Getting rid of the itch

> An immune-regulating probiotic has been found to be able to improve incidences of moderate to severe eczema

Eczema is one of the presentations of an atopic disorder, one of the three atopic disorders of the atopic triangle.

The atopic march shows a link between atopic dermatitis (eczema), allergic rhinitis (sensitive nose / hay fever) and asthma. These three atopic disorders are in fact rooted in a common cause – namely a hypersensitive immune system.

The prevalence of atopic eczema is about 20% in Malaysia and Singapore. Atopic eczema is a chronic condition that burdens both the individual and family members as they have to struggle with time-consuming treatment regimens for the disease, as well as dietary and household changes.

Various moisturisers are available which is centred on rehydrating the skin and preventing it from over-drying.

This is important as dry skin will trigger the scratching sensation which would then lead to a viscious cycle of scratching, damaged skin barrier, infections and worsening of eczema.

However, when it comes to addressing abnormalities within the immune system, the options are few.

Lactobacillus fermentum PCC (PCC in short) is an immuneregulating probiotic which has been found to be able to improve incidences of moderate to severe eczema.

Clinical studies performed on this particular strain of probiotic sourced from Denmark shows that PCC helped improve eczema in 92% of patients over a course of eight weeks.

The term probiotics is a general term refering to various nonpathogenic bacteria which confer health benefits to humans.

There are various strains of probiotics which help with the digestive tract, but very few help modulate the immune system, and fewer still have been shown to be clinically effective against eczema.

PCC from Denmark is a trusted probiotic strain which has been rigorously tested and which satisfies all the requirements of an immune-regulating probiotics adhering to all of the strict standrads set by the FAO/WHO panel.

Lee was recommended PCC by her community pharmacist who noticed her frequently filling up her steroid cream prescriptions.

Lee discovered over the weeks that her baby’s eczema gradually settled down.

Now, months later, she notes how the days in-between the flareups are much longer than before, her recovery much quicker, and her baby is less fussy.

This article is brought to you by the Nuvaceuticals Division of Nuvanta Sdn Bhd. For more, call 03-5636 3758 or 1300 88 1712 or e-mail: pharmacist@nuvanta.com