaps that remove the body’s natural sebum. Ayurveda advocates the use of powder cleansers made of grains, lentils, and herbs. Saroya Natural's Creamy Pomegranate Bliss body wash not only preserves the skin's sebum instead of stripping it like most body washes and soaps, but also has beneficial herbs targeted to manage eczema. ​

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