[Review] How Shiruto and Aulora Kodenshi socks helped my son's eczema
Health & Wellness Wednesday, February 10, 2021
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| The state of L's arms during his eczema flares in 2020 |
Eczema is very common and I read that there are seven types of eczema - atopic
dermatitis is the most common form. It usually begins in infancy or childhood
but can develop at any point in a person's lifetime.
In Singapore, it is estimated that about
one in 10 adults suffer from atopic dermatits and up to a quarter of the
cases show a moderate-to-severe form of the condition. It is reported that eczema is also the top condition seen at the National
Skin Centre with more than 18,000 cases seen in 2017.
What are some common symptoms of eczema?
Symptoms include dryness, redness and intense itchy rashes on the skin. These
rashes are commonly found on the face, knees, hands or feet. It may affect
other areas too. When the itch gets really bad, the person might scratch it
until it bleeds, making eczema worse.
Very often, people with eczema often have allergies and asthma too. I have
allergic rhinitis since young and I had asthma during my childhood too. I
often had to "sit out" from PE lessons during my primary school days and could
only look longingly at my class.
What are the causes of eczema?
The exact cause of eczema is not known but researchers know that this is a
result of genetic and environmental triggers. For me, heat and dust will
trigger tiny itchy bumps on my thighs and arms.
Researchers also know that people with eczema have a highly sensitive immune
system which reacts to even the smallest allergens. This leads to the immune
cells causing inflammation internally while itching and rashes occur on the
skin surface.
The itching leads to scratching, which further weakens the skin and allows
more foreign substances like bacteria to enter the body and increases the risk
of infection. The vicious cycle continues.
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| Eczema behind the knees |
Eczema management
Sadly, there is no cure for eczema yet. The most commonly given advice to me
is to moisturise the skin. Moisturise consistently and liberally throughout
the day to replenish the skin barrier while it heals. For moisturisers, I've
learnt over the years that it's a hit-and-miss affair. What works for others
may not work for self. I've had best results with QV and Cetaphil, as well as
Theraplex balms.
Antihistamines can also help to lower the itch level. Immunosuppressant
medication may also be effective at relieving itch at night.
Steroid creams can be applied to reduce itching and inflammation so that the
skin can heal. Unfortunately, it causes another set of issues (like thinning
of the skin) when used as a prolonged treatment. For my family, I try not to
use the steroid cream unless we have to see a doc for the condition.
I also use a variety of essential oil blends based on recipes found online to
reduce itch and repair the skin, but I've not found one that really improves the
problem.
There are other treatments like oral prescriptions, traditional chinese
medicine, accupuncture, mindfulness meditations etc which we didn't
explore.
Recent discovery
After my backache and menstrual cramps improved from wearing the Aulora pants, I started exploring other products from BE International for myself. Then a friend asked if I want to try a Japan-made supplement called Shiruto to help L with his eczema.
From the testimonials I found online, this proprietary fermented wheat extract supplement with an active ingredient of IP-PA1 has helped many Shiruto users to heal from their skin conditions and "awaken their immune system".
I was still a little uncomfortable with the suggestion as anything taken orally has to be scrutinised and checked thoroughly before I would allow my kids to consume the product. So I searched for more info on Shiruto and IP-PA1.
IP-PA1 is a lipopolysaccharide that comes from a symbiotic bacteria called Pantoea agglomerans found in wheat and other food plants. In simple terms, IP-PA1 contains important vitamins for our immune cells (macrophages).
Also, Shiruto is GMP certified by the Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association, halal-certified and uses natural ingredients. IP-PA1 is also the first and only ingredient recognised by CIITRA Japan to be used as a natural immune health ingredient.
L started taking Shiruto from 22 May 2020. Here are pictures showing the journey.
L took 2 sachets daily, one in the morning, and one before bedtime. In a week, I saw some improvements on the patches. The red and itchy patches were slightly smaller behind the right leg and right arm. The progress was hopeful so I continued this for 3 months then decreased to one sachet daily.
Two months later, I had an ingenious idea to use the Aulora socks as arm sleeves to protect his eczema patch on his arms as the dry skin on my feet got smoother after wearing the Aulora socks. Actually not that ingenious as I later realised that many other users have also done the same! Haha!
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| Aulora socks as arm sleeves |
How might the Aulora socks help to improve our skin condition? Aulora socks are made of Kodenshi fiber, a patented material that integrates ultra-fine ceramics into the fiber to enhance the absorption of far infrared rays. This improves our blood circulation. When our cells get more oxygen and nutrients more efficiently, the cells get "healthier" and better too. When our skin gets healthier, the damage caused by wounds gets repaired sufficiently.
After 5 months of Shiruto (one sachet a day) and wearing the Aulora socks every night when he sleeps, this is how it looks:
Are you amazed? I couldn't believe it when I took out his earlier pictures to compare! Without any change to his body wash, his moisturising regime, his diet etc, his red and dry eczema patches improved so much! We didn't even see such improvement since the past 4 years of this journey!
I think it's both the Aulora socks and Shiruto but the boy credited the improvement to the socks because he confessed that he hasn't been regular in taking Shiruto. Tsk tsk!
Since then, we have embarked on another experiment where he also wears the Aulora pants to sleep. Though we still have to maintain the daily moisturising regime, I am glad we have found two better and natural alternatives to improve his eczema problem. And he can look better with a fairer and smoother skin for the Chinese New Year!
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| Boy in Black - Aulora Kodenshi Pants, Basic Top and Socks |
