Scleroderma: 15 Natural Home Remedies for Symptom Relief

Do you have hardened patches of whitish skin on your arms and legs? Do you suffer from breathlessness or excessively dry eyes? Then you probably might be suffering from a condition called scleroderma.

Scleroderma is one medical condition that may manifest in many forms and has no known causes. But it can be quite an agonizing condition.

So, are there any simple home remedies that can give one respite from this condition? You bet there are! And check out this post to know them!

What Is Scleroderma?

Scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease, which usually causes hardening (sclero) of the skin (derma). The treatment for scleroderma attempts to alleviate its symptoms.

Collagen is a fibrous tissue that usually forms most of the body’s connected tissues, including the skin. Scleroderma usually occurs when the body overproduces collagen. The excessive collagen tightens and thickens the skin and scars the lungs and kidneys. It can even lead to the thickening and malfunctioning of blood vessels. It can in turn cause hypertension and tissue damage (1).

Types Of Scleroderma:

Scleroderma is essentially an autoimmune disorder, which manifests itself in several forms. Essentially, there are two types of scleroderma:

1. Localized Scleroderma:

Localized scleroderma usually affects the skin. It may appear in the following forms:

• Morphea: It causes hard, oval patches on your skin. These patches are usually red or purple, and they soon turn white in the center. In rare cases, this type of scleroderma can affect the blood vessels or internal organs.
• Linear: Long lines or streaks of hardened or thickened skin, on the arms, face or legs characterize it.

2. Systemic Scleroderma:

Systemic scleroderma or generalized scleroderma affects other body parts apart from skin. There are two forms of systemic scleroderma:

• Limited Scleroderma: It has a slow onset and initially affects the face, hands, feet and the skin. It also damages internal organs like the esophagus, intestines and lungs. In fact, doctors refer to this manifestation of limited scleroderma as CREST syndrome. It also affects blood pressure and leads to irregular heartbeat. It is a chronic autoimmune disorder, but medication can provide relief from pain and inflammation.
• Diffuse Scleroderma: Diffuse scleroderma is the other form of generalized scleroderma. It results in hardening and thickening of the skin in the middle of the body. Therefore, it affects the upper arms, hands, thighs, lungs, kidney and even the gastrointestinal tract (2).

Causes Of Scleroderma:

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disorder, and medical research is yet to ascertain its cause. Your body’s immune system turns against you, triggering inflammation and collagen overproduction. Scleroderma may also be a genetic disease. Exposure to building material, silica, sand, cement or welding fumes can also trigger the disease (3).

Symptoms Of Scleroderma:

Hardened skin patches, characterize this disease. Here are some other symptoms associated with scleroderma:

1. Thick skin that appears smooth and shiny. These hardened skin patches usually occur on the hands and the face.
2. Ulcers and pustules on fingertips
3. Raynaud’s phenomenon results in cold fingers or red, white or blue colored toes
4. Telangiectasias is the appearance of red spots on the face and the chest. In fact, these spots are open blood vessels.
5. Sjogren’s syndrome results in excessive dryness of the mouth and eyes.
6. Inflammation and swelling on hands, fingers and toes.
7. Diarrhea
8. Painful or swollen joints
9. Weak muscles
10. Breathlessness
11. Acidity and Heartburn
12. Weight Loss (4)

Home Remedies For Scleroderma:

Let us take a look at some simple home remedies that may relieve the symptoms of this chronic illness.

1. Garlic:

One of the best natural remedies for alleviating scleroderma is garlic. You should avoid the intake of garlic if you have scleroderma. Thus, only the topical application of garlic is advisable. It helps soften the skin.

Cut one garlic clove into three medium pieces. Apply each of the three pieces to affected areas on the skin. Rub these pieces on the patches for half an hour. Alternatively, you can use a cotton ball, dip it in garlic oil and apply it to the affected area. You can also prepare garlic tea, and use a cloth to apply that on the skin. To prepare garlic tea, boil a few garlic cloves in water and brew the mixture (5).

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