Ayurveda for eczema in San Ramon

Dry, itchy patches that flare with stress or a change of season, skin that stings after a new product, or a child's rash that comes and goes: eczema is rarely just a skin story. Preeti Gupta at Minute Wonder Ayurveda in San Ramon helps people with the habits around it, while a dermatologist or physician keeps the diagnosis.

Preeti does not diagnose pathological conditions from a Western perspective, so her work sits alongside the care of your physician and never replaces it.

What Ayurveda looks at

Ayurveda ties skin to digestion and to the balance of the doshas, and often describes itching and redness as extra heat, pitta, in the system. Preeti looks at:

• Digestion and elimination, because Ayurveda connects the skin to the gut.

• Food and drink that seem to set off a flare, including very hot, sour, salty or fermented items.

• What touches the skin: soaps, oils, laundry products, hot showers and what you use to moisturize.

What a First Visit covers

A First Visit is 90 minutes ($250). Preeti reviews your daily routine, diet, digestion, exercise and sleep, using a health history, pulse analysis and tongue diagnosis. For eczema, expect time on:

• Where, when and how it flares, with photos if they help.

• Your dermatologist's plan and every cream or medicine you use, so nothing clashes.

• Gentle oils for home, and whether Abhyanga suits your skin right now.

You leave with a written diet, herbal and lifestyle plan. Follow-ups are $125 for 60 minutes. See pricing.

What you can start this week

Two cooling dishes from her recipe pages. Do not put new oils on broken, weeping or infected skin.

• Bottle gourd (gheeya). Her page calls bottle gourd cooling and hydrating, and says it pacifies pitta and vata.

• Coconut chutney. Her page describes coconut as cooling and nourishing for pitta.

See your physician first if

• Skin that is hot, swollen, weeping, blistering or painful, or a rash with fever.

• Eczema near the eyes, or in a baby or young child, that has not been checked.

• Any steroid or prescribed cream you are tempted to stop on your own. Talk to your doctor first.

Common questions about eczema

Can oils make eczema worse?

They can, on inflamed or broken skin or if you react to an ingredient. Preeti asks about allergies and your current flare before suggesting an oil, and a patch test is sensible.

Will Preeti ask me to stop my cream?

No. Keep using what your dermatologist prescribed. She works on food, routine and gentle care alongside it.

Can I bring my child?

Preeti's About page says she works with adults and kids. Diagnosis of eczema in young children belongs with a pediatrician or dermatologist, so ask about it on the free 15-minute call.

Ayurveda is a traditional system of wellness and is not a substitute for medical care. Content here is educational. Please consult your physician about any medical condition. Preeti Gupta is not licensed by the State of California as a healing arts practitioner; Ayurvedic services are complementary to the care of licensed providers.