The cause of chronic eczema - A Vicious Circle
Dr Peter Norén says...
"Take time to understand The Vicious Circle that has caused your chronic eczema before you learn habit reversal"
The Combined Approach is a treatment programme. For best results it needs to be followed in stages - no short cuts! In the clinic-based format, the handbook is best used in its three parts separately - only move on to the next part when the homework of the previous stage has been completed. In the self-help format, follow the instructions on pages 17-18 of The Eczema Solution: the book is structured as a series of steps similar to a series of clinic visits.
In the diagram above, from part one of the handbook, and on page 16 of The Eczema Solution, the main elements of The Vicious Circle are arranged to show how they interact. See how dry skin and eczema, and itching and scratching interact, while dry skin, eczema and scratching all lead to itching. Most importantly see that scratching leads to more eczema, not only the chronic eczema caused by friction....
...but also more acute eczema in atopic skin: this is because chronic atopic eczema is unstable and more sensitive to the triggers of acute ecezma.
The first week of homework is essential to success. Use of the hand tally counter and registration of all scratching episodes, with a record made of all scratchy situations, is the essential awareness training required before learning habit reversal. Finish this important mapping out process before you go on to change things.
No short cuts!