If you saw a photo of Camille Knowles you might be forgiven for wondering what she could possibly know about bad skin. But you’d be very wrong. Spare five minutes to hear Camille on this YouTube link to learn how she suffered with extensive and severe eczema for years, so painful that even a shower was unbearable. In fact it made her so miserable that she seriously considered ending things for good.

Determined to have one last shot at overcoming her eczema, she decided that if she succeeded she’d write a book to help others – she’s now written three and has a blog and numerous YouTube vlogs too.

But what is eczema? It’s an inflammation of the skin causing dryness, redness, itching, pain and cracking, and it can become infected, making things much worse. It can appear anywhere, but it’s often concentrated in certain areas, such as behind the knees and in the elbow crease. The most common type – atopic eczema, is thought to be allergic in origin, to food for example, or something environmental, but it isn’t easy to find and eliminate the cause – or causes. It’s usually treated with emollients, which help the dryness and encourage healing. Steroids can be used, but have their own problems long-term so their use should be limited. Despite treatment, many children suffer considerably, and bad cases can progress to adulthood too.

Thus Camille’s holistic approach is important and besides her books and information sources she has a range of rather special skin treatments, which contain numerous plant oils and, amongst other things, small amounts of crystals – reflecting her spiritual, holistic approach.

Let’s look at two products in her range – Calming Cream and Pamper Me Bathing Oil.

Calming Cream is applied morning and evening. It’s formulated with Mango and Shea butters and Jojoba Seed Oil; Omega 3 and 6, balanced to reduce inflammation; Oat lipids (a rich source of vitamin E); Rhamnosoft – based on a fermented sugar; Bioecolia, a prebiotic to encourage beneficial skin bacteria and Smithsonite and Rhodochrosite crystals for serenity, calmness and self-love. It smells fabulous thanks to botanical ingredients, and it felt beautiful on my skin and was rapidly absorbed.

Pamper Me Bathing Oil is light but has a thick, gel-like consistency and adding it to my bath felt like the ultimate in decadence and made my skin beautifully soft. You can also rub it over your body first for even more effect. It contains Castor Oil, which Camille swears by, with Sweet Almond, Oat Kernel, Jojoba and Sunflower oils, together with balanced Omega 3 and 6 and Oat lipids, and the same crystals as in the Calming Cream.

All the products are packaged in deep and light pink packaging – inducing instant feelings of peace.

If you’ve struggled with eczema, you have my sympathy. It’s worth giving Camille Knowles a try – her advice, her books and her products – and I really hope it helps. All products are available from her website.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

The Wreck by Meg Keneally pub Zaffre pb. eBook and audio

Sarah McCaffrey finds herself alone and on the run, after participating in a failed rebellion. She manages to board a ship bound from London to Australia, only to be the sole survivor of a shipwreck within sight of Sydney.

She reinvents herself and takes a job under formidable Molly Thistle, the head of a trade empire and soon realises that her life could be more than she ever thought, but then her past catches up with her…

A powerful historical novel, interesting, and page turning.

Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass pb pub by Titan Books

Suspicion, obsession and revenge… Ouch.

Faith Finley is a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, and is a successful author, and the host of a popular local radio program. On top of this, she’s happily married to a respected food critic, Liam Finley.

Then it all goes wrong, and after that night nothing will be the same.  Liam is missing, and the police look on Faith with suspicion. Has she has something to hide? Or is she mad?

Then notes begin to arrive. Threats escalate, and it is up to Faith to solve the mysteries.

A page turner, full of pace, tension and twists and turns.

All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffausen pub Titan Books. 

FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother?

Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib near to her. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. So, just who is his mother’s killer? Is he horribly close to home?

A heart thumping and sinister novel. Keep all the lights on.