NUMMULAR OR DISCOID DERMATITIS
The word nummular comes from the Latin term ‘nummus’ meaning coin. An appropriate name for the condition, as it presents itself as stubborn coin shaped lesions and can look like ring worm infection. The lesions are red, inflamed and scaly. They are often accompanied by vesicular eruptions or blisters. The lesions are usually wide spread on the arms and legs. They sometimes appear on the trunk and buttocks as well. It can affect anyone especially if they have excessively dry skin. It is worse in the winter season, low humidity, during times of emotional stress.Classic causes are :
Chemical Irritants- This category can be vast as your body can come into contact with numerous chemical irritants on a daily basis. This can be wash powders, soaps, dyes etc...
EFA's deficient- A serious deficiency in Essential Fatty Acids
Metal toxicity - An external metal toxicity i.e. Nickel and internal metal imbalances i.e. Copper
Secondary bacterial infection
If you have excessively dry skin then supplement with silica.
Treatment Options:
Try to determine if there is anything that your hands may be coming into contact with that is "toxic". Start with the more severe items like household chemicals and detergents.
If your diet is constantly looking for "low fat" products and your diet comprises little fat especially olive and fish oils, this is an area you should seriously consider changing.
Internal metal toxicity is difficult to test for as the smallest amounts are difficult to detect but can cause havoc with your health. Research has shown a strong correlation between copper deficiencies in the skin mantle of eczema patients. Supplementing with copper can be dangerous as we require very small amounts, but it is better to determine what is causing the imbalance i.e. too high a level of another metal.
Rule out secondary bacterial infections, especially if you have open cuts and sores. An excellent way to contain this is by applying colloidal silver using a spray bottle or a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide.
Treatment
Use a non petrochemical based emollient to help with the dry and itchy skin.
Only wash with a natural soap that has no chemical or perfume additives for example the Dermaphend Liquid Soap (other soaps will further irritate the skin)
Supplements:
Supplement with Omega-3 and GLA (gamma lipoic acid).
The only Omega-3 we recommend is one derived from fish.
Cod liver oil is also an excellent choice.
An excellent metal detoxifier called Chlorella, should also be considered