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Olive oil eases eczema

By Joe & Terry Graedon
Joe and Terry Graedon
Joe and Terry Graedon are authors of The People's Pharmacy book and host an award-winning health talk show on public radio.

Q. My daughters both suffer from eczema. My older daughter had it on her hands starting when she was 1. It was so bad that her skin started to bleed and crack. My youngest daughter has it behind her knees, behind her ears, in the bend of her arms and the inside of her thighs.

My great-grandmother, who is 101 and raised nine children, told me to mix olive oil in plain lotion. I got scent-free baby lotion and mixed in extra-virgin olive oil. We applied it after the morning bath, in the middle of the day and at bedtime.

It was amazing. After just two weeks, the eczema was gone. It’s been nine months on this routine and they are still doing well.

Grandmothers and great-grandmothers are such a wonderful resource. Clearly, the olive oil works well as a moisturizer for your girls.

Another grandmother wrote us about this approach to eczema: “My granddaughter has had eczema forever. She tried everything for relief but still suffered. I sent her your article and a box of oolong-tea bags. She just wrote me from college that the eczema is gone and her skin is normal after four weeks of drinking oolong tea!”

Japanese researchers reported on the benefits of oolong tea for eczema many years ago.

Write to Joe and Terry Graedon at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

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