Eczema Books

A good book for beginners to the world of food allergies. Otherwise too basic with little new information.

Finally a book that gives me all the answers and then some. I checked this book out of the library, but will purchase my own to keep. The information is invaluable!

This book was easy to understand, practical and informative. I've read several books about food allergies at this point, and food allergies for dummies is the one I found to be most helpful. If you or a family member have just been diagnosed and you've looking for information. I'd definitely recommend it.

Just started reading but love this book already. Must read for those with food allergies or parents of kids with food allergies. Well worth the money.

As a grandmother of an almost 3 year old grandson, with a severe peanut/tree nut allergy, I found this book great...but sadly, not complete. What is missing? Information about products, other than food, that can cause an alergic reaction. Products, for instance, like bean bag chairs stuffed with peanut shells; certain craft items, like paint or Moon Sand, made with peanut/tree nut oils. All are dangerous and can cause a reaction by contact. To keep him as safe as possible, I DON'T BUY ANYTHING UNLESS IT HAS A CUSTOMER CARE PHONE NUMBER LISTED ON THE LABEL. Everything he eats or comes in contact with must be checked and double checked!! Hope this helps others with the same difficulty.

Gail Sangregorio

IS GREAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THE PSHYCOLOGICAL ASPECT OF THE SKIN DISEASE. YOU CAN ENTER THE MIND OF THE ILLNESS TROUGH THIS READING.

I literally couldn't put it down!

A tour de force of dermatological insight! Walker is the Freud of skin problems. Put away your corticosteroids, your emolients, your vitamen E creams! You don't need them! Read a page a day and you'll get all the help you need!

I recommend this to anyone! Whether its eczema, dermatitis, acne, rosacea, or just an itch...Walker understands you! Let him in and he can help!

I read this book within a matter of days, it's perfect for the beach or if your pennies don't stretch that far then you should read it with a box of chocolates and a glass of wine within easy reach. You will not be able to think about anything else until you have finished it, and even then thoughts will keep popping into your head.

About the best book Dr Walker has ever written. This will always be his classic masterpiece, his epitaph even.

A stunning text that delivers the scientific insight expected from a Dr Walker publication. The revelation here though, and in essence what separates this book from others, is the development of the scientist (and one time 'enfant terrible' of Psychology!) as a story teller. One hesitates to use the word genius - a term all too frequently applied in these celebrity obsessed times - but history will certainly look upon this title very favourably.

If you only read one dermatology self help book this year, then make sure that it's this one!

This book is a great book for everyone, but especially mothers-to-be. How bacteria play into our immune system is amazing. I had no idea. A must read for all physicians and pharmacists.

My son was diagnosed with severe reflux, eczema and food allergies. I have spent hundreds of hours trying to research probiotics. ALL of this information is contained right inside this powerful book. I found an absolute wealth of information and leads to help me treat my sons severe allergies. Many of the suggestions in her book have saved us time and money. And one of the most important parts is where the author helps you select a probiotic, since MUCH of what is on the market is worthless, mislabled or DEAD bacteria. People are starting to become aware of the benefits of probiotics (as other countries have known for so many years) but they are throwing their money away on products that do not even contain the strains of bacteria listed on the label or even any live bacteria at all. Although I bought the book with interest in my son's situation, there are so many other conditions discussed and I have lent this book out more times than I can count. It is also very suitable for physicians and I have had one friend use it to discuss her probiotic use during pregnancy (to prevent allergy in her baby) and I just bought another copy to give to our pediatrician (who also recommends certain reputable brands of probiotics to help treat behavioral issues) I would highly recommend this book. It will save you hundreds of hours of research and you will think of many friends and relatives who can benefit from the research it contains.

Probiotics are products containing bacteria that are beneficial to health. Digestive problems and allergies are increasing in developed countries and much of the source of these difficulties appears to lie with a poor mixture of bacteria in the intestine. Taking probiotics to remedy the imbalance is a popular approach among the general public, but very little reliable information is available.

Kelly Karpa's book remedies this by providing a readable and scientifically-sound review of current knowledge.

Dr Karpa is both a qualified pharmacist and a concerned parent, and she combines her skills to produce an admirable book. It explains the gut microflora (billions of bacteria that reside in each person's intestine) and also the evidence for probiotics improving a range of disorders.

These disorders include infectious diarrhoea (gastroenteritis, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, Clostridium difficile, traveler's diarrhoea), allergies (rhinitis, asthma, food allergies), urogenital infections (vaginitis, UTIs), and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).

An especially useful chapter is on how to select a good probiotic. There is also information on prebiotics, soluble dietary fibre that boosts numbers of one's existing beneficial bacteria.

The two chapters on the immune system are a bit heavy going for the general reader, but they both have a short summary and the chapters can be skipped without spoiling the rest of the book. Also, there is no index. But the book is well-structured with detailed Contents pages, so the absence of an index should not prove a major difficulty.

Despite these minor weaknesses, the book is invaluable for people with any of the listed chronic conditions as well as for health professionals who work with such patients.

Christina Nevada is a Godsend. She gets down to the many factors that cause eczema while keeping the average lay person in mind when describing the science behind it all. She teaches you how to modify and supplement your diet and lifestyle to fight eczema from the inside AND out. We've never had so many choices for treatment.

There is A LOT of information to take in. Try not to feel overwhelmed. You get more out of it each time you read it.

Christina has done a fabulous job of research and health ideas. Thank you so much, Christina!!! It has so much information and is a big help for anyone with this condition. Who wouldn't want to be healed? Buy this book!

Having been born with eczema, and now at 36, I thought I'd gained all the knowledge there was about this challenging skin problem. There is so much information in this book that I'd never seen before, I am thrilled to have learned several alternative ways to combat my frustrating battle with eczema. My allergies and reactions have changed over the years, and this book guided me through everything I've lived with, making me feel a lot less isolated in the world of chronic medical conditions. Thanks to this book, I have hope, which I had lost long ago. Many, many thanks, Sheena Meredith!

Having been born with eczema, and now at 36, I thought I'd gained all the knowledge there was about this challenging skin problem. There is so much information in this book that I'd never seen before, I am thrilled to have learned several alternative ways to combat my frustrating battle with eczema. My allergies and reactions have changed over the years, and this book guided me through everything I've lived with, making me feel a lot less isolated in the world of chronic medical conditions. Thanks to this book, I have hope, which I had lost long ago. Many, many thanks, Sheena Meredith!

This was a terrific book for helping a child with eczema. I found that pediatricians do not know enough, or have the time to explain how to make your child comfortable. This book offers many specific and implementable tips for helping your child.

David Atherton goes into great depth to help the reader understand some possible reasons for the eczema. He gives a very comprehensive explanation of how the body reacts to undigested proteins. I found that part to be very valuable.

However, I was very disappointed that he did not mention his opinion on nutritional supplements such as zinc, flax seed oil (Omega 3 vs Omega 6), vitamin B12 or B6, etc. He never mentioned digestive enzymes or his opinion on whether they may assist in breaking down the proteins. He never mentioned if an overgrowth of Candida Albicans in the intestines might be a cause of eczema. He never mentioned acidophilus as a supplement to help balance the flora in the intestines.

I felt that his conclusion was that children will eventually outgrow eczema and therefore, should consider using a very aggressive course of oral steroids. I hope he understands that the reason I am reading about eczema is because after 10 years of American Medicine treating only the symptom, I am looking for assistance in finding the cause. I do not want my child to suffer any repercussions later in life due to a mistake I make now. I tried Chinese Medicine, but, I guess she was one of the 40% which did not benefit from it.

This 250 page book is a valuable resource for any parent contending with infant eczema. I found the color pictures particularly helpful. Without it, I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to insist that our child be seen by a pediatric dermatologist. It turns out that he not only had eczema, but a common secondary infection that looked much like the photos in the book.

David Atherton writes this book not as a sure-fire method to eliminate the source of eczema, but as a tool for trying different tactics to alleviate the symptoms. He also takes the reader through the different stages that appear at different ages. There were several tips that I gathered from the reading, making the book well worth the $... to purchase.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS SERIOUS ECZEMA, AND YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...READ THIS BOOK. IT TELLS YOU MORE THAN ANY OTHER BOOK ON THE TOPIC...IVE READ MANY AND THIS ONE IS EXCELLENT....YOU WILL WANT TO TAKE YOUR CHILD TO ENGLAND FOR DR. ATHERTON TO TREAT HIM/HER. GET IT NOW AND GET TO EDUCATING YOURSELF...YOU WILL REGRET EVERY DAY THAT YOU DELAYED.

Dr. David Atherton is an experienced pediatric dermatologist who shares the information he has gathered over the years. Detailed medical information of the subject is provided in simple terms. He points to no one remedy for eczema in children and instead provides numerous suggestions in how best to cope with it, including natural remdies. His book has not only helped my wife and I understand our childrens' problems better, but has assured us they are most likely not permanent and will leave no emotional or physical scars.

There can be no other ailment as frustrating as eczema: any parent who has stood hopelessly by and watched their child scratch will testify to this. This book is a MUST read for any parent in that position. It covers EVERY question you ever had about the condition and more.

Did you every wonder about the following?

Why do men tend to have darker skin than women? Why do the poorest countries have the darkest people? Why do some African American celebrities seem to get lighter over time? Why do I have a tan even when I do not go out in the sun?

If so, Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color is a must read for you.

Thienna was born in Vietnam where white skin is treasured as a characteristic of beauty. Her mother, sister and brothers had a light complexion but she did not. This caused Thienna much distress.

By the time Thienna was twelve years old, her family moved to San Francisco. She tried several things to lighten her skin but it only darkened it. Thienna came to the conclusion that scientific research did not have the answer to her questions.

Since Thienna is a nutritionist, she started her quest by investigating how nutrition influences skin color. She was able to make many connections between what people eat and their skin color. As the author continued her research and experimentation, her skin color lightened. It is important to point out that she did not use any toxic or botanically based chemicals, no drugs and no steroids.

The author gives us some very interesting facts regarding Von Luschan's Chromatic Scale, the first tool used to classify skin color.

Thienna points out that melanin is the basic building block of your skin pigment; however, its characteristics make it very difficult to study.

The author states that one of the most important determinants of skin color is the amount of sulfur in the skin. If you change the amount of sulfur in the pigment producing layers of your skin, you can change the skin color.

Another factor in determining skin color is the environment.

Thienna gives the reader detailed information on selecting a diet that is good for the skin and tells us about foods and drugs we should not even touch.

Unlocking the Mystery to Skin Color is an intriguing and interesting book. It is very obvious that the author has done much research in order to be able to write this book. This book is easy to understand and gives the reader a thorough history on skin color. Throughout the book there are sections called "Warning" where the author advises the reader on what they should not do. There are several photographs, charts and lists to help the reader understand the points the author is making. The reader will also find a lists of "Dos and Don'ts" in order to have fantastic skin. Thienna backs up her research with several before and after photos of people who have been able to lighten their skin by using her method. If you are interested in changing your skin color or want more information about restoring damaged skin, this is the book for you. The author has done a thorough job in writing this book and if you ever had any questions regarding skin color, I'm sure you will find the answers here. As the author states, skin color is not fixed. Thienna gives the reader plenty to think about. I know it made me do a lot of thinking as I read this book. Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (2/08)

The first time I truly and really became aware of importance and influence of skin color was when I moved to USA 8 years ago. Growing up in Europe skin color just wasn't an issue, or at least not one that would merit more than a second's pause when one met somebody of a different race. I have to admit I never gave it much thought, and even after reading Thiênna Ho's book, I found myself quite surprised that my home country ranks among those with the absolute lightest people on the planet. Skin color was not and still is not anything that defines a person in my eyes, but unfortunately I had to learn that in certain parts of the world it truly matters enormously. Whether we like to admit it or not, life in the USA is easier if you happen to be lighter skinned. I am not going to moralize nor preach about this issue; suffice to say that I do understand why a person would want to lighten her or his skin if they could do it safely.

Thiênna Ho's "Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color" carries a long subtitle, namely "The Strictly Natural Way to Dramatically Lighten Your Skin Color Through Diet and Lifestyle." While the cover photos failed to convince me that the color change in Thiênna Ho's own case was quite this dramatic, I see absolutely nothing wrong with the diet and lifestyle changes that she recommends. All of us would benefit from eating smarter, moving more, eliminating toxins and stress from our life, taking nice long baths and indulging in massages - which are some of her tips.

It is obvious that Thiênna Ho performed an outstanding amount of research while developing her method and writing her book. Just a glance through the over 40 pages of endnotes shows the great number and diversity of sources used in writing "Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color." The book is actually quite interesting reading for the general public as well, dealing with diverse topics such as the great variety of the human skin colors, melanin, influence of sulfur on the skin color, the role of the environment as well as several chapters on nutrition and lifestyle. The surprisingly easy to read and understand style contributes to the feeling that this book should not be intimidating to anybody - it is written in such a way that a general reader can get enough useful information; and the more advanced or a professional one will find another nearly 100 pages of data, tables and sources in the appendices.

Regardless of whether you pick up "Unlocking the Mystery of Skin Color" because you truly want to lighten your complexion or out of sheer curiosity, I am certain that you will learn a lot of both useful tips and fascinating trivia about an attribute that we all posses and which oftentimes defines us - even when it should not.

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to change one's skin color?

In the Preface of her book, Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color, Vietnamese born Thiênna Ho, Ph.D asserts that she always was envious of her mother and siblings who were blessed with having been born with light complexions. Thiênna goes on to state that her complexion caused her a great deal of distress and as a result she was motivated to find out if it is possible to control one's skin color.

Unfortunately, when she was studying microbiology at San Francisco State University as an undergraduate student and genetic engineering as a graduate student, she was saddened to discover that scientific research had not reached the stage that would help her unlock the mystery of changing one's skin color. Consequently, Thiênna affirms, "if I wanted to have a beautiful fair skin, I would have to unlock the mystery myself!"

The findings presented in Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color are the results of Thiênna's extensive research in the fields of biology, chemistry, genetics and nutrition as well as her own personal observations and experiences.

Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color is divided into nine chapters wherein Thiênna explores how changes in human skin color are the result from changes in environment, diet, behavior, health, and emotional and psychological factors as stress. She further delves into such topics as the mysterious variety of human skin color, the history of skin color of our ancestors, melanin, the mysterious, molecule of skin color, the importance of sulfur and how are bodies uses sulfur, how environment affects skin color, the importance of crafting a lifestyle and diet and how it affects our skin color, what you should know about vitamins and minerals and their effect on skin color, why we should not touch photosensitizing foods and drugs, tannin and the problem with ultraviolet radiation, and finally the benefits of massage as a stress reducer and its relationship to skin color.

Thiênna contends that genetic heritage is not the all-important determinant of skin color. As she exemplifies, some dark-skinned population groups as the Lemba have for the most part European ancestry and the Papua New Guineans have mostly Asian ancestry. Moreover, Thiênna states that solar radiation does not have as important an influence on the skin color of population groups as previously believed. As Ho illustrates, if we refer to some brown- skinned groups as the Eskimo or Sami peoples, we notice that they have lived in the sunlight-deprived polar region for thousands of years, yet their skins are not exactly light.

According to Thiênna, one of the most important factors in the determination of skin color and one that is grossly overlooked is the amount of sulfur in your skin. As she points out: "When skin of any color has less sulfur available for its use, it develops a darker shade. When skin of any color has plentiful supplies of sulfur available for it use, it develops a lighter shade." Accordingly, Thiênna ardently believes that by changing the amount of sulfur in the pigment- producing layer of your skin, you can change your skin color. And in a nutshell this is the basis of Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color.

Essentially, Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color provides a road map showing how to enrich one's diet with sulfur-rich foods and how to adopt behavior patterns that will maintain high sulfur levels in order to lighten one's skin.

Thiênna asserts that after two years of practicing her method, which she calls her Natural Fairskin(tm) Method, her total body complexion lightened from a dark olive to a light olive. Her initial changes to her diet and behavior had not only evened her complexion tone throughout her body, but also naturally lightened her body including her nipples.

It should be mentioned, as indicated in the concluding chapter Lessons Learned, that the book is intended for people who want healthier complexions and not solely for those who want lighter and brighter complexions: "It is a `self-detective guide' that you can use to track down ways to undo the skin problems that concern you-in your own home without every using any drugs, toxic chemicals, or steroids."

In addition to its abundance of information, Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color also contains several interesting appendixes dealing with such topics as Van Luschan's Skin Color Scale, skin colors compared by countries, skin reflectance measurements, distribution of minerals, nitrates, and sulphates in volcanic ash, some chemical compounds released by three volcanoes, carotenoids in common foods, and common foods containing cyanogenic glycosides.

Although there are quite a few endnotes, it would have been helpful if there were references to additional reading resources as well as a bibliography, an index and suggested websites and additional reading resources.

Nonetheless, Unlocking The Mystery of Skin Color is a fascinating and accessible insight into the factors influencing skin color and should be of interest to anyone who wishes to know more about the possibility of changing its color without the use of toxic or botanically based chemicals, drugs or steroids.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

There are so many people who say there is nothing you can do, but after reading this book I feel there is some hope. Contains many suggestions, and gives several areas and methods of modification. Didn't suit my personal needs for the present, because I have a breastfed baby w/ the condition, but will work for us in the future I'm sure.

This slim volume provides a succinct and thorough exposition of the nutritional aspects of both ameliorating and curing these two skin disorders (which are not really skin disorders at all). In plain, very straightforward language, Terrass outlines the causes and cures of these pesky skin outbreaks. You may be surprised at the small size of the book, but the cogency of the information contained within makes it a non-pareil, and a sine-qua-non of healing.

This is not a book written by an amateur with a success story. Rather, Terrass is a professional with a relevant (nutritionist) background, making his knowledge available to you. He correctly explains the flawed nature of conventional approaches to these two "skin" disorders, and outlines the theory and practice of real healing. There is only one omission I can think of. There is no discussion of the important cleansing subjects discussed by Pagano and Jensen. This book focuses instead on the chemical aspects, and sets forth a case for specific dietary supplements and alterations.

I'd give this book 50 stars if I could... I was going through two large tubes of prescription medication (one immunosuppressant and one corticosteroid) every month until I read this. Now I don't need them at all! Dr. Nasir teaches dermatology at Duke University, and he explains the physiology of eczema and how the skin's barrier function is compromised. This led me to take his discussion of moisturizers seriously and I realized that the one I was using may not have been "thick" enough for my skin. So I pulled out an old container of one that I'd shelved 2 years ago because it felt too greasy and consistently applied it for two weeks and poof, no more eczema! And, BTW, my skin soaks it up in 10-15 minutes so greasiness is not really an issue. I won't mention the brand name here because I'm not sure that I'm allowed to. Also, different brands will work better for different people given that eczema is the result of the effects of about 20 genes. And if the moisturizers that you can find in any drug store won't work, Dr. Nasir recommends one that's more expensive, but available without a prescription that he says is the best moisturizer on the market today. I didn't have to go that far. Bottom line: THANK YOU DR. NASIR! AND ANYONE WITH ECZEMA, BUY THIS BOOK!

I've had eczema since I was born. At times in my life it has become severe and others it has been calmer, but reguardless always there. There really is no "eczema free", so I wish the title was not so misleading. Anyone who has had eczema for many years knows that it is and will always be a problem for them. Worring about what fabrics your wearing, making sure that everything you use is fragrance free for sensitive skin, not being able to truly ever enjoy a shower or bath or swimming, yes and worring about what you eat and drink for me its no acids or wheat, and spending thousands of dollars on dermatologists and creams and lotions and the list goes on and on...
I dont believe that most of the medicines a dematogist gives you work. I've tried many oral steroids (which leads to weight gain and a quick fix that doesnt last long), steroid and cortizone creams(which are costly and after years of using no longer work and simply leave scars),Even the all natural creams have not worked for me.Recently I even resorted to try a medicine that significantly lower your immune system. Horrible mistake! Sure my skin got better for a little while but I had a vast of other problems that occured shortly following this medicine and eventually my skin of course worsened. I started having terrible bladder problems, lumps in my [...] that had to be removed, fatigue, staff infections that turned into mrsa, all of which I accredit to the lower immune system from the medication.
So to all of you suffering from eczema or dermititis please be aware that there is no ecezma free for life as this book states, as great as that may sound. Please just be aware of that if purchasing this book. Although could be somewhat helpful if new to eczema stress makes eczema worse, and soap does irritate the skin. It is impossible to stop scratching so please understand that if you are around someone with eczema do not nag them about scratching it makes them scratch more, trust me! Please be careful when going to a dermatologist you may waste money on a quick fix that wont last, which seems like what this book offers. Try changing your diet ultimately if you have eczema you also have many allergies try not eating wheat and watching how much acid you consume. If someone has a cure let me know but this book is not it.

I learned a lot about the scientific part of eczema and how to combat it whenever possible. It would have been nice to hear the author's opinion on holistic methods or herbal treatments also.

This book is the answer to a lot of questions i had about eczema. I learned a lot of stuff about the functions of the body and the skin witch make the disease easier to understand.I finally found many tips and tricks to take over control of my skin. I'd say 2 tumbs ups! ;-)

This book could more aptly be named `What We Think We Know About Eczema & Some Things That Might Help You'. There is some interesting information however this is just another doctor who thinks an Eczema rash is CAUSED by scratching. Those of you that have Eczema know that while scratching makes it worse, the bumps or rash itself comes first.

While I did find a number of his suggestions worth trying [such as washing with oatmeal rather than soap & eliminating B-complex] I found some completely insane like taking a bath in diluted Clorox!

The book is worth reading if you don't know much about Eczema but I caution parents to do further research by talking to someone that HAS Eczema. Some of these ideas can make your child's rash much worse. And the ever present push from western medicine doctors to give you cortisone, then when it doesn't work - stronger cortisone, just hasn't helped me at all - not to mention the side effects & potential birth defects it can cause.

I also don't agree that Eczema has nothing to do with what you eat. There is a lot of information out there about the benefits of Essential Fatty Acids [Omega 3.6.9] to those with eczema. This has been a far more helpful to me & my infant son. You might also want to consider allergy tests. [There are also foods that are irritants that you may need to hold off on during a flare up.] When your system is stressed common sense tells you that it all has something to do with why your Eczema is flaring. Remember Eczema is a symtom not the problem.

The best book I have read on eczema is:
Superimmunity for Kids : What to Feed Your Children to Keep Them Healthy Now, and Prevent Disease in Their Future (Paperback)
by Leo Galland, Dian Dincin Buchman
Superimmunity for Kids is a much better book for adults or children with eczema. After reading the Superimmunity book I wanted to lower the number of stars I gave for this review but it wouldn't let me.