Hygiene obsession bad for atopy
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By Lee Sung-hun
Here in Korea, where winter is always cold and dry, it becomes difficult to keep atopic dermatitis under control.
Atopy — the word originates from a Greek word meaning “out of place” or “unusual” — refers to certain hereditary allergic hypersensitivity to food or airborne particles. Allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis can also be classified as a type of atopic syndrome.
Generally known as a childhood illness, atopic syndrome displays symptoms in patients around the age of five and most symptoms dissipate by the age of 12 or 13. But in recent years, adult onset atopic syndrome is increasing. Although such adult patients have usually had atopy as children, it is possible for adults to suffer from the illness for the first time.
Adult onset can be attributed to overwork and stress — irregular life patterns that cause a drop in the vital organs’ functionality and immunity.
Symptoms differ for adult onset and typical childhood cases. Childhood atopic symptoms generally include reddish dermatological blots or inflammations.
In contrast, adult onset atopic symptoms have reached a chronic stage where the skin coloration becomes more permanent and the skin becomes thicker. Also, symptoms may appear in the regions that usually are unaffected in childhood such as armpits, around the nipples and hands and feet.
In adult onset atopic syndrome, the itchiness can be so severe that the patient cannot continue with normal daily work because of his or her focus on the treatment.
Treatment itself is difficult because the patient will have to change lifelong diet habits along with daily routines. In addition, the symptoms tend to be chronic and thus treatment can take much longer. It is therefore recommended that such patients seek help from a dermatologist or an Oriental doctor who specializes in atopy.
Some adult patients, without consulting a doctor, use steroid topical ointments or other medications that they used in their childhood. This should be avoided in all cases, because using such treatments without a professional prescription may worsen the symptoms in the long run.
Oriental medicine classifies the matter in five phases: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In such classifications, the skin falls in the metal category along with the lungs, nose and hair. Clinical experience has shown that patients with skin ailments tend to suffer from other illness of the respiratory organs.
Oriental treatments for atopic syndrome address deviations in the qi in the internal organs. Especially, to remove the dry skin, treatments are administered to moisten the lungs, tone the blood, clear heat and detoxify.
To prevent atopy, care must be taken in normal daily routines. If the root cause is determined to be an allergic antigen associated with a particular food group, such foods must be clearly identified as well as other foods that may contain the specific protein.
Quite often, milk, eggs and other dairy products tend to be the allergic antigen-containing foods, and if you do show clear allergic reactions to such food groups, they must be avoided. However, as proper nutrition is critical to treating atopic syndrome, a balanced diet is important even while avoiding allergy-inducing foods.
Airborne allergic antigens that can cause atopic dermatitis include dust mites, animal hair and dander. Atopic patients and their families should maintain an appropriate humidity level in the house while looking out for and preventing such elements by washing linens in high temperatures and reducing contacts with pets from other households. Indoor air should be ventilated frequently.
Recently, the “hygiene hypothesis” has arisen to explain that living in too clean an environment can lower the body’s immunity and induce atopy. Our immune system needs external stimulation in order to strengthen.
However, when the environment is maintained too hygienically, even the slight stimulation can tip the reaction in a severe manner.
It is ironic that to avoid atopy, we need to maintain a clean house, and yet overly doing so can cause atopy. However, as it is true that too much hygiene can weaken our immune system, like everything else, moderation is the key.