Up until the 20th century, humans relied on anecdotal evidence in regard to medical treatments for all variety of illnesses and diseases included skin conditions.
During the 20th century however, science, with resources to conduct clinical trials began to focus on pharmaceutical products in a quest to find treatments and cures.
For a long period of time, medical doctors and researchers were skeptical of claims that some made for natural healing and prevention methods.
Thankfully, many scientists and researchers have begun to study and test natural products including foods and herbs to find out if there is any truth to some of the traditionalremedies that include food and herbs.
What has been discovered in some cases has been outstanding.
And this is true for herbs and foods that can maintain and treat those embarrassing and uncomfortable skin conditions like acne, eczema, dermatitis and even hidradenitis suppurativa.
Yogurt Yes, regular consumption of yogurt can help maintain healthy skin and improve it when there are conditions affecting it.
Yogurt that has live bacterial cultures are said to be "probiotic" and provide healthy bacteria for the digestive and intestinal tract.
In a study published in 2008 in Exercise Immunology Review, a peer reviewed scientific medical journal, it was pointed out that this healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract from consuming probiotic products had "beneficial effects" on the skin.
Evening Primrose Oil While many know evening primrose oil (or EPO as it is sometimes referred to) to be helpful for symptoms of PMS, new evidence indicates that it can also be a useful treatment for eczema according to the Journal of Family Practice.
One will not see immediate results, but with use over four to eight weeks, dramatic improvement may occur.
Argan Oil Argan oil comes from the small country of Morocco, and is the product of the fruit of the argan tree.
In North Africay, it has been used for centuries for healthy hair and skin when applied topically in addition to being used as a food to cook with.
Recently, there has been tremendous interest in this oil because of some of it's unique phytosterols.
And once again, clinical studies are showing that what those who have been using argan oil for centuries already knew: It is effective for the treatment of acne, psoriasis and eczema.
These are just a few of the traditional remedies that we now know can help to maintain healthy skin or treat problems that affect it.